Correct answer: B. Portugal
Explanation: The direct answer is B: Portugal. Brazil was a Portuguese colony, so its independence meant separation from Portuguese colonial rule. Portuguese explorers reached Brazil in 1500, and Portugal controlled the territory for centuries. In 1822, Pedro declared Brazil independent, and Brazil separated politically from Portugal. Option B is correct because Portugal was the European colonial power that ruled Brazil. Option A, Spain, ruled many parts of Central and South America, but Brazil was the major Portuguese-speaking exception. Option C, France, had colonies in places such as parts of North America, the Caribbean and Africa, but it did not rule Brazil. Option D, the Netherlands, also had colonial possessions, but Brazil’s long-term colonial ruler was Portugal. The language clue is also helpful: Brazil mainly speaks Portuguese, while most of its neighbouring Latin American countries mainly speak Spanish. Do not confuse the wider Spanish colonisation of South America with Brazil’s specific colonial history. Memory cue: Brazil begins with Portuguese colonial rule and became independent from Portugal.