<Li> Captaincy General of Chile </Li> <Li> Puerto Rico (1493--1898) </Li> <Li> Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata (1776--1814) </Li> <Li> Hispaniola (1493--1865); the island currently comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic, under Spanish rule in whole or in part from 1492--1865 . </Li>

Why did european nations compete to colonize america