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A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE In 1807, Napoleon’s armies invadedPortugal. As the French army approached the capital of Lisbon, thePortuguese royal family boarded ships to escape capture. They sailed toBrazil, Portugal’s largest colony, taking their court and royal treasurywith them. For the next 14 years, Brazil was the heart of the Portugueseempire. During that time Brazilians developed a sense of their ownindependence. As you will read, a member of the Portuguese royal fam-ily was to play a decisive role in gaining Brazil’s freedom from Portugal.

History: A Divided ContinentGeography played an important role in the colonization of SouthAmerica by Spain and Portugal. The two European powers reached anagreement to divide South America. In the resulting Treaty of Tordesillas(1494), Portugal gained control over the land that became present-dayBrazil. In this section, you will look at Portuguese-speaking Brazil, thelargest country in South America.

NATIVE PEOPLES AND PORTUGUESE CONQUESTThe territory of Brazil was originally home to nativepeoples divided into hundreds of tribes and languagegroups. Various estimates place the number of nativepeoples between one million and five million whenthe first colonists arrived in the early 1500s.

The first Portuguese colonists hoped to find goldor silver but were disappointed when they couldfind neither. Then they cleared out huge areas offorest where they created sugar plantations. Brazilsoon became a source of wealth for Portugalbecause the demand for sugar was so great.

The patterns of settlement were along the coast,where cities such as Rio de Janeiro were estab-lished, rather than in the interior where rain forestsmade farming difficult. Eventually, the colonistscleared more land in the west for sugar plantations. Inthe process, the Portuguese conquered the native tribesand put them to work on the plantations. Whennatives died from diseases brought by the colonists,the Portuguese brought African slaves to Brazil byforce to replace them. Today millions of Brazilians areof mixed European, African, and native ancestry.

Brazil Main Ideas• Native peoples, Portuguese,

and Africans have shapedBrazil.

• Brazil has the largest territoryand the largest population ofany country in Latin America.

Places & TermsTreaty of Tordesillas

Carnival

samba

capoeira

Connect to the Issuesresources Brazil is a giantcountry rich in naturalresources that must bedeveloped and used wisely.

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INDEPENDENCE FOR BRAZIL Brazil remained a Portuguese colonyfrom 1500 to 1822. After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, many people inBrazil demanded independence from Portugal. However, the Portuguesegovernment wanted Brazil to remain a colony. But the Brazilians keptpushing for independence. Finally, thousands of them signed petitionsasking Dom Pedro, the son of Portugal’s king, to rule Brazil as an inde-pendent country. He agreed, and in September of 1822, he declaredBrazil’s independence from Portugal.

A National CultureThe culture of Brazil includes Portuguese influences, Native Americanelements, and African influences. But unlike other South Americancountries, Brazil has had more success in blending its ethnic groups.

THE PEOPLE OF BRAZIL When the first Europeans arrived in 1500, mil-lions of native people lived in what is now Brazil. But today, only about200,000 live in the depths of the Amazon rain forest. Thousands of thenative peoples died from diseases brought by the European colonists.

Brazil has become home to many immigrants from other nations.Large numbers of people from Portugal, Germany, Italy, and Spain havesettled there, as have immigrants from Lebanon and Syria. Brazil also hasthe largest Japanese population outside Japan.

LANGUAGE AND RELIGION The Portuguese brought their languageand their Catholic religion with them to Brazil. Today, Brazil has thelargest Catholic population in the world. In addition, Protestants makeup almost 20 percent of the population. Many other Brazilians, mainlythose of African or mixed ancestry, practice religions that combineAfrican beliefs with Catholicism.

ARCHITECTURE OF BRASÍLIA The architect Oscar Niemeyer designed thebuildings for the new capital of Brasília, which was built in the interior ofBrazil beginning in 1957. Part of the reason for locating the capital 600miles inland was to draw people into the inte-rior. The move of the government to thenew capital city in 1960 signaled theopening of the country’s west.

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MakingComparisons

How does thepopulation of Brazilresemble that ofthe United States?

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTINTERACTION OscarNiemeyer designedthese governmentoffices for Brasília. The Senate meets inthe domed building,and the Chamber ofDeputies meets in thebowl-like building.

A. Answer Likethe United States, Brazil haswelcomed immi-grants from manydifferent nations.

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An Economic Giant AwakensBrazil is a growing economic power. Much of this power is based on itsvast area, its abundance of natural resources, and its people. Its econo-my is the tenth largest in the world. Its diverse population of about 170million people contributes to its economic strength.

