South America: Plan your Journey

Brazil

The Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest and most populous country in Latin America, and fifth largest in the world. Spanning a vast area between central South America and the Atlantic Ocean, it is the easternmost country of the Americas and it borders Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French department of French Guiana - every South American nation except for Ecuador and Chile. Named after brazilwood, a tree highly valued by early colonists, Brazil is home to both extensive agricultural lands and rain forests. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. As a former colony of Portugal, Portuguese is its official language. more...

National name: Republica Federativa do Brasil
Full country name: Federative Republic of Brazil
Area: Population: 176,876,443 (official estimate 2003)
Capital City: Brasilia
Language: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Government: Federal Republic. Head of State and Government: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva since 2003
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003)
Ethnicity/race: white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%
Largest Cities: Sao Paulo, 18,847,400 (metro. area), 10,195,000 (city proper); Rio de Janeiro, 11,437,100 (metro. area), 6,119,800 (city proper); Salvador, 2,590,400; Belo Horizonte, 2,347,500; Recife, 1,485,500; Porto Alegre, 1,372,700
Religion: Roman Catholic 80%

History of Brazil

Brazil is thought to have been inhabited for at least 10,000 years by semi-nomadic populations when the first Portuguese explorers, led by Pedro Álvares Cabral, disembarked in 1500. Over the next three centuries, it was resettled by the Portuguese and exploited mainly for brazilwood (Pau-Brasil) at first, and later for sugarcane(Cana-de-Açucar) agriculture and gold mining. more...

Overview of Brazil's Economy

Literacy rate: 80% (2003 est.)
GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $1.492 trillion
Per capita $8,100
Real growth rate: 5.1%
Inflation: 7.6%
Unemployment: 11.5%
Arable land: 7%
Agriculture: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef
Labor force: 89 million; agriculture 20%, industry 14%, services 66% (2003 est.)
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment.
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber.
Exports: $95 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos.
Imports: $61 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil.
Major trading partners: U.S., Argentina, China, Netherlands, Germany, Japan (2003).

Also Read: A Brief insight in The Economy of Brazil | Demographics of Brazil | Tourist Attractions in Brazil | States of Brazil | Religion in Brazil | Activities in Brazil

Political System of Brazil

- Politics in Brazil

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

- Climate: The Climate of Brazil Varies from arid scrubland in the interior to the impassable tropical rainforests...more
- Food and Drink
: Brazil Food is a regional variations they are very different from North American and European food. more...
- Culture: Brazilian Culture is of a very diverse nature. The religion of most Brazilians is Roman Catholic. more...
- Nightlife: The best entertainment occurs in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. In Rio, the major clubs do not present their main acts until after midnight, and the daily paper gives current information; small clubs (boites) provide nightly entertainment throughout the city. Sao Paulo nightlife is more sophisticated, with greater choice; the shows tend to start earlier.

Facts for Travellers

Visa:United States entry requirements are the same in all states, with most foreign travelers requiring a visa. The US State Department issues all US visas. more...
Time Zone
: Eastern Standard Time: GMT - 3 (GMT - 2 from third Sunday in October to third Saturday in March).
Western Standard Time: GMT - 4 (GMT - 3 from third Sunday in October to third Saturday in March).
North East States and East Para: GMT - 3.
Amapa and West Para: GMT - 4.
Acra State: GMT - 5.
Fernando de Noronha Archipelago: GMT - 2.
Country dialing code: 55
Location:South America
Electricity: Brasilia and Recife 220 volts AC; Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo 127 volts AC or 220 volts in larger hotels. Plugs are of the two-pin type. Most hotels provide 110-volt and 220-volt outlets, transformers and adaptors.

Geography of Brazil

Brazil is characterized by the extensive low-lying Amazon Rainforest in the north, and a more open terrain of hills and low mountains to the south - home to most of Brazil's population and its agricultural base. Along the Atlantic seacoast are also found several mountain ranges, reaching roughly 2,900 m high. The highest peak is the Pico da Neblina at 3,014 m, in Guiana's highlands. Major rivers include the Amazon, the largest river in the world by volume, and often considered the world's longest; the Parana and its major tributary, the Iguaçu River, where the impressive Iguaçu falls are located; the Rio Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and the Tapajos rivers. more...

