Brazil is the largest country in South America and it is bordered by every other country in South America apart from Chile and Ecuador. That includes Argentina to the south, Peru to the west and Venezuela to the north. To the east Brazil had thousands of miles of coastline with the Atlantic Ocean. Other parts of Brazil include the island territories of Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, Martim Vaz, Fernando de Noronha and the Rocas Atoll.

The Federative Republic of Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. The country has taken recent plaudits for a stunning economy boom which has placed it at the forefront of the world economy. Brazil is very much divided according to economic, as well as cultural and natural borders. There are 26 states and more than 5,500 municipalities. Brazil currently has a female president called Dilma Vana Rousseff. She has just succeeded the wildly popular and successful Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Brazil is a huge and diverse country and it is famous for the free spirited nature of the people who express themselves through samba music and football.  Brazilians are widely acknowledged to have the most aesthetically pleasing football team in the world and they have also won the most world cups. Samba music, costumes and partying all find full expression during the famous Rio Carnival which takes place before Lent.

Brazil has a fantastic range of cities, from the multicultural might of Sao Paolo to the wonderfully named Florianopolis with its natural lagoons and lakes. Don’t miss Recife which is known as the Venice of Brazil with its interconnected waterways, and the beach capital of Brazil - Fortaleza.

The Amazon rainforest region of Brazil is widely regarded to be the most important place on the planet in terms of its value to the ecosystem with millions of species of plants and animals living there. However this faces an ever present threat from loggers and eco-tourism to Brazil helps the country to fund itself in a way which is not harmful to the environment.
National parks like Pantanal contain all of the animals that give South America its character including giant anteaters, anacondas, caiman and jaguars.

More than 190 million people live in Brazil and they are Portuguese speakers owing to the fact that Brazil was a former colony. The Portuguese landed in Brazil in 1500 when they staked their claim to the country. Brazil is very multicultural with 48% whites, 44% brown, 7% black and a smattering of Asian and Amerindian. The majority of the population are Roman Catholics.