What Effects Did The Portuguese Have In West Africa?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

What effects did the Portuguese have in West Africa? The first is that the Portuguese influence

drew the focus of West Africa away from trading across the Sahara and placed it on trade with Europe

. The second effect was that trade with the Portuguese was the catalyst for the European slave trade which took people from West Africa and enslaved them.

How did the Portuguese change African slavery?

Prince Infante D. Henrique began selling African slaves in Lagos in 1444. In 1455,

Pope Nicholas V gave Portugal the rights to continue the slave trade in West Africa, under the provision that they convert all people who are enslaved

. The Portuguese soon expanded their trade along the whole west coast of Africa.

What impact did Portuguese exploration have on the Americas?

What impact did Portuguese exploration have on the people of the Americas? The Portuguese

established colonies in Brazil and tried to convert the native people to Christianity

. Native people were forced to work on sugar plantations. Many died from overwork or European diseases.

How did Portugal lead the way in exploration?

Under the leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portugal took the principal role during most of the fifteenth century in

searching for a route to Asia by sailing south around Africa

. In the process, the Portuguese accumulated a wealth of knowledge about navigation and the geography of the Atlantic Ocean.

Did the Portuguese colonize West Africa?


The colonization of the Cape Verde Islands, from the 1460s onward

, provided bases for trade with the fringes of the Mali empire. The most momentous discovery in western Africa, however, came in 1471, when Portuguese captains first reached the coast of modern Ghana between the mouths of the Ankobra and Volta rivers.


Access to commodities such as fabrics, spices, and gold motivated a European quest for a faster means to reach South Asia

. It was this search that led the Portuguese down the coast of West Africa to Sierra Leone in 1460.

During this period, Portugal was the first European power to begin building a colonial empire as Portuguese sailors and explorers discovered

an eastern route to India (that rounded the Cape of Good Hope) as well as several Atlantic archipelagos (like the Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde)

and colonized the African coast …

In the early 16th century, Portugal was the most prosperous nation in the world, thanks to

its feats of navigation, exploration and conquest

. From India, its ships pushed further east, reaching the Spice Islands (Indonesia) in 1512 and China in 1514.

Using Your Notes West Africa before the Portuguese:

a well- established trading network con- nected most of West Africa to the coastal ports of North Africa, and through these ports to markets in Europe and Asia

; these routes were important as they helped spread Islam into West Africa.

How did the Portuguese change African Slavery?

They instituted chattel slavery that was harsher, intercontinental, and hereditary.

In the 1500s, Portugal colonized

the present-day west African country of Guinea-Bissau and the two southern African countries of Angola and Mozambique

. The Portuguese captured and enslaved many people from these countries and sent them to the New World. Gold and diamonds were also extracted from these colonies.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese explorers were at the forefront of European overseas exploration, which led them to

reach India, establish multiple trading posts in Asia and Africa, and settle what would become Brazil, creating one of the most powerful empires

.

What countries were under the Portuguese Empire? The Portuguese empire controlled the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Principe around the coast of Africa; Cochin, Goa, and Colombo on the Indian sub-continent; Macao and Nagasaki in East Asia; Mozambique and Angola in Africa; and Brazil.

In conclusion, the Portuguese transformed and influenced the maritime trade system in the Indian Ocean by force. They

took over trading cities, destroyed Muslim trade ships, and imposed taxes to get their way

.

The initial Portuguese interest in trading for

gold, ivory, and pepper

so increased that in 1482 the Portuguese built their first permanent trading post on the western coast of present-day Ghana.

Which describes an effect of Spanish and Portuguese exploration to the New World on the populations of native civilizations in the 16th century?

The migration of Europeans caused a massive decline in native populations due to disease.

The first is that the Portuguese influence

drew the focus of West Africa away from trading across the Sahara and placed it on trade with Europe

. The second effect was that trade with the Portuguese was the catalyst for the European slave trade which took people from West Africa and enslaved them.

Using Your Notes West Africa before the Portuguese:

a well- established trading network con- nected most of West Africa to the coastal ports of North Africa, and through these ports to markets in Europe and Asia

; these routes were important as they helped spread Islam into West Africa.

Timothy Chehowski
Author
Timothy Chehowski
Timothy Chehowski is a travel writer and photographer with over 10 years of experience exploring the world. He has visited over 50 countries and has a passion for discovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and hidden gems. Juan's writing and photography have been featured in various travel publications.