When Brazilians give up on an idea or a hope, they will tirar o cavalinho da chuva (take the little horse from the rain). Imagine your house is a mess and you sit at home all day waiting for your partner to come home to clean it for you. They will arrive and say, ‘if you are waiting for me to clean the house, you can tirar o cavalinho da chuva.’

To take the little horse from the rain

When Brazilians give up on an idea or a hope, they will tirar o cavalinho da chuva (take the little horse from the rain). Imagine your house is a mess and you sit at home all day waiting for your partner to come home to clean it for you. They will arrive and say, ‘if you are waiting for me to clean the house, you can tirar o cavalinho da chuva.’

Ingredients first used by native peoples in Brazil include cashews, cassava, guaraná, açaí, cumaru, and tucupi. From there, the many waves of immigrants brought some of their typical dishes, replacing missing ingredients with local equivalents. For instance, the European immigrants (primarily from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine), were accustomed to a wheat-based diet, and introduced wine, leafy vegetables, and dairy products into Brazilian cuisine. When potatoes were not available, they discovered how to use the native sweet manioc as a replacement.^[3] Enslaved Africans also had a role in developing Brazilian cuisine, especially in the coastal states. The foreign influence extended to later migratory waves—Japanese immigrants brought most of the food items that Brazilians would associate with Asian cuisine today,^[4] and introduced large-scale aviaries, well into the 20th century.^[5]

The most visible regional cuisines belong to the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia. Minas Gerais cuisine have European influence in delicacies and dairy products such as tropeiro beans, pão de queijo and the Minas cheese fresh, and Bahian cuisine due to the presence of African delicacies such as acarajé, abará and vatapá.

Root vegetables such as manioc (locally known as mandioca, aipim or macaxeira, among other names), yams, and fruit like açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, guava, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, and hog plum are among the local ingredients used in cooking.

Some typical dishes are feijoada, considered the country's national dish,^[6] and regional foods such as beiju [pt], feijão tropeiro [pt], vatapá, moqueca capixaba, polenta (from Italian cuisine) and acarajé (from African cuisine).^[7] There is also caruru, which consists of okra, onion, dried shrimp, and toasted nuts (peanuts or cashews), cooked with palm oil until a spread-like consistency is reached; moqueca baiana, consisting of slow-cooked fish in palm oil and coconut milk, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic, topped with cilantro; 

The national beverage is coffee, while cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from fermented sugar cane must, and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, caipirinha.

Cheese buns (pão-de-queijo), and salgadinhos such as pastéis, coxinhas, risólis and kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine) are common finger food items, while cuscuz de tapioca (milled tapioca) is a popular dessert.

Brazilian cuisine is the set of cooking practices and traditions of Brazil, and is characterized by, European, Amerindian, African, and most recently Asian (mostly Japanese) influences.^[1] It varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations, and its continental size as well. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.^[2]

Ingredients first used by native peoples in Brazil include cashews, cassava, guaraná, açaí, cumaru, and tucupi. From there, the many waves of immigrants brought some of their typical dishes, replacing missing ingredients with local equivalents. For instance, the European immigrants (primarily from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine), were accustomed to a wheat-based diet, and introduced wine, leafy vegetables, and dairy products into Brazilian cuisine. When potatoes were not available, they discovered how to use the native sweet manioc as a replacement.^[3] Enslaved Africans also had a role in developing Brazilian cuisine, especially in the coastal states. The foreign influence extended to later migratory waves—Japanese immigrants brought most of the food items that Brazilians would associate with Asian cuisine today,^[4] and introduced large-scale aviaries, well into the 20th century.^[5]

The most visible regional cuisines belong to the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia. Minas Gerais cuisine have European influence in delicacies and dairy products such as tropeiro beans, pão de queijo and the Minas cheese fresh, and Bahian cuisine due to the presence of African delicacies such as acarajé, abará and vatapá.

Root vegetables such as manioc (locally known as mandioca, aipim or macaxeira, among other names), yams, and fruit like açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, guava, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, and hog plum are among the local ingredients used in cooking.

