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Brazil tourist information
Brazil tourist information
Until 1500, Brazil was inhabited solely by indigenous people, mainly of the Tupi and Guarani ethnic groups. Settling by the Portuguese began late in that century, with the extraction of valuable wood from the pau brasil tree, from which the country draws its name. Brazil was settled by the Portugese and not the Spanish, as were the rest of Central, South and parts of North America in the New World. Despite Portuguese rule, some parts of Brazil formed a Dutch colony between 1630 and 1654. They founded several cities, such as Mauritsville, and many sugar reed plantations. The Dutch fought a grim jungle war with the Portugese, and without the support of the Republic of their homeland due to a war with England, the Dutch surrendered to the Portugese, though they did not officially recognize Portuguese rule, which led to an all-out war with Portugal off the coast of Portugal in 1656. In 1665 the Peace Treaty of The Hague was signed, Portugal lost its Asian colonies and had to pay 63 tons of gold to compensate the Dutch Republic for the loss of its colony.
The following four centuries saw further exploitation of the country's natural riches such as gold and rubber, alongside the rise of an economy based largely on sugar, coffe and african slave labor. Meanwhile, extermination and Christianizing of natives kept its pace, and the 19th and 20th Century saw a second wave of immigration, mainly Italian, German (In southern Brazil), Spanish, Japanese (In São Paulo State) and Portuguese, adding to the set of factors that generated today's complex and unique Brazilian culture and society.
Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation on September 7th, 1822. By far the largest, most populous and prosperous country in Latin America, it has also overcome more than two decades (1964-1988) of military intervention in the governance of the country to pursue democratic rule, while facing the challenge of keeping its industrial and agricultural growth and developing its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, today Brazil is Latin America's leading economic power and a regional leader, overshadowing the likes of Mexico and Argentina. Highly unequal income distribution, althought softening from 2004 onwards, remains a pressing problem. A consequence of this is a high crime rate, specifically in large cities.
After 20 years of democracy, the country has grown strong, and despite the social problems of the unequal income distribution, the people have remained happy and festive.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Brazil
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Brazil - updated Apr 2024
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WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Brazil Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.