We are visiting Brazil, the largest country in both South America and the Latin American region. There are around 215 million people living here, and while many people think it is Rio de Janeiro, the capital is actually Brasília, a city built in the shape of a giant airplane! The official language is Portuguese, making it the only country in the Americas to speak it.

Brazil is massive, covering about 8.5 million square kilometers, or 3.3 million square miles. To imagine its size, the country is roughly the same size as the mainland United States, or about as large as the entire continent of Australia. It is so big that it borders every single country in South America except for two!

The most popular sport is Football, and Brazil is the only country to have won the World Cup five times. Their national animal is the Jaguar, the largest cat in the Americas, which is a master of both land and water in the deep jungles.

The flag features a green field with a large yellow diamond in the center; inside the diamond is a blue globe with 27 white stars and a white band with the motto “Ordem e Progresso.” The green represents the lush forests and the yellow symbolizes the country’s wealth in gold.

The food is incredibly diverse and delicious. The national dish is Feijoada, a rich stew of black beans with beef and pork. You should also try Pão de Queijo, which are small, chewy cheese bread balls made from cassava flour, and Brigadeiros, which are chocolate truffles that are a favorite at every birthday party.

Brazil is home to the Amazon Rainforest, the largest tropical forest in the world, which produces about 20% of the Earth’s oxygen! In the city of Rio de Janeiro, you can find the giant Christ the Redeemer statue standing atop a mountain, and every year, the city hosts Carnival, the biggest street party on the planet with thousands of colorful dancers and drummers. The country also has a place called Lençóis Maranhenses, a vast desert of white sand dunes where, during the rainy season, the valleys between the dunes fill up with crystal-clear blue and green lagoons that you can swim in.

From the thunderous Iguazu Falls to the rhythmic sounds of Samba on the beach, Brazil is a land of energy and natural wonders. Obrigado! That means “Thank you!”