General Information about Brazil

Official language: Portuguese
Currency: Brazilian Real. You can withdraw money at the Banco do Brasil, Citibank, HSBC…
International dialing code: 55.

As the 5^th biggest country in the world, behind the United States, Brazil is divided in five administrative areas. The country spreads out on 2,731 miles (4,395 km) North – South and 2,684 miles (4,320 km) East – West, with a different climate in all five regions.

There are three time zones in Brazil: FNT / GMT-2, BRT / GMT-3 and AMT / GMT-4.

The 5 regions of Brazil:

North, mostly covered by the rainforest despite the deforestation. Home to the biggest biodiversity area in the world.

Equatorial climate, warm and humid, with rain throughout the whole year.

Northeast, sertão, latifundias, brazilwood… Where the colonization of Brazil started.

Semiarid climate, usually continental or oceanic, warm and dry, with short rain seasons.

Central-West, tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, known as the cerrado.

Continental climate, warm and dry during summer (December – March), cold and dry during winter (June – September).

Southeast, green lands and tropical climate.

Tropical climate, warm and humid.

South, subtropical region with a temperate climate.

The coldest region in Brazil, with cold fronts coming from the Antarctic.

Meet the Brazilian People

Brazil has the most diverse and multicultural population in the world. Half of the 200 million people in the country are of a multi-racial background.

Despite being the 5^th most populated country in the world, Brazil also is one of the countries with the smallest density, having only 62 people per square mile (24/km²). Most of the population lives along the coast or in the states’ capitals.