The purposes of Spain and Portugal’s exploration of the world were:
i) Acquiring new territories- Both rulers of Spain and Portugal wanted to rule new lands. The Portuguese spread their empire down the western coast of Africa to the Congo, along the west coast of India, and eventually to Brazil on the eastern coast of South America. While, The Spanish established their first European settlements in the Americas, beginning in the Caribbean and, by 1600, they had extended throughout the Central and South America.
ii)Searching the seas- In the 1400s, European merchants from Spain and Portugal made a profit by selling spices shipped overland from Asia. They hoped to find a new sea route to Asia to trade for spices. In 1488, for example, a Portuguese ship became the first to sail around the southern tip of Africa. While, Christopher Columbus took an expedition and sailed west from Europe in 1492, to reach Asia.
