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B r a z i l I
n f o r m a t i o n
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| Brazil is the largest of the Latin American countries. Covering nearly half (47.3 percent) of the continent of South America, it occupies an area of 3,286,470 sq. miles (8,511,965 sq. km). It is the fifth largest country in the world after the Russian Federation, Canada, China, and the United States. Except for a small number of islands, Brazil consists of a single. unbroken land mass. On a map of the globe, it can be seen that the eastern bulge of Brazil conforms to the concave curve of the west coast of Africa. According to the theory of continental drift, this is no accident; Africa and South America once abutted each other, but drifted apart over millions of years. The Equator passes through the north of the country near Macapá; the Tropic of Capricorn passes through the south near São Paulo. Brazil's greatest width, 2,684 miles (4,319.4 km), is almost the same as its greatest distance from north to south, 2,731 miles (4,394.7 km). Brazil has 10 neighbors: the Department of French Guiana and the countries of Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, and Colombia bound Brazil on the north. Uruguay and Argentina are on the south, and on the west are Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru. Ecuador and Chile are the only two countries of continental South America that do not share a border with Brazil. The Atlantic Ocean extends along the entire eastern side of the country, giving it a coastline of 4,578 miles (7,367 km). |
| Geography |
| Topography : The landscape of Brazil
is dominated by two prominent features, the Amazon River with its surrounding
lowland basin of 1,544,400 sq. miles (4.000,000 sq. km) and the Central
Highlands, a plateau that rises southward from the great river. Most of
the Central Highlands consists of a tableland varying in altitude from
984 to 1,640 feet (300 to 500 meters) above sea level, broken by a number
of low mountain ranges and cut by deep valleys. The highlands ascend steeply
in the east forming an escarpment, where several peaks attain an altitude
of 8,202 feet (2,500 meters) or more, and then drop precipitously to a
narrow Atlantic coastal plain. A network of high moun tain ranges runs
from the south of the country to the northeast forming a continental divide
between the Atlantic Ocean and the interior. Brazil's highest peak, Pico
da Neblina, reaching 9,888 feet (3,014 meters), is in the north, close
to the Venezuelan border. Rivers : Brazil has one of the most extensive river systems in the world with eight drainage basins. : The Amazon and the Tocantins Araguaia basins in the north account for 56 percent of Brazil's total drainage area. The Amazon River, the world's largest river in volume of water and second longest after the Nile, is 4,087 miles (6,577 km) long, of which 2,246 miles (3,615 km) are in Brazilian territory. The river is navigable by ocean steamers as far as 2,414 miles (3,885 km) upstream, reaching Iquitos in Peru. The Paraná-Paraguai river system drains the area from the southwestern portion of the state of Minas Gerais southward until it reaches the Atlantic through the River Plate (Rio da Prata) near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brazil's two southernmost states are drained through the Uruguay River also into the Prata. The São Francisco River is the largest river wholly within Brazil, flowing for over 1,000 miles (1,609 km) northward before it turns eastward into the Atlantic. It rises, like the Paraná and the Tocantins, in the Central Highlands of the coun try. The upper river is navigable for shallow draft riverboats in some areas, but only the last 172 miles (277 km) of the lower river is navigable for ocean-going ships. The hydroelectric potential of Brazil, according to the data provided by Eletrobrás in 1994, is of 127,867.6 MW/year of energy. Of this 24.42% is in operation and/or |
| People |
| There are three basic racial sources for
the Brazilian people. To the original inhabitants (Indians) were added
successive waves of Europeans (mainly Portuguese) and Africans (mostly
from the sub-Saharan west coast). In the 16th century, the area which
is now Brazil was inhabited by several hundred Indigenous tribes who,
while racially similar, spoke different languages and had different cultures.
