About Brazil

Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world by area and population with the worlds largest river ( The Amazon ). The largest cities are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Recife, and Porto Alegre. It covers 3,300,169 square miles. Brazil has a very diverse population with roots to Italy, Spain, Germany, and East Europe. It is a country rich in culture. To the North there is the mighty ever expanding Amazon River located in the Amazon Rain Forest. Here there are species of animals and plants not yet discovered by scientists. It's indigenous population ( other wise known as "The arrow people" ), the original inhabitants, make up for only about 1% of Brazil's population. The Amazon River is just massive. There are many tributaries running from The Amazon which snake throughout the entire region ( over 200 ). Everyday you can see that there are huge cargo ships transporting their goods to and from the country or to other countries via this amazing and spectacular river and maybe on a clear day in Brazil you might just be able to see land on the far side of the river out over the horizon. Some of Brazil's main natural resourses include gold, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, and timber ( Brazil produces some of the most expensive wood products ) and as you can probably imagine fishing is a big hit there in the country of Brazil.

 

I traveled to and lived in the city of Macapá in the state of Amapá to the North of Brazil in the Amazon region. It is a great place to visit. Great food, great people, great tourist attractions. One other thing that comes to mind when I think about tourist attractions to see in Macapá is the site of the Equator "Marco zero" ( zero mark ). It is a momumental site to see near the actual Equator. Macapá's population only stands at about 155,000 though. It is one of the smaller Brazil cities. During my stay in Brazil, me and my wife visited the city of Belém or otherwise known as Belém do Pará, and I found that this city is huge, not as huge as a city such as são Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, but it stands out. It's population sits at about 1.421 million. There are a lot of sites to visit here. One that comes immediately to mind is the Emilio Goeldi Museum which I have had the pleasure of visiting.

 

To anyone who enjoys great tasting juices, Brazil is most definitely the place to go to quench that juicy thirst. There is suco de acerola (acerola juice), suco de manga (mango juice), água de coco (coconut water), suco de maracujá (passion juice), suco de caju (cashew juice) and then my favorite suco de goiaba (goiaba juice). As you can probably imagine, the fish in Brazil are quite plantiful and tasty (For extra added flavor, I recommend fish sautéed in tucupi sauce. This is a delicacy of the Amazonian indians.). The currency in Brazil is the real (Reais in the plural). The exchange rate to the dollar is different from day to day since Brazil's economy pretty much reflects the economy of the US. To see the exchange rate for each day, click here.

Another exciting event to see while in Brazil is the carnival which is celebrated every year. The people just refer to it as "Carnaval". This is basically Brazil's version of Mardi-Gras, a celebration which originated with the French and takes place during the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. People from all over the world come to watch the festivities of this event. The carnival itself starts on a Saturday and ends on the following Tuesday or "Fat Tuesday".

 

 

Approximate average yearly temperatures and rainfall by region ( Temperatures displayed in farengheit )  Low/high
Manaus (precip.- 72 in. ) 75/89
Brasilia ( precip.- 65 in. ) 60/90
Rio de Janeiro ( precip.- 42 in. ) 60/79
Fortalezer ( precip.- 63 in. ) 75/84
Map of Brazil
 

 

 
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