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Where is Brazil?
About Brazil
The Land
The People
Life and Death
Health, Energy and the Environment
Education and Work
Travel, Communication and the Media

Brazil is a vast country in the east and centre of South America.

Brazil has a border on the Atlantic Ocean.

The land is mostly flat lowlands in the north, some plains, hills and mountains and a narrow coastal strip.

The geographical coordinates for the centre of Brazil, also known as lines of latitude and longtitude, are:-
Latitude - 10 00S
Longitude - 55 00W

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Check the weather in Brasilia now.

This is the time in Brasilia now

The Brazilian flag is green with a large yellow diamond containing a blue globe. There are 27 white stars scattered around the globe. The globe has a central white band with the words Ordem E Progresso which means Order and Progress. The stars represent the various states within Brazil. The yellow diamond is roughly the shape of Brazil.

The capital of Brazil is Brasilia.

Brazil is a presidential republic with a president as head of state and head of government.

In elections everyone over the age of 18 and under the age of 70 must vote. It is voluntary for those between 16 and 18 and those over 70. Members of the military cannot vote.

The currency in Brazil is the real.

Portuguese is the official language.

Hear the National Anthem

These are the anthem words

The words ×

These are the words to the Brazilian National Anthem called Brazilian National Anthem. It was adopted in 1922 although had been used before but without lyrics.
If anthem fails to play click here
The Ypiranga’s placid banks heard the resounding shouting of a heroic people.
And the sun of freedom, in bright rays shone at this moment in the homeland’s skies.
As the promise of this equality was secured by our strong arms,
In your bosom, O Freedom, we are ready to die.
O beloved, idolized homeland, hail, hail! Brazil, a vivid dream, a lively ray
Of love and hope settles on the earth, as in your beautiful sky, smiling and limpid,
The image of the Southern Cross shines resplendent. A giant by nature, you are beautiful,
Strong, an intrepid colossus, and your future mirrors this grandeur.
CHORUS:
O land we adore, among a thousand others, you are the beloved one.
You are the gentle mother of the sons of this land, beloved homeland, Brazil!
Eternally laid in a splendid cradle, to the sound of the sea and the light from the depths of the sky,
Brazil, you gleam, fleuron of the Americas, illuminated by the sun of the New World.
Your smiling, lovely fields have more flowers than the most attractive land elsewhere,
Our forests have more life, Our life in your bosom more love.
O beloved, idolized homeland, hail, hail! Brazil, may you have as eternal symbol
The starry banner you display, and may the green laurel of this pennant speak
Of peace in the future and glory in the past. But if you raise a strong cudgel in the name of justice,
You will see that a son of yours does not run from a fight, nor does one who adores you fear death.
Chorus

We have already written our own history of England but are asking schools in Brazil to provide us with a detailed history of their own country. Check how here.

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The total land area of Brazil is 8,358,140 sq kms which is the largest in South America.

Brazil has lakes, rivers and canals which total 157,630 sq kms.

Brazil has boundaries with 10 countries

Bolivia 3,403 kms

Peru 2,659 kms

Venezuela 2,137 kms

Colombia 1,790 kms

Paraguay 1,371 kms

Guyana 1,308 kms

Argentina 1,263 kms

Uruguay 1,050 kms

The French dependency of Guiana 649 kms

Suriname 515 kms

Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kms which is the longest in South America.

The highest point in Brazil is Pico da Neblina at 2,994 metres.

The pie chart below shows how the land is split between agricultural land (crops and pastures), forests and other, which can be towns, villages, desert or frozen waste called tundra.

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The total population of Brazil is 205.82 million people, making it the largest country in South America by population.

Of this number 104.32 million are females and 101.50 million are males.

A person from Brazil is called a Brazilian.

To be a citizen of Brazil you must be born in Brazil or one of your parents must be a citizen of Brazil. You have to live in Brazil for 4 years before you can begin to apply for citizenship.

The largest five cities in Brazil, by population are:-

Sao Paulo 10,021,295 people

Rio de Janeiro 6,023,699

Salvador 2,711,840

Fortaleza 2,400,000

Belo Horizonte 2,373,224

For each country we will give you a diagram showing the population density. This is the average number of people for each square kilometre. Each little Owlbut is 1 person and the big yellow rectangle is 1 sq km. After a while you can compare countries and see which ones are the most crowded. Remember it is only an average as more people live closer together in towns and cities than in villages out in the country.

85.7% of the people live in cities or towns.

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The birth rate in Brazil is 14.3 births per 1,000 of population

The death rate in Brazil is 6.6 deaths per 1,000 people.

Check this against the birth rate. If the death rate is higher than the birth rate then the population will decrease unless immigrants arrive in the country.

There are 14.7 deaths of girls under 1 year per 1,000 of births and 21.2 deaths of boys.

The median age for females is 32.4 and for males is 30.7. The median age is that age which divides the population exactly in half so there are the same number of people above the median age as below it.

We have no figures for the average age of a woman when she has her first child is 29.9.

The elderly dependency ratio is 11.4. This is the number of elderly people (ages 65+) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64).

The potential support ratio is 8.7. This is the number of working-age people (ages 15-64) per one elderly person (ages 65+). As a population ages, the potential support ratio tends to fall, meaning there are fewer potential workers to support the elderly.

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Brazil spends 8.3% of its total income on health care.

There are 1.89 doctors per 1,000 people.

There are 2.3 hospital beds per 1,000 people.

22.1% of the population are estimated as obese.

100.0% of the urban population and 87.0% of the rural population have drinking water that is either piped into their home or they have access to a public tap, a protected borehole, well, spring or protected rainwater collection facility.

88.0% of the urban population and 51.5% of the rural population have access to a flushing toilet that is connected to a sewer. a pit latrine (that is a permanent hole in the ground that is looked after) or a composting toilet.

Brazil releases 535.0 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels in the process of producing and consuming energy. This puts it as the highest in South America.

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Brazil spends 6.0% of its total income on education.

Children usually start school at age 6 in Brazil. Primary education is for nine years until age 15. Secondary education, which is not compulsory, can continue to 18. This may be followed by further education at a university or college.

Generally the school year consists of 2 terms and starts in the first week of February and finishes in the middle of December. There is usually a 2 week break in the middle of July.

92.9% of females and 92.2% of males are able to read and write by the age of 15.

30.2% of all people aged between 16 and 24 are not in work. Among females 35.0% are unemployed while with males 26.5% can't find work.

The total number of people available for work in Brazil is 110.40 million.

They work in the following sectors.

Agriculture includes farming, fishing and forestry work

Industry includes mining, manufacturing, construction and energy workers

Services is everything else

20.6% of the workforce are unemployed.

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There are 698 paved airports in Brazil, which is the highest number in South America.

There are 29,849 kilometres of railways in Brazil, the longest in South America.

There are 212,798 kilometres of roads in Brazil, which means Brazil is in 1st place for the most kilometres of roads in South America.

There are 6 major national newspapers in Brazil.

There are 257.81 million mobile phone users.

21% of the people have a fixed landline.

120.68 million people have access to the internet at home via any device (computer or mobile).

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