Groups speaking the Tupi and Guarani languages lived along the coast and
in the adjoining hinterland and they established intermarriages with the
Portuguese settlers. Many tribes speaking other languages (Gê, Arwak,
and Karib), on the other hand, lived in the interior and they took longer
to establish contact with the outsiders. Today Brazil's native Indians
number about 250,000. They are divided into roughly 200 groups and they
speak some 180 different languages. The Indians live in vast areas (328,185
sq. miles [850,000 sq. km]), equal to ten percent of Brazil's total territory,
which has been set aside from them by the Federal Government. In these
areas, which total more than twice the size of the state of California,
the Indians are free to preserve their life-style. Starting in the middle
of the 16th century, Africans belonging to the Bantu and to the Sudanic
ethnic groups (a large proportion of the Sudanic group came from the Yoruba
nation from what is today Nigeria and Benin) were brought to Brazil to
work as slaves in the sugarcane, and later, in the gold and diamond mines
and the coffee plantations. The integration process that had begun between
the Europeans and the Indians rapidly spread to include the black slaves. This racial mixing went on as Brazil began, at the end of the 19th century, to receive increasing numbers of immigrants from all over the world. Portugal remained the single most important source of migrants to Brazil, with Italy second, followed by Lebanon. In the first half of the 20th Century, as a consequence of war or economic pressures, sizable contingents of immigrants came to Brazil from parts of western, central, and eastern Europe. In 1908, 640 immigrants came to Brazil from Japan. Because of the welcoming social environment, a Japanese migration trend was established. By 1969, 247,312 Japanese had emigrated to Brazil. Today Brazilians of Japanese descent are the largest such group outside Japan. |
| Gastronomy |
| Like the hamburger and the banana split
in the United States, Brazil's cuisine is the product of tradition and
happenstance. Each region of Brazil - depending on its indigenous culture,
which European group colonized it, nearness to rivers or the ocean annual
rain and soil conditions - developed its own very diverse dishes. Food : The cuisine from Bahia dates back to the time of slavery when the masters saved scraps from the table or leftovers from the previous day's meal to give to the slaves. Some slaves were allowed to fish and look for shrimp and clams. Remembering their cooking-pot training from Africa, the women would put bits of ingredients together and add the milk of coconuts or the oil from the dendê palm. Over the years these concoctions were worked out in recipes and were given names. Today it is called Bahian food. Some of its delicacies are: Vatapá : Shrimp are either cut up or ground together with pieces of fish, then cooked with dendê palm oil, coconut milk and pieces or bread. The dish is served over white rice. Sarapatel : The liver and heart of either a pig or a sheep are mixed with fresh blood of either animal; tomatoes, peppers, and onions are added and everything is cooked together. Carurú : Sauteed shrimp are combined with a very sharp sauce made of red peppers and tiny okra. In the Amazon region a favorite dish is pato no tucupi which is pieces or duck in a rich sauce that is loaded with a wild green herb that tingles the stomach for hours after eating. Another typical dish is tacacá, a thick yellow soup that is laced with dried shrimp and garlic. In Rio Grande do Sul churrasco is the big dish. It is pieces of beefs skewered onto a metal sword, and roasted outdoors over hot coals. There is a tomato and onion sauce to go over it. The gaúchos of the interior barbecue an entire steer this way. If there is one dish that typifies Brazilian cooking it is feijoada. In Rio de Janeiro, where it is especially popular, feijoada is a complicated bean dish prepared with air-dried beef, smoked sausage, tongue, pig's ears and tails, garlic, and chili peppers. It is customary to fill a soup plate with white rice and spoon feijoada on top. Over this is added pulverized manioc flour (farofa), a starch that thickens the sauce. The whole dish is garnished with collard greens and slices of oranges. Drink : Many international travellers think Brazilian beer is one of the best in the entire western hemisphere. For generations there have been expert German and Dutch brewers overseeing the manufacturing and processing of all major companies. Brazil produces a powerful, clear, raw rum (cachaça) made from fermented sugar cane alcohol. Cachaça combined with crushed lime, sugar, and ice becomes a very popular drink called caipirinha. Guaraná, a delicious soft drink unique to Brazil, is made out of a fruit from the Amazon. |
| Climate |
| Average Annual Temperatures 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. Plateau cities such as São Paulo, Brasília, and Belo Horizonte have very mild climates averaging 66°F (19°C). Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Salvador on the coast have warm climates balanced by the constancy of the Trade Winds. In the southern Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre and Curitiba, the subtropical climate is similar to parts of the U.S. and Europe with frosts occurring with some frequency. In this region temperatures in winter can fall below freezing. Despite the popular image of the Amazon as a region of blistering heat, temperatures of more than 90°F (32°C) are rarely experienced there. In fact, the annual average temperature in the Amazon region is in the range of 72 79°F (22-26°C), with only a very small seasonal variation between the warmest and the coldest months. The hottest part of Brazil is the northeast where, during the dry season, between May and November, temperatures of more than 100°F (38°C) are recorded frequently. The northeast has greater seasonal variation in temperatures than does the Amazon region. Along the Atlantic coast from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, mean temperatures range from 73°F to 81°F (23 27°C). Inland, on higher ground; temperatures are lower, ranging from 64°F to 70°F (18 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 63°F to 66°F (17 19°C). Average Annual Rainfall Brazil's most intense rainfall is found around the mouth of the Amazon River near the city of Belém, and also in the vast upper regions of Amazônia where more than 78 inches (2,000 millimeters) of rain falls every year. Another important region of heavy rainfall is along the edge of the great escarpment in the state of São Paulo. Most of Brazil, however, has moderate rainfall of between 39 to 59 inches (1,000 to 1,500 millimeters) a year, with most of the rain falling in the summer, between December and April. The winters tend to be dry. The driest part of the country is the northeast, the so called "polygon of drought", encompassing 10 percent of the country's territory. In this region rainfall is undependable and the evaporation rate is very high, making it difficult to raise crops. Along the coastline, south from Recife, the mountains trigger rainfall from the Trade Winds. In some places behind the mountains, such as the region south of Salvador, the hinterland is dry because the rain is dumped on the mountains leaving very little for the area behind. |
| Visas |
| As a matter of reciprocity a visa is required
for American citizens wishing to visit Brazil. To obtain a tourist visa
you will need: Download Visa Application form in Word Format or PDF Format A passport that is valid for at least six months from the intended date of arrival in Brazil One passport-sized photograph (2" x 2") A photocopy of round trip ticket A duly filled out and signed visa application form The $65.00 processing fee Additional information and extra fees may apply, depending on the specific details of your trip, be sure to check directly with the Brazilian Consulate where you will be applying for a visa. |
| How to get there? |
| Several airlines offer scheduled services
between United States and Brazil.
American Airlines 1-800-433-7300 |
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