The History of Brazil
by Jun Kuzuya
(Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan)
The national flag of Brazil
In the last class, as Gary told us, Brazil is the only country in South America where people speak Portuguese. And then, I wondered about why Brazilians speak Portuguese. So I examined about Brazilian history.
The answer is very simple. Because Brazil was a nation under the direct control of Portugal. 500 years ago, Brazil was discovered by the Portuguese. And then, Brazil was controlled by Portugal for 300 years. In the 16th century, it was named "Brazil" which means "red tree" in Portuguese. In 1822 Brazil became independent from Portugal. Probably, this factor became the reason why Brazilians spoke Portuguese, I think.
And in 1889, Brazil became a republic. We can find that this is a very important point for Brazilians. The reason is in the national flag of Brazil. Please look at the blue circle in the flag. There are 27 stars in the circle; this circle represents the night sky (in Rio de Janeiro) of the day when Brazil became a republic.
By the way, the words found at the center position represent the nation's motto: "Order and Development." So, many factors have affected the present-day Brazil!!
Now, Brazil is a very famous country all over the world. But through this research I could understand the origin of Brazil. And I want to go there someday to experience Brazilian culture!!
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