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OFFICIAL NAME: Federal Republic of Brazil

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Democratic federal republic

CAPITAL: Brasilia

POPULATION: 208,846,892

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Portuguese

MONEY: Real

AREA: 3,286,470 square miles (8,511,965 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Serra do Mar, Serra do Espinhaço

MAJOR RIVERS: Amazon, São Francisco, Paraná, Tocantins

Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest nation in the world. It forms an enormous triangle on the eastern side of the continent with a 4,500-mile (7,400-kilometer) coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. It has borders with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.

The Brazilian landscape is very varied. It is most well known for its dense forests, including the Amazon, the world's largest jungle, in the north. But there are also dry grasslands (called pampas), rugged hills, pine forests, sprawling wetlands, immense plateaus, and a long coastal plain.

Northern Brazil is dominated by the Amazon River and the jungles that surround it. The Amazon is not one river but a network of many hundreds of waterways. Its total length stretches 4,250 miles (6,840 kilometers). Thousands of species live in the river, including the infamous piranha and the boto, or pink river dolphin.
Map created by National Geographic Maps

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Most Brazilians are descended from three ethnic groups: Amerindians, European settlers (mainly from Portugal), and Africans. Starting in the 19th century, waves of immigrants from Europe, the Middle East, and even Japan added to this mix. This diversity of cultures has created a rich religious, musical, and culinary culture.

Brazilians are soccer crazy, and their country has produced some of the best players. The most famous of all is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé. Brazil has won the World Cup soccer finals five times, more than any other nation.

Brazil has the greatest variety of animals of any country in the world. It is home to 600 mammal species, 1,500 fish species, 1,600 bird species, and an amazing 100,000 different types of insects. Brazil's jungles are home to most of its animal life, but many unique species also live in the pampas and semidesert regions.

In the central-western part of Brazil sits a flat, swampy area called the Pantanal. This patchwork of flooded lagoons and small islands is the world's largest wetland. Here live giant anacondas, huge guinea pig relatives called capybaras, and fierce South American alligators called caimans.

For thousands of years, people have been exploiting the jungles of Brazil. But since Europeans arrived about five centuries ago, forest destruction has been rampant. Most of Brazil's Atlantic rain forest is now gone, and huge tracts of the Amazon are disappearing every year. The government has established many national parks and refuges, but they only cover about 7 percent of the country.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

Brazil is a federal republic with a president, a National Congress, and a judiciary. From 1888 until recently, the country struggled with democracy. But in 1985, the military government was peacefully removed, and by 1995, Brazil's politics and economy had become fairly stable.

Brazil has many different soils and climates, so it can produce a great variety of crops. Its agricultural exports include sugarcane, latex, coffee, cocoa beans, cotton, soybeans, rice, and tropical fruits.

Brazil is also South America's most industrial nation, producing chemicals, steel, aircraft, and cars.

Until recently, scientists thought Brazil was first settled by Asians about 10,000 years ago. But new evidence shows there were people living there at least 32,000 years ago. Some experts think they may have arrived from islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Brazil was added to the map of the world during the great European explorations in the late 15th century led by Portugal and Spain. When Europeans first reached the coast of Brazil, the country was home to about 30 million indigenous people, or Amerindians. Today, only about 300,000 remain, living primarily in Brazil's remotest places.

Portugal established its first colony in Brazil in 1530. Colonists created sugarcane plantations along the coast and sent diamonds and gold back to Europe. Soon, people from West Africa were brought to Brazil to work as slaves. The discovery of large inland gold reserves brought thousands of people from the coasts and as far away as Europe to the interior of the country.

In 1789, Brazilians tried to kick out their Portuguese rulers. The rebellion was soon put down, but it started a movement toward independence. By 1822, Brazil was a sovereign nation. Kings of Portuguese blood ruled until 1888, when military leaders and landowners expelled the king, and Brazil became a federal republic.

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Brazil Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest nation in the world.

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Interesting Facts for Kids

Here are some interesting Brazil Facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

Population: 219 million people live in Brazil (2023)

Capital: Brasilia, with 5 million inhabitants is the country's fourth largest city. The largest city in Brazil is Sao Paulo with about 23 million inhabitants.

Name: Republica Federativa do Brasil, Federative Republic of Brazil

Government: Democracy, Republic

Language: Portuguese

Literacy: More than 91% of the people can read and write.

