Answer:
The Strait of Malacca is a strategic geographical point. It was so 500 years ago and it´s so still today. Its control allowed decisive influence on the trade routes with India and China, as any merchant ships had to pass throught the strait. This was a neuralgic point of the highly valued spice trade. Afonso de Albuquerque wanted to take control of the routes and establish militarized settlements along them to guarantee Portugal´s hegemony.
Explanation:
