Brazil country profile – BBC News

Some key dates in Brazil’s history:

1500 – Portuguese land in the area and claim it for the Portuguese crown.

1822 – The son of the Portuguese king declares independence from Portugal and crowns himself Pedro I, emperor of Brazil.

1888 – Slavery is abolished. A year later, Brazil’s monarchy is overthrown and a federal republic is established; in subsequent decades, government is dominated by European coffee plantation owners.

1930 – Nationalist and anti-communist Getulio Vargas comes to power in a coup; his 15-year authoritarian rule pursues state-led industrialisation and improvements in social welfare.

1939-45 – Brazil initially declares itself neutral but in 1943 joins Allies in World War Two. A Brazilian expeditionary force fights in Italy.

1945 – Vargas toppled by a coup that restores democratic rule and ushers in the second Brazilian Republic.

1960 – The capital is moved from Rio de Janeiro to the new purpose-built city of Brasilia.

1964 – Left-wing President Joao Goulart is ousted in a coup that commences two decades of military rule; the regime stifles freedom of speech and tortures opponents, but also pursues economic development.

1985 – Return of civilian government.

1988 – New constitution reduces presidential powers.

1989 – Fernando Collor de Mello becomes first directly-elected president since 1960.

1997 – Constitution changed to allow president to run for re-election.

2002 – Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, popularly known as Lula, wins elections to become Brazil’s first left-wing president for more than 40 years.

2016 – Lula’s ally and successor Dilma Rousseff – is removed as president after an impeachment trial finds her guilty of financial irregularities.

2018 – Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins presidential election over centre-left Workers’ Party.

2022 – Lula returns to power as Brazil’s president. Bolosnaro leaves for Florida.

2023 January – Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters ransack government buildings in Brasilia. Their actions are widely condemned. The government vows to arrest those responsible.