Portuguese Colonies Trivia Quiz

Answer:

In the 15th century, the Portuguese made rapid development in navigation, cartography and maritime technologies. They were searching for a sea route to find the lucrative spice trade.

In 1415, Ceuta lying on the north coast of Africa was captured by King John I of Portugal and his son Henry the Navigator. From 1415 to 1437, Pedro de Meneses became the first governor of Ceuta.

In April 1500, Brazil was claimed for Portugal on the arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral. The Portuguese ruled Brazil for 322 years until its independence on 7 September 1822.

In 1510, the ruler of Goa, Bijapur Sultan Yusuf Adi Shah (1450-1510), was defeated by the Portuguese governor, Alfonso de Albuquerque. Adi Shah died shortly after the fall of Goa. The Portuguese ruled Goa until it was annexed by India in 1961. Gao is located on the southwest coast of India within the Konkan region, separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats.

In 1575, the Portuguese established a colony in Luanda, Angola. Angola was granted independence on 11 November 1975.

Guinea-Bissau was a former province of the Mali Empire. In the 19th century, Portugal colonized the country, which was known as Portuguese Guinea. On 10 September 1974, Guinea-Bissau declared its independence.

Cape Verde was colonized by the Portuguese in 1462. They captured the islands to give them a direct access to West African trade. Cape Verde gained independence on 5 July 1976.

Sao Tome and Príncipe islands became part of the Portuguese Empire in 1470. The island nation achieved independence on 12 July 1975.

In the early 16th century, the Portuguese gained control of the island of Mozambique and the port city of Sofala. Mozambique became a Portuguese colony, overseas province, and member state of Portugal. In 1975, it gained independence.

In 1859, Portugal took control of East Timor, aka Timor Leste, after a Treaty of Lisbon was signed. Portugal gained wealth from the rich coffee plantations in the island. The country gained independence on 28 November 1975. It was immediately annexed by Indonesia on 17 July 1976. The country gained independence from Indonesia on 20 May 2002.

In 1400, the Malacca Sultanate was founded and developed as one of the most important trading ports. In 1511, Malacca was captured by Alfonso de Alburquerque who was the governor of Portuguese India. The Portuguese lost control of Malacca to the Dutch in 1641. The British gained control of Malacca in 1824. In January 1942, Malacca was captured by the Japanese Empire during WWII. On 31 August 1957, Malacca became a state of Malaysia.

In 1557, Macau was leased to Portugal by the Ming dynasty as a trading port for an annual rent of 500 tael. The Portuguese administered Macau as a de facto colony. On 20 December 1999, Macau was officially handed over to China, and was declared as a special administrative region (SAR).