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Brazil
Portuguese colony, seat of the Portuguese Empire and the only monarchy in the Americas.
Overview
Cabral claimed Brazil for Portugal in 1500. The colony's sugar and later coffee economy rested on the largest importation of enslaved Africans in the Americas. Independent as an empire in 1822 and a republic since 1889.
Basic Information
CapitalBrasília
Population216 million
Area8,515,767 km²
CurrencyBrazilian real (BRL)
LanguagesPortuguese
RegionSouth America
History Timeline
- 1500Portuguese arrival
- 1808Portuguese court flees to Rio
- 1822Independence as an empire
- 1888Abolition of slavery
- 1889Republic proclaimed
Ancient Peoples
- Tupi
- Guarani
- Marajoara
Ancient Kingdoms
Empires
- Portuguese Empire
- Empire of Brazil
Religions
- Roman Catholicism
- Evangelical Christianity
- Candomblé
- Umbanda
Culture
Samba, bossa nova, Carnival, Brazilian modernist literature.
Language
Brazilian Portuguese spoken by over 200 million.
Important Battles
- Guararapes1648 – 1649
Expulsion of the Dutch
- Paraguayan War1864 – 1870
Deadliest South American war
Historical Figures
Pedro I
1822 – 1831
First emperor
Getúlio Vargas
1930 – 1945
Modernizing president
Archaeological Sites
- Serra da Capivara rock art
- Marajó Island
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Historic Ouro Preto
- Central Amazon
- Iguaçu Falls
- Brasília
Dynasties
- Braganza
Colonial Period
Portuguese 1500 – 1822.
Modern History
Federal republic; largest South American economy.