25 Brilliant Facts about Brazil
Looking to boost your knowledge of this colorful South American country and improved your chances of being crowned the next pub quiz champion? Take a look at these 25 fun facts about Brazil…
1. Brazil has lots going on!
Brazil is a vast, biodiverse and wildlife-rich country in South America.
It is bordered by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana to the north, Uruguay to the south, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru to the west and Colombia to the northwest. It also has a coastline along the South Atlantic Ocean to the east.
2. Want to find Brazil with a compass?
If you’re looking for sun, sand and rainforest, head for Brazil! If you’re making your own way there you’ll need the coordinates 15.7833° S, 47.8667° W.
3. Brazil’s landscape is surprisingly diverse.
The terrain here is mostly flat-to-rolling lowlands, with a few plains, hills and mountains – wonderful!
Flag of Brazil
4. Brazil is impressively large.
The total land area of Brazil is 3,300,169 square miles (8,547,403 square kilometers) – that’s almost as large as the USA. That also makes it the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world!
5. Brazil is home to millions, but is still less dense than the US.
Brazil’s population was 211 million in 2019 – that’s less than 2/3 of the USA population!
6. Is Rio the capital of Brazil?
Contrary to what you might think, the capital is Brasília, not Rio de Janeiro; it covers an area of 2,240 square miles (5,802 square kilometers) and had a population of 4,155,000 in 2015.
7. The capital has an interesting shape.
It is said that Brasília looks like an airplane from above!
8. Brazil is pretty sweltering.
Brazilians enjoy a tropical climate in the west, north and east, with the south experiencing a temperate climate.
9. Brazil’s biggest asset is its waterway.
This vibrant country is home to the Amazon river, the world’s largest river by volume of water flow and in places, up to 30 miles wide!
Lencois, Brazil
10. Flying in and out of Brazil? There’s plenty of choice.
Brazil features 4,093 airports, second to the USA which has a staggering 13,513!
11. Brazil is home to a famous, colossal statue.
Rio de Janeiro is home to the famous Christ the Redeemer statue, the largest art deco statue in the world! Did you know you can get up close to the beautiful statue by taking a trip on the cable car?
12. Rio is the world’s carnival capital.
Rio carnival, held each year in Rio de Janeiro, is considered to be the largest carnival in the world!
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
13. Brazil is amazingly biodiverse.
Apparently, Brazil has a total of 4 million plant and animal species, including monkeys, deer, anteaters, armadillos, anacondas, jaguars and pumas!
14. Much of the rainforest was once used to help produce car rubber.
In 1928, Henry Ford created an industrial town in the Amazon rainforest called Fordlândia (Portuguese for Ford-Land), for the harvesting of rubber to use on his Ford motor vehicles!
15. There’s a towering UNESCO site here.
Sugarloaf Mountain is a granite and quartz monolith and one of the most famous landmarks in the world. You’ll find it in Rio de Janeiro, rising to an impressive 396 meters from sea level. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012.
Ponta Negra, Natal, Brazil
16. Brazil’s language is unique to the continent.
Despite its location, the official language of Brazil is Portuguese, and is the only country in South America to speak this language.
17. Get those pennies changed up!
If you fancy sampling some of the authentic coffee you’ll need to change your holiday money into Brazilian Real, the official currency here.
18. Almost golden!
In Brazil the most common surname is Silva.
Cable car going up Sugarloaf Mountain
19. Brazil’s life expectancy is impressive.
Brazilians live for an average of 75.46 years (2017).
20. Brazil has a forward-thinking motto.
Brazil’s motto is ‘Order and Progress’, or ‘Ordem e Progresso’ in Portuguese.
21. It’s pretty easy to call Brazil.
Want to call your friends or family in Brazil? You’ll need to use the international dialling code, +55.
Iguazu Falls, Brazil
22. Brazil has a varied industry.
Brazil grows coffee, wheat, rice and soybeans; they also rear cattle. Its industry consists of shoes, textiles, chemicals, lumber, cement and iron ore.
23. Lots of our best-loved buys come from Brazil.
The main exports consist of coffee, transport equipment, footwear, iron ore and soybeans. In fact, Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of coffee!
24. There’s more to Rio than carnivals.
In recent years Brazil’s favelas – or shanty towns – have become popular tourist attractions. Rio de Janeiro is home to the most famous – Santa Marta.
25. Time doesn’t stand still here!
Including its offshore islands, Brazil is divided in to four time zones.
Rio, Brazil
FAQs about Brazil
Brazil tends to be pretty cheap to visit on the whole, with on-route eateries and facilities unlikely to break the bank.
Believe it or not, June is the coldest month, with temperatures as low (!) as 19 degrees Celsius.
Brazil is home to an impressive plethora of creatures and critters, including the armadillo, the otter, the puma, the monkey, the sloth, the anaconda and the jaguar! Is it cheap or expensive to visit Brazil?
What is the coldest month in Brazil?
What animals live in Brazil?
Do you know any fun facts about Brazil? Share them in the comments below!
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1 Comment
Yes, it’s actually a correction. To get to the Sugar Loaf Mountain, you need to take a cable car. But to get to the Christ, the big statue of Christ, one of Rio’s famous landmarks, you need to take a train at the station located at the bottom of the mountain. There is a booth where you purchase a ticket and board the train to get there. It’s a fun ride; I have been to both. And by the way, once I am here, the Brazilian industry consists of much more than what you have mentioned above. Be careful, it can be misleading. Brazil produces airplanes, in fact, England import some of them to train, I believe, their military pilots. And also kitchen appliances, fridges and beautiful cutting edge ones, stoves, washing machines, blenders, mini ovens etc…. And beautiful cutlery as well as gorgeous glassware including stemware with outstanding inlay. Anyway, there is way much more, but I will leave it to that. Thank you though for broadcasting Brazil from a positive angle. We, the Brazilians, deeply appreciate that. And by the way, I would like to add that the Brazilian handling of the pandemic is outstanding despite all the criticism. All the public places have been properly adjusted and equipped to face the crisis. Thanks again!!!!
This page was last modified on July 27, 2023. Suggest an edit
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