page_title: Portuguese Navy
section_title: Conquests and discoveries
hierarchical_section_title: Portuguese Navy / History / Conquests and discoveries
caption_attribution_description: Português: Caravela Vera Cruz no rio Tejo, nas comemorações dos 150 Anos da Associação Naval de Lisboa navegando no Tejo.
context_page_description: The Portuguese Navy is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defense of Portugal.
  On 12 December 2017, the Portuguese Navy commemorated the 700th anniversary of its official creation by King Denis of Portugal. Tracing its origins back to the 12th century, it is the oldest continuously serving navy in the world.
  The Navy played a key role at the beginning and during the great voyages of the Age of Discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries. The resulting of this technical and scientific discoveries led Portugal to develop advanced ships, including the caravel, new and more sophisticated types of carracks for interoceanic travel and the oceanic galleon, and to find the sea route to the East and routes to South America and Northern North America.
  Bartolomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa and Vasco da Gama reached India, linking Europe and Asia for the first time by ocean route, as well as the Atlantic and the Indian oceans.
context_section_description: In the beginning of the 15th century, the country entered a period of peace and stability. Europe was still involved in wars and feudal conflicts which allowed Portugal to be the only capable country to methodically and successfully start the exploration of the Atlantic.
  Portuguese expansion during the 15th century can be divided in:
  Territorial expansion to North Africa
  Hydrographic survey of the African coast and Canary Islands
  Oceanographic and meteorologic survey of the Atlantic Ocean
  Development of navigation techniques and methods
  Territorial expansion began in Morocco with the conquest of Ceuta in 1415. Exploration in the west African coast started in 1412 and ended with the crossing of the Cape of Good Hope in 1488.
caption: Replica of a Portuguese caravel of the 15th century
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