Portuguese India summary

Learn about the geography and history of Portuguese India

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Portuguese India, Portuguese Estado da Índia, Name used for a historical administrative region comprising parts of India that were under Portuguese rule from 1505 to 1961. Portuguese India consisted of several isolated tracts: (1) the territory of Goa with the capital, a considerable area in the middle of the west coast of India; (2) Damão, or Daman, with the separated territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, north of Mumbai (Bombay) and lying between the Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat; and (3) Diu with Pani Kota Island on the southern coast of the Kathiawar Peninsula in Gujarat. Macau in China and Timor in the Malay Archipelago were also administered as part of Portuguese India, despite their geographic location outside of India. The total area under Portuguese control was 1,619 sq mi (4,193 sq km). Goa accounted for the bulk of Portuguese India in terms of both territory and population.

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