Brazil, The Fifth Largest Country On The World

Brazil, Giant of the South

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world area, covers almost half of the Sotuh American continent. Northern Brazil is dominatedby the Amazon River and its tributaries. Three rivers water the southern plateaus - the Paraguay, the Paraná and the Uruguay.

Independence
Portugal ruled Brazilover 200 years until in 1822, Pedro, the son of king of Portugal, declared Brazil independent. Thus Brazil gained its independence without bloodshed and became anempire.

Economy
Brazil has tremendous natural resources. It is the largest producer of coffe in the world. Coffe comes form coffe trees calles fazendas. Brazil alsoranks as a leading producer of cacao beans or seeds. In addition to coffe and cacao, Brazil is leading producer of bananas, sugar canes, citrus fruits, cattle andsheeps.
Brazil natural resources also includes forests, mineral deposits, and water power.

People
Brazil has more people than all other South American countriescombined. It is the only country in Western Hemisphere where portuguese is spoken. Almost 90 percent of all Brazilians are Roman Catholics, making Brazil the largestCatholic nation in the world.

Cities
Rio de Janeiro is often called one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its name means ''River of January''.
Sao Paulo isthe largest city in South America and the forth largest city in the world.
Manaus is the center of trade and commerce for the Amazon on Basin.
Brasilia is thecapital of Brazil. Originally it was Rio de Janeiro, but after many years of planning, in 1960, the new capital of Brazil changre from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia.