Question: New Holland

JJohnson

Banned
I overlaid Dutch Brazil over a map a bit ago, getting this:

dutch_brazil_by_jjohnson1701-d7dhjvh.png


My question is concerning its future. Let's say Portugal and the Netherlands get peace, and Portugal accepts this loss in Brazil. I'm assuming it grows over to Belem, and follows the river, and absorbs down to Maranhao and Piaui, cedes the territory south of the river (OTL Sergipe), but otherwise stays north of South America's San Fransisco River as part of the peace settlement.

Would this territory stay part of the Netherlands? Would it be majority Dutch-speaking Africans today? Could it be a viable settler colony for Dutchmen?
 
Would this territory stay part of the Netherlands?
Assuming the Dutch get some more competent rulers than OTL, I see no reason why it wouldn't remain Dutch until decolonisation starts. When that happens, I think it would probably go independent.

Would it be majority Dutch-speaking Africans today?
If we use Surinam as an example it seems likely, although looking at the Dutch antilles there is a pretty good chance for it to develop a different language, like some papillamental-like language based on Dutch-Portuguese and possibly native American and African languages. It probably depends on the kind of immigrants that make up the majority.

Could it be a viable settler colony for Dutchmen?
No, the climate is probably too hot for that.
 
I agree with Pompeus, if the Dutch Republic and Portugal come to terms in the 17th century I do not see a reason the Dutch would lose it later.
Possible it become a mix of a plantation colony, which it already was and a settler colony, although less attractive as North America.
I do think it will evolve as an enlarged Suriname with the difference that there will be a much larger population of European descent.
With a language Dutch with a large influence of Portuguese and African. Later in the 19th century with a large influx of Indian and Indonesian contract workers.
One of the large implication, if this plantation colony is hold by the Dutch, could be, that Suriname remains an English plantation colony and that New Amsterdam/New York will remain Dutch for a longer time.
An other implication could be a more successful colonization of Tobago by the Dutch due to the proximity of the large colony of Brazil.
During the 18th and 19th century it would expanded East, possible following the Sao Fransico or even the Amazon, which could give border disputes again with Portuguese-Brasil and or Spain and even France.
Depending on the population base it could be independent already during the aftermath of a French revolution, if not possible later during the 1930 -1960 ties.
 
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