Ingles

Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás

Matéria: Inglês II

Professora: Aurea Marques

Acadêmica: Verônica Ribeiro Custodio

discovery of Brazil

On April 22, 1500 came to Brazil Portuguese caravels 13 led by Pedro Alvares Cabral. At first glance, they believed this is a great mountain, and called it Monte Pascoal. On 26 April was celebrated the first Mass in Brazil. After leaving the site towards India, Cabral, uncertain whether the land discovered it was a continent or large island, changed name for the Island of Vera Cruz. After exploration undertaken by other Portuguese expeditions, it was discovered that it was indeed a continent, and the name was changed again. The new land has become called the Land of Santa Cruz. Only after the discovery of the pau-Brazil, which occurred in the year 1511, our country came to be called by name we know today: Brazil.

The discovery of Brazil occurred in the period of exploration, when Portugal and Spain explored the ocean in search of new lands. A few years before the discovery of Brazil, in 1492, Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain, arrived in America, a fact that raised expectations of the explorers. Given the fact both have the same ambitions and in order to avoid war over possession of lands, Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. Under this agreement, Portugal kept the newly discovered lands that were east of the imaginary line (200 miles west of the Cape Verde islands), while Spain got the lands west of this line.

Even with the discovery of the Brazilian lands, Portugal was still engaged in trade with India, because the spices which the Portuguese were there were of great value to their marketing in Europe. The spices were traded, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, oriental porcelain, silk, etc.. While performing this lucrative trade, Portugal was in the Brazil, the extraction of Brazil wood, exploring the Atlantic tons of valuable wood, red paint