35 Colonies, 400 Years: How One Empire Made Half the World Speak Spanish

Spanning over four centuries, the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe, colonising 35 territories. Through exploration and trade, Spain established a vast global domain before these nations gradually achieved their independence.

Jul 20, 2026, 18:57 IST

35 Colonies, 400 Years: How One Empire Made Half the World Speak Spanish

In 1492, when Columbus sailed to the west, the number of Spanish-speaking people in the world stood at less than 4 million. In fact, it was not even the only language in the Iberian Peninsula. It was just Castilian – just another dialect fighting for supremacy in the newly created state of Spain.

Four centuries later, that one small dialect has come to conquer half a continent, cross three oceans and destroy many other languages.

Now, Spanish is spoken by over 500 million people in 35 countries and boasts an extra 100 million speakers compared to English.

But then again, how could a language which came from caves in northern Spain create a linguistic empire that survived even when its empire had long since fallen?

List of Countries and Territories Formerly Under Spanish Rule

Spain created a large global empire across several continents through colonisation via explorations, conquests, and trade until these countries gained their independence over time.

Country / Territory	Year Colonised	Key Explorer / Conquistador	Period of Spanish Rule	Year of Independence / Cession	Description
Argentina	1536	Pedro de Mendoza	1536–1816	1816	Member of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, which was a very important trading centre before it gained independence.
Belgium	1556	N/A (Habsburg Inheritance)	1556–1714	1714	It was known as the Spanish Netherlands and was under the control of the Spanish Habsburgs until it came into possession of Austria.
Belize	1524	Hernán Cortés	1524–1798	1798	Belonging to New Spain but was being colonised by British log cutters and other people.
Bolivia	1538	Gonzalo Pizarro	1538–1825	1825	Famous for the Potosí silver mines which funded most of the Spanish Empire.
California (USA)	1769	Gaspar de Portolá	1769–1821	1821	Established through a series of Spanish Catholic missions prior to being incorporated into the newly-formed nation of Mexico.
Chile	1541	Pedro de Valdivia	1541–1818	1818	Encountered decades of stubborn resistance by the native Mapuche population prior to achieving its independence led by Bernardo O’Higgins.
Colombia	1525	Rodrigo de Bastidas	1525–1819	1819	Heart of the Viceroyalty of New Granada and the foundation of Simón Bolívar’s post-independence Gran Colombia.
Costa Rica	1524	Francisco Fernández de Córdoba	1524–1821	1821	The southernmost province of the Captaincy General of Guatemala gained independence alongside neighbouring Central American states.
Cuba	1511	Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar	1511–1898	1898	Spain's crucial Caribbean island stronghold and sugar producer remained loyal until the Spanish-American War.
Dominican Republic	1492	Christopher Columbus	1492–1795	1795	Site of La Hispaniola, the very first permanent European settlement in the Americas.
Ecuador	1534	Sebastián de Belalcázar	1534–1822	1822	Home to Quito, a key administrative and artistic hub in the Andes under Spanish rule.
El Salvador	1524	Pedro de Alvarado	1524–1821	1821	Highly valued for its agriculture, particularly indigo production, before joining the Central American independence movement.
Equatorial Guinea	1778	Fernão do Po (Portuguese)	1778–1968	1968	Spain's primary colony in sub-Saharan Africa, acquired from Portugal via treaty in exchange for American territory.
Florida (USA)	1565	Pedro Menéndez de Avilés	1565–1821	1821	Home to St. Augustine, the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the continental United States.
Guam	1668	Diego Luis de San Vitores	1668–1898	1898	A vital trans-Pacific stopping point for the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade before being ceded to the U.S.
Guatemala	1524	Pedro de Alvarado	1524–1821	1821	It served as the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, governing most of Central America.
Haiti	1492	Christopher Columbus	1492–1697	1697	Originally western Hispaniola, Spain ceded the territory to France under the Treaty of Ryswick.
Honduras	1524	Cristóbal de Olid	1524–1821	1821	Rich in silver and mineral wealth, it was an important economic centre in colonial Central America.