Some typical dishes are feijoada, considered the country's national dish,^[6] and regional foods such as beiju [pt], feijão tropeiro [pt], vatapá, moqueca capixaba, polenta (from Italian cuisine) and acarajé (from African cuisine).^[7] There is also caruru, which consists of okra, onion, dried shrimp, and toasted nuts (peanuts or cashews), cooked with palm oil until a spread-like consistency is reached; moqueca baiana, consisting of slow-cooked fish in palm oil and coconut milk, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic, topped with cilantro; 

The national beverage is coffee, while cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from fermented sugar cane must, and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, caipirinha.

Cheese buns (pão-de-queijo), and salgadinhos such as pastéis, coxinhas, risólis and kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine) are common finger food items, while cuscuz de tapioca (milled tapioca) is a popular dessert.

National animals

CountryName of animalScientific name (Latin name)
Botswana | Plains zebra | Equus quagga
Belize | Baird's tapir (national animal) | Tapirus bairdii
Keel-billed toucan (national bird) | Ramphastos sulfuratus
Brazil | Rufous-bellied thrush(national bird)
Brazilian families tend to be tight-knit, warm, and loving. They generally enjoy each other's company and prefer spending time together than privately. In Brazilian culture, men are usually allowed more freedom than women. Brazilian girls have less freedom than girls from most European and North American countries.
Brazil's religious landscape is as diverse as it's ethnic and geographic diversity. Accordingly, the majority of Brazilians in the country identify as Roman Catholic (64.4%), thus reflecting it's historical relationship with Portugal and the Catholic Church.

The most famous of all Brazilian dishes, Feijoada is eaten in every corner of the country. This rich, hearty stew consists of black beans cooked with different cuts of pork, supplemented with tomatoes, cabbage, and carrots to round out the flavor.
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly from region to region but fresh meat and fish play an important role in the diet. Root vegetables such as cassava and yams, and fruits such as mango, papaya, guava, passion fruit and pineapple are among the local ingredients used in cooking.
Brazil is a large country that is made up of many different cultures. Each region has a different food specialty. ... Brazilians use many eggs, fruits, spices (such as cinnamon and cloves), and sugar to make sweet treats, such as ambrosia. They also use savory (not sweet) seasonings such as parsley and garlic.
The cuisine in Brazil combines locally grown products with products that the Portuguese brought when they settled there. African slaves also brought influences from their homes like coconuts and dried shrimp. The country is also famous for its Bahian food, which is a combination of Portuguese and African influences
Brazil is a large country that is made up of many different cultures. Each region has a different food specialty. The Portuguese arrived in Brazil in 1500 and brought their tastes and styles of cooking with them. They brought sugar, citrus fruits, and many sweets that are still used for desserts and holidays. The Brazilian "sweet tooth" was developed through the influence of the Europeans. Brazilians use many eggs, fruits, spices (such as cinnamon and cloves), and sugar to make sweet treats, such as ambrosia. They also use savory (not sweet) seasonings such as parsley and garlic. Other nationalities that settled in Brazil were Japanese, Arabs, and Germans. More than one million Italians had migrated to Brazil by 1880. Each immigrant group brought along its own style of cooking.Long before the Europeans arrived, however, the Tupí-Guaraní and other Indian groups lived in Brazil. They planted manioc (a root vegetable like a potato) from which Brazilians learned to make tapioca and farofa , ground manioc, which is similar to fine breadcrumbs. It is toasted in oil and butter and sprinkled over rice, beans, meat, and fish. As of 2001, farofa was still used as the Brazilians' basic "flour" to make cookies, biscuits,and bread.
Although Brazil has no national religion, the Portuguese who arrived in Brazil in 1500 brought their Roman Catholic religion with them. About 75 percent of Brazilians consider themselves Roman Catholic. Those who do not follow the Roman Catholic religion still enjoy the world-renowned Brazilian Carnival tradition. During Carnival, colorful parades are held on the streets, and children and adults dress in costumes, dancing and celebrating in the streets all day and all night. People eat and drink continuously during Carnival, enjoying spice dishes, such as pepper-scented rice and feijoada, and sweets. Carnival is a week-long party that ends on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40-day religious period of Lent before the Christian celebration of Easter. During Lent, it is a Roman Catholic tradition not to eat meat.
 Brigadeiro. Hands down the most popular dessert in Brazil. You might get away with a birthday party without a cake, but if there aren't enough brigadeiros to fill the table, the guests might end up leaving early.
The traditional diet of Brazil varies from region to region. However, in all cases the traditional foods are natural, locally grown and cooked according to traditional recipes. Common foods include seasonal fruit and vegetables, rice and beans, meat and fish, as well as spices and bread and cheese.
Brazilian food is generally rich and spicy. Much of it is either fried or slow-cooked to bring out the flavors. Palm oil is often used for the frying and coconut oil is added to bring all the flavors together.
Here are some food and drinks that may not tickle your taste buds while in Brazil.

