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History  The republic of brazil.In 1889 the republic was established by a bloodless revolution, with Marshal Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca as its first president. The rivalry of the states and the power of the army in government, especially under Fonseca's unpopular Jacobinist successor, Marshal Floriando Peixoto, caused the political situation to remain uneasy.**T**he Portuguese were the first European settlers to arrive in the area, led by adventurous Pedro Cabral, who began the colonial period in 1500. The Portuguese reportedly found native Indians numbering around seven million. Most tribes were peripatetic, with only limited agriculture and temporary dwellings, although villages often had as many as 5000 inhabitants. Cultural life appears to have been richly developed, although both tribal warfare and cannibalism were ubiquitous. The few remaining traces of Brazil's Indian tribes reveal little of their lifestyle, unlike the evidence from other Andean tribes. Today, fewer than 200,000 of Brazil's indigenous people survive, most of whom inhabit the jungle areas. In Brazil the official language is Portuguese, by the way very similar to the Portuguese spoken in Portugal, but the accent is very different and some words have different meaning. Bliefs/Customs  Brazil is said to be the largest Roman Catholic country in the world, but the truth is that there are all varieties of religious beliefs and practices to be found in the country. Brazil was officially Catholic for four centuries, from the 1500's until the fall of the Portuguse Empire, in 1889. The Brazilian Constitution of 1889 guaranteed religious freedom and a wide range of religions have since been practiced freely. Nevertheless, according to the CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops), in 1996 about 80% of the population declared themselves Roman Catholics. Many Brazilians are baptized and married in the Catholic Church, however, they don't attend Sunday Mass very often. ﻿  The samba is perhaps the most popular of music in Brazil and also very well known overseas. The music and accompanying dance originated from black slaves living in Rio de Janeiro. It is said that it was first performed at the Rio carnival in 1917. Due to its roots lying in slavery, the music naturally has many African influences. This is most noticeable in the unique rhythm which is linked to the Angolan tam-tam. This gave samba both its characteristic music and dance steps. By the 1930s, and due to the impact of radio, samba was huge. This decade saw what was to become the "Golden Age of Samba". One of the most famous musicians of this time was Carmen Miranda, who starred in many Hollywood musicals. She was also well known for her costumes that used fruit - an image that still pervades to this day. During the 1950s and 60s samba's popularity as Brazil's number one music and dance diminished due to the change in tastes. 