The Portuguese Empire was the third largest empire in world history.
The Inca Empire ( Quechua : Tawantinsuyu , `` The Four Regions '' ) , also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America , and possibly the largest empire in the world in the early 16th century . The Portuguese Empire ( Império Português ) , also known as the Portuguese Overseas ( Ultramar Português ) , was one of the largest and longest-lived empires in world history and the first colonial empire of the Renaissance .