Why do brazilians speak portuguese

Spain would gain access to all lands west of the line. On the other hand, Portugal was free to conquer everything to the east. Needless to say, there was much more land to be explored west of the line. Because of that, Spain was able to colonize most of what we know today as Latin America. And so, Spain started to colonize everything west of the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Meanwhile, Portugal got only a small piece of land off the Atlantic. This amount of land was basically just the coast of Brazil, represented by the southeast and northeast regions of today. However, another product became more and more economically interesting to Portugal: sugarcane. Quickly, sugarcane became the main crop in Brazil. Because of that, Brazilian plantation owners began migrating inland searching for more fertile land.

Through these expeditions, they discovered a huge amount of gold, especially in Minas Gerais. A gold rush ensued in the country and that led to even further expansion of Brazil. Over the next century, the borders of modern Brazil were drawn and our country was finally shaped like it is today. Of course, there were many Indigenous people here before the Portuguese arrived in Brazil. Realizing the folly, the Portuguese re-negotiated the treaty a year later and the line was moved further west.

The claim was mostly ignored until around when it was found to be a rich source of Brazilwood Pau-Brasi l , where the country got its name. Brazilians later explored further inland to expand their territory. But Brazil was not completely safe from other invading countries. In , the French claimed the area of Rio de Janeiro as its own. The Portuguese reclaimed it in after fierce fighting.

For more than years, Brazil was one of the most important colonies of the Portuguese empire. But on September 7, , Brazil broke free from Portugal. The agreement was formally agreed to in a treaty signed by Brazil and Portugal in Spanish remains the language of much of the western hemisphere, but for more than million Brazilians — and millions more worldwide — Portuguese is the law of the land.

History, of course! Laura Ling has the details in today's Seeker Daily report. In the 15th century, Christopher Columbus and other explorers discovered the New World, triggering a land grab competition between Spain and Portugal.

In , the two countries signed the Treaty of Tordesillas , which divided their claims. Spain was given rights to all lands west of the line of demarcation, while Portugal got everything to the east. It wasn't a particularly great deal for Portugal. Spain went on to colonize much of what is today Latin America, while Portugal got a sliver of land on the east coast of modern-day Brazil.