Portal:Brazil

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Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is also the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 213 million people. Brazil is a federation composed of 26 states and a Federal District, which hosts the capital, Brasília. Its most populous city is São Paulo, followed by Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has the most Portuguese speakers in the world and is the only country in the Americas where Portuguese is an official language.

Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi), among the longest in the world. Covering roughly half of South America's land area, it borders all other countries and territories on the continent except Ecuador and Chile. Brazil encompasses a wide range of tropical and subtropical landscapes, as well as wetlands, savannas, plateaus, and low mountains. It contains most of the Amazon basin, including the world's largest river system and most extensive virgin tropical forest. Brazil has diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. It ranks first among 17 megadiverse countries, with its natural heritage being the subject of significant global interest, as environmental degradation (through processes such as deforestation) directly affect global issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

Brazil was inhabited by various indigenous peoples prior to the landing of Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500. The territory was subsequently claimed and settled by Portugal, which founded the country's first city, São Vicente, in 1532 and imported enslaved Africans to work on plantations. Brazil remained a colony until 1815, when it was elevated to a united kingdom with Portugal after the transfer of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro. Prince Pedro of Braganza declared Brazilian independence in 1822 and, after waging a war against Portugal, established the Empire of Brazil. The country's first constitution in 1824 established a bicameral legislature and enshrined principles such as freedom of religion and the press; slavery was gradually abolished until its final abolition in 1888. Brazil became a presidential republic following a military coup d'état in 1889. An armed revolution in 1930 ended the First Republic and brought Getúlio Vargas to power. Vargas' self-coup in 1937 ushered the authoritarian Estado Novo, in which he oversaw Brazil's involvement in World War II. Democracy was restored after Vargas' ousting in 1945. An authoritarian military dictatorship emerged in 1964 with support from the United States and ruled until 1985, after which civilian governance resumed. Brazil's current constitution, enacted in 1988, defines it as a democratic federal republic.

Brazil is a regional and middle power, and has been described as a rising global power. It is an emerging, upper-middle income economy and newly industrialized country, with one of the 10 largest economies in the world in both nominal and PPP terms, the largest economy in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, and the largest share of wealth in South America. With a complex and highly diversified economy, Brazil is one of the world's major or primary exporters of various agricultural goods, mineral resources, and manufactured products. The country ranks thirteenth in the world by number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, G4, Mercosur, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries; it is also an observer state of the Arab League and a major non-NATO ally of the United States. (Full article...)

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Nelson Ned in 2008

Nelson Ned d'Ávila Pinto (2 March 1947 – 5 January 2014) was a Brazilian singer-songwriter. He built a career as a singer and composer of sentimental, suffering songs, rising to popularity in Brazil and Latin America in 1969 and becoming known internationally, especially in Portugal, France and Spain. In 1971 he released his first Spanish album, Canción Popular, and performed in the US, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.

He was the first Latin artist to sell a million records in the U.S. with his hit "Happy Birthday My Darling" in 1974. He did instrumental work for the Electric Moog Orchestra in 1977. After his religious conversion in 1993, he only recorded Christian Evangelical songs in Portuguese, Spanish, and some in English. (Full article...)

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Michel de Montaigne
Credit: Thomas de Leu
What we are told of the inhabitants of Brazil, that they never die but of old age, is attributed to the tranquility and serenity of their climate; I rather attribute it to the tranquility and serenity of their souls, [...] Those people spend their lives in an admirable simplicity and ignorance, without letters, without law, without king, without any manner of religion.

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Cielo after winning the 50 m freestyle at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing

César Augusto Cielo Filho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɛzɐʁ siˈelu ˈfiʎu], born 10 January 1987) is a Brazilian former competitive swimmer who specialized in sprint events. He is the most successful Brazilian swimmer in history, having obtained three Olympic medals, winning six individual World Championship gold medals and breaking two world records.

Cielo is a former world record holder in the 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre freestyle events (both long course). He received induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in September 2023. César Cielo is the third Brazilian to enter the International Swimming Hall of Fame, after Maria Lenk and Gustavo Borges. (Full article...)

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Barrichello in 2022

Rubens Gonçalves Barrichello (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈʁubẽjz ɡõˈsawviz baʁiˈkɛlu]; born 23 May 1972) is a Brazilian racing driver and broadcaster, who competes in the Stock Car Pro Series for Scuderia Bandeiras. Nicknamed "Rubinho" (pronounced [ʁuˈbĩɲu]), Barrichello competed in Formula One from 1993 to 2011, and twice finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in 2002 and 2004 with Ferrari; he won eleven Grands Prix across nineteen seasons. In stock car racing, Barrichello is a two-time champion of the Stock Car Pro Series in 2014 and 2022 with Full Time Sports.

Born and raised in São Paulo, Barrichello started his career in karting, winning several national titles before progressing to junior formulae in 1989. Barrichello moved to Europe the following year, winning his first title at the Formula Opel Lotus Euroseries before his victory at the 1991 British Formula Three Championship with West Surrey. He progressed to International F3000 in 1992, finishing third in his rookie season. Barrichello signed for Jordan in 1993, making his Formula One debut at the South African Grand Prix. He retained his seat for 1994, achieving his maiden podium at the Pacific Grand Prix and qualifying on pole for the Belgian Grand Prix as he finished sixth in the World Drivers' Championship. After two further seasons with Jordan—scoring another podium at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix—Barrichello signed with Stewart for his 1997 campaign. Amidst a reliability issues-plagued debut season driving the SF01, Barrichello finished only three races, including second-place in Monaco. After a difficult 1998 campaign, Stewart improved greatly in 1999, with Barrichello taking several as well as another pole position at the French Grand Prix. (Full article...)

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Island of Villegaignon
Credit: Rsabbatini

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Praia de Botafogo
Praia de Botafogo
Credit: Luis Rizo

Botafogo is a beachfront neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mostly a middle and high-class and small commerce community, located between the hills of Mundo Novo, Santa Marta and Morro de São João. It is named after João Pereira de Sousa Botafogo, who was its landowner in colonial times. Its name literally means "set it on fire" and is related to the Italian surname Buttafuoco.

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