Question

How did the line of demarcation affect settlement of South America?

Answer 1

Hint:The "New World" was neatly divided by the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas into territory, capital, and citizens claimed by Spain and Portugal. The divide is illustrated by the red vertical line cutting across eastern Brazil. For the Spanish and Portuguese empires, the treaty worked well, but less so for the 50 million citizens still living in the Americas in developed communities.

Complete answer:
 When Columbus accidently found the New land, he announced it in the name of Spain as per the order of the Spanish rulers Ferdinand and Isabella, which was unacceptable by the pre-existing treaties who had gained the ownership of any new non-Christian lands who claimed the land as Portugal. At the same time, Spain was already discovered and took possession of a lot of American real estate. The Treaty of Tordesillas was introduced in 1494 which created a new line over the globe on top of modern south America which gave the authority on most of the America to Spain excluding modern day Brazil. Spain was granted exclusive rights to all newly discovered and yet to be discovered lands on the west side. Portuguese expeditions set to happen in the east of the line.
In 1529 , a similar line was drawn across Asia and one part of it came under Portugal. None of the other countries outside of Spain and Portugal did not accept this treaty. Most of Asia wasn’t colonized, hence the Line of Demarcation was in full effect and made Brazil and Formosa as Portuguese colonies for a long time. This made a small part of the Americas including Texas, California and the Caribbean to Patagonia-as well as the Philippines-as Spanish colonies putting an end to the land settlement in America which was in dilemma for a long time.

Note:Treaties of territorial compromise between European powers to fix borderlines were not uncommon by the mid- 18th century. Nevertheless, since it broke with the old regime of Tordesillas and Zaragoza, which for 250 years had shaped the basis for the Portuguese and Spanish colonial expansion and rivalry, the Luso-Spanish Treaty of Madrid occupies a special position in history.