Brazil: the Exhilarating Land of Copa Cabana and Rio de Janerio

This vast country with its capital Brasilia covers a major portion of South America. Tracing back its colonial past, it was ruled by Portuguese settlers, the imprints of which are retained even today in the Brasilian towns of Salvador, Sao Paulo and Joao Pessoa. Brazilians are widely known for their love of music in form of folk music, which exhibits their cultural eminence. The Brazilian Soccer team is world renowned for having won an unprecedented five world cups. Brazilian Football Legends like Pele and Ronaldo are household names and revered in the country.

Some Quick Facts on Brazil:

· National Name: Federative Republic of Brazil
· National Capital: Brasilia
· Total Population: 191.8 million (UN, 2007)
· Largest City: Sao Paulo
· Total Area: 8.55 million sq km (3.3 million sq miles)
· Major Language: Portuguese
· Major Religion: Christianity
· Currency: Real
· Main Exports: Manufactured goods, iron ore, coffee, oranges, other agricultural produce, Bauxite
· Life Expectancy: 69 years (men), 76 years (women)
· GDP (per capita): $9700 (2007 Est.)
· Literacy: 88.6%

Geography and Weather of Brazil:
Brazil holds on to its vast wealth of tropical rainforests and the Amazon Basin, incorporates almost half of the rainforests on Earth. Besides this the Atlantic forest offers greater biological diversity than the Amazon basin. And it is characterized by a hot, humid climate receiving heavy rainfall measuring up to 300cm in some places. Amazon, the great river originates in Peru before forming its delta in Brazil.

Brazil has relatively cooler season from May to September and a sweltering one from December to March. While the rainy season comes in between October to May. However, it may also vary in different states.

Culture and Cuisine of Brasil:
Brazil had been under the control of Portuguese colonizers, thereby, presently it features a cultural influence of the same, besides Africa and Asia. Its affluent tradition incorporates relative motley of varied races and ethnicities as a result of which number of different races such as Mestizos and Mulattoes originated. The social aspect plays an important role in the lives of Brazilians, as they believe that family values form the basis of strong foundation enhancing stability.
Samba and Bossa Nova dances form a prominent part of this country’s music tradition. The rich diversity is also depicted through various forms of art be it Literature or architectural paintings. The annual Rio Carnival held in Rio de Janeiro is a great exhibition of Brazilian culture, dance and music.

This multicultural country offers a wide variety of cuisines belonging to varied cultures. Some of the important dishes are Pato no tucupi, prepared specially on the occasion of Christmas, Pao de Quiejo, is a must-eat Brazilian snack and many other sumptuous dishes. Also, Rice and Beans are considered a must have dish on the table. Besides this, Cachaca is the native liquor prepared from sugarcane that is added to the national drink Caipirinha as the main ingredient. Thereby, Brazil has a lot to offer in its range of cuisines.

Tourist Attractions and Vacations in Brazil:
Brazil offers a plethora of sight seeing destinations and is ideal for long vacations, as it comprises a number of different regions offering a whole lot of fun and adventure to the visitors. Some of the cool tourist attractions in Brazil are:

Rio de Janeiro: This populous city is known for its marvelous beaches like the Copa Cabana beach and majestic mountain ranges circumscribed by thick tropical forests. There are a number of historical museums, which comprise this country’s ancient artifacts belonging to 20th century.

Brasilia: This capital city of Brazil is featured as structurally one of the most well planned cities. It has been designed by number of great architects who gave it a backdrop of greenery and the layout of building as well.

Besides, these there are Sao Paulo, Amazonian National Park, Salvador, Iguacu falls, Pantanal, Manaus and many others.

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