In Brazil, the most prized cut of meat tends to be the picanha. There, the fat is retained until the steak has been cooked.

When a Brazilian will do something and he has everything to be successful in whatever it is he will do, he will only lose if he does something wrong, so voce está com a faca e o queijo na mão (you’re with the knife and the cheese in your hand). In other words, everything is in your favor, it all just depends on you.
To hold the candle
When a Brazilian goes out with a friend and their partner, and this couple spend the whole night kissing and making out, this Brazilian is segurando vela (holding the candle). In other words, they are the third or spare wheel.
To fill a sausage
When someone is talking about a particular subject but is filling the conversation with details and ideas that don’t have the slightest importance, he is enchendo linguiça(he’s filling the sausage).
To be bolado
When a Brazilian is extremely annoyed about something, he is esta bolado, (is bolado – this word is Portuguese slang and doesn’t translate well into English) or basically, really pissed off.
To travel in mayonnaise
When someone says something daft or that doesn’t make sense, or when someone’s mind is clearly drifting into some far away day-dream, a Brazilian will say, ‘hey, wake up, you are viajando na maionese.’ (you’re traveling in mayonnaise).
To drown the goose – or – to wet the biscuit
When a Brazilian man has sex, he can afogar o ganso(drown the goose) or he can molhar o biscoito (wet the biscuit).
To have a wood face

When someone acts shamelessly, Brazilians will say that person ter cara de pau (has a face of wood).

To peel a pineapple

When Brazilians have to cope with a tricky or complex issue, they descascar o abacaxi (they peel the pineapple). Almost everyone has faced this before: ‘Everyone left work early, leaving me to peel the pineapple!’ or in other words, to solve the problem.
To search for horns on the horse’s head
When someone looks for problems where there are none and keeps poking around looking for any whiff of an issue, they are procurando chifre na cabeça de cavalo(searching for horns on the horse’s head).
A full ball
After a game of football, it’s common to ask, ‘who was the bola cheia and who was the bola murcha?’ (see below). When a football player plays superbly well, he is the bola cheia (the full ball).
A deflated ball

When a football player plays a game poorly, he was bola murcha (like a deflated ball).
To pull your balls

When someone kisses ass or sucks up to someone else, he puxa o saco (he pulls your balls). Imagine a colleague who never works hard gets a promotion, the office gossip may sound a little like this: ‘he only got the promotion because he puxa o saco of the manager.’
A mouth of crab

When someone keeps boca de siri (a mouth of crab), they keep an important secret. Like, ‘everyone must keep boca de siri about this surprise party for my mum!’
To kick the bucket

When someone chuta o balde (kicks the bucket), they give up all together, they no longer care about that situation, person or moment. Imagine someone taking a test in school but they don’t care if they fail or pass, they chuta o balde.
To throw in the green
When someone joga verde (throws in the green), they hint about something they are sure is true to get the other person to admit the truth.
To pick little orange coconuts

If you hear someone tell you to go and catar coquinho, that person is in fact telling you to get lost in an insulting way.

When Portuguese explorers arrived in Brazil, the region was inhabited by hundreds of different types of Jiquabu tribes, "the earliest going back at least 10,000 years in the highlands of Minas Gerais".^[4] The dating of the origins of the first inhabitants, who were called "Indians" (índios) by the Portuguese, is still a matter of dispute among archaeologists. The earliest pottery ever found in the Western Hemisphere, radiocarbon-dated 8,000 years old, has been excavated in the Amazon basin of Brazil, near Santarém, providing evidence to overturn the assumption that the tropical forest region was too poor in resources to have supported a complex prehistoric culture".^[5] The current most widely accepted view of anthropologists, linguists and geneticists is that the early tribes were part of the first wave of migrant hunters who came into the Americas from Asia, either by land, across the Bering Strait, or by coastal sea routes along the Pacific, or both.