Religion: mainly Christians (Roman Catholics 65%, Protestants 22%)

Currency: 1 real=100 centavos

National symbols: Jaguar (national animal), macaw (national bird) and cattleya orchid (national flower), national colours: green, yellow and blue, the constellation of the Southern Cross

National anthem: "Hino Nacional Brasileiro"

History: The country was inhabited mainly by semi-nomadic tribes before the arrival of the colonialists. The land was claimed by Portuguese and Portuguese settlers founded the colony in 1532. By the 17th century sugar cane was the main export product and the slave trade brought many African slaves to the country. The Brazilian gold rush attracted many fortune seekers to the country. In 1822, Brazil declared independence from Portugal, although independence was officially recognised by the Portuguese only three years later! Brazil was ruled by various Brazilian emperors until in 1889 it was finally declared a republic. Brazil's president is Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva since January 2023.

National Holiday: 7 September (Independence Day)

Brazil Facts | Geography
Where is Brazil?

Brazil is located on the South American continent. Brazil also belongs to the Latin American countries. The country borders the Atlantic Ocean.

The largest Latin American country shares borders with all other South American countries except for Chile and Ecuador. The longest border is shared with Bolivia and is 3,400 km/ 2,113 miles long.

Below see a map of Brazil with the neighbouring countries and you will find Brazil's capital city: Brasilia.

Regarding the size of Brazil, all the countries of the European Union could fit twice into the country! Brazil is slightly smaller than the USA.

A flight to Sao Paolo takes roughly 11.5 hours from London/UK and 9.5 hours from New York/USA.

Brazil for Kids | More Facts about Brazil

The country has almost 7,500 km/ 4,660 miles of coastline and is known for its many great beaches.

The northern and western parts of Brazil are largely dominated by the Amazon Basin. In the South, you will find the Brazilian Highlands.

The Amazon, the Paraná, the Madeira River, the Rio de la Plata and the Rio Negro are among the biggest rivers in Brazil.

The climate in Brazil is mostly tropical with a temperate climate in the Southern parts of the country.

The most famous landmark of Brazil is located in Rio de Janeiro. The Christ the Redeemer statue overlooks the city and Sugarloaf mountain.

Brazil Geo Superlatives

Brazil is South America's biggest and the world's fifth largest country. The country covers three time zones!

Brazil is also the largest country in the Southern hemisphere as it is bigger than Australia.

The Amazon river is the world's second longest river. It is about 6,400 km/ 4,000 miles long. The river flows through Peru, Colombia and enters the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil.

The Amazon rain forest is the largest rainforest in the world. About 60% of the world's rainforests are located in Brazil.

Brazil is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world due to the many species of plants and animals.

The highest lying area of Brazil is in the North and is called the Guiana highlands.

Brazil's highest mountain is the 'Pico de Neblina' and is 2,994 m/ 9,822 ft. high.

Brazil is the only country on the planet where the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn run through the country.

The Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland and covers most of the country's western parts.

Brazil shares the Iguazu Falls, the largest waterfall system in the world with Argentina. There are over 270 waterfalls in this waterfall system.

Brazil Attractions for Kids

Rio de Janeiro: Copacabana and Ipanema are great for beach holidays

Capivara National Park is known for ancient rock paintings

Recife, the country's fourth largest city is also nicknamed 'Venice of Brazil' because of its over 50 bridges and many waterways.

Pantanal National park is also called the 'Brazilian Garden of Eden'

Florianópolis is located on Santa Catarina Island which stretches over 54 km/ 33 miles. The island has some of the most amazing beaches in the country.

Brazil Facts | People in Brazil

Brazil is the country with the fifth largest population in the world, after China, India, the USA and Indonesia.

Most Brazilians (87%) live in urban centres, mainly along the Atlantic coast and in the major cities.

The biggest cities in Brazil are Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. The Brazilian cities are known for the extensive favelas. These are the neighbourhoods or shanty towns, where mainly poor people live.

The northern parts of the country are the least populated area in Brazil.

Among the Brazilian people are more than 800,000 indigenous people, some of them Amerindians.

Brazil Facts | Language in Brazil

Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking country in South America. The Brazilian Portuguese is slightly different to the Portuguese spoken in Portugal. The pronunciation sounds different and some of the words are used only in Brazil.

