Snap+Shot+of+Brazil

=The Federative Republic of Brazil = __Relative to Canada__
 * **Capital** || Brasilia ||
 * **World Region** || South America ||
 * **Official Language** || Portuguese ||
 * **Motto** || Order and Progress ||
 * **Currency** || Real (BRL) ||
 * **Largest City** || Sao Paulo ||
 * **President** || Dilma Vana Rousseff ||
 * **Population** || 194, 732, 694 ||
 * __Size__: 1, 469, 793 km^2 smaller
 * __GDP per capita__: 10, 190.63 CAD
 * __Time Zone__: When 12pm in Ottawa, it is 2pm in Brasilia.

__Climate:__

Brazil`s climate varies because of the tropical equator. There are six regions: tropical rainforest, tropical wet and dry, tropical monsoon, semiarid, humid subtropical, and sub-tropical highland. Because of these varied regions Brazil does not follow a four-season pattern, except for southern Brazil: Spring- September 22 to December 21; Summer- December 22 to March 21; Fall- March 22 to June 21; and Winter- June 22 to September 21. The rest of Brazil follows a two-season pattern which consists of a rain season and a non-rain season.

__Environment__: Brazil has the largest land mass in South America, causing it to border every country in that continent except for Chile and Ecuador. Wet, cold, dry, warm, and rainy are the variety of weather condition we can encounter. Brazil consists of mostly tropical heat and winds, making it a very popular touristic place. Reoccurring droughts, floods, and frost are common to Brazil but mostly in the southern part. Environmental issues include the deforestation in the Amazon, which has destroyed more than a hundred habitats and has endangered many plant and animal species. Not only that, Brazil suffers from a cruel and illegal wildlife trade. Multiple oil spills in Brazil's past, improper mining activity, air and water pollution has invaded major cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Due to these major environmental issues Brazil has agreed to be part of multiple organizations that promote conservation: Antarctic Treaty, Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, and Ship Pollution, to mention some.

 __ Religion: __ Brazil has no official religion, but Roman Catholicism is dominant towards the believers. Brazil has the world’s largest Catholic population; in 2000, 74% followed this religion.
 * 15%: Protestants
 * 1%: Afro-Brazilian religions
 * 1%: Buddhism
 * 0.05%: Judaism
 * <span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">0.02%: Islam

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Language: __ <span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Official language is Portuguese, which is spoken and taught among the population. It is the only language used in newspapers, radio, television and businesses. Sao Gabriel is the only exception where they speak an indigenous language of South America. The Brazilian Portuguese is different to that of Portugal because it has developed Amerindian and African language. Most of the population that surrounds the border of Brazil might be also fluent in Spanish. <span style="color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">0 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">__ Education: __ <span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, regulates education in Brazil. The structure of the education system consists the Fundamental education, which is the first level of education, it is free for everyone including adults and is mandatory for children 6-14 yrs. Middle education is also free but not mandatory (High School). Higher education which is an university education is only free if you attend public university.

**<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Information taken from: **
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