Geography

Brazil is located in eastern South America. It is the 5th largest country in the world. Its capital, Brasilia is located at 48 degrees north and 15 degrees east. In the north the Amazon river empties into the Amazon Basin. The northeast is about 1/2 forest and 1/2 desert.The center is mostly highlands and plateaus. Brazil is known for having the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon Rainforest. Brazil shares the Amazon with Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, and Guiana. The Amazon has a very balanced ecosystem. Unfortunately, there has been much stealing recently.The rainforest is a large producer of rubber.
The climate is mostly tropical but varies. There is seasonal flooding on the  banks of the Amazon river. The north is constantly humid and has seasonal rain. Central Brazil has hot summers and cool, dry winters. The south is more temperate, there is sometimes freezing temperatures and snow in the mountains. The average yearly temperature is 81 degrees Fahrenheit in the central amazon. However, on the plateau the average daily temperature in January is 73 degrees Fahrenheit, and 60 degrees Fahrenheit in July. Brazil's summer months  are November through March and their winter months are May through September.

History

 

People started to come to the land of Brazil about a thousand years ago and grew crops. The most significant eras of Brazil’s history can be treated as the colonial era from 1500 to 1821 and the post independence era from 1822 to present. Apart from Indians who were the natives of Brazil, Portuguese were the first European settlers came into the land of Brazil during 1500.

Pedro Alvarez Cabral was planning an expedition from Portugal to India instead landed in South America’s land which is now known as Southeast Brazil. They first named Brazil as “Terra da Vera Cruz” which means “Land of the True Cross”. Later, the Portuguese started to name the land Brazil permanently. A colony was built in Brazil from Portugal. Initially there was no gold or riches in that area and it didn’t have any significant cities. Brazilwood made the land rich. Shiploads of brazilwood were sent by colonists to Portugal. Along Brazil’s coastal areas, Portuguese settlements have spread. Many people from Africa have been either traded or captured from Portugal and send to Brazil as slaves. During this time Portuguese farmers wanted local Indians who lived in Brazil to be enslaved and work with Africans on sugar plantations. Since the sugar plantations grew strong, the economy grew as a result.

A leader named Tiradentes was a dentist and wanted independence in Brazil. On April 21st, 1792, he was hanged and killed. The day he died became a special day known as Tiradentes day at when people remember his freedom fighting.

In 1807, Napoleon invaded Portugal and the king Regent shipped himself to Brazil and established the Portuguese kingdom. Later, 1815 he agreed the city as the Portuguese empire’s capital. In 1821 Dom Jao returned to Lisbon and left his son, Dom Pedro I in charge of the country.

Dom Pedro I declared Brazil’s independence from Portugal in 1822 and subsequently handed over to his son Dom Pedro II. 2 years later, a new constitution was adopted. Pedro II made Brazil newer in many ways like improving schools and railroads. In November 1889 a military revolt under the leadership of General Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca forced the Pedro II out and Barzail became a republic. A year before it became a republic, slavery in Brazil stopped.

Later in the 20^thcentury, Brazil went through several wars including the two world wars and most of the time spent under military or dictatorship rule until late 1980s, with a sparse periods of democratic rule. In 1960, Brazil’s new capital is Brasilia because it’s the country’s center on the highlands of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro used to be the capital of Brazil. As the economic conditions improved, people of Brazil longed for democracy again and in 1989 elected a new president with the military consent in stages. As the time progressed the poverty, non equality, and suffering of inflation of Brazil sooner proceeded to a socialist president election. During 1994, Brazil’s President Itamar Franco came up with the currency called real.

Different from most of the American colonies, the Portuguese settlers frequently intermarried with both the Indians and the African slaves, and there were also mixed marriages between the Africans and Indians. As a result, Brazil's population, culture and belief systems is intermingled to an extent that is not found any where else in the world. Most Brazilians possess some combination of European, African, American, Indian, Asian, and Middle Eastern cultural legacies, traits and beliefs that are represents the feature current Brazilian diverse society.

• Brazil flag- blue globe which has words Ordem e Progresso which means Order and Progress on a yellow diamond on shade of green
• It was Brazil's 500th anniversary in 2000 and Brazil was called Other 500 which ameliorates discussion about Brazil's diversity.
• September 7th- Independence Day
• November 15th- Proclamation of Republic Day

Culture

Brazil's people are 73.6% Roman Catholic, 15.4% Protestant, 1.3% Spiritualist, 0.3% Bantu/Voodoo, 0.2% unspecified, and 7.4% don't have a religion. Most Brazilian Roman Catholics are baptized and married at church yet don't attend weekly mass. Roman Catholicism is the largest religion in the world. It was brought to Brazil from the Portuguese. Roman Catholics believe that the truth is in the Bible. They believe that you can be forgiven for your sins by confessing with assistance from a priest. They believe being baptized justifies someone and is normally done at infancy. They believe in saints. They believe that the pope can't make mistakes about faith and morals. Many Brazilians value and believe in equality for all and fought against Portugal and their rulers to receive it.

Government

Brazil is a Federal Republic government. Their government includes a head of state and government which is a president. Brazil has 26 states and the federal district. The government has three branches, the executive branch which is the head of the government, the legislative branch which is the congress, and the judicial branch which is in charge of Brazil's court system.

When you are assigning a new president people who are eighteen to seventy years old and can read and right have to vote. If you are 16, 17, or older than 70 years old it is option for them to vote. Also all of the armed forces do not have to vote, but can if they want to.

Brazil's government is not repressive because it does not tell people that you can only do this certain job and buy from these shops.

The government does have a check and balance system because they have three branches of government which means that the congress can not be to powerful or the president cant make all the laws without checking with the congress. Those examples show that everyone has a part in agreeing. So the three branches balance each other out to make everything run smoothly.

Through time Brazil's government changed because earlier in the day around 1888 Pom Pedro 111 was the ruler. Most of the people were very poor and started to believe in antislavery. Then Lei Aurea granted freedom of slavery. Now the constitution of Brazil states that all brazilians are equal. Regardless of race, gender, or religion.

Economy

Brazil's currency is called "real". Their money used to be called cruzeiros.

Brazil has many products that they export to other countries. Brazil also has many products that come in to them from other countries. The three major exports and imports are:

Brazil's economy is affected by there physical landscape because many people are interested in mining. Since people had an interest in mining , the city Rio de Janeiro grew. Also since coffee is a big export it made the city Sao Paulo grow. Coffee has been harvesting in Brazil since 1727. Now almost 1/3 of all the coffee in the world is harvested on coffee farms in many of the states in Brazil.

The history and culture of Brazil is affected by the economy because the tradition of growing coffee, playing soccer, mining, and many other things are still practiced today in Brazil. The government is affected by Brazil's economy because the jobs that people are doing help the government collects money by selling the goods that they have created.

Bibliography

1. 
   
   Streissguth, Tom. Brazil in Pictures. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Company, 2003.
2. 
   
   Carpente, Mark L. Brazil an Awakening Giant. Minneapolis, MN: Dillon Press, INC, 1987.
3. 
   
   "Brazil." The New World Book Encyclopedia. 2003 ed.
4. 
   
   Roman Catholic Church - Beliefs and Practices of the Roman Catholic Denomination. http://christianity.about.com/od/denominations/a/catholicdenom.htm.
5. 
   
   "Brazil." Lands and Peoples. 2003 ed.
6. 
   
   CIA-The World Factbook--Brazil. CIA.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html