Brazil

Quick Facts

[edit]

Local name

Brasil

Capital

Brasilia

Government

Federal Republic

Nationality

Brazilian

Population

184,000,000

Languages

Portuguese

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Currency

Brazilian Real (BRL)

Calling Code

+55

Time Zone

UTC -2 to -5

Introduction

A Typical Street

© All Rights Reserved Jeremy T

Brazil is undoubtedly one of South America's finest destinations. From the dense jungles enveloping the mighty Amazon, to the mountainous terrain on the southern coastline, to the many miles of beautiful sandy beaches, Brazil has something for everyone. But beyond its natural beauty, the Brazilian people and their culture is what makes Brazil a great destination. The four day festivities of the world-renowned Carnival, held around late-February, are a fantastic attraction for many travellers. Although Brasilia is the capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro (The River of January) is often considered the heart of the country.

Brief History

It remains somewhat of a shiboleth that Brazil was 'discovered' by the Portuguese in the 1500's because unlike many of the other Andean tribes Brazils indigenous people have left little evidence of their existence.

On the 22nd of May 1500 Pedro Alvares Cabral led the colonisation of Brazil by the Portuguese. During the first century of occupation the major export was Brazilwood (Caesalpinia echinata) giving the country its name. However the Portuguese interest in the country was fairly slack which led to successive attempts by the French and Dutch to invade. The Dutch sacked Bahia in the 1600's and successfully captured Salvador, they formally withdrew in 1661 after successfully occupying the Nordeste for about 30 years.

Interestingly Brazil is one of only two countries among the 'new worlds' that housed an effective legal monarchical state (the other was Mexico), for a period of almost 90 years. Brazil's capital city — Rio de Janeiro — was from 1808 to 1821 the head of the Portuguese empire. The monarchy was deposed on November 15, 1889 by a Republican military coup led by general Deodoro da Fonseca, who became the country's first de facto president through military ascension. In 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers.

Geography

Brazil extends over 8.5 million square kilometers, occupying just under half (47%) of the area of Latin America. This includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paolo. It borders with Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. Its coastline is 7,491 Km and its highest point is Pico da Neblina (3,014 m).

Terrain is mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and a coastal belt.

Resources

Land use is composed of; arable land: 5%, permanent crops: 1%, permanent pastures: 22%, forests and woodland: 58%, other: 14%. Natural resources include bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

Main agricultural products include coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef and main industries in textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment.

Regions

Brazil is divided into 26 states (known as estados) and one federal district (Distrito Federal) in five main regions:

• North: Acre, Amapa, Amazonas, Para, Rondonia, Roraima, Tocantins.
• Northeast: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceara, Maranhao, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe.
• Central-west: Brasilia (FD), Goias, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul.
• Southeast: Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo.
• South: Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina.

Cities

• Brasilia - The nation's capital.
• Curitiba
• Manaus - Capital of the Amazon.
• Recife
• Rio de Janeiro - The second largest city in Brazil.
• Salvador
• Sao Paulo - Brazil's largest city.

Sights and Activities

Devil's throat

© All Rights Reserved monkyhands

Iguazu Falls

Bordering Brazil and Argentina, Foz de Iguassu comprise of 275 waterfalls which cascade along the cliff edges for some 2700 metres, falling from heights of up to 80 metres. For more information, have a look at the Iguazu Falls article.

Pantanal

The Pantanal is the world's largest continuous wetland with a total area of more than 200,000 square kilometers. Over half of the Pantanal is located in Brazil which also offers the best opportunities for a visit to this paradise full with animals. For more details about visiting this amazing place read the Pantanal article.

Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon Rainforest contains over half of the rainforest in the world and is by far the largest rainforest with about 7 million square kilometers. The area actually containing forest is slightly smaller and is divided by 9 countries of which Brazil has the largest part. For more information about the lungs of our planet, read the Amazon Rainforest article.

Chapada Diamantina National Park

The Chapada Diamantina National Park is unique, wonderful and natural. It boasts beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, canyons and a big natural swimming pool. Enjoy reading the full Chapada Diamantina National Park article for your options to visit the main sights.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Although 90 percent of the country is within the tropical zone, more than 60 percent of the population live in areas where altitude, sea winds, or cold polar fronts moderate the temperature. There are five climatic regions in Brazil: equatorial, tropical, semi arid, highland tropical, and subtropical.

The hottest part of Brazil is the northeast where, during the dry season, between May and November, temperatures may reach above 38 °C. Along the Atlantic coast from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, mean temperatures range from 23 °C to 27 °C. Inland, on higher ground; temperatures are lower, ranging from 18 °C to 21 °C. South of Rio, the seasons are more noticeable and the annual range of temperature greater. The average temperature for this part of the country is in the range between 17 °C and 19 °C.

Rainfall

Brazil's most intense rainfall is found around the mouth of the Amazon River (around Belém), and also in the upper regions of Amazônia where more than 2,000 mm (78 inches) of rain falls each year. The rest of the country has moderate rainfall of between 1,000 and 1,500 mm (39 to 59 inches) a year, most of which falls in the summer, between December and April with winters tending to be dry.

Getting There

Brazil shares borders with 10 countries. Travelling overland from all of these countries except Suriname is possible. Many people arrive by air as well and Brazil has international airports all over the country.

By Plane

If arriving by air, there are a few airports which will likely be your starting point in Brazil. These are Sao Paulo International Airport (GRU) in Guarulhos, 25 km from Sao Paulo and Galeao International Airport (GIG) in Rio de Janeiro.

Although Varig is the national flag carier, TAM Airlines is the biggest Brazilian airlines with flights from several cities in Europe, North America and South America.

Foreign airlines serving these cities directly from Europe are Air France, KLM and TAP Portugal. The latter has direct flights to Brasilia, Recife and other cities in Brazil as well.

From North America most cities mentiond above are served by several airlines as well. Also, unlike flights from Europe, it is possible to fly directly into Manaus, for example from Miami.

Within the region, GOL has an extensive network of destinations. In the north there are several airlines serving The Guyanas (Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) from for example Belem and Manaus. Airlines among which to search are Meta and Suriname Airways.

By Train

There are no direct train connections from neighbouring countries into and out of Brazil. There is, however, the option to travel to Bolivia from Corumba and take the train from Quijarro to Santa Cruz, also known as the Death Train.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

The Amazon functions as the riverine highway of Brazil and many neighbouring countries. Although there are no scheduled services to other countries, you can travel the entire lenght from Belem in the east to the border with Colombia and Peru in the west on many boats. Accommodation is usually in hammocks and it is a great way to experience local Amazonian life. The border is also called the triple frontier and from here on you can travel the Amazone even further into Peru to the city of Iquitos and even Pucallpa.

Getting around

By Plane

Because of the size of Brazil many travellers make the choice to fly between cities, particularly into Manaus for access to the Amazon as the road through the central states has been closed for several years. There are about 30 airports across Brazil offering domestic flights and a handful of these are international. Rio de Janeiro's Galeão Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport is the main international airport in Brazil with dozens of international and domestic airlines offering services.
Domestic business is dominated by Varig, GOL and VASP and cheap flights can best be obtained while inside the country.

By Train

By Bus

Brazil boasts some of the best buses in South America, although road conditions vary widely throughout Brazil. The government offers an up to date online service for checking road conditions^[1]. Prices vary generally as a function of distance and journey length.

By Car

By Boat

Red tape

Travellers from the following countries will be granted a 90 day visa on arrival in Brazil: Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, Holland, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Malta, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vatican and Venezuela.

US citizens and others will be required to obtain visas from Brazillian consulates before travelling to Brazil. Depending on previous travel you may be required to present a yellow fever vaccination certificate on entry.

Money

See also: Money Matters

Brazil's currency is the Brazilian Real (BRL) (pronounced 'hay-AHL'), plural Reais ('hay-EYES'). The subunit is called centavo(s) (cents). There are notes for R$1, R$2, R$5, R$10, R$20, R$50 and R$100^[2]. Coins vary in size and colour and come in 1 centavo, 5 centavos, 10 centavos, 25 centavos, 50 centavos and R$1. BRL1 is roughly 0.55 USD/0.4 EUR/0.27 GBP (check Oanda for up to date conversions).

Use of travellers cheques is restricted and must be exchanged. Exchange centres can be found across Brazil in all major cities called 'casas de cambio. Holders of major credit cards can use most major ATMs to access accounts and withdraw cash (other transactions limited).

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

A big concern of many travellers to Brazil is safety and the subject is often contentious and opinions widely varied. Major cities like Rio, Salvador and Recife have significant reputations for being dangerous in terms of street crime. Rio in particular has unfortunately an increasing problem with violent crime and many sites will advise caution is exercised when considering it as a destination and also when travelling around in the city, particularly on buses.

The skewed distribution of income in Brazil (one of the most unequal in the world) may be partially responsible for an endemic and increasing problem of non-political crime and like any location in which crime is high tourists and travellers may be targets. However this should by no means deter travellers from choosing Brazil as a destination as behaving cautiously and with a certain degree of common sense will reduce any serious risks. This includes things like not carrying around large amounts of cash or flashing expensive cameras. It is also recommended that walking the streets at night in major cities is avoided unless in groups.

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post