Brazil had been inhabited for at least 6,000 years by semi-nomadic populations when the first Portuguese explorers, led by Pedro Álvares Cabral disembarked in 1500. Political independence of a sort came in 1822, but a form of monarchy, sponsored by Portuguese royalty and featuring a self-styled Emperor of Brazil, existed until the first republic was declared in 1889. Brazil is an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation, and has over 184 million inhabitants, which make it the 5th most populous nation in the world. Its official language is Portuguese (Brazilian Portuguese, a dialect of the Portuguese language). It's also the largest Portuguese-speaking nation in the world (in terms of population and landmass), 18 times the population of Portugal itself. Brazil's official name in Portuguese is República Federativa do Brasil (Federative Republic of Brazil).

• (left) Location of Brazil, highlighted in green.


• (right) Brazil close-up.