Source: A C Moraes
As much as Brazil appears not in the list of the top 10 most controversial nations around the globe, it’s apparent that it has its perplexing theories, activities, beliefs and even laws and legislations. After all, who doesn’t have any? On that note, we have decided to spice things up a little bit and take you on a brief tour of the astonishing facts about this tourist-bound country.
1. 5th Largest Nation in the World
Source: Captain Blood
First of all, Brazil, officially referred to as the Federative Republic of Brazil stands to be the largest nation in both Latin America and South America. Globally, regarding size, Brazil as well ranks fifth. That’s not the end of its magnificence as it also occupies the fifth position pertaining population statistics. As such, it thus comes top of the list of large countries having Portuguese as the official language of the state thus being the sole state in the Americas with that thrilling fact.
2. Has 2nd Highest Number of Airports Globally
Source: José Zamith de Oliveira Filho/Portal da Copa
Second only to the United States, approximately 2,500 airports, landing fields inclusive are accessible in Brazil. The biggest, as well as the busiest, is the São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport with a mesmerizing stat of serving almost 20 million esteemed passengers per annum. It is located not far from São Paulo and registers and handles the significant percentage of the state commercial traffic. This makes the country ever accessible as the airports are well linked with the other sources of transport.
3. Only Countries Not Bordered by Brazil; Ecuador and Chile
Source: $1LENCE D00600D
Brazil covers approximately half (47.3%) of the entire South America. As such, its borders are rather extensive making it a neighbor to all other states on the continent apart from just Chile and Ecuador. Besides the other countries bordering it, this captivating nation packed with beautiful beaches, alluring dunes and lagoons and beautiful cliffs are bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to its east.
4. 1/5 of Rio de Janeiro’s Men are Bisexual or Gay
Source: Better Than Bacon
A research (in the year 2009) conducted and analyzed by the dedicated University of Sao Paolo revealed that of the total Brazilian Population, 7.8% are gay while 2.6% make the bisexual community. Lesbians hit the 4.9% mark while 1.4% of the entire populace comprise of bisexual women. However, Rio de Janeiro singles itself out with a percentage of 19.3 of either gay or bisexual males.
5. The Federal Republic is the Term Defining Brazil
Source: L.C. Nøttaasen
It happens to be the case as Brazil as a country is made up of the Federal District, 26 different states, plus a total of 5,570 separate municipalities. As is the case since the Portuguese invasion, República Federativa do Brasil became the official name in the Portuguese language.
6. Economy wise, Brazil Ranks 7Th in the World
Source: Rafael Matsunaga
As of the year 2015, the country’s economy 7th-largest by GDP (PPP) and 9th-largest by the normal GDP. Until 2010, Brazil witnessed one of the steadiest and fast growing economies across the continent and the entire globe at that. The, then in place economic reforms, did hand the nation a fresh start regarding international influence and recognition.
7. The National Animal of Brazil is the Macaw
Source: Digislides
As with any other state in the world such as Afghanistan or Angola in Africa where the snow leopard and the Red-crested Turaco respectively are the national animals, Brazil as well has it’s the Macaw as its state animal. Hilarious and astounding in general appearance, the Macaw holds such significance to the Brazilians and thus regard the Macaw in such high esteem. The blend of the yellow and green colors represent the colors of the national flag quite superbly.
8. For 150 Years, Brazil has been the Leading Coffee Producer
Source: Dan Bollinger
This is a fact known to many as Brazil now, merits the tag ‘the home of coffee.’ In reality, coffee and Brazil are somewhat married and speak the same language. This is a practice that’s carried out through the entire nation and being one of the major breadbaskets in the world; Brazil has been in the coffee business as the top producer for more than one-and-half century now.
9. The 1st Country to Ban Tanning Beds in the World
With the threat posed by the process of indoor tuning; a procedure involving utilizing a tanning bed, sunlamp, or booth to acquire a tan, the governing body of the state took measure to minimize the risks imposed by this activity. Cases of skin cancer have been on the increase as per studies conducted due to indoor tanning which isn’t that significantly different from tanning in the sun, a fact that made Brazil become the first state to take the initiative of banning the activity altogether.
10. 92% of Newly Sold Brazilian Vehicles utilize Ethanol as Fuel
Source: André Gustavo Stumpf
Surprising as it may be, it’s a well-known fact all across Brazil. This is one of the major breath-through technology wise as the ethanol used here is directly extracted from sugar cane. What more captivating than the sound of that? That’s a mystery solved surely for Brazil and at the rate at which technology advances, enhancements, and adjustments are featured thus revolutionizing the whole industry at large.
