Brazil

Brazil

By Seth Kocer

• ​The region of Atlantic South America includes four countries: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil.

• Brazil alone occupies nearly half of the continent. ​

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​Physical Geography

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History

• ​Brazil is the largest country in South America.

• Its population of more than 188 million is larger than the population of all the other South American countries combined.

• Most Brazilians are descended from three groups of people who contributed in different ways throughout Brazil's history.​

Colonial Brazil

• The first people in Brazil were American Indians. They arrived in the region many thousands of years ago.

• They developed a way of life based off hunting, fishing, and small-scale farming.

• In 1500 Portuguese explorers became the first Europeans to find Brazil. Soon they began to move there.

• ​Good climates and soils particularly in the northeast made Brazil a large sugar-growing colony.

• Colonists then brought Africans to work as slaves on the plantations.

• Sugar made Portugal rich, they eventually replaced forests along the coast.​

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Later Colonial Brazil

• Other parts of Brazil also contributed to the colonial economy. Inland, many Portuguese settles created cattle ranches.

• In the late 1600's and early 1700's, people discovered gold and precious gems in the southeast.

• A mining boom drew people to Brazil from around the world.

• Finally, in the late 1800's southeastern Brazil became a major coffee-producing region.

Multiple Choice

What's the estimated population in Brazil?

• 50 million

• 100 million

• 20 million

• 188 million

Multiple Choice

What European country colonized Brazil?

• England

• Portugal

• Germany

• Spain

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was NOT a core group of people in colonial Brazil?

• Spanish

• American Indians

• Portuguese

• Africans

Brazilian Independence

• ​Brazil gained independence from Portugal without a fight in 1822. However, independence did not change Brazil's economy much.

• Brazil was the last country in the America's to end slavery.

• Since gaining it's independence Brazil has bee governed by dictators and also by elected officials.

• Today Brazilians can participate in politics through voting and they have an elected president and a legislature.

• Jair Bolsonaro is the 38th and current president in Brazil.​

People and Culture

• Similarly to America, the people who came to Brazil over the years brought their own traditions. These traditions blended to create a unique Brazilian culture.

• More than half of Brazilians consider themselves of Eurp[ean descent. These people include descendants of original Portuguese settlers along with descendants of more recent immigrants from Spain, Germany, Italy, and Poland.

• Nearly 40% of Brazil's people are of mixed African and Eurpean descent.

• Brazil also has the largest Japanese population in the world outside of Japan​

Continuing People and Culture

• ​Because of the colonial heritage in Brazil the official language is Portuguese.

• Since Brazil's population is so huge, there is more Portuguese-speakers in South America than there are Spanish-speakers, even though Spanish is spoken in almost every other country on the continent.

• Other Brazilians speak Spanish, English, French, Japanese, or native languages.​

Multiple Choice

In what year did Brazil gain their independence from Portugal?

• 1492

• 1776

• 1822

• 2022

Multiple Choice

What percentage of people in Brazil are a mix of African and European descent?

• 40%

• 60%

• 20%

• 50%

Religion

• Brazil has the largest population of Roman Catholics​ of any country in the world.

• Roughly 75% of Brazilians are Catholic.

• Some Brazilians practice macumba, a religion that combines that combines beliefs and practices of African and Indian religions with Christianity​

Festivals and Foods

• Brazilians celebrate Carnival before the Christian season of Lent. The celebration mixes traditions from Africa, Brazil, and Europe. During Carnival Brazilians dance the Samba which as adapted from an African dance.

• ​Immigrant influences can also be found in Brazilian foods. In parts of the country, an African seafood dish called catalpa is popular. Many Brazilians also enjoy eating feijoada, a stew of black beans and meat.

Multiple Choice

What's the major religion in Brazil?

• Catholicism

• Judaism

• Islam

• Buddhism

Brazil Today

• Brazil has the largest economy in South America. It is modern and wealthy in some areas, however many some Brazilians are very poor.

• We can divide Brazil into four regions based on their people, their economies, and landscapes.

The Southeast

• Most people in Brazil live in the southeast.

• Sao Paulo, is located in the southeast, almost 19 million people live in and around Sao Paulo. It is the largest urban area in South America and the 4th largest in the world.

• Sao Paulo is considered to be a megacity, ​which is a giant urban area that includes surrounding cities.

Southeast Continued

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second-largest city, lies​ northeast of Sao Paulo. Almost 12 million people live there. The city was the capital of Brazil from 1822 until 1960. It is also a major port city.

• With the largest cities, the southeast is also the richest of the four regions. It is rich in natural resources and has the most industries and has the most productive farmland.

• Although it has a strong economy, it also has poverty. Cities in the region have huge slums called favelas. Most people who live in favelas have come to cities of the southeast in search for jobs.​

The Northeast

• Immigrants to large cities often come from the northeast which is Brazil's poorest region​. Many people can't read, and health care is poor. The region suffers from droughts.

• The region does have beautiful beaches that can attract tourists.

• Other tourists attractions in northeastern Brazil are the region's many old colonial citizens. These cities were built during the days of the sugar industry. ​

The Interior

• ​The interior region of Brazil is a frontier land. Its abundant land and mild climate could someday make it an important area for agriculture. For now, few people live in this region, except for those who reside in the country's capital, Brasilia.

• In the mid 1950's government officials hoped that building a new capital city in the Brazilian interior would help develop the region. Brasilia has modern buildings and busy highways. More than 2 million people live in Brasilia, although it was originally only designed for 500,000 people.​

The Amazon

• The amazon region covers the northern part of Brazil.

• Manaus, which lies 1,00 miles from the mouth of the Amazon, is a major port and industrial city. More than 1 million people live there. They rely on the river for transportation and communication.

• ​Isolated Indian villages ae scattered throughout the region's dense rain forest. Some of Brazil's Indians had little contact with outsiders until recently. Now, logging, mining, and new roads are brining more people and development to this region.

• New development is good for income but bad for the rain forest.

Multiple Choice

Which region is Rio de Janeiro located?

• Northeast

• Southeast

• Interior

• Amazon

Multiple Choice

What is a favela?

• Small towns

• major cities

• giant urban area that includes surrounding cities and suburbs

• huge slums

Multiple Choice

Why does the northeast have a hard time farming?

• drought

• too much rain

• bad soil

• poor machinery