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Map of Portuguese
colonization history
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
 Print
this Article About
the Author Bibliography/Sources
Below is an map the EHL has
published charting the historic power and influence of the
Portuguese nation and ethnicity in the last 600 years. It
includes colonial and national expansion both, along with
convenient historical information next to each region, an
EHL exclusive. It does not show the power extent of the the
Portuguese Empire at a specific time, but rather all throughout
its history. If you have any questions, notify us.
Mapping Information &
Extra Notes:
Nations or regions fully
ruled by the Portuguese Empire are shown in red,
whereas regions only partially ruled or simply settled/occupied
are shown in blue. For example,
modern-day Yemen was never ruled coherently by Portugal nor
the Portuguese ethnicity, but was increasingly occupied and
settled, and is therefore in blue. Regions and territories
marked in yellow are areas that
were not coherently ruled nor settled by Portugal, but were
rather contested constantly between Portugal and other world
powers, specifically the Dutch Netherlands. This map does
NOT include simple trading posts, exploratory sightings, and
settlements, as there are far too many to even chart in a
map for our European colonial/imperial map series.
The tiny Iberian (ethnically
related to the Spaniards) nation of Portugal was the first
European nation to actively engage in extensive overseas colonization
and conquest. Its greatest cultural hero Henrique the Navigator
is thus often called the "Father of European Colonization."
For over 400 years, Portugal became a culture of virtually
unmatched exploratory and navigational advancement, extensive
wealth and prosperity, and impact on the evolution of history.
The massively-influential empire was gradually consigned to
oblivion by its sluggish incorporation into Spain, by the
growing superiority of the British and the Dutch, and the
increasing bankruptcy of the Portuguese state.
The Treaty of Tordesillas
division lines are shown on the map for historical and educational
understanding. Both considered defenders of the Catholic faith
and active crusaders against Jews, Muslims, and other non-Christians
throughout the world, Spain and Portugal were charted by the
Papacy (the Pope, or the Vatican) in 1493 in the Treaty of
Tordesillas as to which lands they may share and rule in the
new world to spread the Christian faith. The first division,
marked here as a green line, was expanded
by the mutual acceptance of both Spain and Portugal over 700km
to the west, allowing Portugal to secure the majority of modern-day
Brazil. This agreement of 1494 is marked as a yellow
line.
My photo of Vasco da Gama's tomb in the Jeronimos Monastery
in Lisbon (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Click the below map
for the full-size version! Click on the map to zoom.
If an error has been made,
please notify the EHL Staff.
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is a historian
and the Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I have
a Cum Laude BA in History with a Minor in Germanic Studies
(language and history), am presently working for my Masters
in History, and plan to immediately progress to my PhD Doctorate.
I have a special academic interest in Europe's diverse ethnic
identities, languages, and cultures, and the political struggles
of native European and immigrant minority identities. See
my staff entry for more information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
The image used as the basis
for the map is widely redistributed and is not protected.
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