Ilha de Vera Cruz
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Royal flag of the Kingdom of Portugal (1500-1521)
Ilha de Vera Cruz, (Portuguese for Island of the True Cross), was the first name given by the Portuguese navigators under D. Pedro Álvares Cabral, who first officially touched land in South America, on April 21, 1500, in what later became Brazil.
In the 16th century, the name was changed to Terra de Santa Cruz (Land of the Holy Cross), when it was realised that it was not an island, but in fact part of a continent.
