USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The territories ruled included present-day Philippines, Guam and the Mariana Islands, as well as Palau, part of Micronesia and for a brief period Northern Taiwan and parts of North Sulawesi and the Moluccas.

Detailed explanation-2: -Portugal was the first European power to establish a bridgehead in maritime Southeast Asia with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511. The Netherlands and Spain followed and soon superseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region.

Detailed explanation-3: -By seizing Goa and Malacca, Albuquerque permanently established the Portuguese presence in Asia and laid the foundation for further expansion into Southeast and East Asia. When he died in 1515 off the coast of Goa, Portugal was an Asian power.

Detailed explanation-4: -The opening of the Suez Canal made travel much easier, and Singapore became an important trade stop in China and Europe. Finally, once oil and rubber became goods that modern nations craved, the importance of Southeast Asia to the Europeans became even more apparent.