The largest country in South America, the Amazon Rainforest, the longest country in the world, and the fifth-largest nation in the world…care to take a guess? It is, of course, Brazil. Amazingly it shares borders with all South American countries except for Chile and Ecuador and boasts a staggering 7,400 kilometer coastline along the Atlantic Ocean…now, that would be some swim!
The fact that it is home to four different time zones, around 60% of the Amazon Rainforest, and over 400 airports, gives you some idea of its size. It is MUITO GRANDE! Portuguese is the national language and is spoken by the majority of its population of around 211 million people, after the Portuguese colonized it in the 1500’s…”Ola!
”. As a result, the core of Brazil’s culture is largely influenced by the Portuguese. Brazil became independent in 1822 and has been a democratic federal republic since 1988 where the president is both the head of state and of government.
The capital city, much to people’s surprise, is not Rio de Janeiro or Sāo Paolo, but Brasilia. In fact, Rio was the capital until 1960, but was often under threat from pirates as it was an easy target, sitting on the coast. So, it was decided that further inland was ideal.
Nowadays, around 85% of the population live on the East coast, with the Southeast being most concentrated. The remainder of the population is quite sparsely spread out. Famous for its vibrant, colorful way of life, Brazil earned its name from the ‘Brazilwood’ tree which was once exported in large amounts by the Portuguese.
Mostly a tropical country with a pleasant climate, its geographical features range from desert to rainforest to mountains and attract around 6 million tourists every year. Naturally, the Amazon River and the Amazon Jungle are major points of interest, and it is reported that more than 30 million people of 350 different ethnic groups live within. Probably the most iconic landmark of Brazil is the ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue which stands atop the Corcovado Mountain, overlooking Rio de Janeiro.
This significant symbol of Christianity is most appropriate as Brazil has the world’s largest Catholic population, around 65%. With the world’s ninth largest economy, Brazil does most of its trade with China, the USA, and its close neighbor, Argentina. As the largest exporter of coffee, soybean, and beef, it comes as no surprise to hear that one-third of the country is in fact agricultural land.
Brazil has actually been the world’s largest producer of coffee for the last 150 years…. they love to share their cup o’ joe! Second to coffee (oh, and maybe closely following Samba!
), Brazil is known worldwide for its football (also known to many as soccer) - talent. The national team has won the World Cup a record five times and has arguably produced some of the best players to grace a football field ever; Pele, Ronaldinho, Neymar, Sócrates, Kaka, Ronaldo…no, not this one, that one! !
If you’re now thinking Brazil might be a fun place to visit, check out the Carnival which typically takes place during February or March and is the largest carnival in the world. There is no better party on earth apparently, but just be prepared for huge crowds, loud festival music and lavish costumes…Olé!
