Treaty between Spain and Portugal that divided the South American continent (among other lands) between the two countries. Ratified in 1494, it originally gave Spain much more land than Portugal.

Agreement between the monarchs of Spain and Portugal to divide the world between them by drawing a line through the Atlantic Ocean, 1494.

torduh sEEl yäs, - sEE-] Signed in 1494 between Castile and Portugal; clarified spheres of influence and rights of possession in New World; reserved Brazil and all newly discovered lands east of Brazil to Portugal; granted all lands west of Brazil to Spain. (p. 596)

This treaty was negotiated between Spain and Portugal in 1494. Portugal agreed to concentrate its activities in Africa and the East, leaving New World exploration and settlement (except for Brazil) to Spain.

The Treaty of Tordesillas (Portuguese: Tratado de Tordesilhas, Spanish: Tratado de Tordesillas), signed at Tordesillas (now in Valladolid province, Spain), June 7 1494, divided the world outside of Europe into an exclusive duopoly between the Spanish and the Portuguese along a north-south meridian 370 leagues (1550 km) west of the Cape Verde islands (off the west coast of Africa), near 40°W.Measured west of the longitude of the westernmost cape of the westernmost island, Santo Antão, 25°21.5'W, using the Spanish league of 4.18 km at a latitude of 17°2.5'N (coordinates from http://www.terraserver.com/imagery/image_gx.asp?cpx=-25.16330707&cpy=17.08269278&res=120&provider_id=340 Terraserver) (1° of longitude = (111.320 + 0.373sin²φ)cosφ km, where φ is latitude), and rounded to the nearest degree to simulate fifteenth century accuracy. This was about one third of the distance between the Cape Verde Islands and the islands discovered by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage, named in the treaty as Cipangu and Antilia (no doubt Cuba and Hispaniola). The lands to the east would belong to Portugal and the lands to the west to Spain.