Map by Luis Cruz-Martinez

Cuba

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:13:08 UTC

Beginning in the 16th century after Christopher Columbus claimed the island for Spain in 1492.

Panama

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:16:53 UTC

Spain colonized Panama for approximately 300 years, beginning in the early 16th century after the discovery of the Pacific Ocean by Vasco Nunez de Balboa.

Puerto Rico

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:19:14 UTC

Puerto Rico was colonized by Spain, with its colonization beginning in 1508 after Christopher Columbus claimed the island for the Spanish Crown in 1493.

Mexico

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:20:30 UTC

Beginning with the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521 by Hernan Cortes.

India

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:22:19 UTC

First through the East India Company from 1757 to 1858 and then directly by the British Crown during the period known as the British Raj, from 1858 to 1947.

Philippines

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:23:04 UTC

From the 16th century until 1898.

Japan

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:23:56 UTC

Colonizers

Portugal

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:24:35 UTC

Colonizers

Australia

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:26:05 UTC

Australia was colonized by the British.

New Zealand

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:26:42 UTC

New Zealand was colonized by the British.

Hawaii

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:28:01 UTC

Independent but overthrown by the United States.

Great Britain

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:28:23 UTC

Colonizers

Belgium

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:28:56 UTC

Colonizers

Germany

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:29:48 UTC

Colonizers

Vietnam

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:30:15 UTC

Vietnam was colonized by France.

France

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:31:08 UTC

Colonies of the Romans, Greeks, and the Franks.

The Netherlands

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:31:40 UTC

Colonizers

Egypt

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:32:36 UTC

Colonies of Ottoman Empire and British Empire.

The Congo Trail Costa Rica, Guanacaste Province, Nuevo Colón, Costa Rica

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:33:39 UTC

The Congo was Colonized by France

South Africa

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:34:17 UTC

Colonies of the Dutch and British.

Ethiopia

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:35:54 UTC

Colonies of Italy for 5 years and British and Ethiopia forces during World War 2.

Italy

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:36:39 UTC

Divided by Spanish, Austrians, and French.

Australia, New South Wales, Bathurst, William Street, the South African Boer War Memorial

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 21:54:24 UTC

The war began when Boer forces invaded British territories in the Cape Colony and Natal, besieging key cities like Kimberly and Ladysmith. Hostilities ended with the signing of the Peace of Vereeniging, formally recognizing British control over the former Boer republics. The Peace treaty specifically excluded Black Africans from political rights in the new Union, maintaining a system of white minority rule despite their involvement in the conflict.

the Suez Canal, Weimarstraat, The Hague, Netherlands

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-17 22:12:28 UTC

In 1858, French diplomat Ferdinand de lesseps formed the Compaigne de Suez for the express purpose of building the canal. The canal was the property of the Egyptian government, but European shareholders, mostly British and French, owned the concessionary company which operated it until July 1956, when President Gamal Abdel Nesser nationalized it an event which led to the Suez Crises of October-November 1956.

Panama Canal, Panama

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-18 18:39:28 UTC

The US took over the project in 1904 and opened the canal in 1914. The US continued to control the canal and surrounding Panama Canal Zone until the Torrijos-Carter Treaties provided for its handover in Panama in 1977. After a period of joint American-Panamanian control, the Panamanian government took control in 1999. It is now managed and operated by the Panamanian government-owned Panama Canal Authority.

The Opium War Museum, Jiefang Road, Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-18 18:45:30 UTC

Some American merchants entered the trade by smuggling opium from Turkey into China, including Warren Delano Jr. and Francis Blackwell Forbes; In American historiography this is sometimes referred to as the Old China Trade. By 1883, the Chinese opium trade soared to 30,000 chests, that is, 2,310 tonnes(5.1 million pounds).

India Salt March

luiscruzmartinez2 — 2025-09-18 18:48:59 UTC

Gandhi started this march with 78 of his trusted volunteers. The march spanned 387 kilometers (240 mi), from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, which was called Navarsi at that time (now in the state of Gujarat). Growing numbers of Indians joined them along the way. When Gandhi broke the British Raj salt laws at 8:30 am on 6 April 1930, it sparked large-scale acts of civil disobedience against the salt laws by millions of Indians.