Portuguese Empire

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/portuguese-empire

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the founding century?Initiated in the 15th century with systematic exploration
2. What is the primary colonial holdings?Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Goa, Macau, East Timor
3. What was the Portuguese Empire and why was it so big?The Portuguese Empire was a kingdom that stretched across the world, built by Portugal, a small country. It grew by exploring new seas and setting up trading posts all over the globe.
4. How did Portugal find new sea routes to spices?Portuguese sailors used new ships called caravels and tools like the astrolabe to discover direct sea routes to spice markets. This helped them avoid other powerful traders.

Mercantilism: An economic theory where colonies exist to enrich the mother country through trade and resource extraction.
Syncretism: The merging of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought, creating a new, hybrid form.
Metropole: The parent country or home state of a colony or colonies.
Age of Discovery: A period from the 15th to 17th centuries when Europeans explored and mapped the world.