Brazil
South America Β· Capital: BrasΓlia
How it is run: Brazil is a federal republic. People vote for a president and for lawmakers in Congress, a bit like the United States.
Brazil is home to 212.8 million people in South America, where people speak Portuguese.
Numbers that tell a story π’
π₯ People
212.8 million people
That is 2.6% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
πΊοΈ Land
8,515,767 kmΒ²
A giant of the map β it stretches across several time zones.
ποΈ How crowded
About 25 people per square kilometre β a comfortable mix of cities and open land.
π Size in its region
2nd most people in Americas
3rd largest by land in Americas.
π£οΈ Official languages
Portuguese
π° Money
Brazilian real (R$)
Life here today π©Ί
These come from World Bank open data β the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
β€οΈ How long people live
76 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
πΌ Money made per person each year
about US$10,713
A lower-middle-income country: incomes are rising, but many families still farm or work informally.
π’ Living in cities
88.2% of people
Mostly a city country β think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
π Kids under 15
19.4% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details π§
π Phone code
+55
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
π Websites end in
.br
π§ People here are called
Brazilian
π·οΈ Name at home
Brasil
Also written: Brasil, Federative Republic of Brazil, RepΓΊblica Federativa do Brasil.
π Coast or inland
Has a coastline
ποΈ UN voting group
Latin American and Caribbean Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders π€
Brazil touches 10 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world π£οΈ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Brasil
French
BrΓ©sil
Arabic
Ψ§ΩΨ¨Ψ±Ψ§Ψ²ΩΩ
Chinese
ε·΄θ₯Ώ
Japanese
γγ©γΈγ«
Russian
ΠΡΠ°Π·ΠΈΠ»ΠΈΡ
Portuguese
Brasil
German
Brasilien
Put it in perspective π
- United States β the most populated country in Americas β has about 1.6Γ as many people as Brazil.
- Brazil covers roughly 81,103 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Brazil lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 106,406 km.
Country snapshot π
π₯ People
213 million people
πΊοΈ Size
8.5 million kmΒ² β the biggest country in South America
π£οΈ Languages
Portuguese
π° Money
Brazilian real (R$)
ποΈ Government
Federal presidential republic
ποΈ Leader
President
ποΈ United Nations
Founding UN member, 1945
πΌ Economy
Farming, coffee, soybeans, iron ore and aircraft
π Climate promise
End illegal deforestation and cut emissions 50% by 2030
π School life
Many schools run in two shifts so more students fit in one building.
𧩠Biggest challenge
Protecting the Amazon rainforest while families still need jobs.
β¨ Did you know?
Brazil always speaks first at the UN General Assembly β a tradition since 1955.
Who decides here? ποΈ
Federal presidential republic
The President can act in an emergency, but Brazil's National Congress must authorise a declaration of war.
Flags through time π
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Brazil change.
Portuguese colony
Brazil was ruled from Portugal and flew Portuguese royal flags.
Empire of Brazil
Brazil became independent with its own emperor. Green stood for the royal House of Braganza, gold for Habsburg.
Ordem e Progresso
When Brazil became a republic, the crown was replaced by a starry sky showing Rio on the morning of 15 November 1889, with the motto 'Order and Progress'.
War room simulations βοΈ
Step into the room where the decision was made. You will see who really had the power β generals, a president, a parliament or a king β and what each choice cost.
The Paraguayan War
Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay fought Paraguay in the deadliest war in South American history.
Who was in the room? Brazil's emperor needed his parliament to keep paying for the war, so lawmakers had real influence.
Sit in the decision room ποΈ
You will face 2 real moments. Choose, then see what actually happened.
Policies today π
Protecting the Amazon rainforest
Brazil promised to stop illegal tree cutting in the Amazon by 2030 and sends rangers to catch loggers who chop trees without permission.
School meals and family farms
Schools must buy part of their food from small local farms, so students eat fresh food and farmers earn money.
Most electricity comes from water
Big rivers spin turbines in dams, so most of Brazil's electricity is already renewable.
Fast facts π§
Fact of the day: Brazil shares its part of the world with Suriname. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
π·οΈ Official name
Federative Republic of Brazil
ποΈ Capital
BrasΓlia
π Region
Americas Β· South America
π€ Country code
BR
ποΈ UN status
UN member state
π© Independence
Independent country
More about Brazil π
Christ the Redeemer
A 30 m statue on Corcovado mountain, finished in 1931 and covered in small triangles of soapstone.
See it in Street Viewπ§ Where on the map
10.0Β° S, 55.0Β° W
π Half of the world
Southern & Western hemisphere
π°οΈ Clock check
Roughly UTC-4 β when it is noon in London it is about 08:00 in BrasΓlia.
- Brazil sits in South America, in the southern and western half of the globe.
- The capital of Brazil is BrasΓlia β that's where the country's big decisions get made.
- Brazil shares its part of the world with Suriname. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- Brazil is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly β the same as every other member, big or small.
- π§π· is the flag of Brazil. Its country code β the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics β is BR.
Countries nearby π€
Talk about it π¬
- Brazil has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Brazil can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Brazil spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz π§ͺ
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Brazil?
BrasΓlia
Which money do people spend in Brazil?
Brazilian real (R$)
How many countries share a land border with Brazil?
10 β Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Roughly how many people live in Brazil?
212.8 million people
Keep researching π
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further β and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here β kid-friendly encyclopedias π
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ποΈ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy π°
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card π«
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians β all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.