Protectorate vs Colony
A colony is a region owned by a country but does not form part of the country. A protectorate is a nation in itself that is governed by a government but relies entirely on another country for protection against invasion from some other country.
It is interesting to note that a protectorate is characterized by autonomy. It has its own way of functioning. It does not depend upon any other country for its functioning. It is self-made and is autonomous. On the other hand it depends on another nation only in the matter of protection from invasion. In other words it can be said that a protectorate is controlled by a stronger state but is autonomous when it comes to internal affairs.
You have to remember that although a protectorate is under the control of a stronger state it is not in the possession of the stronger state. This is the reason why protectorates are established in treaty between two countries.
A colony is a group of people that forms a kind of settlement in a nation, but it comes directly under the rule of some other country. Historically speaking, a protectorate for that matter did come under say British control, but were normal independent states. Colonies were in fact part of the British state.
An important difference between a protectorate and a colony is that a protectorate comes under the control of a ‘protector’ whereas a colony comes under the control of a ‘colonizer’.
Recap:
The difference between a protectorate and a colony:
A colony is a region owned by a country but comes under the rule of another country, where as a protectorate is a nation in itself protected by a country against the invasion of some other country.
A protectorate is characterized by autonomy, whereas a colony comes directly under the rule of some other country.