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Flag of Portugal (official)
Original: Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro Vector: Vítor Luís Rodrigues, António Martins-Tuválk… · Public domain
Polity Africa

Portuguese East Africa

1498 CE – 1975 CE · 477 years

1505–1975 Portuguese possession in East Africa

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Wikipedia

The opening of the article, and a way into the rest of it without leaving the site.

Portuguese Mozambique on Wikipedia.

Read the article Open on Wikipedia ↗

How these dates were made

Real dates from Wikidata, checked against the atlas.

These are real dates: Portuguese East Africa's founding and dissolution are recorded in Wikidata, and accepted here only because they agree with the centuries the atlas independently drew it in. The atlas itself draws the world at 7 moments in time, not continuously. The strip below covers those snapshots — 1650 CE to 1900 CE — which sits inside the fuller span above.

1650 CE 7 snapshots 1900 CE
1650 CE1700 CE1715 CE1783 CE1800 CE1815 CE1900 CE

Elsewhere in Africa at the time

Records whose own span overlaps this one, found by the same test the canvas draws with. The bar under each card is where it sits inside this one.

See the whole view

Landmark · Africa

Royal Hill of Ambohimanga

1500 CE – still standing

Polity · Africa

Algeria

Founded 1900 CE · attested to 2026 CE

Conflict · Africa

Sand War (Algeria–Morocco)

1963 CE

Trade route · Africa

East African Coastal Trade

900 CE – 1505 CE

Landmark · Africa

Robben Island

1658 CE – still standing

Polity · Africa

Angola

Attested 1815 CE – 2026 CE

Conflict · Africa

Nigerian Civil War (Biafra)

1967 CE – 1970 CE

Trade route · Africa

Atlantic Middle Passage

1600 CE – 1850 CE

Dated moments inside this span

Events the timeline places between 1498 CE and 1975 CE.

1500 CE Royal Hill of Ambohimanga 1529 CE Ethiopian–Adal War 1550 CE Oyo Empire Wars 1575 CE Luanda 1591 CE Moroccan Invasion of Songhai 1684 CE Rozvi Empire Wars

And in the rest of the world

Records running through the same years, on the other side of the map.

Taj Mahal Landmark · South Asia 1632 CE – still standing Tibet Polity · South Asia 1000 CE – 1960 CE Mesoamerican Trade Network Trade route · Americas 1200 BCE – 1521 CE World War I Conflict · Europe 1914 CE – 1918 CE Christopher Columbus Figure · Spain / Atlantic / Caribbean 1451 CE – 1506 CE Christ the Redeemer Landmark · Americas 1931 CE – still standing
Image credits5 pictures from Wikimedia Commons
  • Flag of Portugal (official)Original: Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro Vector: Vítor Luís Rodrigues, António Martins-Tuválk… · Public domain
  • AmbohimangaLemurbaby · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Flag of AlgeriaOriginal: National Liberation Front of Algeria Vector: SKopp · Public domain
  • Robben IslandSouth African Tourism from South Africa · CC BY 2.0
  • Flag of AngolaOriginal: Henrique de Carvalho Santos Vector: SKopp · Public domain