Brazil

Where the name comes from

Brazil comes from Portuguese pau-brasil, “brazilwood”, exported for red dye; the tree’s name recalls brasa, “ember”.

First people

Many Indigenous peoples, including Tupi and Guarani speakers, lived here for thousands of years.¹

Known for

Brazil holds most of the Amazon rainforest and has won the men’s football World Cup a record five times.²

Outside contact

Portugal arrived in 1500 and settled permanently from 1532, bringing more enslaved Africans than any other country in the Americas.³

The modern country

In 1808, Portugal’s royal court fled Napoleon to Rio de Janeiro; in 1822 the king’s son Pedro declared Brazil independent and became its emperor, and Brazil stayed a monarchy until 1889.^4,5