BRAZIL

Capital: Brasilia  |  Population: 198.7 million

Country Overview

Welcome to Brazil, the largest country in South America and home to beautifully diverse regions and hip-swaying dances.

The North is famous for the Amazon Rainforest, while the Southeast is dry and cool. The majority of Brazil’s 199 million people live in the Southeast in the bustling cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The South and Midwest are temperate and filled with sprawling farms and cattle-ranches.

Brazil is a federative republic with an elected executive and legislative branch. They use the “real” as their official currency and have the world’s seventh largest economy.

Portuguese is the official language in Brazil, and is widely spoken there.


Daily Life

Brazilian families are usually close-knit, and often have two to three children. Live-in maids are quite common in Brazil, and large extended family gatherings are frequent. People enjoy dancing, making music and playing sports. 

The majority of Brazilians are Catholic, and religious traditions influence many of Brazil’s cultural festivals and daily life. 

Beans and rice are staples of a Brazilian diet, with various meats and seafood included. Fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant. Northern cuisine in Brazil tends to be very spicy.

Oi or olá!

School

Education is free and required in Brazil. High schools tend to be very academically oriented, and cover a wide range of subjects with students attending an average of 6 classes a day.

Brazilian high schools don’t typically offer extracurricular activities or sports, with students joining community clubs or taking private lessons instead.

Students who wish to attend university must pass a challenging comprehensive exam that covers everything they have learned since grade one.


Teenagers

Brazilian teenagers enjoy playing soccer, volleyball, basketball, and handball. Swimming and surfing are also popular.

Teens all over the world wear jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. Brazilians are no exception!

Brazilian teens normally begin dating around age 14. They generally stay out later and enjoy a bit more freedom than teens in the U.S., however curfews and rules can vary greatly from family to family. They gather at dance clubs and parties, and enjoy going to movies, shopping, and meeting friends at restaurants and pubs. On the weekends, many teens go to the beach or out to the country.