Cuba: Spain's Last Colony in the Americas

Yes — The Final Spanish Possession in the New World

Cuba remained under Spanish sovereignty from **1511 (conquest) until 1898** — nearly four centuries. After the **Spanish–American War**, the Treaty of Paris (Dec 1898) forced Spain to relinquish Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines, and Guam.

Timeline of the End

• 1868–78: Ten Years' War (first independence war).
• 1895–98: Cuban War of Independence (José Martí, Máximo Gómez, Antonio Maceo).
• Feb 1898: USS *Maine* explodes in Havana Harbor.
• Apr–Aug 1898: Spanish–American War.
• Dec 10, 1898: Treaty of Paris — Spain cedes sovereignty.
• Jan 1, 1899: US military government installed.
• May 20, 1902: Republic of Cuba inaugurated (Platt Amendment in constitution).

Context

Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines also ceded — but **Cuba was the last *American* colony**. Spain retained **African territories** (Western Sahara, Equatorial Guinea, Ifni) until 1968–75.