It was for precisely these reasons that Portugal calculated that a Brazil worked by slaves was worth substantially more to it than its holdings in the East. Under pressure from every quarter, particularly from the Dutch, this forced a painful, but necessary choice. Portugal lost Elmina in 1637 and soon began relinquishing control of its various Asian footholds as well. Within less than three decades, these came to include Malacca (in present-day Malaysia), Colombo (Sri Lanka), and Kochi and Kannur (India), all key ports in the spice trade.
