Geography
Brazil is a country that occupies almost half of the entire territory of South America. In the southern part it borders on Venezuela, Guiana, French Guiana and Suriname, in the northwest it borders with Colombia, in the west with Bolivia and Peru. In the southwest, the country neighbors with Argentina and Paraguay, in the south – with Uruguay. In the eastern, northeastern and southeastern regions, the coasts of Brazil are washed by the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The area of the country is 8.5 million sq. km. See Brazil abbreviations.
3/8 of the country’s territory is located on the lowlands and plains. In the south and in the central part of the country is the Brazilian Plateau (plateau). Its highest point is on Mount Bandeira (2890 meters). The height of the plateau itself ranges from 300 to 900 meters, in places it is crossed by mountains and rivers. The main mountain peaks of the Brazilian Plateau are: Sierra do Mar, Sierra da Mantiqueira, Sierra Geral. Their height rarely exceeds 1200 meters, but some mountain peaks reach more than 2000 meters (Nedra Acu – 2232 meters, Pica da Bandeira – 2890 meters).
A third of Brazil is the Amazonian jungle, which creates 50% of the world’s oxygen. The lowland areas of the Amazon occupy 2 million square meters. meters, the Amazon basin accounts for 4.7 million square meters. km.
Brazil has 10 of the 20 longest rivers in the world. The Amazon is the greatest navigable river in the world, its length is 2700 km. Its waters (together with tributaries) contain about 20% of the world’s fresh water. Also large rivers are Rio Negro, San Francisco, Parana, Madeira.
In the northern part of the Amazon Basin rises a mountain range – the Guiana Highlands. It consists of the mountains Sierra Parima (up to 1500 m), Sierra Tumukumak (up to 850 m) and Sierra Akari (up to 600 m). In the southern part, the relief is represented by the Laplata Lowland, and in the northern part, by the spurs of the Guiana Highlands (the Guiana Lowland is also located here). The largest lakes in Brazil are Patos and Mirim. The highest point of the country is Neblin Peak, its height is 3014 meters.
Climate
According to 800zipcodes, Brazil is located simultaneously in six climatic zones: equatorial, tropical, Atlantic, tropical highlands, subtropical and semi-arid. The average annual temperature in the northern regions of the country is +28 °C, in the south – about +20 °C. Most of the precipitation falls in the Amazon basin. In the southern part of Brazil, the air temperature sometimes drops to below zero, sometimes there is snow here.
The best time to visit Brazil is from December to March.
Major cities: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia
Capital: Brasilia
Beach resorts: Manaus, Sao Paulo, Angra dos Reis, Salvador, Buzios.
Brazilian Cuisine
Traditional Brazilian cuisine was formed on the basis of the culinary traditions of the Portuguese, Africans and aborigines – South American Indians. Depending on the region of the country, the gastronomic preferences of residents differ, but a number of the most common dishes can be distinguished.
Products most used in Brazilian cuisine: meat (pork, beef, chicken, chicken, duck), cereals (rice, corn), legumes (beans, beans), vegetables (cabbage, tomatoes, pumpkin), fruits (oranges, guava, banana, pineapple, mango, papaya), seafood (fish, shrimp, shellfish, crabs).
Brazilians often add seasonings and spices to their food. Of these, onion, chili, coriander, pepper and others are popular. Also in the local cuisine it is customary to use sauces.
National dishes of Brazil:
Separately from everyone in traditional Brazilian cuisine, a dish called “feijoada” is distinguished. It is the most common, prepared from different types of meat, beans, cassava flour, seasoned with pepper sauce, can be served with cabbage, orange, etc. The history of this dish goes back about three hundred years. Each region has its own peculiarities in its preparation.
- From snacks, Brazilians prefer stuffed olives, boiled corn, fried meatballs with cheese or cod, canapes, vegetable salads, pies with cheese, meat, olives, shrimp, palm fruits.
- Of the meat dishes in the country, chicken legs are popular, “lombo de porco” – fried pork, “shurasko” – pieces of beef fried on a metal rod, served with tomato sauce, “pato no tucupi” – duck meat in a special cassava sauce, “carne de sol” – salted dried meat, “sarapaten” – pork liver or heart, which are boiled with onions, peppers and tomatoes, as well as sausages and sausages. Exotic dishes for guests of the country will be stewed turtle and “jacare” – an alligator dish.
- From seafood, the dish “itapoa” is known – a pudding of crab and crayfish meat, “takaka no tukupi” – a dish of cassava flour, pasta, sauce, dried shrimp with the addition of a jumbo plant, “frigideira” – fried fish and shellfish in dough, cooked in clay pot, “vatapa” – pieces of fish with shellfish, boiled in dende oil, served with rice, “mokueka” – broth from seafood, “takaka” – soup of dry shrimp, tapioca and garlic of a thick consistency, lobster in coconut milk, fish cooked with coconut and coconut milk, stewed shrimp with various spices, “karuru” – salted shrimp with onions, hot peppers, caviar and kiabou grass.
- Bean soups, seafood broths, chicken and rice broth stand out from the soups.
- Of the desserts, Brazilians love sweets: “brigadeiro”, “kuindim” – with coconut, “eye of the mother-in-law”, “Causinho” – with cashew nuts, “suspiro” – from egg white, “bombom de nozes” – with walnuts, “ camafeu”, “bem-casados” and others.
Among soft drinks in Brazil, coffee is the most popular. It is drunk in small mugs “demitasses” many times a day. As a rule, it is sweet coffee “coffecino” (expresso). There are dozens of varieties of coffee. In addition, the country prepares a variety of fruit juices and cocktails.
Among the alcoholic drinks stands out “caipirinha” – vodka made from cane sugar with lemon and sugar, which is served with “feijoad”. In addition, rum, beer, quishasa vodka, wine (Castel-Chatelet, Shandon) are popular in the country.
