Legacy Inspires issue 10 Page 41

PLAY

ast in size, breathtaking in the
beauty of its landscapes, rich in

natural resources and steeped in

a centuries-old culture that is part

native South American, part African,

part European, largely Portuguese

and thoroughly Brazilian Brazil is

simply sensational.

Few countries offer tourists the breadth of

experiences and destinations that Brazil does. The
country spans a total area of 8,514,877km2 and
hosts a population in excess of 192-million, making it
the world's fifth largest country in both geographical
area and population size. In all of South America,
Chile and Ecuador are the only two countries that do
not border this immense country.

From its large cosmopolitan cities, small historic

towns and villages, splendid Atlantic Ocean coastline
with its 2095 dazzling beaches, to its endless plains
and soaring mountains and the Amazon Rainforest,
Brazil ranks high among the most geographically
diverse tourist destinations on the planet.

As varied as its geography is, so too are its

peoples and cultural diversity. A long history of
colonial ties with the Portuguese Empire has
had a pervasive and lasting impact on Brazil's
culture, which at its heart is distinctly Portuguese.
Nevertheless, over the centuries, the influence of the
indigenous Amerindian population, extensive African
slave population and large immigrant population has
left its mark on everything from language to cuisine,
music, dance, religion and architecture.

Today, Brazil is the largest Portuguese-speaking

country in the world, though of course minority
languages are spoken throughout the country, as are
the 180 Amerindian languages spoken by indigenous
peoples in its remotest parts. Fascinatingly enough,
Brazil has the largest number of `lost tribes' or
uncontacted people in the world. In 2007 the
country's Fundação Nacional do Índio (National
Indian Foundation) confirmed the existence of 67
uncontacted tribes.

Brazilian society is notoriously spiritual and

with a 64.6% share of the population, Roman
Catholicism is by far the predominant faith, followed
by Protestantism, which is practised by some 22.2%
of its people.

Of course the burning question for would-be

travellers to developing countries like Brazil is
whether or not the destination is conflict-ridden or
politically stable. In Brazil's case, it's the latter. The
country saw the last of dictatorship and military rule
in 1985, since which time it has enjoyed political
stability under democratically elected leaders. Dilma
Rousseff is the incumbent President of Brazil and its
first female president, an office she has held since 1
January 2011.

Economically, Brazil is rapidly establishing itself

as a force to be reckoned with and is one of the
world's fastest growing economies. In 2011 it became
the world's sixth largest economy in terms of nominal
GDP and overtook the United Kingdom to become
the world's seventh largest by purchasing power
parity. Its currency is the Brazilian real (R$).