By the early 19th century, a vast majority of the world's nations had been colonised by European powers. The empire-building and resource-driven exploitation of states and their populations continues to influence the world today - from language, religion, and cultural beliefs to legal and economic systems. In certain countries, colonial practices included slavery, genocide and the creation of political and ethnic divisions that remain to this day. Others have argued that Western colonisation, in some instances, benefited colonised populations with rule of law and infrastructure building.