Portuguese Armed ForcesThe Portuguese Armed Forces (Forças Armadas) are the military of Portugal. They include the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the other unified bodies and the three service branches: Portuguese Navy, Portuguese Army and Portuguese Air Force. The President of the Republic is the head of the Portuguese military, with the title of "Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces" (Comandante Supremo das Forças Armadas). The management of the Armed Forces and the execution of the national defense policy is however done by the government (chaired by the Prime Minister) via its Minister of National Defense.
MetropoleA metropole () is the homeland, central territory or the state exercising power over a colonial empire. From the 19th century, the English term metropole was mainly used in the scope of the British, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Ottoman empires to designate those empires' European territories, as opposed to their colonial or overseas territories. The metropole of the Roman Empire was Italy. As the original homeland of the Romans, it maintained a special status which made it "not a province, but the Domina (ruler) of the provinces".
Don (honorific)The term Don (don, roughly 'Lord') abbreviated as D., is an honorific prefix primarily used in Spain and Hispanic America, and with different connotations also in Italy, Portugal and its former colonies, Croatia, and formerly in the Philippines. Don is derived from the Latin dominus: a master of a household, a title with background from the Roman Republic in classical antiquity. With the abbreviated form having emerged as such in the Middle Ages, traditionally it is reserved for Catholic clergy and nobles, in addition to certain educational authorities and persons of distinction.
Portuguese InquisitionThe Portuguese Inquisition (Portuguese: Inquisição Portuguesa), officially known as the General Council of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Portugal, was formally established in Portugal in 1536 at the request of its king, John III. Although Manuel I had asked for the installation of the Inquisition in 1515 to fulfill the commitment of his marriage with Maria of Aragon, it was only after his death that Pope Paul III acquiesced.
PluricontinentalismPluricontinentalism (Pluricontinentalismo) was a geopolitical concept, positing that Portugal was a transcontinental country and a unitary nation-state consisting of continental Portugal and its overseas provinces. With origins as early as the 14th century, pluricontinentalism gained official state sponsorship in the Estado Novo regime. It was the idea that Portugal was not a colonial empire (Portuguese Empire) but a singular nation-state spread across continents (hence the name).
University of CoimbraThe University of Coimbra (UC; Universidade de Coimbra, univɨɾsiˈðaðɨ ðɨ kuˈĩbɾɐ) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The university is among the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world, the oldest in Portugal, and played an influential role in the development of higher education in the Portuguese-speaking world.
CaravelThe caravel (Portuguese: caravela, kɐɾɐˈvɛlɐ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing windward (beating). Caravels were used by the Portuguese and Castilians for the oceanic exploration voyages during the 15th and 16th centuries, during the Age of Discovery.
Flor de la MarFlor do Mar or Flor de la Mar (Flower of the Sea), spelled Frol de la Mar in all Portuguese chronicles of the 16th century, was a Portuguese nau (carrack) of 400 tons, which over nine years participated in decisive events in the Indian Ocean until her sinking in November 1511. Nobleman Afonso de Albuquerque was returning from the conquest of Malacca, bringing with him a large treasure trove for the Portuguese king, when the ship was lost off the coast of Sumatra. A replica of Flor do Mar is housed in the Maritime Museum in Malacca, Malaysia.
Daman and DiuDaman and Diu (dəˈmɑːn...'diːuː; ) was a former union territory in northwestern India. With an area of , it was the smallest administrative subdivision of India on the mainland. The territory comprised two districts, Damaon and Diu island, geographically separated by the Gulf of Khambat. The state of Gujarat and the Arabian Sea bordered the territory. A Portuguese colony since the 1500s, the territories were taken by India with the Annexation of Goa in 1961.
VasaiVasai (Konkani and Marathi pronunciation: [ʋəsəi], formerly and alternatively Marathi; Bajipur) is a historical place and City north of Mumbai, located in Palghar district which was partitioned from the Thane district in 2014. It also forms a part of Vasai-Virar twin cities in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The Portuguese in Goa and Damaon built the Vasai Fort to defend their colony and participate in the lucrative spice trade and the silk route that converged in the area.
