Indian Ocean Ocean, ultimately reaching the coastal countries of East Africa. In 1497 Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and became the first European to sail to India (with the help of an Indian sailor) and later the Far East. The European ships, armed with heavy cannon, quickly dominated trade. Portugal achieved pre-eminence by setting up forts at the important straits and ports. Their hegemony along the coasts of Africa and Asia lasted until the mid 17th century. Later, the Portuguese were challenged by other European powers. The Dutch East India Company (1602–1798) sought control of trade
Greater Portugal Greater Portugal Greater Portugal (), also known as Portugalicia (), is a proposed union of the Portuguese-speaking territories including the autonomous region of Galicia, the Eonavian region, the territory of Olivença, and many villages along the Portugal-Spain border that speak any kind of Galician-Portuguese dialect, such as the Fala language. The concept of a Greater Portugal has its origins during the Portuguese Age of Discoveries, when Portuguese navigators and explorers discovered previously uninhabited lands such as the Madeira Islands, Savage Islands, Azores, and several other lands in the Atlantic Ocean. Although the proposal is thought to be a recent political