FACTS ABOUT BRAZIL

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT BRAZIL

   1.                 The official name of Brazil is “Federative Republic of Brazil”.

2.                 Human settlement in Brazil is thought to have begun at least 32,000 years ago.

3.                 Before the discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese, South American Indians had been living in the region for thousands of years.

4.                 On January 1, 1502, the first official tourist arrived in Brazil. The bay where they landed was named Rio de Janeiro (Bay of January).

5.                 Brazil was ruled by the Portuguese for more than 300 years.

6.                 And it finally attained independence from Portugal on September 07, 1822.

7.                 The Portuguese established sugar plantations in Brazil during the 16th century.

8.                 Brazil discovered gold for the first time in 1695, and furnished a large portion of the world’s gold reserve during the 18th century.

9.                 The Portuguese started colonizing Brazil in 1930.

10.            “Brasil” – as called by the European sailors and merchants, was also known as the “Land of Parrots”.

11.            Brazil forcibly imported African slaves in a large number (estimated between 3 and 4 million.)

12.            Rio de Janeiro was Brazil’s capital city until 1961. However, the country’s capital was shifted from the crowded Rio de Janeiro to planned city of Brasilia.

13.            Due to floods and landslides, 916 people died in a hilly region of Rio de Janeiro in January 2011 and 345 people were missing. It was one of the biggest catastrophes in the history of the country.

14.            The world’s largest population of Catholics (73.6%) lives in Brazil.

15.            Brazil has the second largest population of Christians after the United States of America. And the largest population of Christians in South America.

16.            Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil.

17.            Almost 90% of the households in the country have TV sets, and radio is the second most popular source of entertainment and information.

18.            Brazil also has the largest number of Japanese people outside Japan.

19.            Brazil has a high murder rate.

20.            The Carnival held in Rio de Janeiro is often cited as the “world’s largest party”.

21.            Copacabana beach located at the south end of the city of Rio de Janeiro is a 4 km long beach. The beach is famous for hosting a concert in 1994 that was attended by 3.5 million people. This was the largest gathering for a concert ever.

22.            According to media reports, by mid-2007, there were 67 tribes in Brazil who have never had contact with modern man.

23.            At least 180 languages are spoken in Brazil.

24.            Samba music from Brazil from the 18th century is still tremendously popular.

25.            The name ‘Brazil’ comes from ‘Brazilwood’ – the name of a tree in Brazil.

26.            Brazil has a replica of the Statue of Liberty.

27.            Brazil also has the world’s second-largest black population after Nigeria.

28.            Brazil became the first South American country ever to host the Olympics in 2016.

29.            On an average, 6 million tourists visit Brazil every year.

30.            According to a report, 6.6 million tourists visited Brazil in 2016. The visitors injected a whopping $6.2 dollars into the Brazilian economy. The boost in visitor count in 2016 was due to the Olympic Games held in the country.

31.            Oscar Niemeyer designed the capital city of Brasilia. It resembles the shape of an airplane when viewed from the air.

32.            ‘Rubber’ made Brazil a wealthy nation during the late 18th century.

33.            There are more species of monkeys in Brazil than in any other nation.

34.            Brazilian national anthem has two seven-verse stanzas.

35.            Embraer, a Brazilian aircraft manufacturing company is among the world’s top five aircraft manufacturers.

36.            The world’s highest vertical cemetery (108 meters tall) is The Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, in Santos, Brazil.

37.            Brazil is the world’s second-largest producer of ethanol fuel.

38.            Brazilians drink 5.5 kg per capita per year of coffee.

39.            Brazil is the leading producer of oranges in the world, which amounts to 30% of the world’s total output.

40.            The biggest African city outside Africa – Salvador – is in Brazil.

41.            Pele is a Brazilian soccer player who is famous the world over. Brazil has won soccer’s FIFA World Cup five times.

42.            Paulo Coelho is a famous Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, on August 24, 1947.

43.            Sand dunes in Brazil can reach a height of 40 meters.

44.            Brazil’s first national parks were created in the late 1930s.

45.            ‘Silva’ is the most popular surname in Brazil.

46.            Brazil has a 60% share of the Amazon’s rain forest. The rainforest is also known as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle.

