Brazil

Brazil: capital Brasília, population 212.8M, area 8,515,767 km². The 7th most populous country, in Americas. Facts, map, neighbours and more.

Brazil occupies almost half of South America and contains most of the Amazon basin, yet many of its largest cities face the Atlantic. Its national story links a royal court governing from Rio, independence beside the Ipiranga stream and a capital built inland in 41 months. Football crowds, samba-school parades, bossa nova and capoeira all carry precise origin stories alongside their wider reputations.

• Pedro Álvares Cabral's 13-ship fleet made landfall near Monte Pascoal on 22 April 1500, then sent one vessel back to report the coast to King Manuel I.
• The Portuguese royal court fled Lisbon and reached Rio de Janeiro in 1808; for 13 years, a European monarchy governed its empire from a former colony.
• On 7 September 1822, Prince Pedro declared independence beside São Paulo's Ipiranga stream; Portugal formally recognised the new empire three years later.
• Princess Isabel signed the Golden Law on 13 May 1888, abolishing slavery without compensation to former owners; Brazil was the last country in the Americas to do so.

• Pelé won the 1958 World Cup at 17 and remains the only player to win three editions, adding the 1962 and 1970 titles with Brazil.
• Ayrton Senna won three Formula One drivers' championships with McLaren and finished his 11-season career with 41 Grand Prix victories and 65 pole positions.
• Oscar Niemeyer became chief architect for Brasília in 1956, designing its principal civic buildings; in 1988 he shared the Pritzker Architecture Prize with Gordon Bunshaft.
• Machado de Assis founded the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 1897 and served as its first president, after teaching himself French, English, German and Greek.

• Christ the Redeemer was dedicated in 1931 after nine years of construction; the concrete-and-soapstone figure stands 30 metres high with arms spanning 28 metres.
• Iguaçu's waterfall system extends for roughly 2,700 metres with vertical drops reaching 80 metres, where the river cuts a semicircle through basalt and subtropical forest.
• Manaus's Amazon Theatre opened in 1896 during the rubber boom; its dome carries 36,000 ceramic tiles, while its marble, steel and furnishings arrived from Europe.
• Brasília was built in 41 months and inaugurated on 21 April 1960, following Lúcio Costa's urban plan and Oscar Niemeyer's designs for major public buildings.

• The 1950 World Cup's decisive match drew an official 173,850 spectators to Rio's Maracanã, where Uruguay's 2–1 victory became remembered in Brazil as the Maracanaço.
• Oscar Niemeyer's Sambadrome opened in Rio in 1984 with a 570-metre parade avenue and 115 classrooms built beneath its stands for use outside Carnival.
• Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes wrote Chega de Saudade; João Gilberto's 1958 recording became a hit that established bossa nova as a distinct genre.
• UNESCO inscribed the capoeira circle in 2014: two players exchange controlled movements inside a roda while the surrounding group sings, claps and plays percussion.

What is the capital of Brazil?

The capital of Brazil is Brasília.

What is the population of Brazil?

Brazil has about 212.8M people — the 7th most populous country in the world.

How big is Brazil?

Brazil covers 8,515,767 km², making it the 5th largest country by area.

Which region is Brazil in?

Brazil is in South America, Americas.