20 Curiosities About Brazil. Do you know what the word Brazil means? Learn this and other curiosities about our country in this text!
Undoubtedly, there are many curiosities about Brazil, as unusual facts have been part of our history since its foundation. Brazil is considered the fifth largest country in terms of territorial extension, so it is large enough to accommodate various types of peculiarities.
Within this immense territory, we have more than 216 million inhabitants spread across 5 regions and 26 states and the Federal District, with São Paulo being the most populous state, with over 46 million inhabitants, and the least populous being Roraima, with about 652 thousand people.
Furthermore, our territory has enormous biodiversity divided into 6 biomes, namely: Amazon, Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, and Pampa. As you can imagine, the fauna and flora are incredibly rich and present an infinity of species.
After this brief summary of our country, you can already see that there are countless interesting facts and information about it, right? However, we have selected 20 curiosities for you to learn even more about Brazil. See now on This is Curious. Check it out!
20 Curiosities About Brazil You Can’t Die Without Knowing
1- Official name
Its official name is actually the Federative Republic of Brazil.
And, for those who don’t know, Brazil means “red like embers,” and its origin comes from the Brazilwood tree, which has a reddish color. One of the curiosities about Brazil that almost no one knows is that about 100 years ago, our country was called the United States of Brazil.
2- Large number of slaves in the colonial period
During the colonial period, Brazil imported about 4.8 million enslaved Africans from Africa, a number equivalent to almost half of the total enslaved people in the entire American continent.
3- Brazil is 206 times larger than Switzerland
As the fifth-largest country in the world, Brazil has a territorial area of 8,515,767,049 km². Thus, about 206 Switzerlands could fit inside our country, as Switzerland has only 41,285 km², with 11,000 km² to spare.
Moreover, Brazil is the sixth most populous country in the world, with over 216 million inhabitants, according to IBGE data.
4- Largest coffee producer in the world
There is no doubt that Brazilians love coffee, and it’s no wonder that our country is the largest coffee producer in the world. In fact, even countries on the other side of the world, such as Japan and South Korea, know and appreciate our coffee.
5- Biodiversity vs. Deforestation
Our country has the greatest biodiversity in the world, mainly due to the Amazon Rainforest. However, an interesting fact about Brazil that many may find surprising is that we are also the country with the highest deforestation rate.
6- We have 12 of the world’s most violent cities
Of the 30 most violent cities in the world, 12 are located in Brazil. In fact, of the 12 cities that hosted the 2014 World Cup, 7 were on this list.
7- Tocantins is the newest state in Brazil
Until 30 years ago, Tocantins did not exist; its territory was part of the state of Goiás. The young state was created with the 1988 Constitution.
8- Rio de Janeiro was once the capital of Portugal
During the colonial period in Brazil, in the year 1763, Rio de Janeiro became the capital of Portugal. Thus, becoming the first and only European capital outside the European territory.
9- Feijoada, a national dish
Famous in Brazil and beyond, feijoada is a typical dish of our country. In short, it was created by enslaved Africans during the colonial period. They mixed meats “disregarded” by the large houses, such as pig’s ears and tongue, along with black beans.
10- Largest Japanese community outside of Japan
One of the most interesting curiosities about Brazil is that our country is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan. Thus, in São Paulo alone, more than 600,000 Japanese people live.
11- Second-largest number of airports in the world
Brazil is a very large country, and due to its vast territorial extension, the number of airports is also high. As a result, the country has around 2,498 airports, having the second-largest number in the world, second only to the USA.
12- Sex change surgery
Brazil is one of the few countries in the world that offers sex change surgery for free. It has been available through the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) since 2008.
13- Sentence reduction through reading in Brazil
In federal prisons, it is possible to reduce your sentence by reading books. For each book read, you can reduce your sentence by up to 4 days, with a maximum of 12 hours per year.
Additionally, in the prison of Santa Rita do Sapucaí, in the state of Minas Gerais, inmates pedal stationary bikes, generating energy for the city. In effect, 3 days of pedaling equals 1 less day in prison.
14- Ethanol at every gas station
Brazil is the only country in the world where ethanol is offered at every gas station. More than 90% of new cars use this fuel.
15- Largest Catholic population in the world
Brazil was a colony of Portugal, and along with the colonial period came Catholicism. It remains one of the religions with the largest number of followers in Brazil, with around 123 million believers, surpassing even Mexico, which has about 96.4 million followers.
16- Ban on tanning beds in Brazil
Considered harmful to the skin, Brazil was the first country to ban tanning beds.
17- Snake Island
Snake Island, located off the coast of São Paulo, has a large number of snakes, about 5 snakes per square meter. Due to its danger, the Navy prohibited landing on the island, except for researchers.
18- Brazil is not the largest exporter of Brazil nuts
Certainly one of the most unusual curiosities about Brazil. The largest exporter of the famous Brazil nuts is not Brazil but Bolivia.
19- Languages spoken in Brazil
Before the discovery of Brazil, the spoken languages numbered around a thousand. However, currently, despite Portuguese being the official language, about 180 still survive. However, only 11 are spoken by just over 5,000 people.
20- Brazilian Navy aircraft carrier sold on eBay
That’s right. Nothing more, nothing less than a Brazilian Navy aircraft carrier, named Minas Gerais, was once put up for sale on the famous eBay. However, it was removed as the listing violated the site’s policies.
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