During the Age of Discovery, Portugal made important discoveries about the Earth and Mankind, and contributed towards the passage from the Dark Ages to the Age of the Opened Planetary Universe.
 



Portugal and the Age of Discovery - Portugal came into being at the meeting point of Europe and Africa, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and of the Christian, Islamic and Jewish civilisations. It became an independent state in the 12th century.
Torre_de_Belem
A view of the Castle of Belem..., 17th century
 
  Portugal's frontiers, amongst the oldest in Europe, had already been formed towards the end of the 13th century, and were clearly defined in the Iberian Peninsula, which was still divided into numerous separate territories.
 


Since early times, the country's main areas of development have been concentrated on the coast and in ports, such as Lisbon, Setúbal, Oporto, Viana do Castelo, Lagos, and Tavira. From these towns and cities Portuguese sailors set out for the sea routes of North and South Europe. There main activities were commerce and fishing.

caravela
Arrival of ships in Lisbon, 1520
  Portugal developed a powerful maritime fleet as early as the beginning of the 14th century, and the country played a fundamental role during the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries.

During the Age of Discovery, Portugal made important discoveries about the Earth and Mankind, and contributed towards the passage from the Dark Ages to the Age of the Opened Planetary Universe.

Portugal became the world's main dynamo for commerce and cultural exchange during this period.

 

 


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