Brazil

Brazil is located in South America. Its coast is the sea of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a huge country and in the northern end the equator cuts through it. Further south is the Tropic of Capricorn. The capital of Brazil is Brasilia.

Background of Brazil

Official records began when the Portuguese went to settle in Brazil but they were not its first inhabitants. There were many tribes living there already and subsequently many tribal wars. The interest in Brazil came when the Portuguese wanted the red dye from the brazilwood. This sparked interest in harvesting the land but not the will to do so. Instead they turned to the indigenous population who were willing to assist in return for tools and liquor. However there were many battles after a time as the native people had become enslaved by the colonists. The slave trade became a business in itself for the Portuguese and it was later expanded to include the African slaves. The Africans fiercely resisted being made slaves and made attempts to escape. Many went to Palmares. The slave trade expanded further when gold was discovered and they were used to dig. This occurred at the end of the 17^th century.

At the beginning of the 18^th century Napoleon had taken Lisbon, and Dom Joao consequently moved to Brazil and settled there, later making Rio Janeiro the capital of united Brazil and Portugal. Dom Joao did return to Portugal and his son Pedro stayed in Brazil. His son won independence for Brazil merely by threatening war with Portugal. Pedro was forced to abdicate and when his son became older he took the throne, supported by the population. Dom Pedro II as he was known reigned for 50 years abolishing the slave trade. Coffee later became the main export and was behind the military coup of 1889.

There were many governments in place over the next 40 years. The military put in place Getulio Vargas in 1930 despite him losing the elections. At this time the coffee economy was in decline. He banned all opposition and when asked to stand down in 1954 killed himself. Kubitschek was elected president in 1956 but incurred huge debt and was overthrown by the military in 1964. It was not until much later that President Franco and later Cardoso raised economic growth. Later, Luiz  da Silva  won the presidency offering to address social problems but he too managed to maintain economic growth. He made attempts to help the financial hardships of the poor.

Highlights of Brazil

Rio de Janeiro; Christ the Redeemer

Iguacu falls.

Salvador

Amazon basin

Football game ie Botafogo