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