BRAZIL

INDEX
HISTORY CULTURE STATES ECONOMY NATURALL SOURCES TOPOGRAPHY REFERENCE SOURCES PERSONAL CONCLUSION 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

HISTORY
The land now called Brazil was claimed by Portugal in April 1500, on the arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro lvares Cabral. The Portuguese encountered Stone Age natives divided into several tribes, most of whom spoke languages of the TupiGuarani family, and fought among themselves. Though the first settlement was founded in 1532, colonization was effectively begun in 1534, when King Dom Joo III of Portugal divided the territory into twelve hereditary captaincies. This arrangement proved problematic, and in 1549 the king assigned a GovernorGeneral to administer the entire colony. The Portuguese assimilated some of the native tribes while others were enslaved or exterminated in long wars or by European diseases to which they had no immunity. By the mid-16th century, sugar had become Brazil's most important export and the Portuguese imported African slaves to cope with the increasing international demand. Through wars against the French, the Portuguese slowly expanded their territory to the southeast, taking Rio de Janeiro in 1567, and to the northwest, taking So Lus in 1615. They sent military expeditions to the Amazon rainforest and conquered British and Dutch strongholds, founding villages and forts from 1669. In 1680 they reached the far south and founded Sacramento on the bank of the Rio de la Plata, in the Eastern Bank region.

At the end of the 17th century, sugar exports started to decline but beginning in the 1690s, the discovery of gold by explorers in the region that would later be called Minas Gerais in current Mato Grosso and Gois, saved the colony from imminent collapse. From all over Brazil, as well as from Portugal, thousands of immigrants went to the mines. The Spaniards prevented Portuguese expansion into the territory that belonged to them according to the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, and succeeded in conquering the Eastern Bank in 1777. In the late 16th century, Spain became a member of a personal union with Portugal, called the Iberian Union. For the 60 years of the union, Brazil yielded to Spain newly found gold and diamonds. After a period of prosperity in the sugar business controlled by the Dutch, this now very valuable land was reverted to Portuguese sovereignty. In 1808, the Portuguese royal family and the majority of the Portuguese nobility, fleeing the troops of the French Emperor Napoleon I that were invading Portugal

and most of Central Europe, established themselves in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which thus became the seat of the entire Portuguese Empire. In 1815 Dom Joo VI, then regent on behalf of his incapacitated mother elevated Brazil from colony to sovereign Kingdom united with Portugal. In 1809 the Portuguese invaded French Guiana (which was returned to France in 1817) and in 1816 the Eastern Bank, subsequently renamed Cisplatina.

CULTURE
The core culture of Brazil is derived from Portuguese culture, because of its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire. Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles. The culture was, however, also strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions. MUSIC The music of Brazil was formed mainly from the fusion of European and African elements, respectively brought by Portuguese colonists and slaves. Until the nineteenth century Portugal was the gateway to most of the influences that built Brazilian music, classical and popular, introducing most of the instruments, the harmonic system, literature and musical good share of musical forms cultivated in the country along the centuries, although many of these elements were not of Portuguese origin, but generally European. LITERATURE Brazilian literature dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such as Pro Vaz de Caminha, filled with descriptions of fauna, flora and natives that amazed Europeans that arrived in Brazil. Brazil produced significant works in Romanticism novelists like Joaquim Manuel de Macedo and Jos de Alencar wrote novels about love and pain. CUISINE Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences. The everyday meal consist mostly of rice and beans with beef and salad. Its common to mix it with cassava flour (farofa). Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and served in most typical restaurants.

The national beverage is coffee and cachaa is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaa is distilled from sugar cane and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, Caipirinha. SPORTS The most popular sport in Brazil is football. The Brazilian national football team is ranked among the best in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings, and has won the World Cup tournament a record five times. Brazil has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, including UFC 134, the 1950 FIFA World Cup and has been chosen to host the2014 FIFA World Cup. The So Paulo circuit, Aerodrome Jos Carlos Pace, hosts the annual Grand Prix of Brazil.

STATES
1. So Paulo 2. Minas Gerais 3. Rio de Janeiro 4. Bahia 5. Rio Grande do Sul 6. Paran 7. Pernambuco 8. Cear 9. Par 10. Maranho 11. Santa Catarina 12. Gois 13. Paraba 14. Amazonas 15. Esprito Santo 16. Rio Grande do Norte 17. Alagoas 18. Piau 19. Mato Grosso 20. Federal District

21. Mato Grosso do Sul 22. Sergipe 23. Rondnia 24. Tocantins 25. Acre 26. Amap 27. Roraima

ECONOMY
Brazil is the largest country in South America with the maximum population. Today, Brazil economy is on the rise. Blessed with abundant natural resources, Brazil has become the most powerful country in South America in economic terms and thus is leading the other countries of South America. With large and growing Agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors, Brazil economy ranks highest among all the South American countries and it has also acquired a strong position in global economy. As a result of falling real wages during 2001 to 2003 the economy of Brazil grew only 2.2% per year (average).

NATURAL SOURCES
Brazil Natural Resources has helped a lot in the enhancement of financial status of the country. It has a primary aim to eradicate rural poverty. Government is taking care of those natural resources and by preserving them it is trying to stabilize the economic condition of Brazil. Brazil Natural Resources mainly include: Iron Ore Manganese Bauxite Nickel Granite Limestone Clay Sand Tin Gold Platinum Uranium

 Gems Petroleum Phosphates Timber Hydroelectric Power

TOPOGRAPHY
The northern part of Brazil is dominated by the basin of the Amazon River and its many tributaries, which occupies two-fifths of the country. The Amazon Basin itself occupies 7,049,975 sq km (2,722,000 sq mi), or about 40% of South America's total area. The Amazon River (Rio Amazonas) is, at 6,436 km (4,000 mi), the world's second-longest river after the Nile, although the Amazon ranks first in volume of water carried; rising in the Peruvian Andes, the Amazon eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean at an average rate of about 198,000 cu m (7 million cu ft) per second.

REFERENCE SOURCES http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Brazili an_states_by_population http://www.mapsofworld.com/southamerica/economy/brazil.html http://www.mapsofworld.com/brazil/infor mation/natural-resources.html http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Ame ricas/Brazil-TOPOGRAPHY.html

PERSONAL CONCLUSION Brazil is a very interesting place; its culture is very interesting and its history too. It is a place known by its natural resources and because of the interesting places in there.

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