Historically, the different regions of Brazil had their own migratory movements, which resulted in racial differences between these areas. The Southern region had a greater impact of the European immigration and has a large White majority, which contrasts with the Northern and Northeastern regions, which have a large Pardo (mixed-race) majority. In all regions of Brazil, European ancestry predominates in the population, followed by African and Amerindian ancestries. In Northern Brazil, native
Amerindian ancestry is more significant than the African one, while in the Northeastern, Central-Western and Southeastern regions African ancestry is more important than the indigenous one. The Census of 2007 revealed that the self-reported White population had its higher proportion in the state of Santa Catarina (86.6%) and the lowest in Bahia (20.9%). The Multiracial (Mixed) proportion was higher in Amazonas (72.4%) and lower in Santa Catarina (9.4%). The Black proportion varied from 17% in Bahia to 2.4% in Amazonas. Because of their small number, the Amerindian and Asian population were counted together and they had a higher proportion in Mato Grosso and Roraima (2.3%) and a lower proportion in Paraíba (0.1%).
South The South of Brazil is the region with the largest percentage of
Europeans. According to the 2005 census, people of
European ancestry account for 79.6% of the population. In colonial times, this region had a very small population. The region what is now
Southern Brazil was originally settled by
Amerindian peoples, mostly
Guarani and
Kaingangs. Only a few settlers from
São Paulo were living there. This situation made the region vulnerable to attacks from neighboring countries. This fact forced the King of
Portugal to decide to populate the region. For this, settlers from the Portuguese
Azores islands were sent to the coast in 1617. To stimulate the immigration to Brazil, the king offered several benefits for the Azorean couples. Between 1748 and 1756, six thousand
Portuguese from the
Azores moved to the coast of
Santa Catarina. They were mainly newly married who were seeking a better life. At that time, the Azores were one of the poorest regions of Portugal. They established themselves mainly in the
Santa Catarina Island, nowadays the region of Florianópolis. Later, some couples moved to
Rio Grande do Sul, where they established
Porto Alegre, the capital. The Azoreans lived on fishing and agriculture, especially flour. They comprised over half of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina's population in the late 18th century. The state of
Paraná was settled by colonists from São Paulo due to their proximity (Paraná was part of São Paulo until the mid-19th century). With the development of cattle in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, African slaves began arriving in large numbers. By 1822,
Africans were 50% of Rio Grande do Sul's population. This number decreased to 25% in 1858 and to only 5.2% in 2005. Most of them came from
Angola. After independence from Portugal (1822) the Brazilian government started to stimulate the arrival of a new wave of immigrants to settle the South. In 1824 they established
São Leopoldo, a German community. Major Schaeffer, a German who was living in Brazil, was sent to Germany in order to bring immigrants. From
Rhineland-Palatinate, the Major brought the immigrants and soldiers. Settlers from Germany were brought to work as small farmers, because there were many land holdings without workers. To attract the immigrants, the Brazilian government had promised large tracts of land, where they could settle with their families and colonize the region. The first years were not easy. Many Germans died of tropical disease, while others left the colonies to find better living conditions. The German colony of São Leopoldo was a disaster. Nevertheless, in the following years, a further 4,830 Germans arrived at São Leopoldo, and then the colony started to develop, with the immigrants establishing the town of
Novo Hamburgo (
New Hamburg). From São Leopoldo and Novo Hamburgo, the German immigrants spread into others areas of
Rio Grande do Sul, mainly close to sources of rivers. The whole region of Vale dos Sinos was populated by Germans. During the 1830s and part of the 1840s German immigration to Brazil was interrupted due to conflicts in the country (
Ragamuffin War). The immigration restarted after 1845 with the creation of new colonies. The most important ones were
Blumenau, in 1850, and
Joinville in 1851, both in
Santa Catarina state; these attracted thousands of German immigrants to the region. In the next five decades, other 28 thousand Germans were brought to Rio Grande do Sul to work as small farmers in the countryside. By 1914, it is estimated that 50 thousand Germans settled in this state. Another immigration boom to this region started in 1875. Communities with Italian immigrants were also created in southern Brazil. The first colonies to be populated by Italians were created in the highlands of Rio Grande do Sul (
Serra Gaúcha). These were
Garibaldi and
Bento Gonçalves. These immigrants were predominantly from
Veneto, in northern Italy. After five years, in 1880, the great numbers of Italian immigrants arriving caused the Brazilian government to create another Italian colony,
Caxias do Sul. After initially settling in the government-promoted colonies, many of the Italian immigrants spread themselves into other areas of
Rio Grande do Sul seeking further opportunities. They created many other Italian colonies on their own, mainly in highlands, because the lowlands were already populated by Germans and native
gaúchos. The Italian established many vineyards in the region. Nowadays, the wine produced in these areas of Italian colonization in southern Brazil is much appreciated within the country, though little is available for export. In 1875, the first Italian colonies were established in
Santa Catarina, which lies immediately to the north of Rio Grande do Sul. The colonies gave rise to towns such as
Criciúma, and later also spread further north, to
Paraná. A significant number of
Poles have settled in Southern Brazil. The first immigrants arrived in 1869 and until 1959, it is estimated that over 100,000 Poles migrated to Brazil, 95% of whom were peasants. The State of
Paraná received the majority of Polish immigrants, who settled mainly in the region of
Curitiba, in the towns of Mallet, Cruz Machado, São Matheus do Sul, Irati, and União da Vitória.
