European Colonial Territories in North America circa 1700 A.D.

European  Colonial Territories in North America circa 1700 A.D.

Our map is European land claims in north america circa 1700. Its purpose was, appropriately enough, to display the land holdings of the major European powers roughly in the year 1700 A.D.. The nations of France, Great Britain, Spain and The Netherlands all had land claims in America at this point. Yet they were far from covering the entire continent at this point in time, and even much of the areas the did hold were largely uncontrolled and ungoverned, as well as unsettled by the europeans.

This map outlines the Land Claims made by European countries in the Americas during the early 1700s. Spain had control over all of the West coast at this time, and had power over more of the Americas than any other European country. In North America, England was at work establishing the 13 Colonies along the East coast. Many of the land claims bordered large rivers, such as the Amazon and Mississippi Rivers, both for transport and for potable water. Colonies from different countries also fought over borders, especially in eastern North America, where France, England, and Spain all had had territories bordering each other. The colonies were an important source of many different goods to their mother countries.goods to their mother countries.