The Andes and the mountain ranges of northern South America created a rather sharp cultural boundary between the settled agrarian civilizations of the west coast and the semi-nomadic tribes of the east, who never developed written records or permanent monumental architecture. For this reason, very little is known about the history of Brazil before 1500. Archaeological remains (mainly pottery) indicate a complex pattern of regional cultural developments, internal migrations, and occasional large state-like federations.

At the time of European discovery, the territory of current day Brazil had as many as 2,000 tribes. The indigenous peoples were traditionally mostly semi-nomadic tribes who subsisted on hunting, fishing, gathering, and migrant agriculture. When the Portuguese arrived in 1500, the Natives were living mainly on the coast and along the banks of major rivers.

Tribal warfare, cannibalism and the pursuit of brazilwood for its treasured red dye convinced the Portuguese that they should Christianize the natives. But the Portuguese, like the Spanish in their South American possessions, had brought diseases with them, against which many Natives were helpless due to lack of immunity. Measles, smallpox, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and influenza killed tens of thousands of indigenous people. The diseases spread quickly along the indigenous trade routes, and whole tribes were likely annihilated without ever coming in direct contact with Europeans.

What is Brazil famous for? Brazil is famous for its iconic carnival festival and its talented soccer players like Pelé and Neymarm. Brazil is also known for its tropical beaches, exquisite waterfalls, and the Amazon rainforest
If there is one place in the world that can offer every single earthly delight that any man could ever crave for, it is Brazil. Sprawling beaches, dramatic landscapes, lively metropolises, king-size carnivals — everything about Brazil holds the greatest enticement for the rest of the world. But, its physical attractions aside, Brazil is also home to some of world’s famous men and women. That is right! Greats like Ronaldo, Eduardo Saverin, Adriana Lima, Anderson Silva, Gisele Bundchen, Felipe Massa, Paulo Coelho, Andreas Pavel, Sergio Vieira de Mello call Brazil their home. Now if that is not enough testimony for you to believe Brazil’s ingenuity, listen to this. Brazil has also been home to some of world’s exciting inventions like the Walkman, Direct-Recording Electronic Voting Machine, Hot Air Balloon, Brain-Machine Interfaces, and Antivenom Serum. Now if your interest is spiked enough, let us get on with the famous biographies of equally famous Brazilians in their timeline, trivia, and facts captured below.

Ingredients first used by native peoples in Brazil include cashews, cassava, guaraná, açaí, cumaru, and tucupi. From there, the many waves of immigrants brought some of their typical dishes, replacing missing ingredients with local equivalents. For instance, the European immigrants (primarily from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine), were accustomed to a wheat-based diet, and introduced wine, leafy vegetables, and dairy products into Brazilian cuisine. When potatoes were not available, they discovered how to use the native sweet manioc as a replacement.^[3] Enslaved Africans also had a role in developing Brazilian cuisine, especially in the coastal states. The foreign influence extended to later migratory waves—Japanese immigrants brought most of the food items that Brazilians would associate with Asian cuisine today,^[4] and introduced large-scale aviaries, well into the 20th century.^[5]

The most visible regional cuisines belong to the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia. Minas Gerais cuisine have European influence in delicacies and dairy products such as tropeiro beans, pão de queijo and the Minas cheese fresh, and Bahian cuisine due to the presence of African delicacies such as acarajé, abará and vatapá.

Root vegetables such as manioc (locally known as mandioca, aipim or macaxeira, among other names), yams, and fruit like açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, guava, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, and hog plum are among the local ingredients used in cooking.

Some typical dishes are feijoada, considered the country's national dish,^[6] and regional foods such as beiju [pt], feijão tropeiro [pt], vatapá, moqueca capixaba, polenta (from Italian cuisine) and acarajé (from African cuisine).^[7] There is also caruru, which consists of okra, onion, dried shrimp, and toasted nuts (peanuts or cashews), cooked with palm oil until a spread-like consistency is reached; moqueca baiana, consisting of slow-cooked fish in palm oil and coconut milk, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic, topped with cilantro; 

The national beverage is coffee, while cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from fermented sugar cane must, and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, caipirinha.

