|
Brazil, this enormous country of vibrant carnival, football, the Amazon and of course the statue of Christ guarding Rio de Janeiro's beaches like Copacabana and and Ipanema. That is what we always imagine when we think of this beautiful country.
But, there is obviously much more to tell about Brazil.
A few facts:
 |
Largest country of South America. 5th largest country in the world. About 2 times larger than the European Union (27 member states) and about 30 times larger than Germany, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Slightly smaller than the United States of America. |
|
Largest area on the southern hemisphere. |
|
Climate: tropical, subtropical in the south. |
|
Coastlines: 8000 km of very large often deserted beaches. |
|
Distances... you could easily fly 5 hours and still be in the country. |
|
190 Million inhabitants. |
|
Concentrations of people in the large cities. São Paulo: 20 million inhabitants, Rio de Janeiro 11 million inhabitants. Even smaller cities such as Natal still have a population of nearly 1 million people. |
|
São Paulo, the economic centre of South America. |
|
Very diverse population: Originally Indians, but mainly from immigration: Portuguese, Italians, Germans, Spaniards, Japanese (2.5 million!), Poland, Swiss, Dutch, and people from various African countries (former slave trade). |
|
Language: Portuguese. |
|
Religion: mainly Catholic and some Protestant. |
|
Currency: Real (plural: Reais). Exchange rate with the Euro: 1 Euro = approx. 3 Reais. ). Exchange rate with the U.S. Dollar: 1 USD = approx. 2.3 Reais. |
|
Time zone with London, Lisbon: 3-4 hours time difference. With Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Stockholm 4-5 hours time difference. USA Eastern Time: 1-2 hours time difference. |
 Government and Politics
Brazil is a Federal Republic and is governed by a president who is chosen every 4 years through national elections. The current incumbent president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The country consists of 26 states grouped into 5 regions and a Federal District where the capital Brasilia is located.
More information can be found at Wikipedia  |
