Tom+Ilany

Source: google image Brazil flag
 * BRAZIL**


 * Country profile **
 * There are a lot of attractions in Brazil which means that a lot of tourists visit there.
 * There are 72 million internet users which is an example of a high literacy rate and good computer resources in Brazil. This means that Brazil has a good economy.
 * Brazil has a population growth rate of 1.134 which shows that Brazil is a growing country.
 * Infant mortality per 1,000 live births is 21.17, more than 3 times worse than the United States. This is probably due to the fact that everyone living in Brazil does not have good healthcare.

**Brazil map** **Map discription:** The map shows the countries that are near Brazil. The map shows the higth of the land. The map presents where are the major cities and the capital.The map shows bodies of water.



**__Geography and Cli mate__** Brazil is a very large country. It is the fifth largest country in the world comprising 3,287,612 sq. mi. which makes Brazil just a little smaller than America. Brazil has three time zones. Most of the country is tropical, but because Brazil is so large, there are still many different types of climate zones inside the country. The climate zones range from equatorial rainforest in the north, semi-arid deserts in the northeast, temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in central Brazil. The rainfall across Brazil is different depending on the climate zone.

 The geography of Brazil includes hills, mountains, plains, highland and scrublands. Two of the most famous geographic features of Brazil are the Amazon River and the Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world and 60% of it is inside Brazil. The Amazon also has the highest estimated diversity of plant species on Earth. In one square kilometer there may be more than 1,000 types of trees and thousands of other species of plants. The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world and it is the largest when based on volume of water. There is also a beautiful waterfall called Iguazu Falls.  All of Brazil’s northern and eastern borders are along the ocean. The climate is also mostly tropical and warm. The combination of these two factors gives Brazil a strong beach culture. Many of the people go to the beach for recreation. Surfing, beach volleyball and beach soccer are very popular sports in Brazil.

WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW When traveling to Brazil, you should bring your bathing suit because there are many beautiful beaches. If you go to the Amazon jungle, make sure to bring clothes to protect you from mosquitos and other bugs.



**__ECONOMY __** The economy of Brazil is very strong even during the recent global financial crisis. Brazil’s economy is the eighth largest in the world and it is projected to become the fifth largest in the next few years. The economy grew 7.5% in 2010 and is expected to grow 4% - 5% a year, which is very good. Agriculture and industry are two important sectors of the economy. Agriculture makes up 36% of Brazil’s exports. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugarcane, coffee, tropical fruits, and frozen concentrated orange juice and also produces large crops of corn, cotton, cocoa, tobacco and forest products. Brazil has the world’s largest commercial cattle herd (170 million head which is 50% larger than the U.S.) and is secjjjjjond only to the U.S. in production of poultry. In 2009, Brazil had a positive agricultural trade balance of $55 billion. Brazil has one of the most advanced industrial sectors in Latin America which makes up about one-third of its GDP. Some of the industries include automobiles and auto part, machinery and equipment, textiles, shoes, cement, computers, and aircraft. In order to help the economy to grow Brazil has a strong financial sector. The largest banks are owned by Brazilians, but there are also U.S. and other foreign banks. Another major part of the economy is the export of commodities and natural resources such as lumber, iron ore, tin, other minerals and petrochemicals. Brazil does not import any oil because it has a large supply. In 2008, the government announced a huge discovery of oil under the sea near the city of Rio de Janeiro. There is so much oil (estimated between 30-80 billion barrels) that Brazil might become one of the top 10 countries in the world in reserves.

WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW The economy of Brazil is good and is growing stronger now. You should know that in the future Brazil will be a very important oil producing country for the world.

**__Historical Events__** Brazil has been inhabited by people for at least 8,000 years. These first people were called the “Indians” by the Portuguese who claimed Brazil as a colony for Portugal in 1500. The Indians are believed to have migrated by land across the Bering Strait and down into Central and South America. When the Portuguese arrived in the year 1500 there were 2,000 tribes living in the area that is now Brazil. These Indians lived by hunting, fishing and some agriculture. Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed Brazil as a Portuguese colony in 1500. Portugal ruled over Brazil until the country declared independence in 1822. Brazil has had many different kinds of governments until today. The current government is democratic. However, the first government under Portuguese rule was a monarchy. First the son of the King of Portugal became emperor in 1822. There was a federal republic from 1831 – 1889. From 1889 - 1930 the government changed to a constitutional republic. Then there was a military takeover and a man called Getulio Vargas ruled Brazil as a dictator until 1945. From 1945 – 1961 Brazil changed back to electing presidents, but there was another military takeover in 1964 and Brazil was led by another military dictator unitil 1985. This last dictatorship was a very difficult time for Brazilians because the economy was bad and thousands of people were imprisoned, tortured or murdered by the government. Finally, in 1985, Brazil returned to being a democracy with an elected president and continues that way until today. The current president is the first woman to be elected to that office in Brazil. Her name is Dilma Rousseff.

WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW If you are an American going to Brazil you should know that even though the country seems very free like in America, the Brazilian democracy is much younger than America's. Only 25 years ago Brazil was ruled by a military dictator.

**__Religion, Holidays and Festivals__** The religions are:
 * Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%
 * Protestant 15.4%
 * Spiritualist 1.3%
 * Bantu/voodoo 0.3%
 * other 1.8%
 * unspecified 0.2%
 * none 7.4%

The most important days are:
 * 1 January – New Year's Day
 * 47 days before Easter –Carnival
 * Good Friday - Friday before Easter
 * Easter - First Sunday after the first full moon of the spring/fall
 * 21 April – Tiradentes
 * 1 May – Labour Day
 * Variable dates – Corpus Christi
 * 7 September – Independence Day
 * 12 October – Our Lady Aparecida (Patron saint of Brazil), also celebrated as Children's Day
 * 2 November – Finados
 * 15 November – Proclamation of the Republic
 * 24 December – Christmas Eve
 * 25 December – Christmas Day

The majority of the population of Brazil is Roman Catholic. One of the most important festivals in Brazil is related to the Roman Catholic celebration of Lent when they traditionally abstain from the consumption of meat and pountry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove (literally, "raise") meat." The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held forty-six days before Easter. Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's death and resurrection. Rhythm, participation, and costumes vary from one region of Brazil to another. In the southeastern cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, huge organized parades are led by samba schools. Those official parades are meant to be watched by the public, while minor parades ("blocos") allowing public participation can be found in other cities. The northeastern cities of Salvador, Porto Seguro and Recife have organized groups parading through streets, and the public interacts directly with them. This carnival is heavily influenced by African-Brazilian culture. Crowds follow the trio eletricos floats through the city streets. Also in northeast, Olinda carnival features unique characteristics, partly influenced by the Venice Carnival mixed with cultural depictions of local folklore. Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become an event of huge proportions. The country stops completely for almost a week and festivities are intense, day and night, mainly in coastal cities. The consumption of beer during Carnival accounts for 80% of annual consumption and tourism receives 70% of annual visitors. The government distributes condoms and launches awareness campaigns at this time to prevent the spread of AIDS

WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW If you want to experience a very important part of Brazilian culture, visit Brazil during the week of Carnaval. There are celebrations throughtout the country and it would be a very fun and interesting visit.



sources: google images CIA World factbook Wikipedia