140 Interesting Facts About Brazil
1. Human settlement in Brazil is thought to have begun at least 32,000 years ago.
2. Before the discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese, South American Indians had been living in the region for thousands of years.
3. On January 1, 1502, the first official tourist arrived in Brazil. The bay where they landed was named Rio de Janeiro (Bay of January).
4. Brazil was ruled by the Portuguese for more than 300 years.
5. And it finally attained independence from Portugal on September 07, 1822.
6. The Portuguese established sugar plantations in Brazil during the 16th century.
7. The Dutch invaded Brazil in 1630, which was until now under Portuguese control. By 1654, the Dutch had to leave Brazil and once again the Portuguese had control over the land they discovered back in 1500.
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” (Terra di Papaga).
11. Brazil forcibly imported African slaves in a large number (estimated between 3 and 4 million.)
12. Due to the importation of a large number of slaves from African nations, there was a great mix of population of indigenous Brazilians, the Portuguese, and the African slaves. Moreover, the arrival of immigrants from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East led to the miscegenation of these people from various origins. Hence, Brazil became a culturally diverse nation.
13. Brazil was the first nation in the Americas to bring people to work by force and the last to set them free when it abolished Slavery in 1888 after centuries of hardship seen by the imported African slaves.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. The world’s largest population of Catholics (73.6%) lives in Brazil. They make up 64% of its population.
17. After the United States of America, Brazil has the second largest population of Christians. And the largest population of Christians in South America.
Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil which is a stew of beans with beef and pork.
18. Brazilians value family and social connections. Friendship and hospitality are some of the key
19. traits that the local people look for among themselves.
20. Visitors to Brazil are treated with the utmost respect and are admired. Brazilians have the reputation of being one of the most hospitable people in the world.
21. The most popular type of music Brazilians listen to is the ‘Brazilian funk.’ The music has a constant and repeated beat, which never changes. Brazilians sing different songs with the beat and there are at least 1000 such songs that the countrymen couple with the beat. The interesting thing is that the combination never gets old nor does it get boring.
22. Almost 90% of the households in the country have TV sets, and radio is the second most popular source of entertainment and information.
23. Brazil also has the largest number of Japanese people outside of Japan.
24. Brazil has a high murder rate.
25. Brazilian Carnival is an annual Brazilian festival held between the Friday afternoon (51 days before Easter) and Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. During the festival, more than 2 million people are on the streets every day.
26. The Carnival held in Rio de Janeiro is often cited as the “world’s largest party”.
27. 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.
28. According to media reports, by mid-2007, there were 67 tribes in Brazil who have never had contact with modern man. These semi-nomadic indigenous people have, however, made incredible strides in modern medicine thanks to our knowledge of their use of certain plant life as health-related elixirs.
29. At least 180 languages are spoken in Brazil.
30. Samba music from Brazil from the 18th century is still tremendously popular.
31. It is a ritual in Brazil for boys to bear the pain from Bullet Ants before they are declared adults. Their hands are put in gloves filled with these ants. Boys are required to withstand the pain for at least 10 minutes, and they have to pass this test 20 times before being declared adults.
32. Free sex-change operations are provided by the Brazilian public health system. They recognize this as a constitutional right.
33. Brazilians like to share their drinks and food with others and they are very happy about it.
34. Brazilians are also very optimistic about their future and always believe that tomorrow will be a better day than today.
35. The name ‘Brazihjjvl’ comes from ‘Brazilwood’ – the name of a tree in Brazil.
36. Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America.
37. Brazil has a replica of the Statue of Liberty (a copper statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States.)
38. Brazil also has the world’s second-largest black population after Nigeria.
39. Did you know Brazil became the first South American country ever to host the Olympics in 2016?
40. On an average, 6 million tourists visit Brazil every year.
41. 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.
42. Oscar Niemeyer designed the capital city of Brasilia. It resembles the shape of an airplane when viewed from the air.
43. ‘Rubber’ made Brazil a wealthy nation during the late 18th century.
44. There are more species of monkeys in Brazil than in any other nation.
45. Brazilian national anthem has two seven-verse stanzas. Interestingly, both the stanzas have the same tune. Brazilian law does not permit you to sing just one stanza, you have to sing both the stanzas.
46. Embraer, a Brazilian aircraft manufacturing company is among the world’s top five aircraft manufacturers. Visit their official website here.
47. The world’s highest vertical cemetery (108 meters tall) is The Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, in Santos, Brazil. While the world’s biggest cemetery (covers 1485.5 acres and contains millions of bodies) is in Iraq in the city of Najaf.
