Facts about Brazil

Official Name Federative Republic of Brazil

ContinentSouth America

Lat Long15.7833° S, 47.8667° W

Area3,287,597 sq mi (8,514,877 sq km)

Population208733102

CapitalBrasilia

Largest CitySao Paulo

Official LanguagesPortuguese

Major ReligionRoman Catholic 64.6%, other Catholic 0.4%, Protestant 22.2% (includes Adventist 6.5%, Assembly of God 2.0%, Christian Congregation of Brazil 1.2%, Universal Kingdom of God 1.0%, other Protestant 11.5%), other Christian 0.7%, Spiritist 2.2%, other 1.4%, none 8%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)

National Day7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

Form of GovernmentFederal presidential constitutional republic

PresidentMichel Temer

Vice PresidentVacant

Prime MinisterNA

CurrencyBrazilian Real (BRL)

GDP$3.259 trillion (2015 Est.)

Calling Code55

Time ZoneBRT (UTC-2 to -5) Summer (DST) BRST (UTC-2 to -5)

Internet TLD.br

What is the complete name of Brazil ?
Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese)

What is the capital of Brazil ?
Brasilia

What is the official language of Brazil ?
Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language

What type of government does Brazil have ?
Federal republic

Who is the president of Brazil ?
Michel Temer (Chief of state and head of government)

Who is the vice president of Brazil ?
Vacant

Where is Brazil located ?
Eastern South America

When did Portuguese explorers first claim Brazil ?
Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral set sail with his fleet on March 9, 1500, looking to follow Vasco da Gama’s route to India to secure direct trade relations for spices. They discovered land on April 22, 1500 and claimed it for Portugal. Cabral erected a large wooden cross, and named the land, Island of the True Cross (Ilha de Vera Cruz), as he originally believed it was an island.

How long did Brazil remain a colony of Portugal ?
Three centuries

When did Brazil achieve independence from Portugal ?
September 7,1822

How big is Brazil ?
8,514,877 square kilometers – 5^th largest country in the world (and the largest country in South America)

What is the population of Brazil ?
Approximately 202,656,788 (July 2014 est.) – 5^th most populous country in the world (and the most populous in South America)

How many states does Brazil have ?
26 states + 1 federal district

What are the names of Brazil’s states and their capitals ?

Acre – Rio Branco
Alagoas – Maceió
Amapa – Macapá
Amazonas – Manaus
Bahia – Salvador
Ceara – Fortaleza
Distrito Federal – Brasilia
Espirito Santo – Vitória
Goias – Goiânia
Maranhao – São Luís
Mato Grosso – Cuiabá
Mato Grosso do Sul – Campo Grande
Minas Gerais – Belo Horizonte
Pará – Belém
Paraiba – João Pessoa
Parana – Curitiba
Pernambuco – Recife
Piaui – Teresina
Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro
Rio Grande do Norte – Natal
Rio Grand do Sul – Porto Alegre
Rondonia – Porto Velho
Roraima – Boa Vista
Santa Catarina – Florianópolis
São Paulo – São Paulo
Sergipe – Aracuju
Tocantins – Palmas

What islands are part of Brazil ?

Fernando de Noronha
Rocas Atoll
Saint Peter and Paul Rocks
Trinidade and Martim Vaz Islands

What are the largest cities in Brazil (by population) ?
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro

What countries border Brazil ?
Brazil shares borders with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador:

Argentina
Bolivia
Colombia
French Guiana
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela

What are the major rivers in Brazil ?

Amazon (the widest river in the world, and the 2^nd longest)
Paraná
Parnaíba
Paraguay River
São Francisco
Tocantins
Uruguay River

What are the major mountain ranges in Brazil ?

Serra do Mar
Serra do Espinhaço
Tumucumaque
Pacaraima
Imeri

How many time zones does Brazil have ?
Three

What is the national anthem of Brazil ?
Hino Nacional Brasileiro

What currency does Brazil use ?
Brazilian real (R$)

What do the elements of the Brazilian flag represent ?
The Brazilian flag is green with a yellow rhombus (or diamond). Inside the rhombus is a blue globe with 27 stars.

Originally, the green represented the first emperor of Brazil (House of Braganza of Pedro I).

The yellow represented the Habsburg Family of his wife.

On the modern flag:
Green represents the forests, while the yellow represents the mineral wealth of Brazil. The blue circle and stars represent sky over Rio de Janeiro. There is one star to represent each of the states and the federal district.

The country’s motto, “Ordem e Progresso” (Order and Progress), is written on a banner across the sky.

Brazil Map

ACOD~20120924

Last Updated on: July 20th, 2018