See Spanish-English translations with audio pronunciations, examples, and word-by-word explanations. By engaging with Spain, the United States was able to gain valuable territories in Latin America and Asia, as well as send a message to other global powers. The untested U.S. Navy proved superior to the Spanish fleet, and the military strategists who planned the war in the broader context of empire caught the Spanish by surprise. In 1958, Spain united the territories of Saguia el Hamra and Río de Oro to form the overseas province of Spanish Sahara, while ceding the province of the Cape Juby Strip (which included Villa Bens) in the same year to Morocco. The Spanish Empire comprised the territories in the north overseas 'Septentrion', from North America and the Caribbean, to the Philippine, Mariana and Caroline Islands. In the 19th century, Spain lost its last major territories overseas in the Spanish-American War. See also: Historical Flags (Spain) Spain. The Spanish Empire was the first global empire in world history and was scattered all over the world. The Spanish West Indies or the Spanish Antilles (also known as "Las Antillas Occidentales" or simply "Las Antillas Españolas" in Spanish) were Spanish colonies in the Caribbean.In terms of governance of the Spanish Empire, The Indies was the designation for all its overseas territories and was overseen by the Council of the Indies, founded in 1524 and based in Spain. Translate Overseas territories. Former Colonies and Overseas Territories. Former Colonies and Overseas Territories; Former European Territories of the Spanish Hapsburgs. Spanish territories . Population 77,000 (Ceuta), 70,000 (Melilla) Area (combined) 32 sq km (12 sq miles) Major languages Spanish, Arabic . The U.S. emerged from the war a world power, and Spain, ironically, experienced a … The Spanish colonization of the Americas began under the Crown of Castile and spearheaded by the Spanish conquistadors.The Americas were invaded and incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, British America, and some small regions in South America and the Caribbean.The crown created civil and religious structures to administer this vast territory. The Spanish East Indies (Spanish: Indias orientales españolas [ˈinðjas oɾjenˈtales espaˈɲolas]; Filipino: Silangang Indiyas ng Espanya) were the overseas territories of the Spanish Empire in Asia and Oceania from 1565 to 1901, governed from Manila in the Spanish Philippines.The territories included: the Captaincy General of the Philippines (1565-1898) Dates when the territories became independent or changed hands are shown in square brackets: Africa. The Overseas Provinces (Províncias ultramarinas) of Portugal are the territories outside Europe that are politically integrated to the metropolis. Colonization. In the 1960s, Morocco continued to claim Spanish Sahara. Spanish-American War (1898), conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. There are no longer overseas colonies, as the term is now out of use, but France, Britain, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway still have overseas territories. Major religions Christianity, Islam .