1. BRAZIL
Andrea Pérez
Marc Imbernon

2.  Portuguese colonization
The land now called Brazil was claimed by Portugal in April 1500, on the arrival
of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral. The Portuguese
encountered stone age natives divided into several tribes, most of whom spoke
languages of the Tupi–Guarani family, and fought among themselves. Though
the first settlement was founded in 1532, colonization was effectively begun in
1534, when King Dom João III of Portugal divided the territory into twelve
hereditary captaincies.
This arrangement proved problematic, and in 1549 the king assigned a
Governor-General to administer the entire colony. The Portuguese assimilated
some of the native tribes while others were enslaved or exterminated in long
wars or by European diseases to which they had no immunity. By the mid-16th
century, sugar had become Brazil's most important export and the Portuguese
imported African slaves to cope with the increasing international demand.
History

3. Through wars against the French, the Portuguese slowly expanded their territory to
the southeast, taking Rio de Janeiro in 1567, and to the northwest, taking São Luís in
1615. They sent military expeditions to the Amazon rainforest and conquered British
and Dutch strongholds, founding villages and forts from 1669. In 1680 they reached
the far south and founded Sacramento on the bank of the Rio de la Plata, in the
Eastern Bank region.
At the end of the 17th century, sugar exports started to decline but beginning in the
1690s, the discovery of gold by explorers in the region that would later be called
Minas Gerais in current Mato Grosso and Goiás, saved the colony from imminent
collapse. From all over Brazil, as well as from Portugal, thousands of immigrants
went to the mines. The Spanish tried to prevent Portuguese expansion into the
territory that belonged to them according to the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, and
succeeded in conquering the Eastern Bank in 1777. However, this was in vain as the
Treaty of San Ildefonso, signed in the same year, confirmed Portuguese sovereignty
over all lands proceeding from its territorial expansion, thus creating most of the
current Brazilian borders.
In 1808, the Portuguese royal family and the majority of the Portuguese
nobility, fleeing the troops of the French Emperor Napoleon I that were invading
Portugal and most of Central Europe, established themselves in the city of Rio de
Janeiro, which thus became the seat of the entire Portuguese Empire. In 1815 Dom
João VI, then regent on behalf of his incapacitated mother, elevated Brazil from
colony to sovereign Kingdom united with Portugal. In 1809 the Portuguese invaded
French Guiana and in 1816 the Eastern Bank, subsequently renamed Cisplatina.

4.  Independence and empire
Pedro I abdicated on 7 April 1831 and went to Europe to reclaim his
daughter's crown which had been usurped by his brother, leaving behind his
five-year-old son and heir, who became Dom Pedro II. As the new emperor
could not exert his constitutional powers until he reached maturity, a regency
was created. Disputes between political factions led to rebellions and an
unstable, almost anarchical, regency. The rebellious factions, however, were
not in revolt against the monarchy, even though some declared the
secession of the provinces as independent republics, but only so long as
Pedro II was a minor. Because of this, he was prematurely declared of age
and "Brazil was to enjoy nearly half a century of internal peace and rapid
material progress.“
Despite the loss of Cisplatina in 1828 when it became an independent nation
known as Uruguay, Brazil won three international wars during the 58-year
reign of Pedro II and witnessed the consolidation of representative
democracy, mainly because of successive elections and unrestricted
freedom of the press. Most importantly, slavery was extinguished after a slow
but steady process that began with the end of the international traffic in
slaves in 1850 and ended with the complete abolition of slavery in 1888.

5.  Early republic
República Velha, Estado Novo, and Brazilian Second Republic The "early
republican government was little more than a military dictatorship, with army
dominating affairs both at Rio de Janeiro and in the states. Freedom of the press
disappeared and elections were controlled by those in power". In 1894, following
severe military and economic crises, the republican civilians rose to power.
In foreign policy, the success in resolving border disputes with neighboring
countries in the early years of the republican period, was followed by a failed
attempt to exert a prominent role in the League of Nations, after its involvement
in World War I. In World War II Brazil remained neutral until August 1942, when
the country entered on the allied side, after suffering retaliations undertaken by
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, due to the country having severed diplomatic
relations with the them in the wake of the Pan-American Conference.

6. Little by little, a cycle of general instability sparked by these crises
undermined the regime to such an extent, that by 1930 in the wake of the
murder of his running mate, it was possible for the defeated opposition
presidential candidate Getúlio Vargas supported by most of the military, led a
successful revolt. Vargas was supposed to assume power temporarily, but
instead closed the Congress, extinguished the Constitution, ruled with
emergency powers and replaced the states' governors with his supporters.
Between 1932 and 1938, 3 major attempts to remove Vargas from power
occurred. The second one being the 1935 communist revolt which served as
an excuse for the preclusion of elections, put into effect by a coup d'état in
1937, which made the Vargas regime a full dictatorship, noted for its brutality
and censorship of the press.
With the allied victory in 1945 and the end of the Nazi-fascist regimes in
Europe, Vargas's position became unsustainable and he was swiftly
overthrown in another military coup, with Democracy being "reinstated" by the
same army that had discontinued it 15 years before. Vargas committed
suicide in August 1954 amid a political crisis, after having returned to power
by election in 1950.

