SECTION
2 Brazil
If YOU lived there...
TEKS 1A, 2B, 3B, 4D,
15D, 21A, 21C You live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s second-largest city. For months
What You Will Learn… your friends have been preparing for Carnival, the year’s biggest
holiday. During Carnival, people perform in glittery costumes and
Main Ideas
there is dancing all day and all night in the streets. The city is packed
1. Brazil’s history has been
affected by Brazilian Indians, with tourists. It can be fun, but it is hectic! Your family is thinking of
Portuguese settlers, and leaving Rio during Carnival so they can get some peace and quiet,
enslaved Africans.
2. Brazil’s society reflects a mix but you may stay in Rio with a friend if you like.
of people and cultures.
3. Brazil today is experiencing Would you stay for Carnival? Why or why not?
population growth in its cities
and new development in rain
forest areas.
Building Background Carnival is a tradition that is not unique
The Big Idea to Brazil, but it has come to symbolize certain parts of Brazilian
The influence of Brazil’s culture. Brazilian culture differs from cultures in the rest of South
history can be seen all over America in many ways. Brazil’s unique history in the region is
the country in its people and
culture. responsible for most of the cultural differences.
Key Terms and Places
São Paulo, p. 262 History
megacity, p. 262 Brazil is the largest country in South America. Its population
Rio de Janeiro, p. 262 of more than 188 million is larger than the population of all of
favelas, p. 263
the other South American countries combined. Most Brazilians
Brasília, p. 263
Manaus, p. 263 are descended from three diverse groups of people whose expe-
riences have contributed in different ways throughout Brazil’s
history.
Colonial Brazil
Use the graphic organizer online to The first people in Brazil were American Indians. They arrived in
take notes on Brazil. the region many thousands of years ago and developed a way of
life based on hunting, fishing, and small-scale farming.
In 1500 Portuguese explorers became the first Europeans to
find Brazil. Soon Portuguese settlers began to move there. Good
climates and soils, particularly in the northeast, made Brazil a
large sugar-growing colony. Colonists brought a third group
of people—Africans—to work as slaves on the plantations.
Sugar plantations made Portugal rich, but they also eventually
replaced forests along the Atlantic coast.
260 Chapter 11
Other parts of Brazil also contributed People and Culture
to the colonial economy. Inland, many
The people who came to Brazil over the
Portuguese settlers created cattle ranches.
years brought their own traditions. These
In the late 1600s and early 1700s, people
traditions blended to create a unique
discovered gold and precious gems in the
Brazilian culture.
southeast. A mining boom drew people to
Brazil from around the world. Finally, in
People
the late 1800s southeastern Brazil became
More than half of Brazilians consider them- F OCUS ON
a major coffee-producing region. R EADING
selves of European descent. These people
What context
Brazil Since Independence include descendants of original Portuguese
clues in this
settlers along with descendants of more paragraph help
Brazil gained independence from Portugal
recent immigrants from Spain, Germany, you understand
without a fight in 1822. However, inde- the meaning of
Italy, and Poland. Nearly 40 percent of descent?
pendence did not change Brazil’s economy
Brazil’s people are of mixed African and
much. For example, Brazil was the last
European descent. Brazil also has the largest
country in the Americas to end slavery.
Japanese population outside of Japan.
Since the end of Portuguese rule, Brazil
Because of its colonial heritage, Brazil’s
has been governed at times by dictators and
official language is Portuguese. In fact,
at other times by elected officials. Today
since Brazil’s population is so huge, there
the country has an elected president and
are more Portuguese-speakers in South
legislature. Brazilians can participate in
America than there are Spanish-speakers,
politics through voting.
even though Spanish is spoken in almost
Reading Check Summarizing What was every other country on the continent.
Brazil’s colonial economy like? Other Brazilians speak Spanish, English,
French, Japanese, or native languages.
FOCUS ON C ULTURE
Soccer in Brazil
To Brazilians, soccer is more than a
game. It is part of being Brazilian.
Professional stars are national heroes.
The national team often plays in Rio
de Janeiro, home of the world’s largest
soccer stadium. Some fans beat drums
all through the games. But it is not just
professional soccer that is popular.
People all over Brazil play soccer—in
cleared fields, on the beach, or in the
street. Here, boys in Rio practice their
skills.
Analyzing Why do you think soccer is so
popular in Brazil?
Atlantic South America 261
Regions of Brazil
Brazil’s regions differ from each other in their
people, climates, economies, and landscapes.
Analyzing Visuals Which region
appears to be the wealthiest?
The southeast has the country’s largest cit-
ies, such as Rio de Janeiro.
Religion
MG7FVS asamap007a
Brazil Today
HRW-MS Geography Maps
Brazil has the largest population of Roman
Regions of Brazil Brazil’s large size creates opportunities and
Catholics of any country in the world.
Locate It!
Final pass--6/27/05 challenges for the country. For example,
About 75 percent of Brazilians are Catholic. Brazil has the largest economy in South
In recent years Protestantism has grown in America and has modern and wealthy
popularity, particularly among the urban areas. However, many Brazilians are poor.
poor. Some Brazilians practice macumba While some of the same issues and
(mah-koom-bah), a religion that combines characteristics can be found throughout
beliefs and practices of African and Indian Brazil, other characteristics are unique to
religions with Christianity. a particular region of the country. We can
divide Brazil into four regions based on
Festivals and Food their people, economies, and landscapes.
