List of countries that have gained independence from Spain facts for kids

The list of countries that gained independence from Spain shows how many different places around the world broke away from the Spanish Empire. This happened at different times, starting in the 17th century.

How Countries Gained Independence

The Spanish Empire grew very large starting in the 16th century. But over time, it began to shrink as countries fought for their freedom.

Early Independence Movements

One of the first areas Spain lost was the Netherlands in 1597. Then, in 1640, Portugal became independent again after being part of Spain since 1581. In 1642, Spanish Formosa (modern-day Taiwan) was taken by the Dutch.

Later, in the early 1700s, Spain lost more lands in Europe. These included parts of the Spanish Netherlands (which became parts of modern-day Belgium and Luxembourg) and the Kingdom of Naples (now part of Italy). These changes happened after big wars and treaties like the Peace of Münster and the Treaty of Rastatt.

Independence in the Americas

A big wave of independence movements happened in the Americas after the American Revolutionary War (when the United States became independent) and the Battle of Trafalgar, which weakened Spain's power at sea.

Simón Bolívar, a famous leader, helped start many independence movements in Central and South America. Countries like Venezuela (1811), Paraguay (1811), Argentina (1816), and Chile (1818) were among the first to declare their freedom.

Many other countries in Latin America followed, including:

• Colombia (1819)
• Peru (1821)
• Mexico (1821)
• Costa Rica (1821)
• El Salvador (1821)
• Guatemala (1821)
• Honduras (1821)
• Nicaragua (1821)
• Panama (1821)
• Ecuador (1822)
• Bolivia (1825)
• Uruguay (1825)

The Dominican Republic also gained independence from Spain in 1865, though it had a complex history of being occupied by other countries.

Later Independence and Decolonization

In the late 1800s, Spain lost its last major colonies in the Americas and Asia. Cuba and the Philippines gained independence in 1898, often with support from the United States. Puerto Rico and Guam also became territories of the United States after the Spanish–American War.

Spain also sold some smaller islands in the Pacific, like the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau, to Germany in 1899.

Finally, in the mid-20th century, Spain lost its last lands in Africa as part of the decolonization movement:

• Morocco (1956)
• Equatorial Guinea (1968)
• Ifni (now part of Morocco) (1969)
• Western Sahara (1976)

These events marked the end of the large Spanish Empire.

Images for kids

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  Dutch Formosa was ceded to the Dutch Republic in 1642.

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  The flag of the First Republic of Venezuela, which declared independence in 1811.

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  The flag of Ecuador, which gained independence in 1822.

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  The flag of Cuba, which gained independence from Spain in 1898.

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  Another historical flag of Cuba, known as the Céspedes flag.

• Flag of the Dominican Republic (1865-1961).svg

  The flag of the Second Dominican Republic, which gained independence in 1865.

• Flag of the First Philippine Republic.svg

  The flag of the First Philippine Republic, which declared independence in 1898.

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  The colonial flag of Germany, representing territories Spain sold to Germany in 1899.

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  The merchant flag of Spanish Morocco, which gained independence in 1956.

• Flag of Francoist Spain (1945-1977).svg

  The flag of Francoist Spain, used when Equatorial Guinea, Ifni, and Spanish Sahara gained independence.

See also

In Spanish: Países que se independizaron del Imperio español para niños

• Mexican War of Independence
• Spanish American wars of independence
• Philippines Revolution
• Spanish–American War
• Eighty Years' War
• War of the Spanish Succession
• List of national independence days