Brazil
Largest country in South America (almost half the continent), bounded
southwest by Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia; west by Peru
and Colombia; north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana;
and northeast and southeast by the Atlantic Ocean.
Government
Under the 1988 constitution, Brazil is a federal republic of 26 states
and a federal district (Brasília). The two-chamber national congress
consists of a senate of 81 members (on the basis of three senators per
state) elected for an eight-year term, and a chamber of deputies, whose
numbers vary, elected for a four-year term. The number of deputies is
determined by the population of each state. Elections to both chambers
are by universal suffrage. The cabinet is chosen by the president, who
is elected by universal adult suffrage for a five-year term and is not
eligible for re-election. The states and the federal district each has
an elected governor.
History
Prior to Portuguese colonization Brazil was occupied by various Native
American peoples. In the Amazon and the central states region
there still remain a considerable number of tribal peoples, mainly
Carib, Arawak, Tupi-Guarani, and Ge. Colonization and settlement
The European discovery of Brazil was made by the Spanish navigator
Vicente Pinzon on 26 January 1500. It was subsequently claimed
for Portugal by Pedro Alvares Cabral, a Portuguese navigator,
on 25 April 1500. Portuguese colonization began from this time,
and the first governor general was appointed in 1531. The colony
was named after a legendary island in the Atlantic, and also a
red dye wood that became the region's main export. The French,
Spanish, and Dutch made many attempts to take the land from its
original colonists in the 16th and 17th centuries, but all of
these were unsuccessful. A period of peaceful development followed.
The introduction of sugar cane from Madeira and São Tomé gave
rise to a plantation economy in the coastal zone, based on slavery.
Cotton was also grown on the plantations, but Brazil's exports
of cotton and sugar were hit by competition from the West Indies
and North America. By 1800 black slaves from Africa made up one-third
of Brazil's population of 2 million. Of the rest, about two- thirds
were black and mulatto and one-third of European origin. In 1699
the goldfields of Minas Gerais were discovered, and the interiors
of the states of Bahia, Goiás, and Mato Grosso were opened up
and settled by groups of adventurers called Bandeirantes, who
were attracted to these regions by stories of the fabulous wealth
they were said to contain.
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Portugues, Private Sale
English, Outstanding relocation information
