The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, the most famous being the discovery of the Americas and the first global circumnavigation, and participation in some of the most important naval battles in history, like the battles of Lepanto and Trafalgar. For several centuries, the Spanish Navy played a crucial logistical role in the exploration, expansion and consolidation of the Spanish Empire, and defended a vast trade network across the Atlantic Ocean and across the Pacific Ocean.