Brazil
Located in South America, Brazil is one of the countries where Portuguese is the language spoken rather than Spanish. Time and again tourists arrive for the carnival in Brazil, armed with the Spanish – English dictionary, only to find out to their chagrin that it will do them little good. The fact that Brazil is considered to be the largest country in South America adds to the fact that Brazilian culture delights more in the international attitudes of the world than do the other countries. The Brazilian economy is the envy of its neighbors, especially considering that it has taken to exporting not only raw materials but also electronics.

With this monetary windfall that was achieved thusly, the look and feel of the country changed as well. Slender Brazilian models now grace the runways of catwalks the world over, and the Brazilian flag is oftentimes worked into the displays these young ladies model. Quite possibly the most important – or at least the most famous aspect of Brazil culture is Brazilian soccer. Highly competitive, Brazil sees soccer as the national pastime. As a matter of fact, when the teams are successful and bring home coveted championships, Brazilian baby names will reflect the names of the star players that were on the roster during the season.

Yet the people of Brazil not only love their soccer, they also love their God. It is estimated that it has the largest per capita catholic population in the entire world. Christmas in Brazil is a joyful mix of religious celebrations, secular decorations and of course a lot of national pride, as is evidenced in the flying of the Brazil flag, no matter what the occasion might be.

As you can easily see, there is so much more to Brazil than may be seen on even the best map of Brazil. To really get a good feel about the country, its people, and just the general atmosphere of Brazil, you will need to visit the country yourself. Granted, with the growing popularity of Brazil, the number of touristy spots is growing as well. You will do well to avoid them if you really want to get to know the country. Sadly, many artisans have begun to skew their crafts to the tourism trade and many original pieces and lines of artwork are being lost simply because those who need the money will manufacture anything that a tourist may consider purchasing as a souvenir.