| Brazil, officially the Federative | | | | status of colony. This resulted in the |
| Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil | | | | small scale conflicts known as the |
| or República Federativa do Brasil, | | | | Brazilian War of Independence. On 7 |
| listen (help·info)[1]), is the largest | | | | September 1822 Prince regent Dom Pedro I |
| and most populous country in South | | | | (later Pedro IV of Portugal) declared |
| America; and the fifth largest in the | | | | independence, establishing the |
| world in both area and population. | | | | independent Empire of Brazil. A treaty |
| Spanning a vast area between central | | | | recognizing the Empire's independence |
| South America and the Atlantic Ocean, it | | | | was signed on 29 August 1825 with |
| is the easternmost country of the | | | | Britain and Portugal. As the crown |
| Americas and borders every other South | | | | remained in the hands of the House of |
| American country except Ecuador and | | | | Bragança, this was more the severance |
| Chile (viz. Uruguay, Argentina, | | | | of the Portuguese empire in two, than an |
| Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, | | | | independence movement as seen elsewhere |
| Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the | | | | in the Americas. |
| French department of French Guiana). | | | | The Brazilian Empire was formally a |
| Brazil was colonized by Portugal and it | | | | democracy in the British style, although |
| is the only Portuguese-speaking country | | | | in practice, the |
| in the Americas. It is a multiracial | | | | emperor-premier-parliament balance of |
| country with a population composed of | | | | power more closely resembled the |
| European, Amerindian, African and Asian | | | | autocratic Austrian Empire. Slavery was |
| elements, more often mixed in the same | | | | abolished in 1888, through the "Golden |
| individual than separated into different | | | | Law", created by Princess Isabel, and |
| communities. It has the largest Roman | | | | intensive European immigration created |
| Catholic population in the world. | | | | the basis for industrialization. Pedro I |
| Before the first Portuguese explorers, | | | | was succeeded by his son, Pedro II — |
| led by Pedro Álvares Cabral, arrived in | | | | who in old age was caught by a political |
| 1500, Brazil is thought to have been | | | | dispute between the Army and the |
| inhabited by semi-nomadic populations | | | | Cabinet, a crisis arising from the |
| for at least 10,000 years. Over the next | | | | Paraguay War. Pedro II was deposed from |
| three centuries, it was resettled by the | | | | the throne on 15 November 1889, when a |
| Portuguese and exploited mainly for | | | | federal republic (officially, the |
| brazil wood (Pau-Brasil), then sugarcane | | | | Republic of the United States of Brazil) |
| (Cana-de-Açúcar), coffee beans and | | | | was established by Field Marshal Deodoro |
| gold mining. The colony's manpower was | | | | da Fonseca. |
| initially composed of enslaved peoples, | | | | In the late nineteenth and early |
| firstly Amerindians and then, after | | | | twentieth centuries, Brazil attracted |
| 1532, mainly Africans. | | | | over 5 million European, Arab and |
| The only recorded transcontinental | | | | Japanese immigrants. During this time |
| relocation of a royal family occurred in | | | | Brazil became industrialized, further |
| 1808 when the Portuguese royal family, | | | | colonized, and its interior further |
| headed by Queen Maria I of Portugal and | | | | explored and developed. Brazilian |
| her son and regent, the future Joao VI | | | | democracy was replaced by dictatorships |
| of Portugal, fled Napoleon's armies and | | | | three times — 1930–1934 and |
| relocated to Rio de Janeiro, along with | | | | 1937–1945 under Getúlio Vargas, and |
| the government and nobility. Although | | | | 1964–1985, under a succession of |
| they returned in 1821, the interlude led | | | | generals appointed by the military. |
| to the opening of commercial ports to | | | | Since 1985, Brazil has been regarded as |
| the United Kingdom — at the time | | | | a presidential democracy, a status |
| isolated from most European ports by | | | | affirmed by a plebiscite in 1993 which |
| Napoleon — and to the elevation of | | | | asked voters to indicate a preference |
| Brazil to the status of a United Kingdom | | | | for a presidential or parliamentary |
| under the Portuguese Crown. Upon Joao | | | | system. Voters also decided not to |
| VI's departure, the remaining royal | | | | restore the country's constitutional |
| government in Rio moved to dissolve the | | | | monarchy. |
| Kingdom of Brazil and return it to the | | | | |