2. Geography Brazil is the 5th largest continent country in the world not only in terms of land mass but also population which is an estimated 186 million. It also the 9th largest economic leader in the world and largest in South America, Its largest reserves are in aluminum and iron. Brazil takes much of South Americas land mass and borders every South American nation with the exception of Ecuador and Chile.
3. Geography Brazil is home to two of the world’s fifteen largest cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the Capital however is Brasilia. The 3 million miles of land that Brazil consist of is very diverse, the north parts hold and Amazon basin and the Southeast consist of the highlands. Brazil is one of the worlds leading tourist cities because of its diverse lands and beautiful beaches.
4. The People of Brazil Brazil is inhabited by roughly 180-190 million people. Most Brazilian people are the descendants of colonial and post colonial Portuguese settlers and immigrants as well as African slaves. From 1820 to the 1970’s Africans, slaves and immigrants made their way to Brazil and started its diverse culture. Portuguese is the main language spoken in Brazil.
5. Brazilian Culture & People The special thing about Brazil is that its ethnic composition is not the same throughout the country, each region has different races that take up the majority. The southern region is mostly white (80%) while on the opposite end a the Northern region it is mostly Africans who work in the sugar cane fields. Although the Brazilian culture is very diverse all Brazilians share a sense of unity and equality, this is what makes their culture so unique and special. The Portuguese largely introduced the language, architectural style, catholic religion and some traditions that are practiced in Brazil.
6. Brazilian Culture The largest celebrated even in Brazil is its annual celebration of 40 days before Easter, it is known as the Brazilian Carnival and it marks the beginning of lent. During the carnival you can notice another thing about Brazilian culture, its dances, their fiery culture has bred many dances such as the Samba and Capoeira.
7. Brazilian Culture Like any country Brazil has its most prominent sport which is soccer, the Brazilian soccer team is one of the worlds best and holds 5 world titles. One of today's most prominent cultural influences from Brazil is that of Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, which is practiced worldwide and seen in Americas Mixed martial arts cage fighting. Brazil is largely known for their music and dancing, their music and art portrays the richness and diversity of their culture.
8. Brazilian History Pedro Alvaras Cabral was the man whom discovered Brazil in 1500, he claimed the lands as that of Portugal’s. Up until 1530 there was little interest in Brazil from the Portuguese. This was mainly because the high profits being gained from elsewhere (India, China, and Indonesia). The lack of interest resulted in many invasions from different countries who had more interest, to counter these invasions the Portuguese government came up with a plan to occupy Brazil and no pay for it.
9. Brazilian History Much of Brazil’s ethnic diversity comes from slavery that fueled its economy through sugar cane production and mining. Over a quarter of the slaves exported during the slave trade were brought to Brazil, that is where much of Brazil’s African culture and ethnic diversity comes from. In 1822, Brazil declared independence from Portugal and founded their own constitutional monarchy, in 1889 a military coup founded a republican government. Since its independence Brazil has seen periods of dictatorship and military rule. Brazil is a political and economic force in Latin America today but its constant social and economic struggles keep it from reaching its potential of being a global power.
