Brazilian
Flag
Flag of Brazil
Brazil was
colonized by the Portuguese after the explorer Pedro Alvares Cobral
landed there in 1500 and was named after the red dyewood pau brasil (brazilwood),
the first natural commodity to be exploited. In 1808, the French emperor
Napoleon invaded Portugal, prompting the Portuguese king, John VI, to
move his capital from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. He returned to Portugal
in the following year, leaving his son, Crown Prince Pedro, in Brazil as
regent; in 1822, Pedro assumed the title Emperor Pedro I and declared
Brazil independent.
The green field and yellow lozenge of the Brazilian flag, which
respectively represent the country's rainforests and vast mineral
resources and also refer to the royal houses of Braganza and Hapsburg,
were part of the first flag to be adopted when independence was
proclaimed. In 1889, the imperial arms were replaced by a view of the
night sky as it appeared over Rio de Janeiro when the republic was
formed, each of the stars in the constellations on the flag representing
a state in the
Brazilian federation. The
number of stars has
altered over time, and the
latest version, formally
adopted on 11 May, 1992,
contains 27. Brazil's
national motto, Ordem e
Progresso, ('Order and
Progress') is emblazoned
on a band across the
centre of the night sky.