48. Brazil is the world’s second-largest producer of ethanol fuel.
49. In 1946, voting became a right and an obligation to all women.
50. Brazilians drink 5.5 kg per capita per year of coffee while Finland tops the list with 12 kg per capita per year. See the list of nations drinking the most coffee here.
51. Brazil is the leading producer of oranges in the world, which amounts to 30% of the world’s total output.
52. The biggest African city outside Africa – Salvador – is in Brazil.
53. Pele is a Brazilian soccer player who is famous the world over. Brazil has won soccer’s FIFA World Cup five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.)
54. Paulo Coelho is a famous Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, on August 24, 1947.
55. Sand dunes in Brazil can reach a height of 40 meters.
56. Brazil’s first national parks were created in the late 1930s.
57. ‘Silva’ is the most popular surname in Brazil.
58. Brazil has a 60% share of the Amazon’s rain forest. The rainforest is also known as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle. The rainforest is estimated to contain 390 billion individual trees divided into 16,000 species.
59. Brazil declared itself a republic on November 15, 1889.
60. Brazil has the tenth-largest railway and third-largest roadway network in the world.
61. The largest number of species of mammals, plants and freshwater fish are found in Brazil.
62. Brazil has thirteen cities with a population of more than one million people.
63. Brazil has only three time zones, while France has twelve.
64. The climate is tropical across the majority of Brazil.
65. Brazil is also the fifth largest country by population behind China, India, U.S., and Indonesia.
66. Brazil hasn’t been involved in a war since 1870.
67. In its official language, Brazil is also called as “Pindorama” meaning “land of the palm trees”.
68. There are 26 states in Brazil and a Federal district that contains its capital city “Brasilia.”
69. In 2016, almost 86% of Brazil’s population lived in urban areas.
70. Sao Paulo is the richest and the most populated state in Brazil. It is also the largest city in South America.
71. Sau Paulo is Brazil’s economic and demographic heartland.
72. Brazil has more than 4000 airports, which is fewer than the U.S., which has the world’s highest number of airports.
73. The ‘Itaipu Dam’ in Brazil is the second-largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world. It is 7.7 kilometers long and 196 meters high. It is located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay.
74. The name Brazil is believed to have originated from the name of the wood “pau brazil” (brazilwood), which was the first product that the Portuguese used to their advantage commercially.
75. Brazil can also be called as the “land of contrasts.”
76. The majority of people of African descent live in the Northeast, Brazilians of European and Japanese ancestry live in the South and Southeast region while the North and Central-West is home to the native people.
77. Brazil is the largest country in the world to have Portuguese as an official language. Note that Portuguese speaking people are also referred to as “Lusophones.”
78. Brazil is one of the 17 megadiverse countries.
79. Brazil was known by different names including the “Land of the Holy Cross” (Terra da Santa Cruz) and the “Land of Brazil” (Terra do Brasil).
80. The northern part of the country is poor and underdeveloped while comparatively the southern part is industrialized and rich.
81. The Brazilian Real is the official currency of Brazil. Brazil has changed its currency at least 8 times between 1942 and 1994! Learn more about the Brazilian Real.
82. Brazil’s economy depended mainly on these items: brazilwood (during first few years of colonization), sugarcane (16th and 17th century), gold and diamond (18th century) and coffee (19th and early 20th century).
83. Brazil became energy independent in 2006. Prior to this, it had imported oil as a primary energy source.
84. The country of Brazil occupies half of South America’s total landmass.
85. Brazil is the longest country in the world while Chile is the second-longest. Brazil extends 4,395 kilometers (2,731 mi) from north to south. It is 4,319 kilometers (2,684 mi) from east to west.
86. The Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world encompassing over 70,000 square miles. Although some part of this region is also shared by the neighboring Paraguay and Bolivia, the majority of it lies in Brazil. The region also has the highest concentration of wildlife on the continent.
87. There are 22 towns and cities in Brazil that have at least 500,000 people living in them.
88. The Guandu River in Rio de Janeiro supplies water to 9 million people in Greater Rio de Janeiro.
89. 4,600 miles of Brazil’s coastline lie on the Atlantic Ocean.
90. Brazil borders every South American nation except Ecuador and Chile.
91. Pico da Neblina, in Amazona, is the highest point in Brazil at 2,994 meters (9,822 feet.)
92. Brazil is void of deserts, high mountain, and arctic environments.
93. Brazil has 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Cultural – 14 and Natural – 7.)
94. Brazil contains one-third of Latin America’s population. It is also among the world’s major economies.
95. Brazil has ten neighboring countries while China and Russia both have fourteen – the highest number of neighboring countries any nation has.
96. Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil. And also the sixth largest in both North and South America.
