Which European Countries Established Claims in North America?

During the Age of Exploration and subsequent colonial period, four major European powers established territorial claims in North America:

• Spain – Claimed vast territories across the south and west, including Florida, Mexico, the Southwest U.S., and California.
• France – Controlled New France, stretching from the Gulf of St. Lawrence through the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi Valley to Louisiana.
• England (later Great Britain) – Established the Thirteen Colonies along the Atlantic seaboard, later expanding northward and westward.
• The Netherlands – Held New Netherland, centered on the Hudson River Valley (including present-day New York City), before ceding it to England in 1664.

These competing claims shaped centuries of conflict, diplomacy, and the eventual political map of the continent.