Facts Of Brasil

Brazil is the largest country in South America. The name Brazil comes from a tree named brazilwood. It is called Brasil in Portuguese, the official language spoken in Brazil. Brazil is the only country in South America that speaks Portuguese. Portugal claimed the land of Brazil in the year 1500. Independence was declared in  1822. Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world by both land area and population. The population in 2012 was around 194 million people. The capital city is Brasilia, while the largest city is Sao Paulo. Other major cities include Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Fortaleza. In Brazil they drive on the right-hand side of the road. Brazil has a large coastline on the eastern side of South America, stretching 7491 kilometres (4655 miles)  in length. Brazil shares a border with all South American countries except for Chile and Ecuador. Brazil covers 3 time zones. Brazil has one of the largest economies in the world. Brazil is one of the 77 founding members of the United Nations. The Amazon River flows through Brazil, it is the 2nd longest river in the  world (after the Nile). Around 60% of the Amazon Rainforest is located in Brazil. The climate in the majority of Brazil is tropical. Brazil is home to a wide range of animals, including armadillo, tapirs,  jaguars and pumas. Human activities such as logging, mining fishing and agriculture are  important to the Brazilian economy  but are also a serious threat to Brazil's diverse environment. Millions of tourists visit Brazil every year. There are around 2500 airports in Brazil. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil with the national team  consistently among the best in  the world, winning the World Cup a record 5 times.