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Brazilians often say they live in a continent rather than a country, and that's an excusable exaggeration. The landmass is bigger than the United States if you exclude Alaska; the journey from Recife in the east to the western border with Peru is longer than that from London to Moscow, and the distance between the northern and southern borders is about the same as that between New York and Los Angeles. Brazil has no mountains to compare with its Andean neighbours, but in every other respect it has all the scenic - and cultural - variety you would expect from so vast a country. Despite the immense expanses of the interior, roughly two-thirds of Brazil's population live on or near the coast; and well over half live in cities - even in the Amazon. In Rio and Sao Paulo, Brazil has two of the world's great metropolises, and nine other cities have over a million inhabitants. Yet Brazil still thinks of itself as a frontier country, and certainly the deeper into the interior you go, the thinner the population becomes. Nevertheless, the frontier communities have expanded relentlessly during the last fifty years, usually hand in hand with the planned expansion of the road network into remote regions. Other South Americans regard Brazilians as a race apart, and language has a lot to do with it - Brazilians understand Spanish, just about, but Spanish-speakers won't understand Portuguese. More importantly, though, Brazilians look different. They're one of the most ethnically diverse peoples in the world: in the extreme south, German and Italian immigration has left distinctive European features; Sao Paulo has the world's largest Japanese community outside Japan; there's a large black population concentrated in Rio, Salvador and Sao Luis; while the Indian influence is most visible in the people of Amazonia and the Northeastern interior. Brazil is a land of profound economic contradictions. Rapid postwar industrialization made Brazil one of the world's ten largest economies and put it among the most developed of Third World countries. But this has not improved the lot of the vast majority of Brazilians. The cities are dotted with favelas, shantytowns which crowd around the skyscrapers, and the contrast between rich and poor is one of the most glaring anywhere. There are wide regional differerences , too: Brazilians talk of a "Switzerland" in the Southeast, centred along the Rio-Sao Paulo axis, and an "India" above it; and although this is a simplification, it's true that the level of economic development tends to fall the further north you go. This throws up facts which are hard to swallow. Brazil is the industrial powerhouse of South America, but cannot feed and educate its people. In a country almost the size of a continent, the extreme inequalities in land distribution have led to land shortages but not to agrarian reform. Brazil has enormous natural resources but their exploitation so far has benefited just a few. The IMF and the greed of First World banks must bear some of the blame for this situation, but institutionalized corruption and the reluctance of the country's large middle class to do anything that might jeopardize its comfortable lifestyle are also part of the problem. These difficulties, however, rarely seem to overshadow everyday life in Brazil. It's fair to say that nowhere in the world do people know how to enjoy themselves more - most famously in the annual orgiastic celebrations of Carnaval , but reflected, too, in the lively year-round nightlife that you'll find in any decent-sized town. This national hedonism also manifests itself in Brazil's highly developed beach culture ; the country's superb music and dancing; rich regional cuisines ; and in the most relaxed and tolerant attitude to sexuality - gay and straight - that you'll find anywhere in South America. And if you needed more reason to visit, there's a strength and variety of popular culture , and a genuine friendliness and humour in the people that is tremendously welcoming and infectious.
Fun Tipsmary says "Bring your inhaler if you have asma." tips for BrazilRobyn says "Dont go it so boring,so dont go " travellingayanda says "can anyone tell me about cheap accomodation in brazil?" Tour Brazil and Argentina On Line (Video + Stills)David Mundstock says "My recent movie, “Tango and Samba Falls”, presents highlights of Argentina and Brazil, starring Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Iguazu Falls.
Tango in Buenos Aires, meet Evita, enjoy Gaucho dancing from the Pampas; and then north to the Argentina side of massive Iguazu Falls, featuring “The Devil’s Throat”.
Across the border to Brazil, for a close-up of the falls from below. In Rio, gaze at the views from famous mountain tops, and look for the Girl from Ipanema at Rio’s beaches. Take in a Samba show, featuring costumes that range from almost nothing to extremely elaborate and colorful. With digital effects.
“Tango and Samba Falls” can be seen on the web, if you have a high speed internet connection. This is a free, non-commercial, streaming video on the Windows Media Player. No ads and no strings attached. I sell absolutely nothing.
With any modem you can view a gallery of Argentina/Brazil still pictures.
There are over 30 of my other amateur travel videos on-line including trips to China, Russia, Antarctica, Italy, Britain, Hawaii, Australia, Bali, American National Parks, Africa, Greece, and Turkey; see lions, whales, elephants, or penguins.
The planet is yours, including my Home Page giant galaxy of still pictures from every continent.
To watch videos or look at the stills, please ask a search engine for: Intrepid Berkeley Explorer"
Your Tip for Brazil
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