The Portuguese were instrumental in the Age of Exploration. can some one explain in detail their significance?

Question

during this period of time....thank you

Answer 1

To explain that in detail it would take several thousands pages...

Essentially, Portugal was the first european country to establish a complex and huge exploration plan, at a time when all other european countries were too busy fighting each other or in the case of Spain fighting the moors.

In 1415 more than 200 portuguese ships capture the important and strategic city of Ceuta in northern africa, one of the most important trade posts of the arabs.

From then on, throughout the 15th century a massive plan of exploration of the Atlantic and of the unknown african coasts began under the leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator.

Eventually the portuguese discovered the Azores and Madeira islands, charted the whole african coast up until it's end and most importantly, the portuguese, more specifically Bartolomeu Dias was the first european to really find out that it was possible to sail around Africa and reach the Indian Ocean, thus opening the multi-millionaire Sea Route to India, Spice Islands, China and Japan (basically what Columbus tried to do by sailing west, but couldn't...).

In the process the portuguese discovered Brazil.

The Portuguese Empire at it's peak, around 1580, included the WHOLE of Africa (no other european country had the right to even set a foot there), Brazil (that was basically more than half of South america, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Spice Islands, Timor, Macau in China and even Nagasaki in Japan.

The portuguese were the first europeans to arrive in:

- Brazil

- most of the east and west african coasts and even inland.

- Tibet

- Nepal

- Indonesia

- Malaysia

- Spice Islands

- Timor

(most probably they were also the first europeans to arrive in Australia becausde Timor is only a few miles from the coast of Australia)

- several parts of China.

- Japan

- Korea

The Portuguese Empire started in 1415 and ended in 1999 when it returned Macau back to China...

As you can see it makes you wonder why the spanish are more known than the portuguese...