Final answer:
The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, established a Line of Demarcation, dividing the world into Spanish and Portuguese zones of influence to settle claims in the New World and beyond. Spain acquired most of the Americas, building its empire, while Portugal obtained trading routes in Africa and Asia.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Treaty of Tordesillas was negotiated and signed in 1494 to address competing claims over newly discovered lands by the European powers of Spain and Portugal. This treaty drew an imaginary line, called the Line of Demarcation, which divided the non-European world into two zones. Lands and trade routes to the west of this line were to belong to Spain, while those to the east would belong to Portugal. It played a significant role in the establishment of zones of influence for Portuguese and Spanish trade around the globe.
However, the original divide did not exactly specify the boundaries between Portuguese and Spanish territories in the east. The Treaty of Tordesillas was later complemented by the Treaty of Zaragoza in 1529, which helped to clarify these boundaries in Asia. As a result of these treaties, Spain gained rights to most of the Americas, building its empire there, while Portugal obtained trading power in Africa and Asia, including the valuable Spice Islands.
Through these strategic negotiations, both nations were able to explore, claim, and colonize lands without coming into direct conflict over territories. This laid the foundation for the global empires that Spain and Portugal would come to establish during the Age of Exploration.