Answer:
C.Portugal was located farther west than other European countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
Portugal didn´t have at the time a superior navy, nor a large shipbuilding industry, the largest army was the British Army, and with that they had a larger shipbuilding industry, but Portugal was farthers west, than the other exploring European empires, this helped them develop and be one step ahead on the exploration race, this closeness to the new world, and Africa helped them to keep their colonies controlled.