Transcript Atlantic South America

Atlantic South
America
Brazil
History
 Brazil is the largest
country in South
America. Its
population of 188
million people is
more than all of the
other South
American countries
combined.
Colonial Brazil
 The first people of Brazil
were Native Americans,
arriving thousands of
years ago and basing
their lives on hunting,
fishing and small farms.
The first Europeans to
arrive were the
Portuguese, in 1500.
Colonial Brazil
 The Portuguese soon
moved to Brazil due to
warm climates and good
soil. These conditions
made it a large sugar
producing region. The
Portuguese brought
Africans over as slaves
to work the cane
plantations. Sugar made
Portugal rich.
Colonial Brazil
 Inland, many Portuguese
raised cattle on ranches.
In the late 1600’s to
early 1700’s, gold and
precious gems were
found in the southeast
and a mining boom
would bring people from
around the world.
Finally, in the 1800’s,
Coffee would become
king.
Brazil Since Independence
 Brazil gained independence in 1822
without rebellion or fight. Independence
did not change the economy or society
much – they were the last country in the
Americas to abolish slavery. Leaders
have been both dictators at times and
elected officials at other times. Today,
the government has elected officials and
Brazilians can participate in government.
People and Culture:
People
 More than half of
Brazilians see
themselves as
European descent.
Portuguese
immigrants along
with Spanish,
German, Polish and
Italians have made
Brazil home.
People
 40 % of the
population is of
mixed African and
European heritage.
Brazil also has the
largest Japanese
population outside of
Japan.
People and Language
 Due to its cultural
heritage, Portuguese is
the official language.
Since Brazil is so huge
and populous,
Portuguese is spoken by
more than Spanish in all
of South America.
Native languages as well
as others like French
and English are spoken
as well.
Religion
 Brazil has the largest
population of Roman
Catholics of any country
in the world. Protestants
have grown in Brazil in
the recent times and
some Brazilians practice
Macumba, a blend of
African, Indian and
Christian beliefs and
practices.
Festivals and Food
 Carnival is huge in
Brazil. Celebrated
before Lent, they
incorporate traditions
from Africa, Europe
and Brazil. Food is
also influenced by
heritage. An African
seafood dish called
vatapa is popular.
Brazil Today
 Opportunities and challenges face this big
nation. Brazil has the largest economy in
South America and many wealthy areas –
however, many Brazilians are quite poor.
Some issues and characteristics are common
throughout Brazil, but some pertain to
particular regions. Brazil can be divided into
four regions based on people, economies and
landscapes.
The Southeast
 Most people live in the Southeast and Sao
Paulo, the largest city in Brazil and 4th largest
in the world is there. A megacity, there are
many small cities and suburbs in the
surrounding area.
Rio
 Rio de Janeiro is the 2nd
largest city and is
northeast of Sao Paulo.
It was the capital from
1822 to 1960 and has a
population of 12 million.
A major port, its setting
and exciting culture draw
thousands of tourists
each year.
Southeast
 The Southeast is also the richest region – both
in resources and industry and farmlands. It
does have poverty as well, many cities having
favelas – slums – right next to wealthy areas.
The Northeast
 The northeast is Brazil’s
poorest region. Many
can’t read, health care is
poor and jobs nonexistent. Droughts make
farming difficult and does
not attract industry.
However, the beaches
do attract tourists. Old
colonial cities also attract
tourists.
The Interior
 The Interior region is
a frontier. Mild
climate and
abundant land may
make it an
agricultural region in
the future. Few live
there today except
for those in Brasilia,
the capital.
Brasilia
 In the 1950’s, officials
hoped building the
capital inland would
draw people to the area.
It has big buildings and
highways and 2 million
population although it
was designed for
500,000.
The Amazon
 The Amazon region
covers most of northern
Brazil. Manaus is the
major port and industrial
city and over a million
people live there and
they rely on the great
river for transportation
and communication.
The Amazon
 Isolated Indian villages
are scattered throughout
the rainforest – some
had very little contact
with the outside world
until recently. Now,
mining, logging and
roads bring people and
development to the
region.
The Amazon
 The new development
brings much needed
income to the area, but it
destroys large areas of
the rainforest. This also
creates tensions
between Indians, new
settlers, miners and the
government.