On August 31, 1763, Rio de Janeiro became the capital of Brazil, replacing Salvador. This capital status was maintained until 1960 when Brasília assumed the role of the government’s headquarters.
The relocation of the Portuguese court to Brazil in 1808 brought with it the establishment of various institutions in the city of Rio de Janeiro, including the Military Academy, the Royal School of Sciences, Arts, and Crafts, the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, the National Library, and the Botanical Garden. This made Rio a unique city, being the only one in the world to host a European empire outside of Europe.
In 1834, to separate the city of Rio from the province of Rio de Janeiro, the city was transformed into a neutral municipality, and Niterói became the new capital of the province. However, with the decline of the Old Republic and the fall of the coffee economy, Rio de Janeiro lost political influence to states like São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
Matheus Araújo
Matheus is an entrepreneur at Araujo Media, where he serves as CEO and Creative Director. He shares analyses on his personal blog "matheusaraujo.me" and is currently pursuing a degree in Advertising and Propaganda. Moreover, he has a passion for history, particularly that of Brazil, which led him to become the founder and editor of the Brazilian History portal.
