In 1764, the British king fixed a line at 32° 28´ north latitude across present Alabama and Mississippi. It formed the northern boundary of British West Florida from 1764 to 1783, Spanish West Florida from 1783 to 1795, Mississippi Territory from 1798 to 1804, Washington County from 1800 to 1812, and Clarke County from 1812 to 1815. It also formed the southern boundary of British Illinois from 1764 to 1783 and of the United States from 1783 to 1795. France had ceded the area to Britain in 1763.