B r a zil
Name________________________________________________________Date_____________________________________
People and Culture
This vast, tropical nation in South America features an endless coastline of beaches,
idyllic islands, and lush flora and fauna. The Amazon rainforest, surrounding the raging
Amazon River, is home to the greatest diversity of species in the world: 2.5 million types
of insects alone! Portuguese explorers discovered the country in the year 1500 and took
control of the land and native peoples. First harvesting the brazilwood trees for their
valuable red dye, the Portuguese settlers began growing sugar cane and coffee along the
fertile coasts. In 1822, the son of the King of Portugal declared himself emperor of an
independent Brazil, laying the foundation for the now democratic republic of Brazil.
North
Atlantic
Ocean
BRAZIL
Brasilia
South
Pacific
Ocean
Art and Music
South
Atlantic
Ocean
Brazilian music blossomed out of the mixing of Portuguese, African and native
2
American music. The most famous Brazilian musical genre is the samba, a rhythmic 4
dance accompanied by guitars and percussion instruments like the drums, tambourine,
and castanets. This dance is closely associated with Carnaval, Brazilian Carnival, an
exuberant festival held forty days before Easter. Rio de Janeiro, one of Brazil’s largest cities, is filled with participants wearing
elaborate feathered headdresses, dancing down the streets to the accompaniment of raucous drumming. The Brazilian folk
song 134. Samba-lêlê on page 31 of Tradition of Excellence, Book 1, is a popular song about dancing the samba. In the
1950s, samba was melded with jazz into a unique style called bossa nova, a slower, vocal music accompanied by the guitar,
but with samba rhythms at its base.
Language Lesson
Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. Brazilian Portuguese
is different from the language of Portugal, as it was influenced by
native American and African languages. In fact, 180 native American
languages are still spoken in parts of Brazil. Practice the following
phrases in Brazilian Portuguese to communicate with the locals.
Oi!
Hello!
[Oy]
Como vai?
How are you?
[KOH-moh vai]
Tudo bem?
How are you? (Everything good?)
[TOO-doh beng]
Bem obrigado.
I’m fine, thanks.
[beng oh-bree-GAH-doh]
Nossa! Quanto tempo!
Long time no see!
[NOH-sah! QUAN-toh TIEM-poh!]
Trivia
The Amazon rainforest, which lies partly in Brazil, is home to
predatory creatures such as the jaguar, anaconda, piranha, and
vampire bats.
The national sport of Brazil is football (soccer) and the Brazilian
national football team has won the World Cup a record five times
in its history.
A typical Brazilian dish is feijoada, a stew of black turtle beans, pork,
beef, bacon, and sausages. The stew turns into a dark
purplish-brown broth after cooking slowly in a clay pot.
Quick Facts
Capital: Brasilia
Location: South America
Area: 3 million sq. mi.
Climate: Tropical
Population: 192 million
Language: Portuguese
Currency: Real
Government:Presidential Federal Republic
ORDEM
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PR
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Apply Your Knowledge!
Write your answers on the back or on a
separate sheet of paper.
1) What is the famous rainforest that lies in the
country of Brazil?
2) Name three origins of Brazilian culture and
language.
3) What is the samba, and where can it be heard?
4) Imagine you had the opportunity to travel to
Brazil. What would you like to see and do?
Play a Brazilian folk song on page 31 of Tradition of
Excellence, Book 1.
Worksheet written by Laurel Plapp, PhD, author and editor. © 2010 Kjos Music Press. This page authorized for duplication.