This section will make you familiar with Brazil. As you all know, Brazil is South America's most influential country, an economic giant and one of the world's biggest democracies. Brazil is an important country not only in the American hemisphere, but also in the world. It is 5th in size and 4th in population in the world. Brazil is not only famous for its Football, Carnival and Rio de Janeiro, but it also has many other fascinating aspects that attract businessmen, tourists, students etc to this beautiful country. This section will provide an bird eye’s view of Brazil’s polity, economy, society, peoples and culture. Efforts have also been made to provide travel advisory to the people who may be traveling to Brazil for different purpose.

Resources
Brazil is a huge country and almost two-and-half-times the size of India. However, Brazil has the population of a mere 190 million, one-sixth of India’s. Brazil has got immense reserves of natural resources. In terms of resources, Brazil has got arable land, minerals, water and human resources. In mineral ores, Brazil is the second in iron ore with 19% of world production, 90% of which is being exported; second in bauxite production with 13% of world production; fourth in aluminum; twelfth in copper with 1% of world production, second in manganese with 14% of world production; fourth in stones with 8% of production; ninth and seventh in potash and phosphate respectively and sixth and fourth in Kaolin and crystallites respectively. In the metals, Brazil is 8th in steel with 3% of world production; 6th in aluminum; 12th in copper; 4th in silicates with 20% of world production; 12th in Nickel with 3 % of world production; 12th in Zinc with 3% of production; and 7th in tin, with 3 % of world production. In non-metallic, Brazil is 12th in Cement; 5th in calcium; and 3rd in ceramics. Brazil has also got vast reserves of Uranium, particularly in its North and North-East region. With so much reserve of minerals, metals and non-metals, a big landmass with only 5% of it being arable and 22 % of world’s water resources.

Carnival
The very mention of the Brazilian carnival inkles pictures of beautiful women clad in fantasy clothing gyrating relentlessly to samba. But behind the scenes, the Carnival is more than just the swirling dancers we see on television or in news photos. It is a vital source of employment and key revenue generator for the country’s tourism industry.

Though the carnival is celebrated in many Brazilian cities such as Sao Paulo and Salvador, it’s Rio de Janeiro where it is organised on the largest scale. Rio’s famous white sand beaches including Copacabana and Ipanema make it a tourist hot spot. Surrounded by beautiful blue mountains and huge rock faces such as the Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Mount of ‘Christ the Redeemer’, Rio also boasts of the famous Maracana stadium where Pele learnt to dribble, and finally played for Brazil in the 1958 World Cup football finals.

The carnival has emerged as a global event where millions of reais/dollars are spent and made. There are more than 80 samba schools and more than a dozen big ones compete with each other during the carnival, in the specially designed stadium called the Sambadrome. The 2007 Carnival drew as many as 700,000 tourists and revellers each day, organisers estimated. The climax of the Carnival is the colourful Sambadrome parade where spectators are dazzled by the floats and the gyrating, decorated dancers.

Football
Much of the History of the World Cups can be told by telling the History of Brazil in the World Cups. Brazil is the only country to participate of the seventeen World Cups; Brazil has been five times champion (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002), vice-champion in two editions (1950 and 1998) and semi-finalist in other three (1938, 1974 and 1978). Several of the best players in History of football were Brazilian, and most of them left their name register in the World Cups.

The Brazilian team has a multitude of fans, from many countries in the world. Football is simply adored in Brazil and is like a religion. When Brazil loses any match, Brazilians just cant stop crying, while when they win the party never stops. Fun and frolic are always associated with Brazil’s Football. It also provides the platform for slum kids to dream big in their lives. Most of the current and past players were in fact born in Brazil’s slums.

Please visit the links below to know more about Brazil

Brazil | Profile | History of Brazil | Web Sites | Travel Advisory for Indians