 In 1572, in order to establish a stronger and more capable military presence in the continent, the governorate was dismantled into two separate colonies, the Governorate General of Bahia, which encompassed the northern part, and the Governorate General of Rio de Janeiro, which took the south.In 1578, the governorate was reestablished from the governorates of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.This second Governorate General of Brazil would be once again partitioned into the two separate colonies, in 1607.