Brazil

Brazil borders all South American countries, except Chile and Ecuador and occupies roughly half of South America. To the east, the Brazilian coastline extends 4,600 miles along the Atlantic Ocean.

Capital is Brasília.

Portuguese is the official language.

Population, 216,522,018. Size, 8,515,767 km^2.

The Brazilian real is the official currency.

Since the Portuguese colonized in the 16th century, it has been overwhelmingly Catholic. And today has more Roman Catholics than any other country in the world – an estimated 123 million.

Major cities include San Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, and Salvador.

The national dish is Feijoada; a black bean and pork stew that Brazilians often serve topped with farofa, toasted cassava flour. Major crops are soybean, maize, sugarcane, and rice which account for 90% of total crop area, and (except for rice) the country is one of the largest producers and exporters of these crops.

Dominated by equatorial and tropical climates, northern and central Brazil receives frequent rainfall and experiences higher temperatures. Meanwhile, southern Brazil is characterized by a humid subtropical climate.

Brazil has the largest community of Japanese outside Japan. Brasil is home to Snake Island, one of the world's most dangerous islands. It is estimated that there’s a snake per square meter on the Island. Researchers have estimated Brazil to be one of the most bio-diverse countries on Earth and is home to the most known plants, amphibians, freshwater fish, and mammals. Brazil has been the largest coffee producer in the world for the past 150 Years. Brazil has three time zones and the most national parks in the Americas. Brazil has the world's tallest vertical cemetery and also has 2,700 airports. Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world both on population and area. Sex change surgeries are free under Brazil’s public health system. Brazilian prisoners are allowed to reduce their sentence by four days for every book that they read. Rio de Janeiro was once the capital of Portugal which meant it was the only European capital to be located outside Europe. Brazil was the only independent South American country to send troops to fight in WW2. Brazil was the first country to accept women in their armed forces. São Paulo is the largest city in the southern hemisphere. João Pessoa is the first mainland city in the Americas to see the sunrise every single day.