Portuguese colonization of the Americas Portuguese colonization of the Americas Portugal was the leading country in the European exploration of the world in the 15th century. The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the Earth outside Europe into Castilian and Portuguese global territorial hemispheres for exclusive conquest and colonization. Portugal colonized parts of South America (mostly Brazil), but also made some unsuccessful attempts to colonize North America in present-day Canada. Based on the terms of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the Portuguese Crown claimed it had territorial rights in the area visited by the Genoese explorer John Cabot in 1497 and 1498 on behalf of the
2nd Summit of the Americas 2nd Summit of the Americas The 2nd Summit of the Americas was held in Santiago, Chile, on April 18–19, 1998. This gathering of regional leaders was the first attempt in four years to negotiate conditions for the creation of a hemispheric free trade area. No final agreements were made, but the nations set up a Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) consisting of vice ministers from each country that would meet every few months. Negotiations began with the Summits of the Americas in Miami in 1994. The "Summit of the Americas" is the name for a continuing series of summits bringing together