Brazil

Where Is Brazil Located?

Brazil lies on the eastern side of South America, with the Atlantic Ocean along its entire eastern edge. It covers about 8.5 million square kilometres, which makes it the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world. Its capital is Brasilia, and it shares land borders with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.

Last checked: November 2026

The Atlantic coastline runs for about 7,491 kilometres, from the border with French Guiana in the north to the border with Uruguay in the south. Inland, the Amazon basin fills the north, the Pantanal wetland spreads across the south-west of the interior, and the Brazilian Highlands cover much of the centre and south-east. Pico da Neblina, near the Venezuelan border, is the highest peak at about 2,995 metres.

The Equator crosses the north of the country and the Tropic of Capricorn crosses the south-east, so most of Brazil lies in the tropics. Seasons are the reverse of those in Europe and North America, and the climate changes sharply between regions. The best time to visit Brazil therefore depends on where you plan to go.

Brazil has four time zones, from UTC-5 in the far west to UTC-2 on the Atlantic islands. National time, used in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, is UTC-3, and the country stopped using daylight saving time in 2019. The south-east holds the two largest cities, and the guide on where to stay in Brazil compares bases in each. Because distances are large, our guides to flights to Brazil and to getting around Brazil cover the airports and the options inside the country.

Brazil Travel Guide: Introduction to the Country

Brazil is a federal republic of 26 states and one Federal District, and Portuguese is its official language. About 214.2 million people live there as of 2026, according to an estimate from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). That makes it the most populous country in South America and the only one where Portuguese is the national language.

• Capital: Brasilia
• Official language: Portuguese
• Currency: Brazilian real (BRL)
• Government: Federal presidential republic
• Population: About 214.2 million (IBGE estimate, 1 July 2026)

The IBGE counted 203.1 million people in the 2022 census, so the newer figure is an estimate. City figures are much smaller than the national one: the city of Sao Paulo has about 11.9 million residents, while the wider metropolitan area is larger. Two common mix-ups are worth clearing up. The capital is Brasilia, not Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, and people speak Portuguese rather than Spanish.

The country is known for the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical forest on Earth, for long Atlantic beaches, for Carnival and for football. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre lists 26 properties in Brazil, from the historic town of Ouro Preto, inscribed in 1980, to the Peruacu River Canyon, inscribed in 2025.

Officially, Brazil has five regions: North, North-east, Central-West, South-east and South. They differ in climate, food and accent, and our guide to the best places to visit in Brazil explains how to choose between them. Entry rules depend on nationality, so read the Brazil visa guide before booking, and see the Brazil itineraries for sample routes.

History of Brazil

Brazil’s history runs from Indigenous societies that lived on the land for thousands of years, through Portuguese colonisation from 1500, independence in 1822 and the end of slavery in 1888, to the republic declared in 1889. Brasilia became the capital in 1960, and civilian government returned in 1985.

Indigenous Peoples Before 1500

Many Indigenous peoples lived across the territory long before Europeans arrived, including Tupi-speaking groups along the coast and numerous societies in the Amazon basin. They farmed manioc, fished and hunted, and they traded across wide areas. Rock art in places such as the Peruacu River Canyon, a UNESCO site since 2025, records early human presence.

Portuguese Colony, 1500 to 1822

A Portuguese fleet led by Pedro Alvares Cabral reached the coast on 22 April 1500. Settlement grew from the 1530s, and sugar plantations in the north-east depended on enslaved labour, first of Indigenous people and then of Africans brought across the Atlantic. Salvador was the colonial capital until 1763, when Rio de Janeiro took over after gold was found in Minas Gerais.

In 1808 the Portuguese royal court sailed to Rio de Janeiro to escape Napoleon’s army. Brazil became a kingdom united with Portugal in 1815, which gave it a status no other American colony had held.

Empire and Abolition, 1822 to 1889

Prince Pedro declared independence on 7 September 1822 and became Emperor Pedro I. His son, Pedro II, reigned until 1889 and presided over the expansion of coffee farming in the south-east. Brazil ended slavery on 13 May 1888 with the Golden Law, the last country in the Americas to do so.

Republic and Democracy, 1889 to Today

The army ended the monarchy on 15 November 1889. Getulio Vargas dominated politics from 1930 to 1945 and returned as an elected president in 1951. Brasilia, designed by urban planner Lucio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer, was inaugurated on 21 April 1960. A military government ruled from 1964 to 1985, and a new constitution followed in 1988. Brazil has held direct presidential elections since 1989.

Brazilian Culture and Customs

Brazilian culture blends Indigenous, European and African influences, shaped by centuries of migration. Portuguese is spoken nationwide, Roman Catholicism is the largest religion, and music, football and festivals are central to public life. Customs vary by region, from the Amazon to the southern cattle country.