Cheese buns (pão-de-queijo), and salgadinhos such as pastéis, coxinhas, risólis and kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine) are common finger food items, while cuscuz de tapioca (milled tapioca) is a popular dessert.

At most large hotels and top restaurants you can get by in English with very few problems. But if you like to wander around on your own, you might want to invest in a good dictionary; the Portuguese Berlitz Pocket Dictionary is a useful one, light and easy to carry around.

First names are used a great deal in Brazil. In many situations in which English-speakers would use a title and surname, Brazilians often use a first name with the title of respect: Senhor for men (written Sr and usually shortened to Seu in spoken Portuguese) and Senhora (written Sra) or Dona (used only with first name) for women.

There are three second-person pronoun forms in Portuguese. Stick to você, equivalent to “you,” and you will be all right. O senhor (for men) or a senhora (for women) is used to show respect for someone of a different age group or social class, or to be polite to a stranger. As a foreigner, you won’t offend anyone if you use the wrong form of address. But if you want to learn when to use the more formal or informal style, observe how others address you, and be guided by that. In some parts of Brazil, mainly the northeast and the south, tu is used a great deal. Originally, in Portugal, tu was used among intimate friends and close relatives, but in Brazil, it is equivalent to você.

If you are staying for some time and are serious about learning 
the language, there are plenty of Portuguese courses for non-native speakers. Meanwhile, here are some of the most essential words and phrases.

Tudo Bem, literally?meaning “all’s well,” is one of the most common forms of greeting: one person asks, “Tudo bem?”(or “Tudo bom?”) and the other replies, “Tudo bem” (or “Tudo bom”). This is also used to mean “OK,” “all right,” “will do,” or as a response when someone apologizes, as if to say, “That’s all right, it doesn’t matter.” “Ta legal” is a formal slang expression commonly heard. It means “OK” or “That’s cool.”

Samba has become the most known form of Brazilian music worldwide, especially because of the country's carnival, although bossa nova, which had Antônio Carlos Jobim as one of its most acclaimed composers and performers, have received much attention abroad since the 1950s, when the song "Desafinado", interpreted by João Gilberto, was first released.

The first four winners of the Shell Brazilian Music prize^[1] have each left a legacy on Brazilian music and are among the representatives of Brazilian popular music: Pixinguinha (choro), Antônio Carlos Jobim (bossa nova), Dorival Caymmi (samba and samba-canção).

Instrumental music is also largely practiced in Brazil, with styles ranging from classical to popular and jazz influenced forms. Among the later, Naná Vasconcelos, Pixinguinha, Hermeto Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti are significant figures. Notable classical composers include Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Gomes and Cláudio Santoro. The country also has a growing community of modern/experimental composition, including electroacoustic music.

In Brazil, premium cuts (the most popular being picanha, or rump cap) are seasoned with no more than a liberal shake of coarse salt, before being grilled to pink perfection over charcoal (or wood, if you’re doing it the old-fashioned Southern way). Home barbecues will see sausages, queijo coalho (squeaky cheese on a stick) and chicken hearts sharing space on the grill, while in churrascarias (barbecue-style steakhouses), all manner of meats on skewers – from pork to lamb and wild boar – will be sliced by waiters straight onto your plate.

Brazil is a popular birding destination and a multitude of birds can be found throughout the country.  There are dozens of parrot species, the most common and well known being the macaw.  The country also hosts around forty species of birds of prey which include eagles, hawks, falcons and more.  The smallest birds in Brazil are hummingbirds and there are several different kinds spread across the country while the largest bird is the flightless rhea which grows to 1.4m tall, with some weighing upwards of 30 kg.

Brazil’s coast and rivers provide habitats for a wealth of marine species.  The rivers of the Amazon Basin are home to the pink dolphin, one of five freshwater cetaceans.  These interesting creatures are only found in the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers and their tributaries.  The grey dolphin also occupies Brazil’s rivers while the Fernando de Noronha archipelago is a good spot for viewing spinner dolphins.  Also off the coast of Brazil are whale species including southern right whales and humpback whales.  Sea turtles are protected in Brazil as five of the seven species found in the world live there.

