Welcome from Brazil!

Brazil is the world’s sixth most populous country, covering the fifth largest land area that  is also home to the most biologically diverse population of native plant and animal species on  Earth. Occupying close to half (47.7%) of South America, Brazil is the only country large enough  to span both the equator and the Southern Tropic, also known as the Tropic of Capricorn. 

Brazil is divided into five different regions which vary considerably in climate, terrain,  vegetation, water availability, agriculture and living species. Because Brazil has many different  soils and climates, it can produce a great variety of crops. Its primary agricultural products used  around the world include sugarcane, latex, coffee, cocoa beans, cotton, soybeans, rice and  tropical fruits (it’s the world’s leading provider of oranges!). Though mostly tropical, the  southern parts of Brazil are more temperate. 

The people of Brazil are very welcoming and embrace visitors with great respect. Friendship,  hospitality, family values and social interactions are highly valued among Brazilian people which  makes the country one of the most kind and hospitable places on the planet.  

Home to well over half of the world’s largest rainforest – the Amazon Rainforest – where one out of ten of Earth’s identified living species lives, Brazil takes up 40% of the country’s total land  area. The vast majority of its population lives along its Atlantic coast to the southeast, far away  from the Amazon Rainforest. Accordingly, Brazil has created a network of protected areas  covering about 25% of its national territory, including equal protections for conservation and  indigenous lands. 

Welcome to Brazil’s ecological and cultural hub on Ecology Prime^™! This is where the ecology,  people and living species of Brazil come together as an extremely diverse habitat and  geologically rich system in Earth’s hub of life. This is Brazil…. 

Official Language: Portuguese 

• Brazil is the most populous Portuguese-speaking country in the world, spoken by 98% of its residents. 
• Approximately 218 languages are spoken by the Brazilian population: 201 – Indigenous, 17 – non-indigenous. 
• The most significant minority languages spoken are: English – 7%, Spanish – 4%, Hunsrik (Germanic) – 1.5%. Many of these also speak Portuguese.

Unique Brazil Facts: Did You Know…? 

• Brazil is the only country in the Americas colonized by Portugal. It is the largest country in  the southern hemisphere – larger than the continent-country of Australia and home to  about one-third of Latin America’s human population. 
• Brazil is the only country named after a tree. Its name comes from its longer given name, Terra do Brasil (“Land of Brazil”), the reference to a valuable tree discovered in 1500 when  Portuguese explorers first landed in present-day Brazil. The Brazilwood tree, or pau-brasil, was extremely abundant and quickly became valued for its virtual indestructible lumber.  The national tree of Brazil, it is faced with extinction due to its over-exploitation. 
• Brazil holds 60% of the Lungs of the World, the reference given to the Amazon Rainforest, which comprises more than half of the world’s rainforest area. The primary Amazon  Rainforest covers 3.17 million square kilometers (1.22 million square miles) of Brazil’s  surface area. 
• The climate range in Brazil makes it a year-round destination, with its winters from June to  August and winters from December to February when the most rain is seen. The average  temperature in the winter is ~15.5°C (~59.9°F) and the average temperature in the summer  is ~35.0°C (~95.0°F).  

The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro  

The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, also known as Guanabara Bay, is one of the world’s  seven natural wonders. It is the largest natural bay in the world based on sheer water volume. Watched over by one of the seven wonders of mankind – Christ, The Redeemer,  the harbor was so huge that it was mistaken as a river by early Portuguese explorers. In  fact, Rio de Janeiro, which literally translates as River of January, received its name by the  Portuguese explorers who discovered the bay on January 1, 1502, believing they had discovered a large river. Today, despite the hub of human activity in the city, the bay remains an astoundingly beautiful attraction that defines Rio de Janeiro.

• About 70 indigenous Amazon tribes have never been in contact with the outside world.  These groups have chosen to remain in isolation, and the Brazilian government protects them from contact with outsiders.  
• Although Brazil does not have an official national animal, the jaguar, or Brazilian panther, is  proudly presented by the people of the country as its iconic representative. Like the  Brazilian people, the jaguar is independent and has great pride in and respect for its  territory and resources. 
• Brazil’s Queimada Grande Island, also known as Snake Island, is considered one of the most  dangerous islands in the world due its very high population of snakes, estimated at upwards  of five per square meter. The island is protected, and civilians are not allowed to visit it.
• Of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, Brazil tops the list as the list as the most biologically rich and diverse country on the planet. The country contains over 12% of the  world’s freshwater resources, almost 170,000 thousand identified living plant and animal  species, and upwards of 1.8 million estimated species yet to be identified. 
• Brazil’s Atlantic coast is 4,655 miles (7,491 km) long, the 16th longest national coastline in  the world. 
• The national flag of Brazil represents the rich natural qualities of the country: green for the vast forests of Brazil, the yellow rhombus for its mineral wealth, and the blue circle and  stars for the sky over Rio de Janeiro when Brazil declared itself a republic in 1889. 
• Over six million tourists visit Brazil each year on average. It borders every nation in South  America except Chile and Ecuador.