AN INDUSTRIAL POWER Natural resources have helped make Brazil anindustrial power. It has deposits of iron and bauxite, as well as otherminerals used in manufacturing. In addition, tin and manganesereserves are abundant. It also has supplies of gold, silver, titanium,chromite, tungsten, and quartz.

More than a thousand rivers, including the Amazon, flow throughBrazil. Power plants located along these rivers produce electricity. Inaddition, Brazil’s large reserves of oil and natural gas contribute to itsindustrial might.

Brazil is one of the most industrialized of South American countries,with one of the largest steel plants in the region. It is a leading makerof automobiles. Over half of its cars use ethanol, a fuel that comes fromsugar cane and is less expensive than imported oil.

MIGRATION TO THE CITIES Despite its economic successes, Brazilremains a country with a vast gap between the rich and the poor.

Increasing urbanization is one resultof attempts by many Brazilians toimprove their lives by seeking jobs inthe cities.

The movement of people in Brazilfrom country to city reflects changesin agriculture that pushed people offthe land. It also reflects the growth inmanufacturing that pulled people tothe cities. In 1960, about 22 percent ofthe population lived in the cities. By1995, more than 75 percent of thepeople lived in cities.

MIGRATION TO THE INTERIORThere has also been a move into theinterior. About 80 percent of the peo-ple live within 200 miles of the sea.But the government is encouragingsettlement of the interior to developits many resources. Commercial agri-culture is an important part of theeconomy in the western interior. Thatis because of the cerrado—the fertilegrasslands, similar to the Great Plainsin the United States, that provide richfarmland. Many Brazilians are willingto move to the interior to improvetheir economic situation.

Natural Resources of Brazil

SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting MapsLOCATION In what part of Brazil are most of its timberresources located?

LOCATION Is most of Brazil’s tin located along the coastsor in the interior of the country?

Connect tothe Issuesresources

How do Brazil’s naturalresourcescontribute to its industrialsuccess?B. Answer Ratherthan having toimport resourcesthat are convertedinto goods, Brazilhas a rich supplyof resources within the countryto use in manufacturing.

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Brazil 239

Brazilian Life TodayBrazil is a country of great varietyin its city life, music, and holidays.

FROM CARNIVAL TO MARTIALARTS The most colorful feast dayin Brazil is Carnival. In Rio deJaneiro, people in costumes ride onfloats through the streets. Carnivaltakes place to the music of thesamba, a Brazilian dance withAfrican influences.

Capoeira is a martial art anddance that developed in Brazilfrom African origins. Angolans who were taken to Brazil by thePortuguese brought this martial art and dance with them.

CITY LIFE IN RIO DE JANEIRO Brasília is the political capital of Brazil,and São Paulo is its economic heart and largest city, but Rio de Janeirois the cultural center. The residents of Rio are among the country’s lead-ers in important cultural activities and institutions.

Rio has one of the most spectacular natural settings in the world.Sugarloaf Mountain, Guanabara Bay, and Copacabana Beach are just afew of the breathtaking sights.

There is a darker side to life in Rio, and that is caused by the widen-ing gap between rich and poor. Desperately poor slums, called favelas,dot the hillsides. Crime waves and drug abuse are two results of thepoverty. Recently, however, government officials have launched pro-grams to bring in electrical power, paved streets, and sewers.

In the next chapter, you will read about three important issues thataffect Latin America—resources, democracy, and the income gap.

Places & TermsIdentify and explain theimportance of each ofthe following.

• Treaty of Tordesillas

• Carnival

• samba

• capoeira

Taking Notes PLACE Review the notes you tookfor this section.

• Which European country sentthe most settlers to Brazil?

• Who lived in Brazil before theEuropean settlers arrived?

Main Ideas a. What crop did settlers first

grow in Brazil and whateffect did it have on themakeup of the population?

b. How do Brazil’s riverscontribute to its wealth?

c. What are some aspects ofBrazilian culture that showan African influence?

Geographic ThinkingDrawing Conclusions Whatis the relationship betweencoast and interior in thesettling of Brazil? Thinkabout:

• the patterns of settlementalong the coast

• the resources of the interior

EXPLORING LOCAL GEOGRAPHY Rio de Janeiro is almost two different cities—one rich andone poor. Pair with a partner and draw a map that divides your city, town, or neighborhood intwo. Decide which parts are better off than others. What resources and features distinguish one part from another?

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Connect tothe Issuesincome gap

What might be the impact ofpoverty and theincome gap ondemocraticgovernment?

PLACE Young mendemonstrate themartial art of capoeira.

C. AnswerSevere povertyand a growingincome gap canundermine ademocracy andmake it lessstable.

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