Chapter 12Chapter 12

BrazilBrazil

BrazilBrazil

Country name: Federative Republic of Brazil, Brazil

Capital: Brasilia Location: Eastern South America,

bordering the Atlantic Ocean Border countries:Argentin, Bolivia,

Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Government type: federative republic Administrative divisions: 26 states

(estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district (Distrito Federal)

Population: 182,032,604 (July 2003 est.) (most populous country in South America; the 6th in the world)

Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French (Brazil is the only Portuguese speaking nation in the Americas)

Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%

GDP – per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,600 (95th in the world) (2002 est.)

Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment

Currency: real (BRL) (CIA, World Fact Book)

Important FactsImportant Facts

One of the top destinations in Americas 3,8 million international tourist arrivals

(4th after US, Canada and Mexico) $ 3,1 billion international tourism

receipts (the 4th again) (WTO, 2003) Coastline: 7,491 km Terrain: mostly flat to rolling

lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt

Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south (CIA, World Fact Book)

Selling PointsSelling Points

Carnival, beaches, Rio de Janeiro, Iguacu Falls, the Amazon, native and imported cultural attractions, art, colonial towns and exciting nightlife

Very Brief HistoryVery Brief History

Brazil was a Portuguese colony for more than three centuries (between 16th - 19th centuries)

during the time, Africans brought to Brazil by Portuguese as slaves

became an independent nation in 1822 from1875 until 1960, about 5 million people

(mainly from Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, Japan and the Middle East whose major intention was to make money - coffee plantation - and return to home) emigrated to Brazil. The largest Japanese community outside Japan lives in Sao Paulo.

indigenous full-blooded Indians (speaking Tupi and Guarani languages), located mainly in the northern and western border regions and in the upper Amazon Basin, are less than 1% of the population today.

BrasiliaBrasilia

built at the end of 1950s, replacing Rio as the capital

well planned city, shaped like an airplane

Impressive buildings; Palacio do Congresso (the Capitol Building) Palacio da Justica (the Supreme Court) National Cathedral (having a crown shape

with angels suspended within) main television tower (nice view of the city)

Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro

the most beautiful city of Brazil, has one of the world’s most magnificent harbors

city is divided by a mountain range into two zones, southern zone holds the most of the city’s sights Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado

Mountain (where each visitor go up to, for a 360-degree view of Rio and Guanabara Bay)

Corcovado Mountain (where Christ the Redeemer statue stated at; has a beautiful view of Rio)

famous beaches include Copacabana, Flamengo, Leblon, Ipanema

Maracana Stadium (the largest in the world holding 200.000 fans for soccer games)

Carmen Miranda (famous actress) Museum

Carnival (every year during four days there is Rio Carnival where every body dances in the streets. The shows start at 8 pm and continue until 8 am)

not only lovely but a lively city

SalvadorSalvador

Brazil’s longtime colonial capital, lies on Santos Bay

has a strong African influence because of African slaves working in the sugarcane fields more than 400 years ago

divided into two as upper and lower section; “Lacerda” elevator goes from one level to the other

multicolored homes, red-tiled roofs, a great market, twisting and narrow cobblestone streets, great beaches, about 300 churches

Igreja de Sao Francisco Church (like the other Portuguese churches in Brazil looks plain on the outside but quite impressive on the inside)

Pelourinho (one of the oldest areas in town, has colonial architecture and a pillory where slaves were tortured)

there are also museums in this city: Museu da Cidade (tribal displays) and Brazilian Museum (African Displays)

Salvador also has a great Carnival but not as flashy as Rio.

Sao PauloSao Paulo

largest city in South America, founded in 1554 by Jesuit priests

a wide variety of international restaurants, fabulous shopping and very active nightlife are the main attractions Praca de Se (the center of the city; praca,

pronounced PRAH-sah, means square) Praca da Republica (a lovely park) Avenida Paoliste (commercial center of the

city)

Mc Donalds on Avenida Paolista (a restored mansion of coffee barons)

Ethnic neighborhoods are interesting areas of Sao Paula which provide the setting for exceptional restaurants and the city’s active nightlife: Bela Vista and Bixiga (Italian) Vinte e Cinco de Marco (Arabic) Bom Tiro (Jewish) Liberdade (Japanese)

Iguacu FallsIguacu Falls

located near the junction of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay

“Iguacu” pronounced as eeh-gwa-SUE stretches 4 km from bank to bank and

reaches a height of 90 m. can be visited from Rio or Sao Paulo; by

train, road or riverboat (two days from Rio by boat)

four-minute helicopter ride over the falls is offered

Vast Itaipu Dam is nearby, a dam jointly built by Brazil and Paraguay, one of the largest hydroelectric works in the world - 55 stories high and 8 km wide

AmazonAmazon

second in length only to the Nile; passes through upper Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean

cities on Amazon are among the most fascinating in the country Belem (large port city; 121 km inland

from the Atlantic; from Belem, half-day river cruises are offered to see the jungle, birds, fishermen and dugout canoes

Belem’s Ver-o-Peso Market offers fruit and vegetable, crocodile teeth, dried boa constrictors and voodoo charms

Manaus (another interesting city on Amazon; once called the “Paris of the Jungle”; serves as a base for tourist excursions exploring the mid-Amazon region; daytrips by riverboat to see the villages and hiking in the jungle (rain-forest programs) on foot)

Amazonia National Park ( between Manaus and Belem; a huge national reserve of dense rain forest; cabins in the park (mostly preferred by the scientists) or nearby hotels in the town of Itaituba are the accommodations; during the rainy season toured by boat, during the drier period by walk)

Costa VerdeCosta Verde

“Green Coast” offers relaxing trips from Rio and Sao Paulo

drive from Rio to the city of Santos is beautiful: small beaches on one side of the road and jungle and mountains on the other

its Brazil’s leading commercial port close by, nice towns are located

such as Ubatuba (popular beach resort), Parati (colonial town)

PantanalPantanal

one of the world’s great wildlife reserves

trips should be booked through an adventure tour operator

has more than 350 varieties of fish (some weighing up to 80kg), and offers great opportunity for fishing

Other Major CitiesOther Major Cities

Florianopolis (has a tropical bay; attractive colonial buildings, baroque churches, best surfing place in Brazil, active nightlife - bierhalles)

Olinda (has best-preserved colonial buildings in Brazil; architecture reflects both Portuguese and Dutch heritage)

Ouro Preto (the second best-preserved colonial town in Brazil; has cobblestone streets, baroque churches)

Petropolis (Swiss-style town; summer retreat for the last emperor of Brazil; attractions include Crystal Palace, Gothic cathedral, Museu Imperial)

Recife (called the “Venice of Brazil” for its canals and bridges, dirtier than Italian version; has a number of interesting museums of trains, sugar etc.; 17th and 18th century churches, fantastic carnival rivals with Rio and Salvador)

Things to RememberThings to Remember

The Amazon river and its tributaries account for one-fifth of the world's fresh water