Shopping in Brazil

In Rio and Sao Paulo, major shops and markets stay open quite late in the evening. Rio and Bahia specialise in antiques and jewelry. Special purchases include gems (particularly emeralds), jewelry (particularly silver), souvenirs and permissible antiques, leather or snakeskin goods. more...

Also Read: Foreign relations of Brazil | Music of Brazil | Cuisine of Brazil | Brazilian Carnival | Transportation in Brazil

Climate of Venezuela Weather The climate varies according to altitude. Lowland areas have a tropical climate. The dry season is from December to April and the rainy season from May to December. During the rainy season, there is the possibility of flooding in certain low-lying areas, such as the Llanos and in some valley of the [...]
Activities in Venezuela Hiking and trekking Venezuela has 42 national parks and around 20 nature reserves (monumentos naturales) which, together, cover some 15 per cent of the total land mass. All types of walks, ranging from signposted trails to mountain climbing and jungle paths, are possible. Visitors should note that a permit, issued by central [...]
Tourist Attractions in Venezuela Venezuela offers a great variety of landscapes - tropical beaches, immense plains, enormous rivers, forests, jungle, waterfalls and great mountains. Unfortunately, the flash floods and mudslides which hit Venezuela in 1999 severely damaged the country’s infrastructure; some of which may still not have been fully restored. Travelers should check prior to [...]
Nightlife in Venezuela There are many nightclubs and discos in the major cities of Venezuela. The National and Municipal Theaters offer a variety of concerts, ballet, plays, operas and operettas. There are other theaters - some of which are open-air - in Caracas, as well as several cinemas.
Food and Dining in Venezuela Cumin and saffron are used in many dishes but the distinctive and delicate flavor of most of the popular dishes comes from the use of local roots and vegetables. Some local specialties are tequenos, a popular hors d’oeuvres (thin dough wrapped around a finger of local white cheese and fried crisp); [...]
Shopping in Venezuela There are many handicrafts unique to Venezuela that are made by local Indian tribes. Good purchases are gems and jewelry, cacique coins, gold, pearls, pompom slippers, seed necklaces, shoes and handbags, Indian bows, arrows, mats, pipes and baskets, alpargatas (traditional local footwear of the Campesinos), chinchorros (local hammocks) and many other [...]
Caracas: Venezuela Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. It is located in the north of the country, following the contours of a narrow mountain valley. The valley’s temperatures are springlike, and the urbanizable terrain of the Caracas Valley lies between 2,500 and 3,000 ft (760 and 910 m) above sea level. The Valley is close to [...]
Military of Venezuela As of 2000, the national armed forces of Venezuela (FAN Fuerza Armada Nacional) enlisted 87,500 individuals in four service branches–the Army, Navy (including the Marine Corps), Air Force, and the Armed Forces of Cooperation (FAC), commonly known as the National Guard. As of 2005, about 100,000 soldiers were integrated in the military through [...]
Foreign relations of Venezuela Venezuela’s priorities in the international arena are: Respect for human rights; The right of all people to self-determination; Nonintervention in the internal affairs of other nations; Peaceful settlement of disputes between nations, including border disputes; The right of all people to peace and security; and Support for democracy. Hemispheric cooperation and integration are two pillars of president Hugo Chavez’s [...]
Music of Venezuela Venezuelan pop music has been largely overshadowed on the international scene by its neighbors, especially Brazil, Trinidad and Colombia. It is known for its own salsa, merengue and other imported styles, as well as the distinct llanera music. Originally a rural form of the llanos, or plains, llanera spread to musically creative artists like [...]

Travel Mantra: South America Destination Guide

Tourist Attractions in Venezuela
Tourist Attractions in Venezuela Venezuela offers a great variety of landscapes - tropical beaches, immense plains, enormous rivers, forests, jungle,...

Santa Cruz: Bolivia
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as simply Santa Cruz, is the second largest city in the Republic of...

Córdoba: Argentina
Córdoba is a city located in the foothills of the Sierra Chica mountains on the Suquía river, the center of...

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