The south american country of brazil was a colony of portugal for over three hundred years. this information best supports the conclusion

many conclusions can be drawn from that statement: 1) official language is Portuguese, 2) Catholicism played an important role in shaping Brazilian society, 3) because Iberian countries never really went through Reformation, scientific revolution or Enlightenment, Brazil lacks that even today first university (according to international standards) was found in 1934 (Sao Paulo University), 4) authoritarian regimes of Portugal and Spain could not give a good example of democratic sharing of powerconsequences are visible even today (democracy was not constructed from below but from the top), 5) religion was always part of politics (it is true even today)all these trace of medievalism makes Brazilian society partly archaic (comparing to Europe or USA, Canada etc.).

Explanation: read Brazilian historian José Murilo de Carvalho

the first phase of the government’s plan for settlement was building the transcontinental railroad. the railroad provided a way to bring settlers and manufactured goods west and ship their agricultural and mining produce east. the transcontinental railroad was an essential artery for rapid development of the frontier.

the second phase of the government’s plan was a liberal land distribution policy that made it possible for many people to homestead. with these two key elements—transportation and cheap land—the government rapidly achieved its goal of persuading people to move west, settle on farms, and push back the frontier.