2. Colonial Brazil
Colonia Brazil settlement started
from 1500, with the arrival of the
Portuguese, until 1815 when Brazil
was appointed to United Kingdom
with Portugal.
For 300 years of Brazilian colonial
history, the economic exploitation
was first based on brazil wood
extraction, sugar productions, and
gold mining in the 18th century.
Most of the labor was done by slaves
shipped from Africa.
The Portuguese colony kept its
territorial and linguistic integrity
after the independence, making it
the largest country in the region. In
1500 navigator Pedro Alvares Cabral
landed in Brazil and claimed it to
the King Manuel I in Portugal.
3. Geography
The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in
1494, divided the world between the
2 kingdoms of Portugal and Castile.
Since the search of gold and silver
failed, the Portuguese adopted to
the production of agriculture goods
that were to be exported to Europe.
Some items were Tobacco, cotton,
cachaca, and the most important
product was sugar.
The first sugarcane farms were
created in the mid 16th century and
were the main successful product in
Brazil. The Portuguese relied on
slaves to work on the farms, and
were part of the cruel treatment of
African slaves when they were
imported in ships.
