Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire (1492-1976) was the first global empire, and at its 16th-century zenith it was 30% larger than the Ottoman Empire's peak territory, controlling 13.1 million square kilometres. Spain's colonisation of the Americas initiated the Columbian Exchange—a biological and demographic transfer that saw 2–3 million Africans forcibly transported as slaves. Spanish is now the first language of 500 million people worldwide, making it the second most spoken language on Earth—a direct, lasting legacy of imperial reach.