Brazil
Brazil is the largest country in South America both in population and land mass. Just looking at a map of Brazil, it is easy to see! In the world, Brazil is the fifth largest. Brazilian culture is colorful and steeped in history and tradition. Brazil is the only country in North America where Portuguese is the official spoken language. And because of its eclectic history of slaves, immigrants and natives, the Brazil people are a wild mix of Europeans, Asians, African Americans and Native Indians. You will also discover that Brazil culture is largely based on its roots in Portugal.

It is the culture of Brazil that leaves its mark in many of the traditions, tourist areas and holiday celebrations of the country. For instance, the Carnival in Brazil is the largest celebration in the country and it marks the beginning of Lent, forty days before Easter. This is just one of the ways that this country exposes its strong ties to Roman Catholicism. The country’s Portuguese ties carry over to the Brazilian flag. The Brazil flag is green with a yellow diamond in the middle. Within the diamond is a blue circle that depicts the Southern star-studded sky. The banner within the blue sphere has Portuguese words that translate to “order and progress.”

In regards to Brazilian traditions, those Portuguese Roman Catholic traditions extend to Christmas as well. Christmas in Brazil is a huge event with a lot of traditional activities such as the turkey and ham dinners, Santa Claus (known as Papai Noel) and nativity scenes and midnight mass. Brazilian baby names also sometimes have a hint of the old world tradition too. Such girls names as Raquel and Iara and boy names like Davi and Filipe are common.

Brazil is well known for two more things – gorgeous models and soccer (also known as football). Gisele Bundchen is the most famous of Brazilian models, gracing the covers of Victoria’s Secret catalogs as well as thousands of magazine covers all over the world. Other models from this country include Isabeli Fontana, Adriana Lima, Ana Hickmann and Ana Beatriz Barros.

In regards to Brazil soccer, this country has its own share of stars and championships. In fact, thanks to certain Brazilian soccer stars from past and present like Pele, Socrates, Roberto Carlos, and many more, Brazil has won the World Cup five times – a record! Other sports that Brazilians do well in include volleyball, basketball, tennis and auto racing.