Brazil is a very large country located in the continent of South America.
(Related: The Largest Countries in the World)
It is bordered by a host of Spanish speaking countries, the only English-speaking country in South America – Guyana, the only Dutch-speaking country in South America – Suriname, and the only French-speaking country in South America – French Guiana.
A very small part of its edges are bordered by the Ocean.
(Related: Which states in Brazil have borders with the Ocean).
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese, more specifically “Brazilian Portuguese” which differs slightly from the original Portuguese spoken in Portugal. The population of Brazil at the time of this writing (2018) is around 300 million.
The Brazilian Economy
Brazil produces everything from a pin to an anchor. It is a virtually self sufficient country. Nevertheless, the gap between rich and poor is very wide and ever-increasing and although its imports are few, the country’s economy still needs a lot of work.
Slums in Brazil
Slums, or favelas, are large neighborhoods of people living in very poor conditions. Often the houses are mere shacks made of wood and zinc and the people get by with help from the government and charitable organizations. On top of that, the slums are often infested with gangsters and drugs.
Beautiful cities in Brazil.
Don’t let this grim picture discourage you. The slums are rapidly diminishing in Brazil and most of the people in the slums are living higher and higher qualities of lives. The government is also doing more and more to eradicate all slums from Brazil, to ensure that all Brazilians live a high standard of life. Aside from that, Brazil is home to some of the world’s richest, most successful and happiest people. There are also some really beautiful cities in Brazil. One that I have personally lived in is Campo Verde, Mato Grosso, and I will be writing more about Campo Verde, Mato Grosso later.
The capital city of Brazil is called Brazilia.
Coffee in Brazil .
One of Brazil’s major exports is coffee. Brazil is said to produce the world’s best coffee, and coffee has been responsible for so much revenue in the history of Brazil, that it is often said that “coffee is what put Brazil on the world map.” This means that coffee has not only made Brazil very rich, but it has also made it well recognized globally.
National Holidays in Brazil
- 1st January – New Years Day – the almost universal holiday celebrated by the humans of most countries of the world to mark start of a new year – and possibly – a brighter beginning.
- April 18 – Good Friday – to commemorate the sacrifice on Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.
- April 21 – Tiradentes Day – To commemorate the death of Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier, also known as Tiradentes – a martyr who was executed for leading a rebellion for Brazilian independence.
- May 1 – Labor Day – To celebrate the hard work of the laborers of Brazil.
- September 7 – Independence Day – A day marked to celebrate the independence of Brazil from the motherland, Portugal, which was granted on the 7th of September, 1872.
- October 12 – Children’s Day – A day set aside to honor the beautiful children of Brazil.
- November 2 – All Souls Day – A day reserved to remember and honor the dead in the country of Brazil.
- November 15 – Republic Proclamation Day – A day to celebrate the proclamation of Brazil as a Republic.
- December 25 – Christmas Day – A day set aside to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Presidents of Brazil
(Listed from first to last).
- Deodora da Fonseca
- Floriano Peixoto
- Prudente de Morais
- Campos Sales
- Rodrigues Alves
- Afonso Pena
- Nilo Peçanha
- Hermes da Fonseca
- Venceslau Brás
- Rodrigues Alves
- Delfim Moreira
- Epitácio Pessoa
- Artur Bernardes
- Washington Luís
- Júlio Prestes
- Augusto Fragoso
- Isaías de Noronha
- Mena Barreto
- Getúlio Vargas
- José Linhares
- Gaspar Dutra
- Getúlio Vargas
- João Café Filho
- Carlos Luz
- Nereu Ramos
- Juscelino Kubitschek
- Jânio Quadros
- Ranieri Mazzilli
- João Goulart
- Ranieri Mazzilli
- Humberto Castelo Branco
- Artur da Costa e Silva
- Augusto Rademaker
- Aurélio Lira Tavares
- Márcio Melo
- Emilio Medici
- Ernesto Geisel
- João Figueiredo
- Tancredo Neves
- José Sarney
- Fernando Collor
- Itamar Franco
- Fernando Henrique Cardoso
- Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
- Dilma Rousseff
History of Brazil
States of Brazil
Brazil is comprised of 26 States and one Federal District. The 26 States of Brazil are as follows:
- Acre
- Alagoas
- Amapa
- Amazonas
- Bahia
- Ceara
- Espirito Santo
- Goias
- Maranhao
- Mato Grosso
- Mato Grosso do Sul
- Minas Gerais
- Para
- Paraiba
- Parana
- Pernambuco
- Paiui
- Rio de Janeiro
- Rio Grande de Norte
- Rio Grande de Sul
- Rondonia
- Roraima
- Santa Catarina
- Sao Paulo
- Sergipe
- Tocantins
To learn more about states of Brazil, go here.
The Brazilian People.
The pure Portuguese race of people inhabit more of the southern states of Brazil, such as Florianopolis and Mato Grosso do Sul. As you travel more to the north, the racial composition of the people change to a mixture of Portuguese (white), Native Indian and Negro (Africans).
The further north you travel, the darker the people become. This may be because of the heat – Brazil gets hotter as you travel north, and cooler as you travel south, and other factors such as racial composition.