Language

Portuguese is the official language, and Brazilian Portuguese differs from the European variety in pronunciation, spelling and everyday words. Accents change noticeably between Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and the south. Indigenous languages are still spoken in some communities, and Libras, Brazilian Sign Language, is legally recognised.

Religion

Roman Catholicism has the most followers, and evangelical Protestant churches have grown quickly in recent decades. Afro-Brazilian religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda are practised in several regions, and some Brazilians combine elements of more than one tradition. Church and state are separate under the constitution.

Festivals

Carnival, held in the days before Lent, is the best-known festival. Rio de Janeiro stages large parade competitions, Salvador has street blocos led by sound trucks, and Recife and Olinda are known for frevo dancers with small umbrellas. Festas Juninas in June honour Saint John and other saints with bonfires, square-dance groups and corn dishes, especially in the north-east. Belem holds the Cirio de Nazare procession each October, and the Folklore Festival of Parintins takes place in Amazonas in late June. Embratur’s Visit Brasil site lists national events.

Etiquette

Greetings are warm. Friends often kiss on the cheek, with the number of kisses varying by region, and handshakes are common in formal settings. Personal space is often smaller than in northern Europe or North America. Social events start later than the stated time, while business meetings expect punctuality. Casual clothing is normal in daily life, and beachwear stays near the beach.

Music and Arts

Samba grew out of Afro-Brazilian communities in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador in the early 20th century. Bossa nova emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s through Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Other styles include forro in the north-east, sertanejo in the interior and funk carioca in Rio de Janeiro. UNESCO lists the capoeira circle and the samba de roda of the Reconcavo of Bahia as intangible heritage. Football holds a similar place in daily life, and the men’s national team has won the World Cup five times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.

Brazilian Food and Drink

Brazilian food centres on rice, beans, manioc and grilled meat, with strong regional traditions. Feijoada, pao de queijo, moqueca and acai are among the best-known dishes. Cooking differs sharply between Bahia, the Amazon, Minas Gerais and the south, so no single dish stands for the whole country.

Staples

Rice and beans appear at most daily meals, usually with farofa (toasted manioc flour), salad and a piece of meat or an egg. Manioc, also called cassava or aipim, is boiled, fried or ground into flour and tapioca starch. Brazil is also one of the world’s largest coffee producers, and small cups of strong coffee, called cafezinho, are served at homes and workplaces throughout the day.

Signature Dishes

• Feijoada: A black bean stew with pork, served with rice, kale and orange slices.
• Pao de queijo: Small baked cheese rolls from Minas Gerais, made with manioc starch.
• Moqueca: A fish or shrimp stew with coconut milk and palm oil in Bahia, and a lighter version in Espirito Santo.
• Acaraje: A deep-fried black-eyed pea fritter filled with shrimp and spiced paste, sold in Bahia.
• Picanha: A beef cut grilled on skewers and carved at the table in churrascarias.
• Bobo de camarao: A creamy shrimp dish made with manioc puree.
• Baiao de dois: Rice and beans cooked together with cheese, a north-eastern favourite.
• Tacaca: A hot soup of manioc starch, dried shrimp and jambu leaves from the Amazon.
• Pirarucu: A very large Amazon river fish, usually grilled or baked.
• Galinhada: Chicken cooked with rice and spices, common in Goias.

Regional contrasts are strong. The north relies on river fish, tucupi sauce and manioc, the north-east on coconut, seafood and palm oil, and Minas Gerais on cheese, pork and beans. In the south, cattle ranching and the European settlers shaped churrasco and sausages, and Sao Paulo shows Italian and Japanese influence.

Street Food

Coxinha is a teardrop-shaped croquette of shredded chicken, and pastel is a thin fried pastry with cheese, meat or palm hearts. Tapioca crepes are filled with cheese or coconut, and grilled cheese on skewers is sold on many beaches. In the Amazon, acai is traditionally eaten warm and savoury with fish and manioc flour, while the sweet acai bowl is a southern habit.

Drinks

The caipirinha, made from cachaca (sugarcane spirit), lime and sugar, is the national cocktail. Guarana soda is a common soft drink, and coconut water is sold fresh on the coast. Chimarrao, a hot mate infusion shared from one gourd, is part of everyday life in the south.

Desserts

Brigadeiro is a chocolate truffle of condensed milk and cocoa rolled in sprinkles, and beijinho is its coconut cousin. Quindim is a glossy custard of egg yolks and coconut, and pudim de leite is a dense caramel flan. Romeu e Julieta pairs white cheese with guava paste, a combination that appears in bakeries across the country.