We Claimed It Trivia Quiz

Answer: Madeira

Although the islands may have been visited by Greek sailors in ancient times and later by Vikings in the 10th century it was the Portuguese who first laid claim to Madeira and thus kicked off the Age of Discovery in 1419. Today Madeira is still a semi-autonomous region of Portugal and has a rich economy based on wine production and tourism.

Answer: Spain

The oldest continuously inhabited European city in the Americas- the city of Saint Augustine was founded by the Spanish in 1565. The city still bears Spanish architecture and a Spanish era fortress known as Castillo de San Marcos built in 1672.

Answer: Great Britain

In order to fund the Napoleonic Wars France later sold the rest of its territory on the North American mainland to the newly established United States of America in 1803 in what is known as the Louisiana Purchase.

Answer: Spain

Although the British and French later came to control Jamaica and part of Hispaniola respectively and Britain, France and the Netherlands all controlled islands in the Lesser Antilles, it was Spain who dominated the region from the 17th century until losing control of its colonies to the United States in 1898.

Answer: Russia

In order to establish fur trading posts the Russians under Peter the Great established the coastlines of Alaska and laid claim to the territory in 1725.

Answer: Great Britain

The British colonized Nigeria from 1901 until independence which was achieved in 1960.

Answer: Belgium

Belgian colonial rule was even harsher than that of even Great Britain or France. King Leopold used the territory now mostly known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to extract natural resources like rubber to line his pockets. Despite independence the DRC remains unstable and continues to be exploited for its resources including rubber and coltan which is used to make electronic components.

Answer: France

The Ottoman Empire which lasted over 600 years (1299-1922) had been in decline for several decades when it joined the Germans and Austria-Hungary which were defeated during World War I. The Russians had even given it the nickname "The Sick man of Europe" as early as the 1840s.

The French and British created spheres of influence in the remnants of the Ottoman Empire and the territory of Syria was claimed and controlled by the French until independence (1946).

Answer: Britain

India came under the British crown in 1858. It achieved peaceful independence from Great Britain in 1947. The loss of India marked the unofficial end of the British period of colonization in Asia.

Answer: Ethiopia

Ethiopia (Abyssinia) is one of the oldest independent nations in Africa. Unlike many countries in Africa it is a mostly united nation-state. Other African countries are divided by tribe exacerbated by the colonization by the European powers. Ethiopia on the other hand never came under colonial occupation for very long and retained much of its original and ancient identity.