Which accurately describes how the Treaty of Tordesillas impacted countries in South America?
A. Portugal was given control over the far eastern portion of South America, explaining why Portuguese is spoken in present-day Brazil.
B. France and the Netherlands were awarded most of South America by the Pope despite protests from England, explaining South America’s blended culture.
C. Spain was given control over the far eastern portion of South America, explaining why Spanish is spoken in present-day Brazil.
D. England was awarded most of South America by the Pope despite protests from France and the Netherlands, explaining South America’s blended culture.
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https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Tordesillas
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The accurate description of how the Treaty of Tordesillas impacted countries in South America is option C. Spain was given control over the far eastern portion of South America, explaining why Spanish is spoken in present-day Brazil.
To arrive at this answer, we need to understand the context of the Treaty of Tordesillas. The treaty was signed in 1494 between Spain and Portugal, with the intervention of Pope Alexander VI. Its purpose was to divide the newly discovered lands outside of Europe between the two Catholic powers.
According to the terms of the treaty, a line was drawn from north to south in the Atlantic Ocean, 370 leagues (equivalent to about 1,770 kilometers or 1,100 miles) west of Cape Verde Islands. The lands to the east of this line were assigned to Portugal, while the lands to the west were given to Spain.
Considering the impact on South America, the treaty effectively divided the continent between Spain and Portugal, with Spain gaining control over the majority of the continent. However, due to an error in estimating the size of South America, Portugal ended up with a small portion in the east, which today corresponds to the eastern portion of Brazil.
As a result, the Treaty of Tordesillas was a significant factor in explaining why Spanish is spoken in present-day Brazil, as Spanish-speaking Spain had control over the region assigned to them by the treaty. So, option C is the accurate description of the treaty's impact on countries in South America.