pín fán de zhàn zhēng bìng méi yòu zǔ zhǐ xīn xīng guó jiā duì shì jiè de guǎng dà dì qū jìn xíng tàn suǒ hé zhēng fú，
tè bié shì duì yà zhōu（
xī bó lì yà）
hé xīn fā xiàn de měi zhōu。
zài 15
shì jì，
pú táo yá zài dì lǐ dà fā xiàn zhōng dú zhàn '
áo tóu，
jǐn suí qí hòu de shì 16
shì jì de xī bān yá。
tā men shì dì yī pī zài měi zhōu shè lì zhí mín dì hé zài yà zhōu hé fēi zhōu hǎi '
àn shè lì mào yì zhàn de guó jiā，
dàn suí hòu bèi fǎ guó、
yīng guó hé hé lán gǎn shàng。 1552
nián '
é guó shā huáng yī fán léi dì zhēng fú liǎo liǎng gè dá dá hàn guó héng héng kā shān hé '
ā sī tè lā hǎn，
lìng wài yè '
ěr mǎ kè ‧ qí mò fěi yè wéi qí yú 1580
nián de yuǎn zhēng shǐ xī bó lì yà bìng rù '
é luó sī。
zhí mín kuò zhāng zài jiē xià lái de jǐ gè shì jì zhōng jì xù jìn xíng（
yù dào guò yī xiē cuò zhé，
bǐ rú yīng shǔ běi měi yǐ jí suí hòu de mò xī gē、
bā xī hé qí tā guó jiā zài ná pò lún zhàn zhēng qián hòu de chéng gōng dú lì）。
xī bān yá kòng zhì liǎo běi měi de yī bù fēn hé dà bù fēn zhōng nán měi zhōu、
jiā lè bǐ hǎi hé fěi lǜ bīn；
yīng guó huò dé zhěng gè '
ào dà lì yà hé xīn xī lán、
yìn dù de jué dà bù fēn，
yǐ jí fēi zhōu hé běi měi de xǔ duō dì qū；
fǎ guó huò dé jiā ná dà de yī bù fēn hé yìn dù（
jīhū quán bù zài 1763
nián bā lí tiáo yuē zhōng luò yú yīng guó zhī shǒu）、
yìn dù zhī nà、
fēi zhōu de xǔ duō dì qū yǐ jí jiā lè bǐ qún dǎo；
hé lán huò dé dōng yìn dù qún dǎo（
xiàn zài de yìn dù ní xī yà）
hé jiā lè bǐ hǎi zhōng de yī xiē qún dǎo；
pú táo yá huò dé bā xī hé jǐ kuài fēi zhōu hé yà zhōu de tǔ dì；
suí hòu '
ér lái de liè qiáng rú dé guó、
bǐ lì shí、
yì dà lì hé '
é luó sī yědōu qǔ dé liǎo gèng duō de zhí mín dì。
zhè xiē kuò zhāng duì yú zōng zhù guó de jīng jì dà yòu bì yì。
yīn wéi dì guó bìng bù wěn rú pán shí，
mào yì yī dù shèn '
áo chén shàng。
zhì 16
shì jì mò，
měi zhōu de yín zhàn xī bān yá guó jiā zǒng yù suàn de wǔ fēn zhī yī。
ōu zhōu guó jiā zhī jiān de zhàn zhēng fèi yòng zhù yào yóu zhí mín dì de zī jīn zhī fù。
dàn shì，
dāng shí yīng shǔ zhí mín dì shōu yì zuì fēng de nú lì mào yì hé xī yìn dù qún dǎo zhòngzhí yuán，
zài 18
shì jì hòu qī de gōng yè gé mìng shí qī zhǐ zhàn dà yīng dì guó jīng jì zǒng '
é de 5%（
dàn shōu yì shuài gèng gāo）。
The numerous wars did not prevent the new states from exploring and conquering wide portions of the world, particularly in Asia (Siberia) and the newly-discovered Americas. In the 15th century, Portugal led the way in geographical exploration, followed by Spain in the early 16th century. They were the first states to set up colonies in America and trade stations on the shores of Africa and Asia, but they were soon followed by France, England and the Netherlands. In 1552, Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered two major Tatar khanates, Kazan and Astrakhan, and the Yermak's voyage of 1580 led to the annexation of Siberia into Russia.
Colonial expansion proceeded in the following centuries (with some setbacks, such as successful wars of independence in the British American colonies and then later Mexico, Brazil, and others surrounding the Napoleonic Wars). Spain had control of part of North America and a great deal of Central America and South America, the Caribbean and the Philippines; Britain took the whole of Australia and New Zealand, most of India, and large parts of Africa and North America; France held parts of Canada and India (nearly all of which was lost to Britain in 1763), Indochina, large parts of Africa and Caribbean islands; the Netherlands gained the East Indies (now Indonesia) and islands in the Caribbean; Portugal obtained Brazil and several territories in Africa and Asia; and later, powers such as Germany, Belgium, Italy and Russia acquired further colonies.
This expansion helped the economy of the countries owning them. Trade flourished, because of the minor stability of the empires. By the late 16th century American silver accounted for one-fifth of the Spain's total budget. The European countries fought wars that were largely paid for by the money coming in from the colonies. Nevertheless, the profits of the slave trade and of plantations of the West Indies, most profitable of all the British colonies at that time, amounted to less than 5% of the British Empire's economy (but was generally more profitable) at the time of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century.