In the 1500s Portugal discovered Brazil. The colonial phase left strong imprints on Brazil's economy and society. In the 1930s important structural transform-ations began. In the mid-1990s, Brazil had a large diverse economy. Wtih that Brazil remains one of the world's largest exporters of agricultural products. The number of poor rose despite impressive increments in economic growth and output. Also, in the rural areas is where most of the poor live. Nevertheless, with the economic and political troubles it only complicated the task of correcting the country's development pattern.
