European countries that established colonies in the americas

The European colonization of America began with the Vikings, who, as the first known Europeans, came into contact with America and established several colonies.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus reached America, after which European exploration and colonization gained momentum. The first conquests were made by Spain, which quickly conquered most of South and Central America and much of North America. Portugal took Brazil. Britain, France and the Netherlands conquered islands in the Caribbean, many of which had already been conquered by Spain or had been affected by disease. Early European colonies in North America included Spanish Florida, the British settlements in Virginia and New England, French settlements in Quebec and Louisiana, and Dutch settlements in New Netherlands.