Brazil Facts | Carnival in Brazil

Brazil is known for its cheerful and vibrant atmosphere during Carnival time starting on the Friday﻿ before Ash Wednesday. Carneval do Brasil is celebrated in many cities such as in Sao Paolo, Salvador or Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian carnival starts on the Friday before Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of the Christian period of fasting called Lent. This usually is in February.

In Brazil, carnival is celebrated with the parades of the various samba schools. The communities are usually widely involved as drumming, dancing and marching are practised all year round for this special annual event.

Brazil Facts | Brazil Economy

Brazil is the eighth largest economy in the world. The country belongs to the BRICS which includes the countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The main agricultural products of Brazil include coffee, soybeans, wheat, corn and sugar cane. Brazil is the world's largest exporter of coffee, soybean and beef.

About one third of the country is agricultural land, however, only about 10% of all Brazilians work in the agricultural sector. The unemployment rate in Brazil stands at 12% and about 4% live in extremely poor conditions.

The largest trading partners of Brazil are China, the USA and Argentina.

Sports in Brazil

The people in Brazil love being outdoors, the main sports are soccer, volleyball and water sports.

The South American country hosted the soccer world cup in 2014. Brazil won the world cup five times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002 and the country has participated in all the tournament since it began.

Brazil also hosted the last Summer Olympic Games in August 2016. The XXXVI (16th) Olympiad in Rio was the first Olympic Games on the South American continent! Over ten thousand athletes from 206 countries took part in these summer sports games. Read more about the Rio Olympics here.

Brazil Facts | Animals in Brazil

Brazil's national animal is the Jaguar.

Brazil is home to many other fascinating mammals too, such as armadillos, tapirs and pumas.

The Amazon is home to many fish species, also the piranha. The national bird is the macaw. The colourful toucans with their big horned beaks also can be seen in Brazil.

Brazil Facts | Food in Brazil

Brazilians love their fresh fruits and vegetables such as okra, coconuts corn and beans. Many traditional dishes contain beans, rice or manioc flour. The most favourite dish in Brazil is probably the feijoada, a bean stew made with pork and rice.

Typical Brazilian food and drinks:

Pão de Queijo: delicious cheese bread

Guarana: drink made with small red berries

Feijoada: a bean stew made with pork and rice.

Coxinha de Galena: Brazilian breaded and deep fried snack filled with shredded chicken. Usually served with a chili dip, see below:

Resources for Brazil Facts

Central Intelligence Agency. "Brazil" CIA World Factbook. Updated 28 March 2023. Last Accessed 31 March 2023.

The Olympic Committee. "Rio 2016." Olympic.org. Last Accessed 31 March 2023.

Presidency of the Republic of Brazil. "Brazil in Numbers: Fact Sheet - Brazil". Updated 1 October 2018. Last Accessed 31 March 2023.

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Brazil Facts for Kids | Brazil for Kids | Geography | Food | People

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Our Brazil Facts for Kids tell you about the largest South American country and its people, landmarks in Brazil, animals and food in Brazil and much more.

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Brazil - Geography & States | Countries of the World

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It's an exciting time to be in Brazil - with the Olympic Games in 2016. Find out a little about the world's fifth biggest country, and print out our flag printables, in many formats, for your projects. We've also got brand new printables, colouring pages and worksheets!

Learn About Brazil

Brazil's Geography:

The largest country in South America and fifth largest worldwide, the Federative Republic of Brazil covers 8,500,000 sq km of the east of the continent of South America.

The world's second longest river, the mighty Amazon, is 4,000 miles long and up to 15 miles wide, and contains an amazing 20% of the world's fresh water! It flows across nine countries from the Peruvian Andes to the Brazilian Atlantic coast, with the Amazon basin covering over one billion acres, including half of Brazil.

The rainforest provides 20% of the world's oxygen. Around half of all known plant species can be found here.

Large reptiles like the black caiman and the world's longest snake, the anaconda, can both grow to up to 20 feet long.

The Cerrado savannah region covers 20% of the country and produces 70% of the cattle. Brazil is now the world's largest exporter of beef.

The Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, extends from western Brazil to Paraguay. Visitors can see more species of bird there than anywhere in the world.

There are 270 waterfalls at Iguazu Falls on the Brazil-Argentina border, including the Devil's Throat - which is 82 metres high!

Brazil's History:

Prior to European settlement, there were 1000 tribes of indigenous Indians.