Southeast The
Southeastern region of Brazil is the most ethnically diverse part of the country.
Europeans make up 55.16% of its population, those of mixed-race 35.69%, and African descent 7.91%. It has the largest percentage of
Asian Brazilians, composing 0.8%, and a small
Amerindian community (0.2%). Southeast Brazil is home to the oldest Portuguese village in the Americas,
São Vicente, São Paulo, established in 1532. The region, since the beginning of its colonization, is a
melting pot of Africans, Natives, and Europeans. The Indigenous peoples of the region were enslaved by the Portuguese. The race mixing between the indigenous females and their European masters produced the
Bandeirante, the colonial inhabitant of
São Paulo, who formed expeditions that crossed the interior of Brazil and greatly increased the Portuguese colonial territory. The main language spoken by these people of mixed Indian/Portuguese heritage was
Língua geral, a language that mixed
Tupi and
Portuguese words. In the late 17th century the Bandeirantes found gold in the area that nowadays is
Minas Gerais. A
gold rush took place in Brazil and thousands of Portuguese colonists arrived during this period. The confrontation between the Bandeirantes and the Portuguese for obtaining possession of the mines led to the
Emboabas' War. The Portuguese won the war. The Amerindian culture declined, giving space to a stronger Portuguese cultural domination. In order to control the wealth, the Portuguese Crown moved the capital of Brazil from
Salvador, Bahia to
Rio de Janeiro. Thousands of African slaves were brought to work in the gold mines. They were landed in Rio de Janeiro and sent to other regions. By the late 18th century, Rio de Janeiro was an "African city": most of its inhabitants were slaves. No other place in the world had as many slaves since the end of the
Roman Empire. In 1808 the Portuguese Royal Family, fleeing from
Napoleon, took charge in Rio de Janeiro. Some 15,000 Portuguese nobles moved to Brazil. The region changed a lot, becoming more European. After independence and principally after 1850, Southeast Brazil was "inundated" by European immigrants, who were attracted by the government to replace the African slaves in the coffee plantations. Most immigrants landed in the
Port of Santos and have been forwarded to the coffee farms within São Paulo. The vast majority of the immigrants came from Italy. Brazil attracted nearly 5 million immigrants between 1870 and 1953. The large number of Italians are visible in many parts of Southeast Brazil. Their descendants are nowadays predominant in many areas. For example, Northeast São Paulo is 40% Italian.
Northeast The population of
Northeast Brazil is a result of an intensive race mixing, which has occurred in the region for more than four centuries. According to the 2006 census people reported as "Pardo" (Multiracial) make up 62.5% of the population. Those reported as African account for 7.8%. This region did not have much effect from the massive European immigration that took place in Southern Brazil in the late 19th century and first decades of the 20th century. The Northeast has been a poorer region of Brazil since the decline of sugar cane plantations in the late 17th century, so its economy did not require immigrants. The ethnic composition of the population starts in the 16th century. The Portuguese settlers rarely brought women, which led to relationships with the Indian women. Later, interracial relationships occurred between Portuguese males and African females. The coast, in the past the place where millions of African slaves arrived (mostly from modern-day
Angola,
Ghana, Nigeria and
Benin) to work in
sugar-cane plantations, is where nowadays there is a predominance of
Mulattoes, those of African and European ancestry.
Salvador, Bahia is considered the most African city in Brazil, with almost 80% of its inhabitants being
African-Brazilians or Pardos. In the interior, there is a predominance of Indian and European mixture.
North Northern Brazil, largely covered by the
Amazon rainforest, is the Brazilian region with the largest
Amerindian influences, both in culture and ethnicity. Inhabited by diverse indigenous tribes, this part of Brazil was reached by Portuguese and Spanish colonists in the 17th century, but it started to be populated by non-Indians only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exploitation of
rubber used in the growing industries of automobiles, has emerged a huge migration to the region. Many people from the poor Northeast Brazil, mostly
Ceará, moved to the Amazon area. The contact between the Indians and the northeastern rubbers created the base of the ethnic composition of the region, with its mixed-race majority.
Central-West The
Central-West region of Brazil was inhabited by diverse Indians when the Portuguese arrived in the early 18th century. The Portuguese came to explore the precious stones that were found there. Contact between the Portuguese and the Indians created a mixed-race population. Until the mid-20th century, Central-West Brazil had a very small population. The situation changed with the construction of
Brasília, the new capital of Brazil, in 1960. Many workers were attracted to the region, mostly from northeastern Brazil. A new wave of settlers started arriving from the 1970s. With the mechanization of agriculture in the South of Brazil, many rural workers of German and Italian origin migrated to Central-West Brazil. In some areas, they are already the majority of the population. ==Days celebrating racial groups in Brazil==