AMUSING FACTS ABOUT BRAZIL

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT FOUR MILLION

SLAVES WERE TAKEN FROM AFRICA TO BRAZIL

DURING THE SLAVE TRADE, WHICH WAS ABOUT

FORTY-FIVE PERCENT OF ALL SLAVES BROUGHT

TO THE AMERICAS. IN OTHER WORDS, AND

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, BRAZIL HAD

MORE SLAVES THAN THE UNITED STATES

THIS YEAR RIO DE JANEIRO IN BRAZIL WILL MAKE

HISTORY AS THE FIRST SOUTH AMERICAN CITY TO

HOST THE SUMMER OLYMPICS AND THE SECOND CITY

IN LATIN AMERICA TO HOST THE EVENT AFTER

MEXICO CITY IN 1968

BRAZIL WAS THE FIRST COUNTRY TO BAN TANNING

SALONS, AS WELL AS BUYING OR SELLING

TANNING EQUIPMENT. THIS LAW WAS A RESULT

OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CLASSIFYING

TANNING BEDS AS A LEVEL 1 CARCINOGEN, THE

SAME AS PLUTONIUM AND CIGARETTES

SINCE 2008, SEX CHANGE SURGERY IS FREE UNDER

BRAZIL’S PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM

THE COUNTRY’S MOST FAMOUS MOTTO IS

“ORDEM E PROGRESSO,” WHICH MEANS

“ORDER AND PROGRESS.”

BOSSA NOVA IS A GENRE OF BRAZILIAN MUSIC

THAT DEVELOPED AND WAS POPULARIZED IN

THE 1950’S AND ‘60’S AND IS TODAY ONE OF THE

BEST-KNOWN BRAZILIAN MUSIC GENRES ABROAD.

“THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA” IS WITHOUT A

DOUBT THE MOST FAMOUS BOSSA NOVA SONG;

IT BECAME A WORLDWIDE HIT IN THE MID-1960’S,

WINNING A GRAMMY FOR RECORD OF THE YEAR

IN 1965

BRAZIL’S NATIONAL DRINK, WHICH HAS BECOME

ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS EXOTIC COCKTAILS

IN MOST PARTS OF THE WEST IN THE LAST FEW

YEARS, IS THE CAIPIRINHA, WHICH IS A

SUGARCANE LIQUOR CALLED CACHACA MIXED

IN A GLASS WITH SUGAR, ICE, AND

CRUSHED LIME SLICES

IN THE 1980’S BRAZIL BECAME THE FIRST

SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY TO ACCEPT

WOMEN INTO ITS ARMED FORCES