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| Travel » Brazil Travel Guide |
Brazil Travel Guide
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 Brazil Visa & Embassy Info »
Full country name: República Federativa do Brasil
Population: 175 million
Capital City: Brasília
Language: Portuguese
Religion: 70% Roman Catholic; also a significant proportion who either belong to various cults or practice Indian animism
Government: Federative Republic
Time Zone: GMT/UTC -4 (in the west), GMT/UTC -3 (in the east, northeast, south and southeast), GMT/UTC -2 (Fernando de Noronha archipelago), GMT/UTC -5 (in the far west)
Dialling Code: 55
Electricity: 110/220V, 60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Money & Costs:
Currency: Real |
Meals
Budget: R$15-30
Mid-range: R$30-40
High: R$40-60
Top: R$60+ |
Accommodation:
Budget: R$15-60
Mid-range: R$60-200
High: R$200-500
Top: R$500+ |
After the long-expected devaluation of the real in 1999, many people anticipated explosive inflation. So far, however, exchange rates and prices have held steady. If you're travelling on buses every couple of days, staying in hotels for US$10 a night, and eating in restaurants or drinking in bars every night, US$40 is a rough estimate of what you would need. If you plan to lie on a beach for a month, eating rice and beans every day, US$20 to US$25 would be enough. Bear in mind that prices for accommodation increase 25-30% from December to February.
Credit cards are now accepted all over Brazil. Visa is the best card to carry for cash advances, finding an ATM that accepts your particular card can be difficult, though. Changing cash and travelers' checks is simple - there are cambios in all but the tiniest towns. It's worth having enough cash to tide you over the weekend, when finding an open change bureau, even in big cities, can be difficult. When buying cash, ask for lots of small bills as change is often unavailable for small transactions.
Geography: The largest country in South America, Brazil shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. The Amazon covers almost half of Brazil and is a huge system of rivers and forests and home to 15,000 species. The wide stretch of river known as Rio Amazonas runs between the cities of Manaus and Belém.
For a long time Rio de Janeiro has been recognised as the image of Brazil. It is divided into two parts, the northern zone and the southern zone by steep mountains. You can see the whole city from Corcovado, which is a 750m mountain peak with the statue of Christ the Redeemer at its summit. Rio de Janeiro is also home to the world’s most famous beach, Copacabana. Ipanema is Rio's richest and most chic beach.
Salvador da Bahia is famous for its beaches, colonial history and is also Brazil's most Africanized State. Salvador da Bahia is definitely one of Brazil’s most famous cities. While here you must visit Carnaval, the Museu Afro-Brasileira, the Elevador Lacerda, and some of the many beautiful beaches.
Brasília is located in the Centre West, the modern capital of Brazil and a World Heritage Site. It was built in only 3 years, from 1957-1960 by millions of peasants working around the clock.
Climate: Varies from arid scrubland in the interior to the impassable tropical rainforests of the northerly Amazon jungle and the tropical eastern coastal beaches. The south is more temperate. Rainy seasons occur from January to April in the north, April to July in the northeast and November to March in the Rio/São Paulo area.
Recommended clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens with waterproofing for the rainy season. Warm clothing is needed in the south during winter (June to July). Specialist clothing is needed for the Amazon region. Warm clothing is advised if visiting the southern regions in winter time. The sunlight is extremely bright and sunglasses are recommended.
Public Holidays:Jan 1 New Year’s Day. Jan 20* Founding of Rio de Janeiro. Jan 25* Founding of São Paulo. Feb 21-24 Carnival. Apr 9 Good Friday. Apr 21 Tiradentes. May 1 Labour Day. Jun 10 Corpus Christi. Sep 7 Independence Day. Oct 12 Our Lady Aparecida, Patron Saint of Brazil. Nov 2 All Souls’ Day. Nov 15 Proclamation of the Republic Day. Dec 24 Christmas Eve (half day). Dec 25 Christmas Day. Dec 31 New Year’s Eve (half day).
Note: *Regional observances only.
Study in Brazil: Below are the latest
Portuguese language schools, art schools, business
schools & colleges to join our directory.
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| Latest
Brazil schools & private colleges to join: |
Location |
| Learn Portuguese in Brazil with LIA - Languages in Action is an international organization of language schools providing opportunities to learn a language of your choice, at language schools around the world. Learn Portuguese in Brazil with Languages in Action at our language schools in Sao Paulo and Salvador, Bahia.
Courses include individual or group courses for all levels, courses specific to kids, teens, adults and seniors, private Portuguese lessons, intensive Portuguese courses, a Homestay Program, Business Portuguese courses, Celpe-Bras Exam Preparation, Bahian Cuisine cooking classes, Afro-Brazilian Dance, Volunteer work, Portuguese and Diving, and Language Exchange. |
Sao Paulo & Salvador,
Bahia |
| Brazilian Trip |
Rio de Janeiro |
| Step1 Idiomas |
Florianópolis, Brazil |
| Wide Vision |
Teresópolis, Brazil |
| Franco Americano Language Center |
Curitiba |
| Portuguese Language Course |
Florianópolis |
| BridgeLinguatec Language Services |
Rio de Janeiro |
| Idioma - Escola de Português |
Bahia |
| Portuguese
School, Brazil |
Salvador, Bahia |
| Diálogo - Language School |
Salvador, Brazil |
| Fast Forward Language Institute |
Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Cursos de Portugués en Brasil |
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Educational Vacations,
Portuguese New York
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