As mentioned, over 689 mammal species inhabit the country.  They include felines like jaguars, pumas, margay and the oncilla.  Approximately 80 of the world’s 300 primate species can be found in and around Brazil, many of which are unique to the country.  The most common primate is the squirrel monkey, however, other common species are howler monkeys, spider monkeys and capuchin monkeys.  Other mammals found in Brazil are the giant anteater, armadillos, various types of sloths, river otters and more.

Despite hosting such a large variety of nature and wildlife, many of Brazil’s species are under constant threat.  A staggering one-fifth of the Amazon Rainforest has been destroyed and nearly 93% of the Atlantic Forest has been cleared.  Over seventy mammals are considered threatened or endangered.  In order to protect the country’s natural landscapes, the first national park in Brazil, Itatiaia National Park, was created in 1937.  As of 2012, there were 68 national parks that cover more than 2 million square kilometres, roughly 25% of Brazil’s national territory.

Brazilians consistantly use small Portuguese phrases like this one to clear some space for them to speak and let other people around know they’ve got something to add. It’s a useful expression to get the attention of a group of Portuguese speakers rather than trying to speak over all of them.

Samba has become the most known form of Brazilian music worldwide, especially because of the country's carnival, although bossa nova, which had Antônio Carlos Jobim as one of its most acclaimed composers and performers, have received much attention abroad since the 1950s, when the song "Desafinado", interpreted by João Gilberto, was first released.

At 16, Pele was named as part of the Brazilian national team. He won his first World Cup a year later, he won 3 more World Cups.

In all the 1,363 professional games, Pele scored 1,281 goals which are yet to be beaten.

To date, Pele is considered the King of Soccer also known as GOAT (Greatest of All-Time).

Ingredients first used by native peoples in Brazil include cashews, cassava, guaraná, açaí, cumaru, and tucupi. From there, the many waves of immigrants brought some of their typical dishes, replacing missing ingredients with local equivalents. For instance, the European immigrants (primarily from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine), were accustomed to a wheat-based diet, and introduced wine, leafy vegetables, and dairy products into Brazilian cuisine. When potatoes were not available, they discovered how to use the native sweet manioc as a replacement.Enslaved Africans also had a role in developing Brazilian cuisine, especially in the coastal states. The foreign influence extended to later migratory waves—Japanese immigrants brought most of the food items that Brazilians would associate with Asian cuisine today,and introduced large-scale aviaries, well into the 20th century.

The most visible regional cuisines belong to the states of Minas Geraisand Bahia. Minas Gerais cuisine have European influence in delicacies and dairy products such as tropeiro beans, pão de queijo and the Minas cheese fresh, and Bahian cuisine due to the presence of African delicacies such as acarajé, abará and vatapá.

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 piranhaand the boto, or pink river dolphin.

When Portuguese explorers arrived in Brazil, the region was inhabited by hundreds of different types of Jiquabu tribes, "the earliest going back at least 10,000 years in the highlands of Minas Gerais".The dating of the origins of the first inhabitants, who were called "Indians" (índios) by the Portuguese, is still a matter of dispute among archaeologists. The earliest pottery ever found in the Western Hemisphere, radiocarbon-dated 8,000 years old, has been excavated in the Amazon basin of Brazil, near Santarém, providing evidence to overturn the assumption that the tropical forest region was too poor in resources to have supported a complex prehistoric culture". The current most widely accepted view of anthropologists, linguists and geneticists is that the early tribes were part of the first wave of migrant hunters who came into the Americas from Asia, either by land, across the Bering Strait, or by coastal sea routes along the Pacific, or both.

The Andes and the mountain ranges of northern South America created a rather sharp cultural boundary between the settled agrarian civilizations of the west coast and the semi-nomadic tribes of the east, who never developed written records or permanent monumental architecture. For this reason, very little is known about the history of Brazil before 1500. Archaeological remains (mainly pottery) indicate a complex pattern of regional cultural developments, internal migrations, and occasional large state-like federations.

At the time of European discovery, the territory of current day Brazil had as many as 2,000 tribes. The indigenous peoples were traditionally mostly semi-nomadic tribes who subsisted on hunting, fishing, gathering, and migrant agriculture. When the Portuguese arrived in 1500, the Natives were living mainly on the coast and along the banks of major rivers.