97. By area, it is the fifth-largest country in the world behind Russia, Canada, the United States, and China.
98. It contains a major portion of the Amazon River basin.
99. Brazil covers 47.3% of the area of South America.
100. According to a recent study, the Mantaro River in southwestern Peru is the source of the mighty Amazon River. The World’s longest river flows through Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela.
101. There are 5 main geographical regions that Brazil is divided into. They are North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast, and South.
102. Brazilian prisoners can reduce their sentence by 4 days every month for every book they read and write a report about.
103. 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.
104. 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.
105. Brazil once listed an aircraft carrier for sale on eBay.
106. Due to financial crises in 1932, Brazilian athletes had to sell coffee on their way to the Los Angeles Olympics. The country has been the world’s largest exporter of coffee for 150 years.
107. In areas around Brazil and Argentina, the earth’s magnetic field has been found to be weakening, specifically for the last 180 years.
108. An island in Brazil called Snake Island has up to 5 snakes per square meter. Civilians are not allowed to visit the island.
109. It occupies the ninth (9th) spot on the list of the most billionaires in the world.
110. Brazil spent US $11 billion for infrastructure improvement in preparation for hosting the 2014 World Cup. However, the U.S. spent only $30 million for the same job in 1994.
111. Would you believe that in Laguna, dolphins help fishermen catch fish? Some fisherman in Brazil get a bit of help from a herd of well-known bottlenose dolphins. In Laguna, a friendly pod of bottlenose dolphins herd fish toward local fishermen. The dolphins then use a series of tail slaps to signal for the fishermen to throw their nets in the water. This impressive collaboration dates back to at least 1847.
112. Indoor tanning for anyone of any age was banned in 2003 in Brazil, making it the first country to impose such a ban (Using a tanning bed, booth or sunlamp to get a tan is called indoor tanning. Indoor tanning can cause skin cancers.)
113. The only national football team to have never lost to Brazil is Norway. They played four matches; two were played to a draw, while the other two were won by the Norwegian team.
114. A single cashew tree in Natal, Brazil covers an area of 7500 meters thanks to a rare genetic mutation.
115. Brazil lost the 1950 FIFA World Cup final to Uruguay. It is noteworthy here that Brazilians prepared 22 gold medals with the names of their players written on them. A victory song was also prepared to celebrate in the event of a win. The result was, however, unfortunate for Brazil.
116. 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.
117. Brazil exported more than half a million handguns to the U.S. in 2010; making it the largest exporter of guns during that period.
118. When Pele and Garrincha played together, Brazil never lost a game of soccer.
119. In every city in Brazil, there is at least one soccer stadium.
120. In 2005, a Nike ad starring Ronaldinho achieved more than 1 million views on YouTube; making it the first YouTube video to reach that mark.
121. It is the world’s largest market for ‘crack cocaine.’
122. In the 1980s, Brazil became the first South American country to accept women in its armed forces.
123. Sugarcane liquor mixed with ice, sugar and crushed lime slices make the Brazilian national drink.
124. Brazil’s first printing press was set up in 1808.
125. The Brazilian Football Confederation was founded in 1914.
126. At 86.4%, Brazil has the lowest literacy rate of all South American countries.
127. 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”.
128. São Vicente, the country’s oldest city, is the birthplace of footballer Robinho. The city was also Portugal’s first permanent settlement in the Americas.
129. 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.
130. One of Henry Ford’s failed ventures (due to poor crop-disease control) was to create rubber plantations and factories in the middle of the Brazilian Amazon jungle.
131. Searching high and low for an odd themed bar you won’t be able to find elsewhere? Look no further than Brazil and its out-of-left-field trend of Osama Bin Laden themed pubs. Currently, there are two locations–Bar do Bin Laden, located in Sao Paulo, which is run by an Osama lookalike, and Caverna do Bin Laden. Roughly translated, the latter means “Bin Laden’s Cave.” This pool bar and watering hole is located in Niteroi, about 30 miles north of bustling Rio de Janeiro.
132. According to various media reports, a customer at Bar do Bin Laden actually called authorities, indicating that the Al Queda founder was hiding out at the establishment.
133. According to a study, 35% of men from rural Brazil have had sex with an animal. Animals like mares, cows, pigs, and chickens were involved in the acts. Moreover, it was also revealed in the study that the men involved in such an act were also likely to develop cancer of the penis.
134. There is a group of people in Brazil called the Bororo who all have the same blood type: “O.”
135. Take note that Bolivia, not Brazil, is the main exporter of Brazil Nuts.
136. The country has a city called “Nao-Me-Toque.” It literally means “Don’t Touch Me.”
137. Outdoor advertising has been banned in Sao Paulo since 2006.
138. 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.
139. The largest stock exchange in Latin America is in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
140. Brazil has won the World Cup soccer finals five times.
Comments
Post a Comment