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

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Last updated: December 29, 2018

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First submitted	March 27, 2014
Times taken	62,893
Average score	69.7%
Rating	4.50

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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

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77 Comments

Level 38

Aug 28, 2015

Could you do a British Empire quiz please?

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.....

Level 43

Jul 25, 2016

and French empire ? It's a hard work...

Level 60

May 14, 2020

Ima do that

+15

Level 30

Jul 26, 2016

Belgium Empire? Now that would be exceptionally difficult

Level 60

Apr 26, 2020

That would be nice, but QM would delete it faster than I can say "JetPunk."

Level 77

Feb 9, 2016

Typing 'Micronesia' doesn't work

Level ∞

Feb 9, 2016

My mistake. Now fixed.

+17

Level 66

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.

Level 55

Mar 13, 2016

Oh my God, I did too. Wow. Feeling pretty dumb right now haha!

Level 43

Sep 18, 2021

Honestly I was surprised it was on the quiz. Didn't even think to guess it.

Level 61

Apr 21, 2023

I forgot Mexico and Argentina. The only two I missed.

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

Level 30

Jul 26, 2016

Hence all the Spanish sounding names in California, Nevada etc....

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.

Level 76

Feb 29, 2020

There's also a town in New Mexico called Madrid, I went there a couple of weeks ago

Level 43

Sep 22, 2021

"At one point" meaning three centuries for many if not most of these territories.

+11

Level 71

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

Level 60

Sep 17, 2021

Was wondering where Malta was!

Level 84

Mar 13, 2016

Portugal was briefly ruled by the Spanish monarchy in the late 16th century.

Level 30

Jul 26, 2016

How briefly? The quiz states that it must be for 20 years.

Level 67

Mar 19, 2019

60 years

Level 59

Jan 29, 2021

Read the first caveat, this will explain it.

Level 28

Mar 13, 2016

I only got Spain... 😝😝😝

+12

Level 79

Mar 18, 2019

How did you manage to do that??

Level 32

Nov 16, 2020

wHeN sPaiN oWnS sPain

well yes, but actually yes-

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.).

Level 33

Sep 26, 2021

yes!! they included italy but not portugal and brazil

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.

Level 61

Mar 18, 2019

And the Northern Mariana Islands.

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.

Level 73

Sep 17, 2021

Only? That must be a third of US territory xd.

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.

Level 77

Mar 13, 2016

Are Puerto Rico and Guam considered as the United States?

Level 83

Oct 23, 2016

It doesn't matter

Level 64

Mar 14, 2016

Somehow managed to missed Argentina. *facepalm*

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?

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.

Level 36

Nov 9, 2016

I can't believe I forgot Spain itself!

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.

Level ∞

Dec 29, 2018

See caveat #1

Level 47

Feb 22, 2019

Only 73% got Spain. Tough one to remember, I guess.

Level 69

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.

Level 48

Mar 18, 2019

30/33. I forgot Costa Rica while getting all other countries in the Americas...

Level 76

Mar 18, 2019

It is not French Comté but it is Franche-Comté. I live there and I know what I writing about.

Level 52

Mar 24, 2019

Belize?

Level 64

Jan 6, 2021

Claimed by UK

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

Level 59

Aug 20, 2020

The way he describes it sounds like territory actually held by the spanish for at least 20 years. Not just claimed.

Level 52

Nov 4, 2019

You should include Portugal. Even if it was for 60 years, they were the same country for a while.

Level 50

Feb 7, 2020

Bru I got all but FSM. Come onbnnnn

Level 58

May 12, 2020

What about the UK? They owed Gibraltar, didn't they?

Level 60

Sep 19, 2021

Reading caveats is hard, isn't it.

Level 59

Aug 20, 2020

Wow, got everything but Spain, France, and Italy. Whoops.

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

Level 71

Dec 26, 2020

This explains the famous traditional Luxembourg paella.

Level 70

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.

Level ∞

Sep 2, 2021

See caveats

Level 68

Sep 17, 2021

So 19% who got Mexico did not get Spain?

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.

Level 46

Sep 17, 2021

just missed palau

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.

Level 66

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

Level 45

Sep 17, 2021

You should include Malta too

Level 68

Sep 22, 2021

Wow, they got a lot.

Level 60

Nov 6, 2021

I missed Spain....... I MISSED SPAIN

Level 46

Mar 2, 2023

They also had a part of Brazil and a part of UK ( Falkland islands)