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Portuguese Atlantic Exploration (1470s)

Type Event Region Europe Time 1471–1479

In the 1470s, Portugal continued maritime exploration and colonial settlement along the West African coast and Atlantic islands, discovering Bioko in…

Timeline

  1. 1471–1474Gulf of Guinea · Gulf of GuineaPortuguese fleets sailed south along the West African coast, establishing trading posts along the Gulf of Guinea to obtain gold, ivory, and slaves, continuing the maritime tradition begun by Prince Henry.
  2. 1472Bioko Island · Bioko IslandNavigators João de Santarém and Pêro Escobar reached Bioko Island, naming it Fernando Po, extending Portuguese presence in the equatorial Atlantic.
  3. 1475–1479São Tomé Island · São Tomé IslandPortugal advanced sugar plantation colonization on São Tomé, and the 1479 Treaty of Alcáçovas legally confirmed its expansion interests along the African coast and Atlantic islands.

Sources