The Role of Portuguese Explorers in Exploring the African Coasts: From the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth-century AD

Abstract

ortuguese exploratory voyages along the African coasts between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries represented a major historical turning point in the expansion of European colonialism beyond its traditional boundaries. These voyages were not the product of sudden or isolated events; rather, they constituted systematic undertakings shaped by the gradual accumulation of geographical knowledge, successive advances in navigational techniques, repeated maritime experiments, and direct interaction with African societies.

Portuguese exploration developed through several successive stages that differed in their nature, motives, and objectives. It began along the northwestern coast of Africa and gradually extended southward to the Cape of Good Hope, before proceeding eastward along the Indian Ocean coast to encompass regions such as Mozambique, Zanzibar, and Mombasa.

Within this context, Portuguese explorers—who often combined the roles of sailors, soldiers, merchants, and missionaries—played a central role in documenting these voyages, producing maps, and establishing trading posts. They also contributed to the formation of a new European perception of the African continent that differed considerably from earlier representations.

This study aims to identify the motives underlying the Portuguese geographical explorations, trace the successive stages of their expansion along the western and eastern coasts of Africa, and assess their resulting consequences. The study adopts the historical method and draws upon the available primary sources and recent historical scholarship. It reaches a number of historical and analytical findings based on the examination and interpretation of a range of sources and references from which the study derived its scholarly material.