Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers and with over 211 million people(2019), Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the sixth most populous.

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Brazil is the only Latin American nation that derives its language and culture from Portugal. The native inhabitants mostly consisted of the nomadic Tupí-Guaraní Indians. Adm. Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed the territory for Portugal in 1500. The early explorers brought back a wood that produced a red dye, pau-brasil, from which the land received its name. Portugal began colonization in 1532 and made the area a royal colony in 1549. Independence was declared in 1822.

 

Capital city: Brasilia

Largest cities: Sao Paulo (11.2 million people), Rio de Janeiro (6.3 million), Salvador (2.7 million), Brasilia (2.6 million), Fortaleza (2.45 million), Belo Horizonte (2.4 million), Manaus (1.8 million), Curitiba (1.75 million), Recife (1.5 million), Porto Alegre (1.4 million)

Brazil has a large coastline on the eastern side of South America, stretching 7491 kilometres (4655 miles) in length.

Brazil has 4 time zones.

Brazil has one of the largest economies in the world.

Official Language: Portuguese

Currency: Brazilian real