10 curious facts about Brazil. Land of carnival, dance and much more

Brazil is the largest country in South America , has an area of more than 8 million square kilometers and more than 200 million inhabitants . With all this, it is an amalgam of towns and mestizajes that have turned this tropical country into one of those that offer the visitor more interesting places to visit and interesting anecdotes to discover. In addition, Curious data of Brazil offer a clear idea of ​​a modern country open to the future, where its people are overflowing positive energy and where the party is one of the best attractions for tourists.

10 curious facts about Brazil that you probably did not know

1. The Brazilian flag

One of the curious facts of Brazil is found in its flag, which responds to an evolution of the previous flags . In fact, the current Brazilian flag corresponds to the 1992 decree, which includes a total of 27 stars. The blue disc, in which the stars are found, represents the sky that could be seen from Rio de Janeiro the night of November 15, 1889 , which was the date of the proclamation of the Republic of Brazil.

Curious data of Brazil

The motto that can be read about this sky prays "Ordem e Progresso" , which is translated literally as Order and Progress, making a clear analogy to the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte. On the other hand, the colors green and yellow are an evolution of the old flag of the imperial period, whose most prominent colors were these.

2. The capital of Brazil

Another of Brazil's curious facts is found in the history of its capital. The current capital of Brazil is the inner city of Brasilia , which is located in the interior of the Brazilian territory and far from the Atlantic coasts. However, this capital is exceptionally new. In fact, its foundation dates from the middle of the 20th century, in particular from the year 1960 , so we are talking about a city that is not even one hundred years old. This is due to the fact that, since the early days of Brazilian independence, the need to move the capital to the interior of the country had always been raised with the aim of help indigenous tribes and that the federal government had a greater presence .

Curious data from Brazil, Brasilia

Skyline of Brasilia

Thus, in the year 1960 the construction of a new city that was the symbol of the whole country was approved, and Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer as both urban planner and architect to start the project that would give life to the current capital of Brazil.

3. The Brazilian carnival

Of all the parties that Brazil has, without a doubt, the carnival is the most important and internationally known festival. The origin of this festival is found in the times of Classical Rome , when it was celebrated approximately fifty days before Easter. During certain days of this period, you could not eat meat of any kind , which gave rise to the name of the festival as "carnival", whose literal meaning is "lift the flesh." However, although this religious sense is still valid because of its link prior to Holy Week, the Brazilian carnival has become a spectacle of light, color and costumes .

Curious facts about Brazil, Brazilian carnival

The most impressive part of the carnival is found in the Rio Sambadrome , where the parade takes place that has the most important samba schools of all. However, these parades can also be found on the streets of most cities in Brazil, where they are called "Blocos" .

4. Brazilian exotic dances

In fact, the carnival is the best time of the year to demonstrate the gifts that you have for the samba , which without a doubt is the most famous dance in the country. However, one of the curious facts about Brazil is that it is one of the countries where most people practice some type of dance. In fact, the exotic dances of Brazil go far beyond the samba. It is worth noting the ax , which began as a religious greeting and whose meaning is "positive energy". We also find the capoeira , which besides being a dance is also used as a martial art.

Curious facts of Brazil, capoeira

Two men practicing capoeira

He cover it is especially danced on the San Juan festival, it is a simple dance that is usually danced as a couple and whose basic step consists of two movements on the left followed by two on the right and repeat. But Brazil's list of exotic dances is almost endless, other dances that deserve to be mentioned are the pagoda, the baiao, the bossa nova, the sertanejo, or the lambada among many others.

5. A country united by a language

Another important aspect that must be taken into account when understanding Brazilian culture is that, because it is one of the most extensive and geographically varied countries that can be found, the reality is that we are facing a federation of Brazilian states whose most important common link is the language . The official language spoken throughout Brazil is Portuguese, which was inherited from the presence of Europeans when Brazil was a dependent colony of Portugal . Portuguese is the language that binds all Brazilians regardless of where they live, therefore, is one of the most important elements of their culture and tradition.

6. Traditions of Brazil. The love of football

Another curious fact about Brazil is that it's about country of the world that has won the World Cup more times . This is because it is a country that, together with dancing, lives passionately in football , which is its national sport par excellence.

Curious facts of Brazil, passion for soccer

In fact, the Brazilian soccer team tends to be especially offensive when it is on the pitch, which means that the public does not lose interest in the game at any time. It is what has been called as "Jogo bonito", referring to the aesthetics of this football team when it comes to playing the star sport in Brazil.

7. The 1st country in South America that hosted the Olympic Games

Did you know that in 2016 Brazil became the first country in South America to celebrate Olympic Games in its region? Which countries do you think will follow it?

8. A considerable number of Brazilians are of Japanese origin

This is one of the curiosities of Brazil quite unexpected. It is estimated that approximately a little over one and a half million Brazilians are descendants of Japanese immigrants. In fact, it is the country with the most Japanese population in the world after Japan itself. This explains why there are so many cherry trees in Sao Paulo and in some public parks.

Curious facts of Brazil

The ancestors of these inhabitants of Brazil brought them with them.

9. Brazil occupies almost half of South America

Did you know that Brazil occupies 47.3% of South America? This means that it has a border with all the countries of this region, except Chile and Ecuador.

10. Once Brazil had the capital of Portugal

Another of the Curious data of Brazil is that Rio de Janeiro was once the capital of Portugal, becoming the only capital of Europe located outside of this continent. We did not know!

As you can see, Brazil is a country that stands out for its anecdotes and its curious data. It is one of the places where culture and nature they are more intertwined, and where the tourist will feel at home, whether you visit the beaches of the Atlantic cities or the Amazonian immensity of the interior of the country.


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