Brazil is the largest country in South America, sharing borders with every country on the continent except Ecuador and Chile. It has a diverse landscape and climate due to its vast size. Brazil also has a diverse population and culture that draws from its Portuguese colonial history as well as contributions from indigenous and immigrant groups. Some popular aspects of Brazilian culture include samba music and dance, soccer, and cuisines that vary widely by region.

1. BrazilBy Jordan Cua

2. GeographySize and Location - Fifth largest country in the world; the larges in South America - Brazil shares it’s border with every country in South America except for Ecuador and ChileGeology - Precambrian crystalline shields cover 36% of it’s territory - Has one of the world’s largest river systems, with eight major drainage basins, all which drain into the Atlantic Ocean.Environmental Issues- Desertification, deforestation, air pollution, and congestion

3. Geography (Cont.)Natural Resources - Brazil has 12 major hydrographic regions, 7 of these are river basins named after their main rivers; the Amazonas, Paraguai, Parana, Parnaiba, Sao Francisco, Tocantins, and Uruguai. - 5 coastal Hydrographic Regions based on regional groupings of minor river basinsSoils and Vegetation - Brazil’s soil spans across the country; large enough to produce 70 million tons of grain per yearClimate Regions - Equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, and subtropical - Moderate to high precipitation levels(1,000mm-3,000mm) depending on area

4. People Who is a Brazilian? - Anyone who is born in Brazil, even if parents are foreign; Although, any parent who may be a diplomat while their child is born, Brazil will not consider citizenship to the new born child. - In order for a foreigner to attain citizenship (become a Brazilian citizen), they have lived in Brazil for 15 uninterrupted years.Portugal and Brazil - According to the Brazilian constitution, the Portuguese people carry special status in Brazil; they carry lifetime Brazilian citizenship whether or not they were native born.

5. People (Cont.)Ethnic Groups - Brazil is home to people of many different ethnical backgrounds. - People look at their nationality as a citizenship rather than an ethnicity.Ethnic Breakdown - White: 48.43% - Black: 6.84% - Mixed-Race: 43.8 - East Asian: 0.58% - Amerindian: 0.28% - Not Declared: 0.07%

6. Culture History- Brazil was founded by the Portuguese and were colonized ‘ under Portuguese rule for over 3 centuries.- Under Portuguese rule, nearly 1 million Portuguese arrived and settled in Brazil, bringing the Portuguese culture with them.Cuisine - In Brazil, cuisine is greatly diverse due to the mix of native and immigrants and tends to vary by region. - Feijoada is one of the most well-known dishes in Brazil - Due to tradition, Brazil has a vast selection of candy

7. Culture (Cont.)Arts - Brazil’s art dates back to 13,000 BC. - Cave paintings and Marajoara pottery were some of the first art pieces to come from Brazil - 1816 saw the rise of paintings originating from Brazil; in which, started a struggle between old school and modernist artLiterature and Poetry - Dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of Pero Vaz de Caminha - Brazilian literature is know across the globe for producing significant literary work in Romanticism

8. HistoryBeginnings of Brazil - Brazil was firs discovered by Vicente Yanez Pinzon, a Spanish navigator that had accompanied Columbus on his trip to the Americas - For over 2 centuries, Brazil was fought over by European countries due to it’s vast natural resources and untapped landThe Empire of Brazil - For a period of 90 years, Brazil was one of only 3 modern states in the Americas to have its own indigenous monarchy. - In 1815, king Joao VI of Portugal vested Brazil with the dignity of a United Kingdom with Portugal and Algarves.

9. History (Cont.)The Old Republic (1889-1930) - Presidency alternated between Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais - Brazil was formally a constitutional democracy, in practice women, illiterates (majority of the population) were prevented from voting.Redemocratization to Present (1985-Present) - In 1985, Tancredo Neves was elected president and Brazil was returned to civilian rule. - In 1989, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected as president, and is active today. - Brazil has a highly unequal distribution of wealth and income. One out of 4 live on less than a dollar a day.

10. MusicOrigins - The first registration on musical activity in Brazil comes from the activities of two Jesuit priests in 1549 in order to form an educational structureStyles/Forms - Brazil incorporated different styles of music from different ethnicities across the globe; such as: African, European and Amerindian forms - After 500 years, Brazil created unique styles of music such as: Choro, Sertanejo, Brega, Frevo, Samba, Maracatu, Bossa Nova, MPB, Brazillian Rock, and Axe

11. DanceSamba - Lively, rhythmical dance of Brazilian origin in 2/4 time danced under Samba music - Samba music rhythm has been danced in brazil since late 19th century - Unlike many other countries, Samba is a set of dances, rather than a single dance, that define the samba dancing scene - Samba rhythm dance can be mixed up with all forms of Brazilian music such as: Samba Axe and Samba Pagode.

12. Film Brazil began creating films in 1908 - First film produced was Os Capadocios da Cidade Nova- The film industry of Brazil has gone through period of ups and downs, a reflection of its dependency on State funding and incentives.Some famous (well known) films from Brazil: - Orefu Negro (1959) - O Beijo da Milher Aranha (1985) - Trope de Elite 2: O inmigo Agora E Outro (2010)

13. SportsSports in Brazil are those widely practiced and popular in the country, as well as others which originated there or have some cultural significance.Sports are very popular in Brazil, especially Futball (Soccer).Popular Sports Played in Brazil - Capoeira - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - Foot volley - Tennis - Basketball - Motorsport - Volleyball - Rugby

14. Sources of Information PresentedGeography - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_BrazilPeople - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_peopleCulture - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Brazil - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_cuisine - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Brazil - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature_of_BrazilHistory - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Brazil

15. Sources of Information Presented (Cont.)Music - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_BrazilDance - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SambaFilm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_Brazilian_filmsSports - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_of_Brazil