• Brazil was officially "discovered" in 1500, when a fleet commanded by Portuguese

diplomat Pedro Álvares Cabral, on its way to India, landed in Porto Seguro, between
Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. (There is, however, strong evidence that other Portuguese
adventurers preceded him. Duarte Pacheco Pereira, in his book De Situ Orbis, tells of
being in Brazil in 1498, sent by King Manuel of Portugal.)
-Jair Bolsonaro was elected President of the Republic in the October 2018 race with 57,797,847
votes (55.13% of the Brazilian electorate). His political career began in 1988, when he won a
seat for municipal councillor for the city of Rio de Janeiro.
-Portuguese is the first language of the vast majority of Brazilians, but numerous foreign words
have expanded the national lexicon. The Portuguese language has undergone many
transformations, both in the mother country and in its former colony, since it was first introduced
into Brazil in the 16th century.

FACTS:

• Brazil, officially Federative Republic of Brazil, Portuguese República Federativa do

Brasil, country of South America that occupies half the continent’s landmass. It is the
fifth largest country in the world, exceeded in size only by Russia, Canada, China, and
the United States, 212.78 million people.

TRADITIONS:
• Samba - You have certainly saw or heard something about the Brazilian carnival at some
point in your life before.  It is undoubtedly one of the most grandiose festivals in the
entire world.  Some Brazilian states even declare a short vacation period in February or
March, so that the locals could celebrate and have fun without worrying about school,
college or their jobs.  However, most are not aware that the carnival takes its origin from
the Brazilian samba – a rhythm that can be played anywhere.
• Brazil’s carnival is the country’s largest popular festival. The event takes place during the
four days preceding Ash Wednesday (beginning of Lent). It’s commonly referred to by
Brazilians as the “greatest show on Earth“.It was brought from Portugal to its then colony
back in the fifteenth century. The festival evolved closer to what we see today only in
1808 when the Portuguese court moved to Rio de Janeiro and tried to incorporate some
Parisian costumes and dances to the festival.Around 30 schools gather hundreds of
thousands of participants in Rio. The participants prepare for an entire year,
choreographing the samba numbers, creating the costumes, and building the
parade floats.
 • Capoeira is a fast-paced Brazilian art form that combines powerful kicks, acrobatics,
take-downs, dance, play and physical communication.  Capoeirea is a great way to get fit
using a wide range of movements that are derived from elements of dance, martial arts,
and acrobatics while being both physically and mentally challenging. It is one of the most
amazing and beautiful art forms to watch.

• Football – soccer – is by far the most popular sport in Brazil, and the men's national team
has won a record five World Cup championships.

Tourist spot
• The Amazon Forest is the biggest rainforest in the world, covering nine countries with
5,500,000 km2 
of forest cover. Moreover, it is bigger than all the other rainforests combined. It
is home to more than thousands of species of animals, plants, and trees, making it the
most bio-diverse rainforest on the planet.

• The Amazon Forest is the biggest rainforest in the world, covering nine countries with
5,500,000 km2 
of forest cover. Moreover, it is bigger than all the other rainforests combined. It
is home to more than thousands of species of animals, plants, and trees, making it the
most bio-diverse rainforest on the planet.

• Rio de Janeiro is a huge seaside city in Brazil, famed for its Copacabana and Ipanema
beaches, 38m Christ the Redeemer statue atop Mount Corcovado and for Sugarloaf
Mountain, a granite peak with cable cars to its summit. The city is also known for its
sprawling favelas (shanty towns). Its raucous Carnaval festival, featuring parade floats,
flamboyant costumes and samba dancers, is considered the world’s largest. 

Machado de Assis

A founding figure of Brazilian literature, Machado de Assis is widely regarded as the greatest
writer of Brazilian literature. He was the first president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, the
most important literary non-profit society in Brazil. Machado de Assis wrote poetry, short
stories, and novels. He was also a journalist, playwright, theater critic, and literary critic.

Born in a poor community in Rio de Janeiro, Machado de Assis struggled with the challenges of
growing up in a mixed-race family in 1839. Largely self-taught, he strove to rise socially. His
work deals with various aspects of human life. It usually presents great irony and a sense of
humor, even when addressing important subjects.
 As one of the best Brazilian authors of all time, his works still have a great influence on
Brazilian literature until these days.

Machado de Assis – Notable Works

 Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas (Epitaph of a Small Winner)

 Quincas Borba (Philosopher or Dog?)
 Dom Casmurro
 O Alienista (The Alienist)

Clarice Lispector

Even though Clarice Lispector was born in Ukraine, she moved to Brazil with her family as an
infant. She grew up in Recife and Rio de Janeiro. While attending law school, she began writing
journalistic articles and short stories, catapulting to fame at the age of 23. She was the first
Brazilian ever to have her work published by the prestigious book series Penguin Classics.

Later, Clarice would become one of the most celebrated Brazilian authors of Modernism,
frequently associated with Virginia Woolf. She wrote novels, short stories, chronicles, and
children’s literature. In her works, Clarice Lispector likes to immerse herself in the minds of her
characters, probing complex psychological mechanisms.

Clarice Lispector – Notable Works

 Perto do Coração Selvagem (Near to the Wild Heart)

 Laços de Família (Family Ties)
 A Paixão Segundo G.H. (The Passion According to G.H.)
 Água Viva
 A Hora da Estrela (Hour of the Star)
 Jorge Amado

Jorge Amado is probably the most popular Brazilian author in the country. He is known for
praising the people and customs of Bahia, the Northeast Region of Brazil. Having written 49
books, Jorge Amado’s writing career spanned nearly seven decades. His work has been adapted
to films, plays, and television and also translated into over 40 languages around the globe.
His work is marked by religious syncretism, a cheerful and optimistic tone, and deep social and
economic thoughts. During his lifetime, Jorge Amado was able to accomplish both critical
acclaim and popular appeal.

Jorge Amado – Notable Works

 Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands)
 Capitães de Areia (Captains of the Sands)
 Tieta do Agreste (Tieta)
 Gabriela, Cravo e Canela (Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon)