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Countries of the Spanish Empire

Guess the modern-day countries that were once in the Spanish Empire, in whole or in part.
Not including countries held through the personal unions of monarchs
Not including territory held for less than twenty years
Not including small possessions such as a single city or fort
Quiz by thecoolestdude2
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Last updated: December 29, 2018
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First submittedMarch 27, 2014
Times taken60,996
Average score69.7%
Rating4.64
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Years
Country
1553–1816
Argentina
1556–1714
Belgium
1548–1825
Bolivia
1541–1818
Chile
1525–1810
Colombia
1524–1821
Costa Rica
1511–1898
Cuba
1498–1795
Dominican Republic
1534–1822
Ecuador
1525–1821
El Salvador
1778–1968
Equatorial Guinea
1565–1899
F. S. Micronesia
1556–1674
France (French–Comté)
1524–1821
Guatemala
1498–1625
Haiti
1536–1821
Honduras
1556–1759
Italy
Years
Country
1509–1655
Jamaica
1556–1714
Luxembourg
1519–1821
Mexico
1884–1975
Morocco / Western Sahara
1556–1581
Netherlands
1524–1821
Nicaragua
1574–1899
Palau
1510–1821
Panama
1537–1811
Paraguay
1535–1821
Peru
1565–1898
Philippines
Spain
1592–1797
Trinidad and Tobago
1508–1898
United States
1724–1811
Uruguay
1527–1811
Venezuela
+3
Level 38
Aug 28, 2015
Could you do a British Empire quiz please?
+7
Level 68
Aug 29, 2015
I don't know. There are already a lot of quizzes out there about it... I might try to put a little twist on it...
+19
Level 61
Jun 2, 2020
only 75% of people got spain.....
+2
Level 43
Jul 25, 2016
and French empire ? It's a hard work...
+1
Level 55
May 14, 2020
Ima do that
+15
Level 31
Jul 26, 2016
Belgium Empire? Now that would be exceptionally difficult
+7
Level 55
Apr 26, 2020
That would be nice, but QM would delete it faster than I can say "JetPunk."
+2
Level 76
Feb 9, 2016
Typing 'Micronesia' doesn't work
+1
Level ∞
Feb 9, 2016
My mistake. Now fixed.
+17
Level 65
Mar 13, 2016
How did I miss Trinidad? Its freaking capital is Port of Spain!
+16
Level 60
Mar 13, 2016
Really interesting that Belize was not part of this empire but I see it was settled by shipwrecked English sailors. Very interesting!
+26
Level 61
Mar 13, 2016
Hmmm.....I forgot Spain.
+4
Level 55
Mar 13, 2016
Oh my God, I did too. Wow. Feeling pretty dumb right now haha!
+2
Level 43
Sep 18, 2021
Honestly I was surprised it was on the quiz. Didn't even think to guess it.
+1
Level 61
Apr 21, 2023
I forgot Mexico and Argentina. The only two I missed.
+1
Level 56
Mar 13, 2016
Does the USA answer refer to Puerto Rico? Very interesting quiz.
+27
Level 48
Mar 13, 2016
They owned a lot of the western U.S. at one time and Florida
+8
Level 31
Jul 26, 2016
Hence all the Spanish sounding names in California, Nevada etc....
+3
Level 75
Mar 18, 2019
In the US, Spain pretty much colonized everything west of the Mississippi River except the Pac northwest. A town in southeast Missouri is named New Madrid. (Pronounced Mad'-rid, not Ma-drid' as it is in Spain.) Most Americans know that the US made the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, but a lot of people don't realize that France ceded the territory to Spain in 1762, and Spain held the territory until 1801 when they ceded it back to France.
+1
Level 76
Feb 29, 2020
There's also a town in New Mexico called Madrid, I went there a couple of weeks ago
+1
Level 43
Sep 22, 2021
"At one point" meaning three centuries for many if not most of these territories.
+11
Level 69
Mar 13, 2016
You might want to add Malta - it was ruled by the Crown of Aragon from 1283 to 1530. So even if you accept only territories owned after the marriage of Isabel and Ferdinand, Malta still qualifies
+2
Level 60
Sep 17, 2021
Was wondering where Malta was!
+8
Level 83
Mar 13, 2016
Portugal was briefly ruled by the Spanish monarchy in the late 16th century.
+5
Level 31
Jul 26, 2016
How briefly? The quiz states that it must be for 20 years.
+3
Level 67
Mar 19, 2019
60 years
+3
Level 58
Jan 29, 2021
Read the first caveat, this will explain it.
+2
Level 29
Mar 13, 2016
I only got Spain... 😝😝😝
+11
Level 79
Mar 18, 2019
How did you manage to do that??
+1
Level 32
Nov 16, 2020
wHeN sPaiN oWnS sPain

well yes, but actually yes-

+6
Level 71
Mar 13, 2016
In theory it was "the Iberian Union" 1580-1640, two independent countries that happened to be ruled by the same monarch.

In practice it was of course Spanish rule.

Also, if Portugal is added, all of the Portuguese Empire must be added (Brazil, Angola, Mozambique etc.).

+1
Level 33
Sep 26, 2021
yes!! they included italy but not portugal and brazil
+2
Level 41
Mar 13, 2016
Only Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Puerto Rico and Guam were ever part of the Spanish empire.
+1
Level 61
Mar 18, 2019
And the Northern Mariana Islands.
+3
Level 75
Mar 18, 2019
Spain also claimed the Louisiana Territory from 1762-1801 which included present-day states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Idaho. As I stated previously, they owned pretty much everything west of the Mississippi except the Pacific Northwest.
+5
Level 68
Sep 17, 2021
Only? That must be a third of US territory xd.
+2
Level 42
Mar 13, 2016
They should also include a stat for average % for test taker on their first attempt. These numbers get diluted after people memorize the answers.
+18
Level ∞
Mar 14, 2016
I have some bad news for you. The stats ARE for the first attempt only. However, there's nothing I can do to stop people from looking at the answers first.
+1
Level 77
Mar 13, 2016
Are Puerto Rico and Guam considered as the United States?
+6
Level 82
Oct 23, 2016
It doesn't matter
+1
Level 63
Mar 14, 2016
Somehow managed to missed Argentina. *facepalm*
+1
Level 29
Mar 18, 2016
I suppose that you take into account the Netherlands and Belgium because they were part of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by Charles I/Charles V. Then, why not including Germany?
+2
Level 68
Jul 15, 2016
The area called the Spanish Netherlands was handed over to Spain after Charles V's abdication in 1556. So, the Belgium and Netherlands are counted as in Spanish control from 1556 on in this quiz. The Netherlands didn't secede until 1581.
+2
Level 36
Nov 9, 2016
I can't believe I forgot Spain itself!
+2
Level 66
Jun 12, 2018
What about Portugal. After Portugal's king died without an heir, Spain ruled Portugal and it's empire with the Iberian Union for over 60 years.
+1
Level ∞
Dec 29, 2018
See caveat #1
+3
Level 48
Feb 22, 2019
Only 73% got Spain. Tough one to remember, I guess.
+6
Level 68
Mar 18, 2019
Hola from Jamaica. Legend has it that before escaping to Cuba some Spaniards hid quite a bit of gold deep in the hill countries of St. Catherine. They had intended to return to Jaica and kick out the British but that proved unsuccessful. My farmer grandpa bought a plot of land in this region and as a little girl my mother would wake up to find holes people had snuck in and dug during the night. It caused much distress because these gold seekers would completely uproot yam, potatoes, pineapples, carrots, new plants, old plants.
+1
Level 48
Mar 18, 2019
30/33. I forgot Costa Rica while getting all other countries in the Americas...
+4
Level 77
Mar 18, 2019
It is not French Comté but it is Franche-Comté. I live there and I know what I writing about.
+1
Level 52
Mar 24, 2019
Belize?
+1
Level 64
Jan 6, 2021
Claimed by UK
+1
Level 80
Oct 10, 2019
British Columbia (Canada) has loads of spanish place names -- strait of Juan de Fuca, Quadra Island, etc. Spain claimed ownership of the entire west coast starting 1493 and didn't relinquish it until 1819.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_expeditions_to_the_Pacific_Northwest

+1
Level 60
Aug 20, 2020
The way he describes it sounds like territory actually held by the spanish for at least 20 years. Not just claimed.
+1
Level 52
Nov 4, 2019
You should include Portugal. Even if it was for 60 years, they were the same country for a while.
+1
Level 50
Feb 7, 2020
Bru I got all but FSM. Come onbnnnn
+2
Level 57
May 12, 2020
What about the UK? They owed Gibraltar, didn't they?
+2
Level 60
Sep 19, 2021
Reading caveats is hard, isn't it.
+1
Level 60
Aug 20, 2020
Wow, got everything but Spain, France, and Italy. Whoops.
+1
Level 68
Oct 10, 2020
For whatever reason forgot Peru. Thought I had tried all the South American countries. Also missed Palau and FSM. Never knew, but considering the Philippines used to be a part it's not that surprising
+2
Level 72
Dec 26, 2020
This explains the famous traditional Luxembourg paella.
+1
Level 69
May 19, 2021
Good quiz, but missing quite a few. The Bahamas and Belize (before being captured by the British) were part of Spain's American colonies. Also the Marshall Islands fell under the Caroline islands administered by Spain. Guyana was administered under Venezuela for a while and finally, I seem to remember the Spanish at one point owned a small western part of Canada.
+1
Level ∞
Sep 2, 2021
See caveats
+1
Level 67
Sep 17, 2021
So 19% who got Mexico did not get Spain?
+1
Level 60
Sep 19, 2021
People ofted don't think that the homeland, that is in the name of the quiz, would also be included.

It's common in every "empire" quiz there is.

+1
Level 47
Sep 17, 2021
just missed palau
+2
Level 75
Sep 17, 2021
Oof difficult. Didn't expect to get them all, but probing thoroughly around the key areas I juuust did it with 4 seconds remaining.
+3
Level 65
Sep 17, 2021
Regarding France: the region is Franche Comté and not French Comté. Franche has nothing to do with being French. Here it means something like "Free County" actually
+1
Level 45
Sep 17, 2021
You should include Malta too
+1
Level 67
Sep 22, 2021
Wow, they got a lot.
+1
Level 60
Nov 6, 2021
I missed Spain....... I MISSED SPAIN
+2
Level 44
Mar 2, 2023
They also had a part of Brazil and a part of UK ( Falkland islands)
+2
Level 43
Apr 21, 2023
They had Portugal in the Iberian Union for over 60 years so wouldn't the Portuguese empire count as well?
+1
Level 64
Apr 21, 2023
The UK should also be here. Spain had a garrison and thus controlled at least part of the territory of the Falkland Islands between 1766 and 1812.

Check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkland_Islands

+1
Level 67
Apr 23, 2023
Missed Jamaica and Palau
+1
Level 61
Jun 4, 2023
Canada?