Tribal warfare, cannibalism and the pursuit of brazilwood for its treasured red dye convinced the Portuguese that they should Christianize the natives. But the Portuguese, like the Spanish in their South American possessions, had brought diseases with them, against which many Natives were helpless due to lack of immunity. Measles, smallpox, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and influenzakilled tens of thousands of indigenous people. The diseases spread quickly along the indigenous trade routes, and whole tribes were likely annihilated without ever coming in direct contact with Europeans.

Bom dia/Boa tarde/Boa noite means good morning, good afternoon and good night.

Olá means Hello.

Oi means Hi.

Alô/Está lá means hello but on the phone

Tchau means bye.

Até logo! means see you later!

Até amanhã means see you tomorrow.

Adeus means goodbye but formal

Anitta is a Brazilian singer who rose to fame in 2013 after releasing the single Show das Poderosas. In that same year, she won the Artist of the Year award in Brazil.
 

Anitta started her career singing carioca funk music but later evolved to a more pop music side.

In 2017, Anitta started to focus on her international career, which is now well consolidated. She has collaborated with  Iggy Azalea, Major Lazer,  DJ Alesso, J Balvin, Maluma, and others.

The most famous of all Brazilian dishes, Feijoada is eaten in every corner of the country. This rich, hearty stew consists of black beans cooked with different cuts of pork, supplemented with tomatoes, cabbage, and carrots to round out the flavor. Traditionally, it’s made with slow-cooked offal such as trotters and ears. Brazil’s national dish is served with fried kale mixed with bacon bits, rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), and a slice of orange.

First names are used a great deal in Brazil. In many situations in which English-speakers would use a title and surname, Brazilians often use a first name with the title of respect: Senhor for men (written Sr and usually shortened to Seu in spoken Portuguese) and Senhora (written Sra) or Dona (used only with first name) for women.

Because Brazil is such a melting pot of colours, languages and customs, its cuisine is similarly varied. In addition, the various types of dishes and ingredients used depend on the geographical location within Brazil.

In general, root vegetables are commonly used. Fruits grow well in the tropical and sub-tropical conditions and are also, therefore, used extensively, even in savoury cooking. Mangos, papayas (also known as paw paws), guavas, granadillas and pineapples are all firm favourites.

Ivete’s concerts are very popular and most of her singles become hits in Brazil. Ivete is unanimously the most popular female singer in Brazil, her albums have sold more than 20 million copies.

Ivete Sangalo first became famous as the lead singer for axé music band Banda Eva in 1993. She then started her solo career in 1997, winning three Latin Grammy Awards since. She is also the spokesperson for dozens of brands in Brazil.

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.

 

Archaeological sites near the Amazonian towns of Santarém and Monte Alegre and elsewhere in Brazil show that the region has been inhabited since at least 9000 BC. Mixed communities of farmers, fishers, and hunters and gatherers developed in the Amazon lowlands, whereas hunters and gatherers predominated in the drier savannas and highlands. Between two million and six million indigenous Indians lived in the region at the time of European contact in 1500.

Tupian-speaking Indians inhabited the coastal areas and were among the more significant of the tropical forest groups. Portuguese explorers of the region first encountered Tupians and principally dealt with them for many years. Indeed, Tupians may have been the most important Indian influence in Brazil’s early colonial period and in the culture that subsequently developed; however, European diseases decimated the indigenous population, and many surviving Indians endured harsh treatment under Portuguese domination.

Cheese and bread – two staple favourites the world over – are brought together in glorious union in Brazil’s pão de queijo, a moreish snack enjoyed at any time of day. Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, the gluten-free bread rolls are made with tapioca flour, eggs and grated curado minas cheese (a cow’s milk cheese from the state of Minas Gerais), rolled into small balls. For a naughty twist, keep an eye out for pão de queijo served in fist-sized rolls (or even a cake-sized bake), stuffed with cream cheese or various meaty fillings.

From 1808, the Portuguese king ruled his vast empire from Rio de Janeiro. 15 years later after the Independence War, Brazil ceased to be a Portuguese colony declaring independence from Portugal in 1822 and becoming the Empire of Brazil. Pedro I ruled until his abdication in 1831 when he left behind his 5 year old son, Emperor Pedro II. Years of rebellion ensued. The First Brazilian Republic was established in 1889 after a military coup and the ousting of Pedro II. The country’s name was changed to the Republic of the United States of Brazil, changing again in 1967 to the Federative Republic of Brazil.