The Portuguese established early land presence in Asia during the early 1500s.

Evidence

The story of how the rhino came to Europe tells us that the Portuguese were not just trading with India but were trying to establish permanent bases there – this is the very beginning of the European land presence in Asia. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 1159

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 1159
• XREF: connects to: Pious and commercial motives fused in the Portuguese imperial venture; Sri Lanka was historically fragmented into several kingdoms before European colonization. — Neil DeVotta, Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist…, 101