47.            The Amazon rainforest is estimated to contain 390 billion individual trees divided into 16,000 species.

48.            Brazil declared itself a republic on November 15, 1889.

49.            Brazil has the tenth-largest railway and third-largest roadway network in the world.

50.            The largest number of species of mammals, plants and freshwater fish are found in Brazil.

51.            Brazil has thirteen cities with a population of more than one million people.

52.            Brazil has only three time zones.

53.            The climate is tropical across the majority of Brazil.

54.            Brazil is also the fifth largest country by population behind China, India, U.S., and Indonesia.

55.            Brazil hasn’t been involved in a war since 1870.

56.            There are 26 states in Brazil.

57.            In 2016, almost 86% of Brazil’s population lived in urban areas.

58.            Sao Paulo is the richest and the most populated state in Brazil. It is also the largest city in South America.

59.            Sau Paulo is Brazil’s economic and demographic heartland.

60.            Brazil has more than 4000 airports, which is fewer than the U.S.

61.            The ‘Itaipu Dam’ in Brazil is the second-largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world.

62.            Brazil can also be called as the “land of contrasts.”

63.            Brazil is one of the 17 megadiverse countries.

64.            Brazil has changed its currency at least 8 times between 1942 and 1994!

65.            The Brazilian Real is the official currency of Brazil.

66.            The country of Brazil occupies half of South America’s total landmass.

67.            Brazil is the longest country in the world.

68.            There are 22 towns and cities in Brazil that have at least 500,000 people living in them.

69.            Brazil borders every South American nation except Ecuador and Chile.

70.            Brazil is void of deserts, High Mountain, and arctic environments.

71.            Brazil has 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

72.            Brazilian prisoners can reduce their sentence by 4 days every month for every book they read and write a report about.

73.            Prisoners in Brazil could also pedal a stationary bicycle in the prison to provide electricity to a nearby town. This would also help reduce their sentence by a few days.

74.            If you were to buy an Apple iPhone in Brazil, you would have to pay almost twice the price for the phone as if you had bought it in the United States.

75.            Brazil once listed an aircraft carrier for sale on eBay.

76.            Due to financial crises in 1932, Brazilian athletes had to sell coffee on their way to the Los Angeles Olympics.

77.            In areas around Brazil and Argentina, the earth’s magnetic field has been found to be weakening, specifically for the last 180 years

78.            An island in Brazil called Snake Island has up to 5 snakes per square meter. Civilians are not allowed to visit the island.

79.            The only national football team to have never lost to Brazil is Norway.

80.            Brazil lost the 1950 FIFA World Cup final to Uruguay.

81.            Brazil won the FIFA World Cup in 1958 when it beat Sweden 5-2 in the final and lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time.

82.            Brazil exported more than half a million handguns to the U.S. in 2010; making it the largest exporter of guns during that period.

83.            When Pele and Garrincha played together, Brazil never lost a game of soccer.

84.            In every city in Brazil, there is at least one soccer stadium.

85.            In the 1980s, Brazil became the first South American country to accept women in its armed forces.

86.            Brazil’s first printing press was set up in 1808.

87.            The Brazilian Football Confederation was founded in 1914.

88.            Corcovado is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known worldwide for the 38-metre (125 ft) statue of Jesus atop its peak, entitled Cristo Redentor or “Christ the Redeemer”.

89.            Sao Paulo is known for traffic jams. A record was set in 2013 when a 309 km long traffic queue developed during evening rush hour.

90.            The country has a city called “Nao-Me-Toque.” It literally means “Don’t Touch Me.”

91.            Outdoor advertising has been banned in Sao Paulo since 2006.

92.            The largest free rock concert ever had 4.2 million attendees. It was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and featured a performance by Rod Stewart.

93.            The largest stock exchange in Latin America is in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

94.            Brazil has won the World Cup soccer finals five times.

95.            Gambling in Brazil is prohibited due to the fact that the government is not able to monitor the winning made in such games. However, online gambling is permitted because the internet is not regulated by the Brazilian territory.

96.            Professional hunting since 1967 is banned in Brazil. However, hunting is permitted in certain cases including that done for subsistence.

97.            Use of cell phones in banks is prohibited in Brazil in the interest of its users to prevent robbery and theft.

98.            The total population of Brazil is 205,823,665.

99.            Brazil shares a border with French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.

100.       Brazil Exports: Transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee and automobiles.

101.       Brazil Imports: Machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts and electronics.

102.       The internet country code for Brazil is .br.