ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Portuguese discoveries

Hey there, young one! Do you know what is Portugal? It's a country in Europe, next to Spain. A long time ago, people from Portugal decided to explore the world, and these adventures we call Portuguese Discoveries.

They used big and sturdy ships called caravels to sail across the oceans. The sailors went from Europe to West Africa, Brazil, and Asia. How did they do it? Well, they used a compass to follow directions, and they looked up at the stars to find their way. They also had to be brave and strong to face the storms and sea monsters on the way.

The Portuguese discovered many new and exciting things during their travels. They brought back spices like cinnamon and pepper, precious stones, new types of woods, and even animals like elephants and rhinoceros. They also found new places where they could trade with other countries, and some of these new territories were eventually turned into colonies.

These explorations helped Portugal become one of the biggest and most powerful countries during the 15th and 16th centuries. It also allowed them to spread their language and culture across the world, and even today, there are many places where you can see the influence of the Portuguese discoveries.

So, in short, the Portuguese Discoveries were a series of adventures that the people of Portugal went on to explore the world. They used ships, compasses, and stars to find their way, and discovered many new things like spices and animals. It helped Portugal become a big and powerful country and spread its culture around the world.