Scientists predicted that the earliest settlers of South America were around 10,000 BC.

They think they came from Siberia by walking across a land bridge and spread out over North
and South America throughout many years. These Indians who lived here, also called nomadic
and semi-nomadic people, came in search of new hunting land, food and water. They fished near
the rivers, but also collected plants. Around 1,000 BC lifestyle in Brazil was changed to more of
a farming lifestyle. They cut down plants and burned them, as the ash was used as a fertilizer.
These Indians grew potatoes and also cultivated cotton and tobacco, as they grew their own food
in order to survive (Kopka, 2011). Not that much is known about Brazils earliest settlers.
More information is known about the Portuguese who settled not long after this. Around
1500 they established their first settlement at Sao Vicente. When they arrived, they did not find
an advanced civilization. There were no towns, animals or many resources. The Portuguese had
trouble creating a new life in Brazil because their were not many resources available. Life was
hard when they first arrived because they had conflicts with the Indians. These Indians practiced
cannibalism, and they realized they needed to civilize these Indians. Also, there was major
competition for the brazil-wood tree because it contained valuable red dye (Portuguese in
Brazil).
The Portuguese brought many different diseases to this land which killed many of these
native Indians. When the Portuguese arrived, they enslaved many of the Indians that were
already there. This concept goes back to the Guns, metal, and steel theory of Jarred Diamond. He
said that settlers carried diseases and spread the deadly germs to wherever they traveled, killing
many of the native inhabitants. They made the Indians work in sugarcane fields where they were
worked to death (VerottiFarah,2014). It is known that the Population of these indigenous ones

is estimated to be around 200,000 today, with most of these ones inhabiting the jungles (Brazil
History). Another important part of Brazils culture that is still relevant today is the cultural
mix. The Portuguese settlers married and had children with the native Indians, and African
slaves. Due to this, Brazil has many African American ancestors.
In the 18th century, Brazil became the worlds greatest producer of gold. The discovery of
gold created many new opportunities. Many people flocked to Brazil to join the gold
development. Boom towns came about and rich merchants built many buildings, and mansions
which are still in Brazil today. Many of the slaves that were brought to Brazil worked in the gold
fields. Many people who came to South America created their homes along the shore where the
ocean provided many resources and transportation for them. Although, soon gold production
collapsed and Brazil turned back to agriculture as a way to make a living. Coffee and sugarcane
became major products in Brazils economy (Kopka, 2011).
Brazils climate changes throughout the different areas, but has five main eco-systems.
These include the Tropical Rainforest, the Pantanal which is a tropical wetland, the Cerrado
which is a tropical savannah, the Mata Atlantica which is the Atlantic forest, and the Pampas
which are the fertile plains. Most of Brazils natural resources come from the Amazon
Rainforest. Many products that we use everyday come from the rainforest such as bananas,
coffee, and chocolate. Also, about twenty-five percent of prescription medication comes from the
Amazon Rainforest which greatly helps our modern day cure for many types of infections. The
Amazon River carries more water into oceans than any other river in the world. The rainforest
contains around one third of all animal species in the world (Brazil History).
I agree with Jarred Diamonds guns, germs, and steel theory for several reasons. First off,
I support the theory about the spread of germs and diseases, because it killed off many of the

native Indians in Brazil. The Portuguese who arrived later, had more immunity to these germs
which allowed their population to grow. Also, he suggests that countries spread out over the
North-South axis, have different climates zones and geographic boundaries that discourage
settlers from trading. I agree that Europe has developed at a faster rate because of their physical
geography, climate, and crops. That had the resources needed for trading and the climate needed
to grow the crops for export. They had many animals that they were able to domesticate. A big
reason that Brazil did not have the animals to domesticate, is that the early Indians hunted down
all of the animals and species that could have been domesticated. Brazil relied on many other
things in order to grow. They had resources available such as the gold rush, which helped bring
people to Brazil for the various opportunities. I do agree that Europe countries spread at a faster
rate due to there geography, food production, and resources.

References
Brazil History. (n.d.). Retrieved February 03, 2016, from http://www.brazil.org.za/history.html
Kopka, D., & Krueger, B. (2011). Passport Series: Central and South America. Retrieved
February 2, 2016, from https://books.google.com/books?
id=_x_qVLf2qw8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
The Portuguese in Brazil. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from
http://www.theworldeconomy.org/impact/The_Portuguese_in_Brazil.html
VerottiFarah,A.G.(2014,May8).HistoryofColonialBrazil.RetrievedFebruary03,2016,
fromhttp://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/historyofcolonialbrazil