How did Brazil's territory change over time?

Brazil was originally inhabited by numerous indigenous tribes before being colonized by Portugal. After the Treaty of Tordesillas divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal, the Portuguese gradually expanded far beyond the territory they were originally allowed to control. The discovery of gold and expansion into the Amazon played a major role in shaping Brazil’s borders.

In 1750, Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Madrid, which recognized most of Portugal’s territorial expansion in South America. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil, temporarily making Rio de Janeiro the center of the Portuguese Empire. Brazil declared independence in 1822 under Dom Pedro and later lost Uruguay after it gained independence in 1828.

At the end of the 19th century, Brazilians in the Acre region revolted against Bolivian rule, eventually leading to Acre becoming part of Brazil and helping form the country’s modern borders.