Tropical Brazil is the largest country in South America. After nearly three centuries of Portuguese rule, Brazil gained independence in 1822. Because of this Portuguese is the most widely spoken language of Brazil and is the country’s official language. There are roughly 205,823,665 Brazilians in a country slightly smaller than the U.S (2016). The capital of Brazil is Brasilia and the majority of the population practices Roman Catholicism as well as Protestantism.

Here there are three time zones. In the West the time is the same as EST, in the north west the time is one hour ahead, to the East it is two hours ahead and the south it is three hours ahead of EST.

Travelers must visit the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue situated atop a mountain in Rio de Janeiro. Travelers should also visit the rainforest as 60% of the world’s rainforest is located in Brazil. Other must-sees include Iguazu Falls and the Amazon, the world’s second longest river. Brazil is also known for Rio de Janeiro Carnival, a world famous festival held before the Lent season celebrated with parades, masquerade, music and dancing. One fun fact, Brazil has been the world’s largest exporter of coffee for 150 years.