Brazil is in South America, bordering Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French Guiana to the north, Uruguay to the south, Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest, Bolivia and Peru to the west, and Colombia to the northwest.

With a territory covering 8.511.965 square km. this is one of the largest countries in South America, and the fifth largest in the world. It covers nearly fifty percent of Latin America and half of the population of the whole continent lives here. From a morphological point of views the country is divided into five regions: Sudeste, Sul, Centro-Oeste, Norte and Nordeste.

About 183 millions, source www.ibge.gov.br - IBGE - Istituto Brasileiro di Geografia e Statística (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics)..

The capital city is Brasilia. Built between 1956 and 1960 with the intention to move the capital from Rio de Janeiro, this is one of the youngest capital cities in the world. The construction works were planned and carried out by the architects Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa, who also designed the main administrative buildings in the city. Nowadays nearly 2 millions people live in this urban centre located in the Goias tableland, about one thousand kilometres far from Sao Paulo.

Rio de Janeiro, Porto Seguo, Salvador de Bahia, Recife, Natal and Fortaleza.

International Airport Luis Eduardo Magalhães - Salvador de Bahia-; International Airport Zumbi dos Palmares - Macejo; - International Airport Guararapes - Recife; International Airport Pinto Martins - Fortaleza; International Airport Antônio Carlos Jobim - Rio de Janeiro - International Airport - Porto Seguro -; International Airport Augusto Severo - Natal.

The modern history of Brazil goes back to 1500, and more precisely on the 23rd of April when Pedro Alvares Cabral landed by chance on the southern coast of Bahia. The Portuguese sailor is said to be heading for Calcutta but an error in calculation made him go excessively westwards, thus deviating from his course. In the first stage the Portuguese colonists used the coast both as a protection for the territory and as a base for their trade with the natives. The French and the Spaniards were the first to understand the importance of the Brazilian territories, and tried several times to occupy them. Between the end of the XVI century and the beginning of the XVII century, namely in 1580, Brazil -together with Portugal - came under the Spanish rule. Such a domination lasted until 1640 and was characterized by many difficulties due to the several threats and perils deriving from the English, French and Dutch armies. The final liberation from the colonists took place only much later. The real turning-point occurred in 1871 when the chief of the army ordered the emperor of that time to retire and he did not offer resistance. The country turned therefore pacifically into a Republic based on a Constitution. Brazil is now a Presidential Federal Republic.

The 7th of September, the Independence Day (1822).

Presidential Federal Republic. The current President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio da Silva - known as Lula, was elected for the first time in January 2003 and re-elected in October 2006 with the highest number of valid votes in the Brazilian history.

The official language is Portuguese, but you will often meet Italian-speaking people, especially in big cities and in tourist places.

Roman Catholics 79%, Protestants 15.5%, unreligious/atheists 7,5%. Although the country has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world, the ascendancy and the popularity of this religion is dropping: this is mainly due not only to the typical Brazilian religiousness, which includes elements of the Indian animism, different African creeds and the Afro-catholic syncretism, but also other religions such as Buddhism.

During your trip in Brazil you may find up to four time zones.
In the area covering the eastern, north-eastern, southern and south-eastern regions, that is Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belém, the time zone is four hours behind Italy.
The area including the states of Pantanal, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso du Sul is five hours behind Italy.
The western state of Acre together with the westernmost part of the Amazon states are six hours behind Italy.
And finally, the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, off the western coast, is just three hours behind Italy.
When in Italy the Daylight Saving Time is in use, the difference varies according to the area.

Italian citizens are not required to get a visa to visit Brazil for tourism purposes, for a stay of up to 90 days: they just need a valid passport and a round-trip ticket.
The 90-day valid tourist residence permit will be issued directly at the airport. Please keep carefully the copy of such a form since it must be returned before your departure from Brazil.

The country's monetary unit is the Real (R$). Considering the present currency exchange rate, Brazil is a very economical destination for Italian travellers, the most expensive places being the big cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.

CHECK THE CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE

The main international credit cards are accepted in hotels, shops and restaurants.

No vaccinations are required to visit Brazil, unless your travel plan includes particular areas, such as Amazonia, Amapá, Goiás, etc: in such a case yellow fever vaccination is recommended for all tourists - both Brazilian and foreign. Tourists coming from or having visited in the past three months specific countries - such as Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameron, Colombia, Ecuador, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, French Guiana, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Venezuela and Zaire - are required to hold an International Certificate of Vaccination against Yellow Fever. Before leaving for Brazil it is advisable to get informed or else to refer to the Brazilian Embassy or Consulate in order to be further updated about the disease hazard areas and the vaccinations required accordingly. Moreover, it is advisable to bring a small but well equipped travelling pharmacy and/or first aid emergency kit for minor problems. Do not forget mosquito repellents. Avoid drinking tap water.

Considering the territorial extent and the geographical position of this country located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, the climate slightly differs according to the area. Seasons in Brazil and Italy are exactly the opposite, with the only exception of the northern and north-eastern regions of the country where the climate is tropical. The average temperature is about 28°C in the northern and north-eastern region, and 20°C in the south. Temperatures in some southern places may reach 0°C, while in other sites such as Rio de Janeiro and Salvador de Bahia the temperature may arrive at 40° C in summertime. A sweater may be anyway useful in case of cool evenings or to protect oneself in air conditioned places.

CHECK THE WEATHER FORECASTS IN REAL TIME

In the main Brazilian cities the voltage is 110/220v.

To call Italy from Brazil dial 0021 followed by the country code for Italy 0039, then the Italian area code - including zero for fixed net numbers - and the number you wish to call (for example: to call a fixed net telephone number in Rome from Brazil just dial 0021 39 06 ; to call a mobile phone number from Brazil just dial 0021 39 347).
The GSM network works perfectly in the whole country, therefore our mobile phones may be used here. As phone tariffs vary according to the service provider, it is advisable to get informed about costs before the departure, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises at home.
The internet can be found everywhere and its use is very economical: checking or sending e-mails will not be a problem. Cybercafés are so common that you may find them even in the most unexpected places.
To call Brazil from Italy, dial the country code for Brazil 0055, followed by the area code without 0 and then the number you wish to call.

For those who like videos and pictures Brazil is a real paradise. There are no restrictions to take pictures or make amateur videos for private use. As in any other country, it is advisable to politely ask local people for their permission before taking pictures of them.

Shopping lovers can really have fun here. If you prefer shopping mall rather than small shops, you should take into consideration the possibility to pass at least a couple of days in one of the big Brazilian cities where the shopping centres can offer you haute couture boutiques and points of sale of the major European stylists. Those who like local handicrafts will not be disappointed either: you can get some excellent bargains almost everywhere if you arm yourselves with patience and persevere in visiting above all local markets.

The Brazilian cuisine is in no way inferior to any other gastronomy. Similarly to the European cuisine, the Brazilian one is much varied even though there are some differences. A typical dish is the "feijoada" made of rice, black beans together with pork and beef meat. But the most famous dish is probably the "churrasco", a meal of excellent flame grilled fresh meats. As a matter of fact, the most popular restaurants among tourists and Brazilians are the so-called "churrascarias". These nice steakhouses offer cold or warm buffet appetizers with meat, fish, rice, pasta, fruit, vegetables and sushi. Once seated, nice waiters will come to your table offering you exaggerated quantities of various kinds of charcoal grilled meat served on a spit, resulting in an all-you-can-eat meat barbecue!

Brazil boasts a wide and varied music repertoire, represented by men of great talent. Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil are just a few of the made-in-Brazil artists. Their fame began at the end of the 60s and has not declined yet. Caetano Veloso was also a leader of the student generation that opposed the dictatorship of those years. His arrest and expulsion from the country following to his performance of the against-the-régime song "Proibido Proibir" during a concert held in Sao Paulo on the 15th September 1968 will go down in history. The Brazilian firmament is currently rich in other stars. Beyond the refined style of artists such as Vinicius Morales, Joao Gilberto, Milton Nascimento, Toquinho and Tom Jobim, great popularity has been gained by another rock-influenced music, such as that played by the Sepoltura, particularly appreciated by the young. In the African Bahia the real stars of the popular music are the Afro-Brazilian rhythms of Olodum, the Timbalada by Carlinhos Brown and the energy of Daniela Mercury. Their overwhelming music reaches its peak during the Carnival celebrated in the streets of Salvador de Bahia.

Brazil is particularly famous for its nightlife and its entertainment proposals may satisfy any need. Here nightlife is life! Brazilians are a genetically devoted-to-fun people. Trendy places may change in time, so if you want to thoroughly experience the real nightlife just follow one single advice: take a look of the local newspapers and check the city offers of the day. In case of problems due to the language, ask the receptionists: they are usually really kind. All the more so as Italians are good at these things!

The nightlife in Brazil is lively all the year round, but cities do experience a unique energy while approaching the Carnival celebrations. Brazilians must be given credit for having made Carnival the greatest fancy-dress festival in the world. February is therefore deemed to be the best period to visit the birthplace of samba, especially for two reasons: firstly, it is summertime, it hardly ever rains and the average temperature is more than 30° C; secondly, the party showing the joy, the arts and the culture of Brazil at their best takes place right from the 15th to the 20th of February - five days in which you may thoroughly live the local atmosphere among dances and crazy events. In most of the cities and especially in Rio de Janeiro offices remain closed, since people are terribly busy in other activities, such as parading, singing and dancing. Such an euphoria involves not only the Cariocas (as locals call themselves) but also the several foreigners coming here from all over the world to take part to the craziest marathon in the country. In an explosion of colours, confetti and unrestrained samba music the festival reaches its peak with the parades in the Sambadrome located in the new town in Avenida Marquês do Sapucaí. The spectacular costumes worn by samba dancers are designed and created by skilled craftsmen and may cost even more than a thousand Euros. Tourists have the possibility to parade in the Sambadrome as well: they just need to dress up and to hold an entrance ticket, which must have been bought in great advance. Try to ask to your hotel concierge - he will definitely know somebody selling it. Just an advice: never give money in advance! While the spectacular and enchanting carnival in Rio de Janeiro is mainly intended for tourists, the festival taking place in Recife, Olinda and Salvador de Bahia is on the contrary much more popular and maybe even more authentic. As a matter of fact, in the north-eastern region parades and celebrations fill the streets with joy and people moving to the rhythm of frevo and forró music. In Salvador de Bahia the event starti in the early morning, when thousands of people dance and sing all the day long in the streets together with the so-called trios électricos, a sort of truck with a music group on top of it. Also the carnival celebrations held in Recife and Olinda are popular and involving events featured by endless rhythms and traditions. The leading role here is played by common people - the people of the rua!

1) Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
2) The statue of Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro)
3) The sugarloaf mountain Pao de Acucar (Rio de Janeiro)
4) Pelorinho the old town of Salvador di Bahia (Salvador de Bahia)
5) The Chapada Diamantina National Park (Salvador de Bahia)
6) Olinda, the old town of Recife (Recife)
7) Porto de Galinhas (Recife)
8) The Fernando de Noronha Marine Park (Pernabuco)
9) Canoa Quebrada and Jericoacoara beach (Fortaleza)
10) Trancoso (Porto Seguro).

1) Pernabuco - In the Fernando de Noronha Marne Park you can have spectacular diving and, if you are lucky enough, make a long swim with friendly dolphins!
2) Recife - Beyond diving, in Porto de Galinhas you can have a bathe in the natural pools reached by typical boats when the tide is slow.
3) Salvador de Bahia - At the Morro de Sao Paulo in the island of Tinhare you can play water sports and dive.
4) Fortaleza - Canoa Quebrada is a place famous for the surf and kitesurf competitions.
5) Rio de Janeiro - Angra dos Reis and Buzios are considered the coolest places for those who love sailing and windsurfing.

- Tips - Tips are not compulsory and generally a 10-% service is already included in restaurant bills. Beyond being highly appreciated, tipping the waiter is quite a common habit.

- Safety - Brazil is perceived as a dangerous land. Actually, the utmost caution is advisable in big cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Recife, where tourists have better avoid some areas at night. It is recommended to avoid wearing precious things and to always have some Rias within reach.

- Taxi - Taxis are safe, but you have better take those with taximeter.

Piazza Navona, 21 - Rome - Italy
Phone:0039 06 683 981
Fax: 0039 06 686 7858
www.turismobrasile.it

Av. Paulista, 1963 - Sao Paulo - Brazil
Phone: 0055 11 3549 5699
Fax: 0055 11 3253 7763
www.conssanpaolo.esteri.it/Consolato_SanPaolo

Piazza Navona, 14 - Rome - Italy
Phone:0039 06 683 981
Fax: 0039 06 686 7858
www.ambasciatadelbrasile.it