11. 35% of Rural Staying Men have had Sex with an Animal
Shocking right? I know. The animals in question comprise mares, pigs, cows and even chickens. How precisely especially when you speculate about the chicken saga? It’s still a mystery that needs demystification. The study that reveals this fact also shows that the men who do have sex with these animals stand a significant chance of developing cancer, particularly of the penis.
12. An iPhone Costs Twice as Much in Brazil as in the U.S.
The Manufacturing of the iPhones takes place in China, not even the United States, but still they aren’t as cheapest in China. They are quite affordable in the U.S. where they are the cheapest but in this mesmerizing Brazil, the difference is as striking as they are twice as expensive. So, if you want to play with the big boys in the phone tech industry, you better be prepared to cough when in Brazil.
13. Brasilia, Looks exactly like an Aeroplane from an Arial View
Source: Astronaut photograph, International Space Station Program
Brasilia, the country’s capital, has a scenic view especially from above as it takes the shape of an airplane. The total time that took the experts to bring the construction of the city to completion is 41 months between the years 1956-1960. Rio de Janeiro had been the state capital for almost 200 years (197 to be precise).
14. Rio de Janeiro Served Once as Portugal’s Capital
Source: Guillermo Melgarejo
Imagine that! A capital city for a state in Europe but located in the Americas; what a surprise. In fact, that made it the ‘one-and-only’ city in the entire history of the universe to be a European capital situated outside Europe. But since the Portuguese were the colonizers of this South American nation, we can’t fail to see why.
15. Brazil Hosts the Biggest Japanese Community outside Japan
Source: Fernando Marfa
Many would have thought maybe the neighboring communities of Asia, in the likes of China and South Korea could have been the immediate host, but to the amazement of many, Brazil comes out on top as the country with the second highest number of Japans besides the motherland itself. Their cultures, norms and even religious practices have been incorporated and thus have become part and parcel of the alluring nation of Brazil.
16. Rio de Janeiro Stands for January River
#BrazilianHistory No. 1 Rio de Janeiro in 1889, looking across Guanabara Bay towards Sugarloaf Mountain #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/ZMngcJ4ahX
— Team World Blog (@TeamWorldBlog) July 17, 2016
Rio de Janeiro was named by mistake as the January River. A famous Portuguese explorer, Gaspar de Lemos, at the time, did think that the bay tended to be the mouth of the river thus coming up with the name. However, this was a mistake as there is no river at that very place but in that way, this modern city did earn its name.
17. Brazil Surpasses as the First South American Olympics Host
This comes in with the advent of the 2016 games which will go down in Rio de Janeiro. The eagerly awaited games will be the first ever, a South American nation have been granted the rights to host them. What an honor to Brazil given that they were the 2014 World Cup hosts as well.
18. There is an Underground River beneath the Amazon River
Source: NASA
Wonder will never cease I tell you. Approximately 2.5 miles beneath the great Amazon River is another bigger river which, explorers do believe that it’s as long as the Amazon River but way wider, hundreds of times wider than the Amazon River itself. Who would have thought that?
19. A Colony Founded by Confederate Refugees, Exists in Brazil
Source: Rede Brasil Atual
Unity is power, so they say. As a consequence of the Civil War, about 2000-4000 as statics have it, Confederate refugees who did lose the battle actually, let the United States and fled to Brazil to seek refuge and in the process founded a colony. Am sure as hell no single soul saw that coming. The municipality, Americana, Sao Paolo in the Brazilian State of Sao Paolo came into being after 1866 when several Confederate refugees resided in the locality. Its history is just magnificent.
20. About 4 Million of the Brazilian Slaves were taken From Africa
Source: Johann Moritz Rugendas
40%, is the precise approximate of all the slaves in the Americas that were taken from the African continent. Those who were then ferried to Brazil hit the 4 million bar. Calling a rose by its name, though, shows that slavery in Brazil commenced long before even the Portuguese invasion back in 1532. This practice flourished when a certain tribe did enslave a prisoner from another, and those from Africa boomed the market.
21. Breast Milk Gets Distributed Across the Country in Brazil
Grad student Anna Sadovnikova at @UM_SPH is in Brazil studying 'milk banks' providing donated breast milk to babies. pic.twitter.com/WLCpI8wFUI
— Global Michigan (@GlobalMichigan) August 27, 2014
Reflect upon that baby whose mother is not in a position to, or perhaps, simply can’t provide breast milk for the baby. What would happen to the baby in ordinary circumstances? Would the vitality of the breast milk benefit this poor child? We can guess the answer to that. Lucky enough, however, in this blessed country, this play out wholesomely different. Brazil, as a state, takes the initiative of distributing the breast milk country wise via the appropriate channels. This is what we can refer to as Brazil’s accomplishment with the milk banks.
