On April 22, 1500, the India Armada (India being its original destination), led by Pedro Álvares Cabral, accidentally arrived in Brazil. The place where they landed was named Porto Seguro (Porto Seguro). The famous Pau-Brasil (a type of Brazilian wood used as a dye) was Brazil’s main immediate export. In fact, the name of this wood became the definitive name of this newly discovered territory. Originally named “Terra de Vera Cruz” (Land of the True Cross), it was then renamed Terra do Brasil, and finally Brazil. It is also curious to note that, at the time, “brazilian” was merely the name of the profession related to this Brazilian wood (Pau-Brasil).
After more than 300 years of colonization, on September 7, 1822, Brazilian independence was finally proclaimed by King Dom Pedro I of Brazil (Dom Pedro IV of Portugal), who would abdicate in favor of his five-year-old son, Dom Pedro II, on April 7, 1831.
From then on, Portuguese and Brazilian histories followed different paths but maintained strong ties, especially in language, culture, and immigration; these ties are so strong that even today, Portugal and Brazil consider themselves brother countries. Portuguese rule left several lasting consequences that are still felt today.
a) Brazil is characterized by large disparities in income, wealth, education, and economic opportunities. These are more extreme than in Asia, Europe, or North America. The social structure still has strong echoes of the colonial period, when there was great inequality in land ownership, and most of the workforce were slaves. The ongoing neglect of popular education is very pronounced even by Latin American standards and has hindered labor productivity growth. Another aspect of inequality is regional. The per capita income disparity between the poorest state, Piauí, and the Federal District is about 7:1. The only other countries with this degree of regional disparity are Mexico and China.
b) Income and opportunity inequalities in Brazil are closely associated with ethnicity, but the legacy of slavery has produced less social tension than in the United States. Gilberto Freyre (1959) argued that Brazilians are more or less blind to color, and that Brazil is a social continuum from rich to poor without sharp social antagonisms.
c) Brazil has been favored by smoother political transitions than other Latin American countries. The Treaty of Tordesilhas (1494) amicably divided the Americas between Portugal and Spain. Portugal obtained a slice extending 48 degrees west of the Greenwich meridian, but its current borders encompass almost 
three times more territory — a situation peacefully endorsed by the Treaty of Madrid in 1750. Most territorial gains were made by pioneers. The only substantial invasion was the Dutch occupation of the Northeast (1630–54). Conflicts to preserve borders against French or Spanish incursions were insignificant, and the last territorial acquisition, the Acre territory, was by purchase from Bolivia. The largest foreign war was with Paraguay (1865–70). This sharply contrasts with Mexico, which lost half its territory in wars with the United States, or with the European and Asian experience of wars over borders.
d) Another striking feature has been the ease of internal political transitions in Brazil. Independence was gained without significant struggle, the Portuguese heir becoming Emperor of Brazil in 1822. Slavery was abolished without a civil war in 1888. The Empire became a republic without struggle in 1889. Vargas’s dictatorship from 1930–45 began and ended with relatively little violence, and the same occurred with the military regime from 1964–85.
e) The combination of smooth political transitions, freedom from foreign conflicts, and relative ease in social relations 
between ethnic groups has allowed Brazil to assimilate a cosmopolitan mix of the original Portuguese settlers, descendants of African slaves, later immigrants from Italy, Japan, Germany, and Lebanon. It is a border country with a high degree of self-confidence, without the feeling of being exploited by powerful neighbors. It is a looser federation than many large countries and has a multipolar intellectual life.
On April 22, 2017, Brazil, still a very young country, celebrates 517 years of its “accidental discovery” or, from another point of view, its “opportune conquest” by the Portuguese.