▁Pacific ▁coast ▁and ▁in ▁most ▁of ▁Canada . ▁France ▁settled ▁in ▁Quebec ▁and ▁other ▁parts ▁of ▁Eastern ▁Canada ▁and ▁claimed ▁an ▁area ▁in ▁what ▁is ▁today ▁the ▁central ▁United ▁States . ▁The ▁Netherlands ▁settled ▁New ▁Nether land ▁( admin istr ative ▁centre ▁New ▁Amsterdam ▁- ▁now ▁New ▁York ), ▁some ▁Car ib bean ▁islands ▁and ▁parts ▁of ▁Northern ▁South ▁America . ▁ ▁European ▁colon ization ▁of ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁rise ▁of ▁new ▁cult ures , ▁civil izations ▁and ▁eventually ▁states , ▁which ▁resulted ▁from ▁the ▁fusion ▁of ▁Native ▁American ▁and ▁European ▁trad itions , ▁pe op les ▁and ▁institutions . ▁The ▁transformation ▁of ▁American ▁cult ures ▁through ▁colon ization ▁is ▁evident ▁in ▁architecture , ▁religion , ▁g astr onomy , ▁the ▁arts ▁and ▁particularly ▁languages , ▁the ▁most ▁w ides p read ▁being ▁Spanish ▁( 3 7 6 ▁million ▁speak ers ), ▁English ▁( 3 4 8 ▁million ) ▁and ▁Portuguese ▁( 2 0 1 ▁million ). ▁The ▁colonial ▁period ▁last ed ▁approximately ▁three ▁centuries , ▁from ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 6 th ▁to ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁centuries , ▁when ▁Brazil ▁and ▁the ▁larger ▁His pan ic ▁American ▁nations ▁declared ▁independence . ▁The ▁United ▁States ▁obtained ▁independence ▁from ▁Great ▁Britain ▁much ▁earlier , ▁in ▁ 1 7 7 6 , ▁while ▁Canada ▁formed ▁a ▁federal ▁domin ion ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 7 ▁and ▁received ▁legal ▁independence ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 1 . ▁O thers ▁remained ▁attached ▁to ▁their ▁European ▁parent ▁state ▁until ▁the ▁end ▁of