5 Fun Facts to Know About
Brazil by Henry Arnault
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Home to spectacular beach
towns, jungle scenes and an extremely rich culture formed from centuries
of mixing influences from Europe, Africa and local indigenous societies,
Brazil is one of the most exciting destinations in Latin America. The largest
country in South America, Brazil cannot go unnoticed, and for good reasons.
If you don't know much about this magnificent country and its wonderful
people, here are 5 interesting and fun facts to start expanding your Brazil
knowledge.
1. Brazil is not only the
largest country in South America but also the world's 5th largest country.
It covers about 3,286,470 square miles (8,511,965 square kilometers) which
represents over half of the continent. It shares borders with all the countries
of Latin America (except Chile and Ecuador).
2. Brazil is the only continent
in South America which derives most of its culture and its language from
Portugal. While the rest of the continent was colonized by the Spanish
Crown, Brazil fell to the hands of the Portuguese regime. It was named
after a type of wood that produced a red dye, "pau brasil", which early
explorers brought back to Portugal.
3. The capital is Brasilia.
Most people believe that the capital is Rio de Janeiro as it is one of
the largest and famous cities in the country, particularly for its colorful
and extravagant Carnival in Feburary. Brasilia surprisingly ranges far
from Brazil's largest cities which include Rio, Sao Paulo, Salvador de
Bahia or Recife.
4. Rio de Janeiro is home
to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the statue of Christ the
Redeemer. Standing on top of one of Rio's highest hills, Corcovado, at
700 meters (2,300 feet), this gigantic 39-meter (130-foot) high statue
was erected in 1931. Constructed over a period of 9 years, from 1922 to
1931, the statue weighs 635 tones and was sculpted by French artist Paul
Landowski.
5. Brazil boasts the greatest
variety of animal species in the world, most of which can be found in the
Amazon rainforest which covers about a third of the territory. The country
is home to over 600 mammals, 1,500 fish species, 1,600 bird species and
an incredible 100,000 types of insects. Many of the most exotic species
live in the Pantanal region, the world's largest wetland. Among these are
giant anacondas, capybaras (huge relatives of the guinea pig), and caimans
(relatives of the alligator yet smaller and only found in Central and Latin
America).
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