Brazil, Facts & Odditites

1- It is the fifth biggest country in the world.

2 - There are more than 190 million of people.

3 - ... and they speak all the same language (Portuguese).

4 - Two thirds of them live near the coast.

5 - Capital: Brasilia. Main cities: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Fortaleza, Salvador, Vitoria, Belem, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Florianopolis.

6 - Brazil has 20% of the world's water supply (China has 20% of the world's people).

7 - You cannot tell a Brazilian by simply looking at them (we have the most diverse mix of races and cultures in the world). It is mixed for so long that you commonly get 16 shades of white to black to indian and Asian. Sociologists consider this mixture a meta-race, since a true genetic melting pot is still at work, decanting weak genes and physical traits.

8 - Every year we host the biggest parties in the world: Carnival ! or New Year's Eve for the world's second biggest party. Third is... Oktoberfest !

9 - Brazil produces 50% of the world's coffee.

10 - Iguazu Falls, in the southern state of Parana, is bigger than both Niagara and Victoria Falls.

11- Brazil has far the highest number of species of primates, amphibians and plants in the world, and is in the top five in the world for number of birds and reptile species. A typical acre of Amazonian rainforest will support around 250 species of trees, compared with around 10 species an acre in typical forests in Europe.

12 - As well as being expert dancers in samba, zouk, pagode, chorinho, bossa nova and forro, Brazil is also home to capoeira, a unique blend of dancing, martial arts and traditional music.

Dear readers, I am off on vacation and I shall see you again in August. Till then I wish you lots of fun with 150 posts of this blog. There are also links to fantastic blogs and Dutch sites on the right side of this page. Bye now. Tot ziens. Hasta la vista. À bientôt. Ciao. Até mais galera, tchau !
_____________________________________

Text source: "Rio for Partiers, Visual Travel Guide to Rio de Janeiro", author: Cristiano Nogueira, Sol Cat Publishing. For purchase check: www.amazon.com or click here . If you wish to know more about Brazil click here or check its official tourism site: www.braziltour.com If you wish to know more about Dutch colonies in northeast Brazil then click here.