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The Spanish Empire (Spanish: Imperio Español; Latin: Imperium Hispanicum), historically known as the Hispanic Monarchy (Spanish: Monarquía Hispánica) and as the Catholic Monarchy (Spanish: Monarquía Católica[1]), was one of the largest empires in history. From the late 15th century to the early 19th, Spain controlled a huge overseas territory in the New World, the Asian archipelago of the Philippines, what they called "The Indies" (Spanish: Las Indias) and territories in Europe (centring on the so-called Spanish Road), Africa and Oceania.[2] It was one of the most powerful empires of the 16th and 17th centuries.[3][4] The Spanish Empire became known as "the empire on which the sun never sets" and reached its maximum extent in the 18th century.[5