7.  Contemporary era
Several brief interim governments succeeded after Vargas's suicide.
Juscelino Kubitschek became president in 1956 and assumed a
conciliatory posture towards the political opposition that allowed him to
govern without major crises. The economy and industrial sector grew
remarkably, but his greatest achievement was the construction of the new
capital city of Brasília, inaugurated in 1960. His successor was Jânio
Quadros, who resigned in 1961 less than a year after taking office. His
vice-president, João Goulart, assumed the presidency, but aroused strong
political opposition and was deposed in April 1964 by a coup that resulted
in a military regime.
The new regime was intended to be transitory but it gradually closed in on
itself and became a full dictatorship with the promulgation of the Fifth
Institutional Act in 1968. The repression of the dictatorship's
opponents, including urban guerrillas, was harsh, but not as brutal as in
other Latin American countries. Because of the extraordinary economic
growth, known as an "economic miracle", the regime reached its highest
level of popularity in the years of repression.

8. General Ernesto Geisel became president in 1974 and began his project of re-
democratization through a process that he said would be "slow, gradual and safe."
Geisel ended the military indiscipline that had plagued the country since 1889, as
well as the torture of political prisoners, censorship of the press, and finally, the
dictatorship itself, after he extinguished the Fifth Institutional Act. However, the
military regime continued, under his chosen successor General João Figueiredo, to
complete the transition to full democracy.
The civilians fully returned to power in 1985 when José Sarney assumed the
presidency but, by the end of his term, he had become extremely unpopular because
of the uncontrollable economic crisis and unusually high inflation. Sarney's
unsuccessful government allowed the election in 1989 of the almost unknown
Fernando Collor, who was subsequently impeached by the National Congress in
1992. Collor was succeeded by his Vice-President Itamar Franco, who appointed
Fernando Henrique Cardoso as Minister of Finance. Cardoso produced a highly
successful Plano Real. that granted stability to the Brazilian economy and he was
elected as president in 1994 and again in 1998. The peaceful transition of power to
Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, who was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, proved
that Brazil had finally succeeded in achieving its long-sought political stability. Lula
was succeeded in 2011 by the current president, Dilma Rousseff, the country's first
woman president and as such one of the most powerful women in the world.

9. Brazil occupies a large area
along the eastern coast of
South America and includes
much of the continent's
interior, sharing land borders
with Uruguay to the south;
Argentina and Paraguay to the
southwest; Bolivia and Peru to
the west; Colombia to the
northwest; and
Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana
and the French overseas
department of French Guiana to
the north. It shares a border
with every country in South
America except for Ecuador and
Chile.
Brazil is the fifth largest country
in the world, and third largest in
the Americas, with a total area

10.  Climate
The climate of Brazil comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a
large area and varied topography, but most of the country is tropical.
According to the Köppen system, Brazil hosts five major climatic subtypes:
equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, temperate, and subtropical.
The different climatic conditions produce environments ranging from
equatorial rainforests in the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, to
temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in central
Brazil. Many regions have starkly different microclimates.
An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no real
dry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when
most rain falls. Temperatures average 25 °C, with more significant
temperature variation between night and day than between seasons.

11. The core culture of Brazil is derived from Portuguese culture, because of its
strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire. Among other influences, the
Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and
colonial architectural styles. The culture was, however, also strongly
influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and
traditions.
Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions of
Italian, German and other European as well Japanese and Arab immigrants
who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil. The
indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil's language and cuisine; and the
Africans influenced language, cuisine, music, dance and religion.
Brazilian art has developed since the 16th century into different styles that
range from Baroque to
Romanticism, Modernism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and
Abstractionism.
Culture

12.  Music
The music of Brazil was formed mainly from the fusion of European
and African elements. Until the nineteenth century Portugal was the
gateway to most of the influences that built Brazilian
music, although many of these elements were not of Portuguese
origin, but generally European. The first was José Maurício Nunes
Garcia, author of sacred pieces with influence of Viennese
classicism. The major contribution of the African element was the
rhythmic diversity and some dances and instruments that had a
bigger role in the development of popular music and folk, flourishing
especially in the twentieth century.

13.  Cuisine
Brazil has a variety of candies such as brigadeiros , cocada , beijinhos and
romeu e julieta . Peanut is used to make paçoca, rapadura and pé-de-
moleque. Local common fruits like
açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, cocoa, cashew, guava, orange, passionfruit,
pineapple, and hog plum are turned in juices and used to make
chocolates, popsicles and ice cream.Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by
region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations. This
has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional
differences. Examples are Feijoada, considered the country's national dish
and regional foods such as vatapá, moqueca, polenta and acarajé.
But the everyday meal consist mostly of rice and beans with beef and salad.
Its common to mix it with cassava flour. Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried
banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and
served in most typical restaurants.
The national beverage is coffee and cachaça is Brazil's native liquor.
Cachaça is distilled from sugar cane and is the main ingredient in the
national cocktail, Caipirinha.