Brazil was discovered in 1500 by Portuguese explorer Pedro Cabral, who landed in South America on the way to India.

The name Brazil derives from the hard wood which contained red dye used in clothing.

African slaves were imported to work on sugar cane plantations and gradually escaped to start new settlements.

Brazil became the world's biggest gold producer in the 18th century. In 1807 the Portuguese court fled Lisbon and decided to make Rio capital of both countries. When Brazil gained independence in 1822, Dom Pedro I became the first Emperor.

Brazil's Cities:

The coastal city of Rio de Janeiro contains a number of iconic landmarks such as Copacabana beach, the Maracana Football Stadium, Sugar Loaf Mountain and the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Each year during Carnival thousands of samba dancers in colourful costumes parade past huge crowds in a noisy procession.

Residents of Rio are known as 'cariocas', which is believed to refer to the white man's houses of Portuguese settlers.

Sao Paulo is the biggest city. Over 20 million people live in the metropolitan area, which is a melting pot of different cultures and nationalities, including large numbers of Paulistas with Italian and Japanese ancestry.

The capital Brasillia replaced Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s as part of a plan to encourage growth away from the coast.

Brazil's Sport:

Brazilian football is admired around the world with Brazilian footballer Pele considered by fans as the greatest footballer of all time.

Brazil have won the World Cup a record five times, last in 2002, and are the hosts for the next tournament in 2014.

Rio de Janeiro has been chosen to host the Olympic Games in 2016.

Rio Olympics

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It's an exciting time to be in Brazil - with the Olympic Games in 2016. Find out a little about the world's fifth biggest country, and print out our flag printables, in many formats, for your projects. We've also got brand new printables, colouring pages and worksheets!

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Today you will be learning about Brazil! Brazil is in south America there are 200.4 million people in brazil . IT'S TRUE!!! Map of Brazil Brazilian flag They like nice and calm music and we will play a song that people in Brazil like! Hope you enjoy it!

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As regular readers know, in addition to teaching English to ELLs, I always teach a Social Studies class to them, too. This year, I'm teaching Geography to a multi-level class, and am using many of the resources at The Best Geography Sites For Beginning & Intermediate English Language Learners.

One of those resources links is to another list, The Best Sites For Learning About Mexico, Central & South America. That post has a number of Brazil-related links. However, I'm doing something a little different this year and teaching a much more advanced Geography curriculum to a number of my students, and right now we're studying Brazil. As part of that unit, I decided to create a supplemental list to the Brazil links on that other post.

I'm also trying to find a class in Brazil that might be interested in exchanging a few messages over the Web with my students. If you're a teacher in Brazil and are interested, please let me known.

Here is a beginning list of The Best Sites For Learning About Brazil:
Kids Corner Brazil National Geographic Brazil for Kids Brazil Country Profile - BBC National Geographic Brazil profile Brazil Guide Fact Monster Brazil Brazil Atlas Many videos about Brazil from How Stuff Works Play Amazon Explorer Amazon Interactive Google Maps Amazon Rain Forest Talking Book Brazil Tour 360
Here is a video you might not be able to view in an RSS Reader:

Here's a YouTube version of the same video:
The Signs Of Brazilian Protests
The BBC has a collection of Brazil videos.

Pickup Soccer in Brazil Has an Allure All Its Own is from The New York Times.

World Cup 2014: Brazil's stadiums - interactive is from The Guardian.

Here's a great Prezi created by my talented colleague Elisabeth Johnson. Bear in mind her comment: "I created a Prezi to introduce Brazil because I don't think our kids realize how prevalent it is in pop culture. I will warn you that I would probably only show the first minute or so of the "beautiful" video with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell as there are lots of Tanga bikini shots after that."
24 Traditional Brazilian Foods You Need To Eat Right Now
Google has just announced a big expansion of Street View images from Brazil, and you can see all their highlights here.

10328×7760 - A 10K Timelapse Demo from SCIENTIFANTASTIC on Vimeo.

Google has unveiled a new zip line view of the Amazon using Google Street Views.

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The Best Sites For Learning About Brazil

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As regular readers know, in addition to teaching English to ELLs, I always teach a Social Studies class to them, too. This year, I'm teaching Geography to a multi-level class, and am using many of the resources at The Best Geography Sites For Beginning & Intermediate English Language Learners.