Brazil is a destination with something for everyone: iconic megacities full of colour and culture, idyllic tropical beaches and incredible biodiversity both in water and on land. Here are some quick facts about this country to get you started:
  • Brazil covers almost half of South America. It shares a border with all of the 12 other countries on the landmass except 2: Chile and Ecuador.
  • The official language is Portuguese. Useful words and phrases include: tudo bem/tudo bom (use one or the other, both mean ‘how are you’, or, literally, ‘everything good’. You can answer using either tudo bem or tudo bom, and add e você? [‘eh vo-seh]’ to ask the question back), por favor = please, obrigado/a = thank you (men say obrigado and women say obrigada).
  • The local currency is the Brazilian real. Each colourful bill features a local animal on one side.
  • Top places to visit include the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador and Recife, the impressive Iguaçu Falls, the beaches of Florianópolis and Ubatuba, and the Amazon Rainforest.
  • The country and its islands span 4 different time zones, but the main Brazil time zone is Brasília time, which is GMT/UTC -3. This is 2 hours ahead of New York and 3 hours behind London.
  • Summer in Brazil spans from December through March, and winter is from June to September. Since the country is so large, the best time to visit can vary depending on where you are heading.
Get more information by reading the articles below.