Italy (Southern/Lombardy)	1504	Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba	1504–1714	1714	Naples, Sicily, and Milan were ruled directly by Spain as key Mediterranean strongholds for over two centuries.
Jamaica	1509	Juan de Esquivel	1509–1655	1655	Known as Santiago under Spanish rule before being captured by British forces under Oliver Cromwell.
Louisiana (USA)	1762	Hernando de Soto (explored)	1762–1801	1801	Ceded by France to Spain after the Seven Years' War, expanding Spanish control across the Mississippi.
Luxembourg	1556	N/A (Habsburg Inheritance)	1556–1714	1714	Governed as part of the Spanish Netherlands during the height of Spanish Habsburg power in Europe.
Mexico	1521	Hernán Cortés	1521–1821	1821	The capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, where Spanish culture deeply blended with indigenous Aztec civilisation.
Morocco (Northern/Tarfaya)	1912	General Marina	1912–1956	1956	Established as a Spanish protectorate in northern Africa during the modern imperial era.
Nicaragua	1522	Gil González Dávila	1522–1821	1821	Centred around rich colonial towns like Granada and León along key Central American trade routes.
Panama	1510	Vasco Núñez de Balboa	1510–1821	1821	Served as the vital transit point for transferring Peruvian silver across the isthmus toward Europe.
Paraguay	1537	Juan de Salazar de Espinosa	1537–1811	1811	Famous for the Jesuit Reductions, communal settlements created to integrate and protect Guaraní indigenous populations.
Peru	1532	Francisco Pizarro	1532–1824	1824	Heart of the Inca Empire and major silver source for Spain until the decisive Battle of Ayacucho.
Portugal	1580	Philip II of Spain	1580–1640	1640	United under Spanish monarch Philip II in the Iberian Union, sharing a ruler for 60 years.
Puerto Rico	1508	Juan Ponce de León	1508–1898	1898	Crucial strategic Caribbean fortress protecting trade routes, remaining Spanish until the Spanish-American War.
The Netherlands	1556	N/A (Habsburg Inheritance)	1556–1581	1581	Sparked the Eighty Years' War against Spanish rule, ultimately establishing the Dutch Republic.
The Philippines	1565	Miguel López de Legazpi	1565–1898	1898	Spain's major Asian colony and key node for global trade before being ceded to the U.S.
Trinidad and Tobago	1498	Christopher Columbus	1498–1797	1797	Remained a sparsely populated Spanish colony for three centuries before being captured by a British fleet.
Uruguay	1726	Bruno Mauricio de Zabala	1726–1811	1811	Founded as a buffer zone against Portuguese expansion before fighting for its independent sovereignty.
Venezuela	1522	Alonso de Ojeda	1522–1821	1821	Agricultural producer of cocoa and tobacco, serving as the birthplace of independence hero Simón Bolívar.

About the Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire, which has been referred to throughout history as the Monarchia Hispanica (Hispanic Monarchy) and the Catholic Monarchy (Monarquía Católica), is one of the greatest empires of all time in geographical terms.

The era of Philip II's reign is the era of the peak of the Spanish Empire and its achievement of the fame of being "an empire where the sun never sets".

Over the course of four centuries of its existence, the Spanish Empire included not only European countries but also the territories of North and South Americas, Africa, the Philippines and some territories of Asia.

In 1580, Philip II managed to unify the Spanish and Portuguese thrones and dominated their vast trade network for sixty years.

In addition to colonisation and mining of metals, the Spanish Empire changed the economy and culture of the planet in many different ways. For example, silver extracted in Potosí (currently in Bolivia) used to be the leading currency of the world, even in the trade between Spain and Imperial China.

Besides that, through the Columbian exchange, the Spanish Empire changed the food habits and farming practices of the globe.

35 Colonies, 400 Years: How One Empire Made Half the World Speak Spanish

Spanning over four centuries, the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe, colonising 35 territories. Through exploration and trade, Spain established a vast global domain before these nations gradually achieved their independence.

List of Countries and Territories Formerly Under Spanish Rule

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