Provinces of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil in 1889. Cisplatina had been lost since 1828 and two new provinces had been created since then (Amazonas and Paraná)
Category	Province
Location	Empire of Brazil
Number	20 provinces and 1 neutral municipality (as of 1889)
Populations	57,610 (Amazonas) – 2,039,735 (Minas Gerais) (as of 1872)

The provinces of Brazil were the primary subdivisions of the country during the period of the Empire of Brazil (1822 - 1889).^[1]

On February 28, 1821, the provinces were established in the Kingdom of Brazil (then part of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves), superseding the captaincies that were in place at the time.

Provinces of 1821

Changes from 1821-1889

1821

The captaincies of Brazil are renamed provinces.

The present-day Uruguay is occupied by the Portuguese Army and incorporated in Brazil as its Cisplatine Province.

1822

Independence of Brazil, with the provinces becoming provinces of the Empire of Brazil.

1823

The last Brazilian provinces that remained loyal to the Portuguese Government in Lisbon adhere to the Empire of Brazil.

1828

Cisplatina Province became the independent state of Uruguay.

1834

The city of Rio de Janeiro, the imperial capital, was removed from the province of Rio de Janeiro, and was included in the Neutral Municipality. At the same time, the capital of the province of Rio de Janeiro was transferred to Niterói.

1850

Grão-Pará split into Amazonas and Pará.

1889

In 1889 the Empire of Brazil became the Republic of the United States of Brazil and the provinces became states. The Neutral Municipality that included the city of Rio de Janeiro l became the Federal District.