About Brazil

Brazil is know as the country of the sun, beaches, samba, beatiful women and, of course, FOOTBALL!! And this is what we will be talking about here!

Football!

And why? Because Brazil will be the host country for the FIFA World Cup 2014, the greatest sport event on Earth, that will be played in around Brazil by the best teams in the World!

By now there are nineteen cities that showed interest in being chosen as hosts for the World Cup's games: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Brasília, Belém, Campo Grande, Cuiabá, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Goiânia, Maceió, Manaus, Natal, Recife/Olinda (a stadium will be shared by both cities), Rio Branco and Salvador.

Source : Wikipedia

So, lets get to know a little bit more of this country called Brazil.

Brazil officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil or República Federativa do Brasil), is a country in South America. It is the fifth-largest country by geographical area, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. The official language is Portuguese. Catholicism is the predominant religion.

Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,367 kilometres. Brazil borders every nation on the South American continent (except Ecuador and Chile.): Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the department of French Guiana to the north, Colombia to the northwest, Bolivia and Peru to the west, Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest, and Uruguay to the south. Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha, Trindade and Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas.

The Capital, Brasília, is located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 2,455,903 as of the 2007 census estimate, and is the seat of the federal government: the president (residing in the Palácio da Alvorada), the Brazilian supreme court, and the Brazilian parliament. Brasília is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Building of the city began in 1956 with Lúcio Costa as the principal urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer as the principal architect. In 1960, it formally became Brazil's capital. When seen from above, the city's shape resembles an airplane or a butterfly.
Brasília is located in the Federal District, which has the same borders as the city. The federal district is surrounded by the Brazilian state of Goiás, except for a short boundary with Minas Gerais.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil. The National Team is immensely popular, not only in Brazil but also in the many parts of the world where football is appreciated, and there is also a renowned National League, boasting a nation-wide competition as well as several regional competitions. The Brazilian national team has been victorious in the FIFA World Cup tournament a record five times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002 and is the only team to have never missed out on a World Cup participation. Pelé, one of the world's most recognized players, led Brazil to three of those championships and is the top scorer of all time in the sport. After the third win, Brazil kept the World Cup trophy permanently. Some of the contemporary talents in the national team prominent in the soccer world include Ronaldinho Gaucho, Kaká, Robinho and Anderson. Some of these players can be considered super-stars, achieving celebrity status internationally and signing sports contracts, as well as advertisement and endorsement contracts, in the value of millions of dollars. The governing body for football in Brazil is the Brazilian Football Confederation (CFB). Football has a major effect on Brazilian culture. It is often the favorite past time of youngsters that can be found playing soccer on the streets. World Cup tournaments are a social phenomenon, and it is not unusual for people to skip work to watch the national team play, and in some cases the very workplace will set up apparatus for its employees to watch the event together. It should be noted that the General Elections are usually held in the same year as the World Cup, and this is often criticized for taking advantage of the nationalistic surge created by football and bringing it into politics. Also, former soccer players are often elected to legislative positions.

Source: Wikipedia