22. Only South American Country Whose Ground Troops Fought in WWII
Source: Temelero
Not only was it the only South American Country to deploy its ground troops for fight the World War II battle, but it was as well the only ‘independent state’ in the region to do so. A flaunting factor for this freedom fighting country for sure. More than 25,000 soldiers were sent out to this very particular mission during that time. The army under discussion here was the BEF (Brazilian Expeditionary Force) which constituted of 25,700 brilliant men and women organized by the air force and the military.
23. 2013 Pope Francis’ Visit Costed Brazil US$ 53 Million
People spend, governments spend, but this one, well, took media’s and everyone’s attention. The papal visit to Rio de Janeiro also led to one or two protests from the Brazilians who were already furious due to the massive expenditure of the taxpayers’ money over the 2014 Olympics. One of the protestors made a statement that the demonstrations were not in response to the Pope’s visit but the extreme government spending given that they could have investing into more important sectors like health and the likes.
24. Only 43% of Brazil Adults Possess a High-School Degree
Source: Roberto Fulgêncio / Instituto Ayrton Senna
These stats aren’t as overwhelming I must confess. Look at Sweden for instance; the parade is all as different as those who do possess the high-school degree make up 87% of the populace. Excellent education and competent educational levels come in handy with a good job but in Brazil, less than half the population (47%) have accomplished upper secondary education. Considering its population however and level of economic development, one can’t fail to establish why.
25. The Earth Magnetic Field has been Weakening Especially around Brazil
Source: NASA Goddard Space Fligh
This is something that has been happening for almost two centuries now, and as trends have it, it’s been occurring steadily. Over the last 180 years, specialists in this field have been conducting experiments and results have proven that the earth’s magnetic field isn’t as strong as it was before but has been undergoing weakening particularly around Brazil and Argentina.
26. Ordem e Progresso is the Countries Motto
Source: Marysalome
Every bird has its nest, and the same goes for Brazil as well as it has Ordem e Progresso as its national motto. Wondering exactly what these fine words mean? Well, it’s pretty simple rather; order and progress. As much as this isn’t the case in most cities in Brazil, it’s apparent that the Brazilians themselves are striving towards that.
27. Carnival is the Most Popular Festival in Brazil
Source: Nicolas de Camaret
Carnival is typically an annual ‘go-down’ event that takes place precisely between the Friday afternoon of the 51 days before Easter and Ash Wednesday at noon. This signifies the commencement of Lent, the 40-day span before Ester that is. This is a very popular occurrence and tourists from various localities usually, make it a must celebrate event every year.
28. The Name Brazil comes from a Tree called Brazilwood
Source: Mauroguanandi
How exactly did Brazil get its name? I also wondered so but let me tell you how. It did originate from Brazilwood; which is, in fact, a tree that once did grow in plenty all along the astounding Brazilian Coast. In the Portuguese language, pau-Brasil is the name that’s Brazilwood is known by, and the etymology that often accompanies it is ‘red like an ember’ produced (formed) from ‘ember’ (that is Latin Brasa). Quite a fascinating way to attain a name right?
29. Leading Exporters of Brazil Nuts Aren’t Brazilians
Source: USDA Forest Service Alaska Region
Can you believe that it is Bolivia that is taking charge of the Brazilian nuts export business? Well, if you had doubts before, it’s all in black and white for you now and if you didn’t know, now you know. Besides, who would have even dared imagine that? And going by the stats, 50% of all the Brazilian nuts in the entire globe are produced in Bolivia with just a 40% coming from the name’s host (Brazil) and the remaining 10% from Peru.
30. Brazil Harbors 50% of the Top 20 ‘Highest Murder Rates’ Cities
Brazil Has Nearly 60,000 Murders, and It May Relax Gun Laws https://t.co/hAT5fU8fuX MT @lourdesgnavarro pic.twitter.com/EpeaB0K91V
— Prison_Health (@Prison_Health) March 29, 2016
Flabbergasting as it is, it is the prevailing scenario in Brazil. Fortaleza, Natal, and Salvador lead the trail in this race. The murder cases reported and unreported are so many yet so shocking to an extent where an incidence of such an occurrence isn’t news anymore. Worse, almost 10 of the Brazil cities are in the top 20, and if you go down the list to 50, you will be super surprised. Other cities sailing in this boat include Manaus, João Pessoa just to name a few.
Have a good trip and travel!