14.  Sports
Volleyball, basketball, auto racing, and martial arts also attract large audiences. Brazil men's
national volleyball team, for example, currently holds the titles of the World League, World
Grand Champions Cup, World Championship and the World Cup.The most popular sport in Brazil
is football. The Brazilian national football team is ranked among the best in the world according
to the FIFA World Rankings, and has won the World Cuptournament a record five times.
Others sports practiced in Brazil are tennis, team handball, swimming, and gymnastics have
found a growing number of enthusiasts over the last decades. Some sport variations have their
origins in Brazil: beach football,, futsal and footvolley emerged in Brazil as variations of football.
In martial arts, Brazilians developed Capoeira, Vale tudo,and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.In auto
racing, three Brazilian drivers have won the Formula One world championship eight times.
Brazil has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, like the 1950 FIFA World Cup
and has been chosen to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The São Paulo circuit,Autódromo José
Carlos Pace, hosts the annual Grand Prix of Brazil.
São Paulo organized the IV Pan American Games in 1963, and Rio de Janeiro hosted the XV Pan
American Games in 2007. On 2 October 2009, Rio de Janeiro was selected to host the 2016
Olympic Games and 2016 Paralympic Games, the first to be held in South America and second in
Latin America after Mexico City. Further, the country hosted the FIBA Basketball World Cups in
1954 and 1963. At the 1963 event, the Brazil national basketball team won one of its two world
championship titles.

15.  Components and energy
Brazil's economy is diverse, encompassing agriculture, industry, and many
services.The recent economic strength has been due in part to a global
boom in commodities prices with exports from beef to soybeans soaring.
Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for
5.1% of the gross domestic product in 2007, a performance that puts
agribusiness in a position of distinction in terms of Brazil's trade balance.
 Science and technology
Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities
and research institutes, and more than 73% of funding for basic research
comes from government sources. Some of Brazil's most notable
technological hubs are the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan
Institute, the Air Force's Aerospace Technical Center, the Brazilian
Agricultural Research Corporationand the INPE. The Brazilian Space
Agency has the most advanced space program in Latin America.
Infrastructure

16.  Health
The Brazilian public health system, the National Health System , is managed
and provided by all levels of government. The public health services are
universal and available to all citizens of the country for free. However, 45.5
million Brazilians have contracted a private health plan.
According to the Brazilian Government, the most serious health problems are:
 Childhood mortality: about 2.51% of childhood mortality, reaching 3.77% in
the northeast region.
 Motherhood mortality: about 73.1 deaths per 100,000 born children in 2002.
 Mortality by non-transmissible illness: 151.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants
caused by heart and circulatory diseases, along with 72.7 deaths per 100,000
inhabitants caused by cancer.
 Mortality caused by external causes (transportation, violence and suicide):
71.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants , reaching 82.3 deaths in the southeast
region.

17.  Education
The Federal Constitution and the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education
determine that the Federal Government, States, Federal District and municipalities must
manage and organize their respective education systems. Each of these public
educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well
as the mechanisms and funding sources. The new constitution reserves 25% of the state
budget and 18% of federal taxes and municipal taxes for education.
According to the IBGE, in 2011, the literacy rate of the population was 90.4%, meaning
that 13 million people are still illiterate in the country; functional illiteracy has reached
21.6% of the population. Illiteracy is highest in the Northeast, where 19.9% of the
population is illiterate. Also according to the National Household Survey, the percentage of
people atschool, in 2007, was 97% in the age group 6–14 years and 82.1% among people
15 to 17 years, while the average total time of study among those over 10 years was on
average 6.9 years.
Higher education starts with undergraduate or sequential courses, which may offer
different options of specialization in academic or professional careers. Depending on the
choice, students can improve their educational background with courses of post-graduate
studies or broad sense. To attend a higher education institution is required, by Law of
Guidelines and Bases of Education, completing all levels of education suited to the needs
of all students of teaching kindergarten, elementary and medium, provided the student
does not hold any disability, whether physical, mental, visual or hearing.

18. Tourism
Rule of Law
Property Rights 50.0 -
Freedom From Corruption 38.0 +
Limited Government
Government Spending 54.8 -
Fiscal Freedom 70.3 +
Regulatory Efficiency
Business Freedom 53.0 -
Labor Freedom 57.2 -
Monetary Freedom 74.4 -
Open Markets
Trade Freedom 69.7 -
Investment Freedom 50.0 -
Financial Freedom 60.0 -
Economy

19. Popular
things

20. FOOTBALL

21. CARNIVAL

22. Samba

23. Christ the Redeemer

24. The
Amazonas

25. Brazil Beaches

26. Pantanal Wildlife Century

27. Coffee