On 22 April 1500, Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral became the first known European to land on the coast of present-day Brazil.
Arriving near Monte Pascoal, in what is now the state of Bahia, Cabral and his fleet took possession of the territory on behalf of the Portuguese Crown.
Originally en route to India via the Cape of Good Hope, Cabral’s westward deviation led to the accidental discovery of South America’s largest nation, which would become a cornerstone of the Portuguese Empire.
