Portuguese Empire
RegionPortugal/Brazil/Africa
Period1415-1999
Peak Size10.4 million km2 at peak
Founded ByHenry the Navigator
About Portuguese Empire
The first global colonial empire. Vasco da Gama reached India by sea in 1498. Brazil was its largest colony, won by the Treaty of Tordesillas. Controlled the spice trade for a century. The last colony, Macau, was returned to China in 1999. Portugal was the first and last European colonial power.
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