If ever there were a fun loving people, it is the Brazilians. Here are ten interesting things about Brazil for you to dance around with.

1. Brasilia is the capital of the country. The country’s total area is 8,511,965 sq km, and the land area counts 8,456,510 sq km. Brazil territory includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo.

2. Brazil is a highly populated country. The population of the country is 186,112,794 at the last count.

3. AIDS is expected to slow the population growth in the country. It is believed to be widespread, but not mentioned much do to bias and stereotypes.

4. The estimated population of Brazil in 2050 is expected to be over 206 million.

5. The languages spoken in Brazil are Portuguese, Spanish, English and French. Portuguese is the official language.

6. The people of Brazil are highly religious. The claim the following religions as their own: Roman Catholic 73.6 percent, Protestant 15.4 percent, Spiritualist 1.3 percent, Bantu/voodoo 0.3 percent, no religion 7.4 percent.

7. Literacy of the people in the country is as follows. From the point of the total population and the gender factor it reaches 86.4% for the total population, 86.1% for males and 86.6% for females (2003 estimation).

8. Life expectancy is 71.69 years in total. Males live for 67.74 years where as females live 75.85 years as of 2005.

9. Brazil is a federative republic. Its currency is the “real” (BRL).

10. Brazil is considered a leader in alternative energy. A vast amount of its electricity is produced through hydropower and much of the vehicle transportation has been converted to ethanol fuel, a biomass product produced from sugar cane. With the transformation, Brazil is now an exporter of oil instead of an importer despite the fact it has nominal oil reserves.

Brazil is a diverse, crowded country with a lot of unique issues. These ten interesting things regarding Brazil represent a primer on the country. To experience the brilliance of the country, you just have to go visit.

Richard Monk
http://www.factsmonk.com