A CADEMIC
V OCABULARY Other aspects of Brazilian life also reflect
aspects parts the country’s mix of cultures. For example, The Southeast
Brazilians celebrate Carnival before the Most people in Brazil live in the southeast.
Christian season of Lent. The celebration São Paulo is located there. Almost 19 mil-
mixes traditions from Africa, Brazil, and lion people live in and around São Paulo. It
Europe. During Carnival, Brazilians dance is the largest urban area in South America
the samba, which was adapted from an and the fourth largest in the world. São
African dance. Paulo is considered a megacity, or a giant
Immigrant influences can also be found urban area that includes surrounding cities
in Brazilian foods. In parts of the country, and suburbs.
an African seafood dish called vatapá (vah- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s second-largest
tah-pah) is popular. Many Brazilians also city, lies northeast of São Paulo. Almost
enjoy eating feijoada (fay-zhwah-dah), a 12 million people live there. The city was
stew of black beans and meat. the capital of Brazil from 1822 until 1960.
Today Rio de Janeiro remains a major port
Reading Check Analyzing How has cultural
city. Its spectacular setting and exciting
borrowing affected Brazilian culture? culture are popular with tourists.
262 Chapter 11
About one third of Brazilians live in the dry Rivers provide resources and transportation for
northeast, the nation’s poorest region. people living in the Amazon region.
In addition to having the largest cities, The Interior
the southeast is also Brazil’s richest region. The interior region of Brazil is a frontier
It is rich in natural resources and has most land. Its abundant land and mild climate
of the country’s industries and productive could someday make it an important area
farmland. It is one of the major coffee- for agriculture. For now, few people live in
growing regions of the world. this region, except for those who reside in
Although the southeast has a strong the country’s capital, Brasília.
economy, it also has poverty. Cities in the In the mid-1950s government officials
region have huge slums called favelas (fah- hoped that building a new capital city in
ve-lahz). Many people who live in favelas the Brazilian interior would help develop
have come to cities of the southeast from the region. Brasília has modern buildings
other regions of Brazil in search of jobs. and busy highways. More than 2 million
people live in Brasília, although it was orig-
The Northeast inally designed for only 500,000.
Immigrants to Brazil’s large cities often
come from the northeast, which is Brazil’s The Amazon
poorest region. Many people there cannot The Amazon region covers the north-
read, and health care is poor. The region ern part of Brazil. Manaus, which lies
often suffers from droughts, which make 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from the mouth of
farming and raising livestock difficult. The the Amazon, is a major port and industrial
northeast has also had difficulty attracting city. More than 1 million people live there.
industry. However, the region’s beautiful They rely on the river for transportation
beaches do attract tourists. and communication.
Other tourist attractions in northeast- Isolated Indian villages are scattered
ern Brazil are the region’s many old colonial throughout the region’s dense rain forest.
cities. These cities were built during the Some of Brazil’s Indians had little contact
days of the sugar industry. They have with outsiders until recently. Now, logging,
brightly painted buildings, cobblestone mining, and new roads are bringing more
streets, and elaborate Catholic churches. people and development to this region.
Atlantic South America 263
Deforestation in the Amazon
Deforestation is changing the landscape of the Amazon rain
forest. This satellite image shows new roads and cleared areas
where people have taken resources from the forest.
Many people depend on the industries that result in
deforestation. For example, people need wood for building
and making paper. Also, farmers, loggers, and miners need
to make a living. However, deforestation in the Amazon also
threatens the survival of many plant and animal species. It
also threatens hundreds of unique ecosystems.
Making Inferences What do you think might be some effects of
building roads in the rain forest?
This new development provides needed
income for some people. But it destroys
SUmmary and PReview In this section
large areas of the rain forest. It also creates you read about Brazil—a huge country of
tensions among the Brazilian Indians, new many contrasts. Brazil reflects the m
ixing
settlers, miners, and the government. of people and cultures from its history.
In the next section you will learn about
Reading Check Contrasting How does the Brazil’s neighbors—Argentina, Uruguay,
northeast of Brazil differ from the southeast? and Paraguay.
Section 2 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ
Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places Critical Thinking
1. a. Recall What European country colonized Brazil? 4. Finding Main Ideas Review your notes on Bra-
b. Make Inferences Why did the colonists bring zil. Then, write a main idea statement about each
Africans to work on plantations as slaves? region. Use a graphic organizer like this one.
c. Analyze What diverse groups have contributed
Main Idea
to Brazil’s society? What were some of the experi-
The Southeast
ences of these groups?
The Northeast
2. a. Identify What religion is most common in
The Interior
Brazil?
The Amazon
b. Explain Why is so much of Brazil’s culture influ-
enced by African traditions?
3. a. Define What is a megacity, and what is an Focus on Writing
example of a megacity in Brazil?
b. Make Inferences Why might development in 5. Writing about Brazil What information about the
the Amazon cause tensions between Brazilian Indi- history, people, and culture of Brazil will draw read-
ans and new settlers? ers to the country? What regions do you think they
c. Elaborate How might life change for a person would like to visit? List details and ideas for possible
who moves from the northeast to the southeast? images for your Web site.
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