Quiz of the Day
Portugal & Explorers
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Portugal Day — Age of Discovery, Portuguese explorers, maritime history
1. What is celebrated on Portugal Day (Dia de Portugal) each June 10?
- The founding of Lisbon
- The death of poet Luis de Camoes
- Portuguese independence from Spain
- The discovery of Brazil
Portugal Day commemorates the 1580 death of Luis de Camoes, author of 'Os Lusiadas' (The Lusiads), an epic poem celebrating Portuguese exploration. He lost an eye fighting in Morocco and reportedly saved his manuscript from a shipwreck by holding it above the waves while swimming.
2. Which Portuguese explorer was the first European to reach India by sea?
- Ferdinand Magellan
- Vasco da Gama
- Bartolomeu Dias
- Pedro Alvares Cabral
Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, India in 1498 after a 10-month voyage. The route around Africa was 6 times longer than Columbus's Atlantic crossing. His discovery of the sea route to India shifted global trade forever and made Portugal fabulously wealthy from the spice trade.
3. What was the name of the Portuguese prince who sponsored many early voyages of exploration?
- King Manuel I
- Prince Henry the Navigator
- Prince Ferdinand
- King John II
Despite his nickname, Prince Henry (1394-1460) rarely sailed himself. He established a centre of navigation at Sagres and funded dozens of expeditions down the African coast. His patronage kicked off the Age of Discovery and changed the course of world history.
4. Which Portuguese explorer is credited with being the first European to reach Brazil?
- Ferdinand Magellan
- Vasco da Gama
- Pedro Alvares Cabral
- Amerigo Vespucci
Cabral reached Brazil in 1500 while sailing to India. Historians debate whether his 'discovery' was accidental or planned. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1822 and is now the world's largest Portuguese-speaking country, with over 210 million people.
5. What is the capital city of Portugal?
- Coimbra
- Lisbon
- Braga
- Porto
Lisbon is one of Europe's oldest cities, predating London and Paris by centuries. In 1755, a catastrophic earthquake, tsunami, and fire destroyed most of the city and killed up to 50,000 people. The disaster shocked Europe and sparked the birth of modern seismology.
6. Which Portuguese explorer's expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe?
- Vasco da Gama
- Bartolomeu Dias
- Afonso de Albuquerque
- Ferdinand Magellan
Magellan set out in 1519 with 5 ships and 270 men, sailing under the Spanish flag. He was killed in the Philippines in 1521, and only 1 ship with 18 survivors completed the voyage. The expedition proved definitively that the Earth was round and far larger than anyone had guessed.
7. What traditional Portuguese music genre is known for its melancholic themes?
- Samba
- Flamenco
- Fado
- Bossa nova
Fado, meaning 'fate' in Portuguese, emerged in Lisbon's working-class neighbourhoods in the 1820s. It was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011. Amalia Rodrigues, the 'Queen of Fado', was so beloved that Portugal declared three days of national mourning when she died in 1999.
8. What type of ship did Portuguese explorers use during the Age of Discovery?
- Galleon
- Clipper
- Trireme
- Caravel
The caravel was a small, highly manoeuvrable ship with lateen (triangular) sails that could sail close to the wind. This gave Portuguese sailors a huge advantage — they could explore coastlines and rivers that larger ships could not reach, and crucially, they could sail back against the wind.
9. Which African cape did Bartolomeu Dias round in 1488, opening the sea route to Asia?
- Cape Bojador
- Cape Verde
- Cape of Good Hope
- Cape Horn
Dias originally named it the 'Cape of Storms' after the terrifying weather he encountered. King John II of Portugal renamed it the 'Cape of Good Hope' because it promised a sea route to the riches of India. The cape is not actually Africa's southernmost point — that is nearby Cape Agulhas.
10. What famous Portuguese pastry is associated with the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon?
- Bolo de arroz
- Pastel de nata
- Travesseiro
- Queijada
Pasteis de nata (custard tarts) were created by monks at the Jeronimos Monastery before the 1800s. Monks used egg whites to starch clothing and needed a use for the leftover yolks. When the monastery closed in 1834, they sold the recipe. The original bakery, Pasteis de Belem, still uses the secret recipe today.
11. What treaty divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal in 1494?
- Treaty of Tordesillas
- Treaty of Versailles
- Treaty of Madrid
- Treaty of Westphalia
The Treaty of Tordesillas drew an imaginary line down the Atlantic, giving Portugal everything east and Spain everything west. This is why Brazil speaks Portuguese while the rest of South America largely speaks Spanish — Brazil bulges east of the line.
12. Which small territory in China was administered by Portugal until 1999?
- Shanghai
- Macau
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
Portugal administered Macau for over 400 years, making it the last European colony in China. It was handed back in 1999, two years after Britain returned Hong Kong. Today Macau's casino revenue is about five times that of Las Vegas, making it the world's gambling capital.
13. What navigational instrument, widely used by Portuguese explorers, measures the angle of stars above the horizon?
- Compass
- Chronometer
- Astrolabe
- Sextant
Portuguese navigators adapted the ancient Greek astrolabe for use at sea. By measuring the angle of the North Star or the Sun above the horizon, they could determine their latitude. The mariner's astrolabe was simpler and heavier than the land version so it would hang steadily on a rocking ship.
14. Which spice was one of the most valuable commodities that drove Portuguese exploration to Asia?
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
- Saffron
- Black pepper
In medieval Europe, black pepper was so valuable it was known as 'black gold' and was sometimes used as currency. Portugal's monopoly on the sea route to India's pepper-growing Malabar Coast made it one of the wealthiest nations in Europe during the 16th century.
15. How many countries today have Portuguese as an official language?
- 7
- 11
- 5
- 9
Portuguese is an official language in 9 countries: Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome and Principe. With over 250 million native speakers, it is the most spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere.