Country book · Latin America

Brazil

A continent of its own, in Portuguese

Brazil is bigger than the continental United States minus Alaska, holding most of the Amazon rainforest, the world's most famous carnival and a culture that turns football into something close to religion.

Myths

What's true, what isn't

Actually true

Football really is close to a religion
Brazil has won a record five World Cups, and matches empty entire streets and offices nationwide.
Carnival is genuinely the biggest party on Earth
Rio's Carnival draws millions, with samba schools spending a full year preparing elaborate parade floats and costumes.
It holds the majority of the Amazon rainforest
About 60% of the Amazon basin lies within Brazilian borders, home to uncounted Indigenous groups and species.
It's overwhelmingly Portuguese-speaking, not Spanish
Brazil is the only major Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas, a legacy of Portuguese rather than Spanish colonization.

Commonly believed, wrong

"Brazilians speak Spanish"
Brazil's official language is Portuguese, distinct in sound and vocabulary from Spanish.
"It's all Amazon rainforest"
Brazil also has vast savanna (the Cerrado), wetlands (the Pantanal) and beach cities like Rio and Salvador.
"Rio is the capital"
Brasília, a purpose-built modernist city, has been the capital since 1960.
"Carnival is celebrated the same way everywhere"
Rio's samba parades, Salvador's street trios elétricos and Recife's frevo are entirely different traditions.

Highlights

The best of Brazil

Rio de Janeiro's setting

Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana Beach combine into one of the world's most dramatic city backdrops.

The Amazon rainforest

River cruises and jungle lodges near Manaus offer access to the largest rainforest on Earth.

Iguaçu Falls

A vast system of waterfalls shared with Argentina, with the Devil's Throat viewpoint drenching visitors in spray.

Carnival in Rio and Salvador

Samba schools and street parties transform entire cities for a week each year.

Culture

Cultural riches

Samba and Carnival

Born from Afro-Brazilian communities in Rio, samba schools now compete in massive annual parades.

Capoeira

A martial art disguised as dance, developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil and practiced to live music circles.

Football culture

Pelé, Ronaldo and Neymar are national icons in a country obsessed with the sport from favela pitches to the Maracanã.

Candomblé and Afro-Brazilian religion

Rooted in Yoruba tradition, Candomblé remains widely practiced, especially in Salvador da Bahia.

Food

What to eat

Feijoada

A black bean and pork stew slow-cooked for hours, traditionally served on Saturdays with rice and orange.

Churrasco

Skewered meats grilled and carved tableside, a Southern Brazilian tradition now found nationwide.

Pão de queijo

Chewy, cheesy tapioca rolls from Minas Gerais, eaten for breakfast across the country.

Moqueca

A coconut milk and palm oil fish stew from Bahia, showing strong Afro-Brazilian culinary influence.

Açaí na tigela

Frozen açaí berry pulp blended and topped with granola and banana, now a global health-food export.

Music

World-famous voices

Anitta

The face of Brazilian funk and pop worldwide.

Caetano Veloso

Tropicália founder and national treasure.

Gilberto Gil

Musician, minister, cultural icon.

Sepultura

Brazil's global metal export.

João Gilberto

The gentle voice that created bossa nova.

History

Important people in history

Dom Pedro I

1798 — 1834

Declared Brazilian independence from Portugal in 1822 and became its first emperor.

Getúlio Vargas

1882 — 1954

Dominated Brazilian politics for decades, industrializing the economy and expanding labor rights.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

b. 1945

Former union leader turned president, credited with major poverty reduction programs during his first terms in the 2000s.

Cities