Spain created one of the largest empires in history, ruling territories across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

We provide a clear breakdown of modern countries once part of the Spanish Empire. The breakdown is organized by region. It is based on historical records.

The Spanish Empire was much larger than the Roman Empire in terms of land area. At its peak, Spain controlled vast territories across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. These territories far exceeded the Roman Empire’s maximum size.

The Americas (Largest Portion of the Empire)

Spain’s colonization began in the Caribbean. It expanded across most of Latin America, from Central America to the Tiera del Fuego, facing the Antarctic.

Key modern countries that were fully or largely colonized include:

•       Mexico

•       Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

•       Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Haiti (partly), Jamaica (briefly), The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Guadeloupe (briefly)

•       Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay

•       Most of the United States to Canada.

•       Brazil (small portions, briefly)

These territories formed the core of Spain’s wealth and influence in the 16th–19th centuries.

Africa

Spain held several territories in North and West Africa:

Equatorial Guinea

Western Sahara

Northern Morocco (protectorate zones)

Ceuta & Melilla (still Spanish today)

Canary Islands (still Spanish today)

Spain’s African holdings were smaller than its American empire but strategically important.

Asia and Oceania

Spain also established a significant presence in Asia and the Pacific:

Philippines (major colony for over 300 years)

Guam

Northern Mariana Islands

Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands (various periods)

These territories connected Spain to Asian trade networks

Spanish language

Spanish is one of the world’s most influential languages. It ranks 3rd globally by number of native speakers and around 4th by total speakers. More than 635 million people are able to speak it today.

Below is a clear breakdown of how Spanish ranks worldwide:

Global Ranking of the Spanish Language

By Native Speakers

Spanish ranks 3rd in the world:

By Geographic Spread

Spanish is the second‑most spoken language in the Western Hemisphere, and the dominant language across Latin America.

🇺🇸 In the United States

The U.S. is now the second‑largest Spanish‑speaking country in the world, surpassing Spain in total speakers:

65.5 million speakers in the U.S.

Why Spanish Ranks So High

•       Spoken in 21 countries as an official language.

•       Strong demographic growth in Latin America.

•       Rising bilingual population in the U.S.

•       Global cultural influence (music, film, literature).

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