Greetings

• Men shake hands when greeting one another, while maintaining

steady eye contact.

• If a woman wishes to shake hands with a man, she should extend

her hand first.

• A standard greeting for women in Brazil is the two/three peck on the

cheek, starting from their right. These are generally no more than air

kisses. A left-handed pat on the back accompanied with a firm right

handshake is the standard among men.

Travel

• You must obtain a Brazilian travel visa from the Brazilian Embassy

prior to arriving in Brazil

• The U.S. government cannot assist you if you arrive in Brazil without

proper documentation

• Dual nationals cannot get a Brazilian Visa, they are required to have

a Brazilian passport

Appearance

• Brazilians pride themselves on dressing well.

• Men should wear conservative, dark colored business suits. Three-

piece suits typically indicate that someone is an executive.

• Women should wear suits or dresses that are elegant and

feminine with good quality accessories. Manicures are

expected.

• In the urban areas of

Brazil, most people prefer

modern clothing.

• Young men wear jeans and

T-shirts. Short skirts and

dresses are very popular

among women.

• Jeans are the most common

staple in the Brazilian

wardrobes. Jeans made for

women are tight-fitting and

loosely tapering near the

feet. Brazilian jeans come in

a wide variety of

designs, styles and textures.

• Due to abundance of

beautiful

beaches, beachwear is a

very popular clothing in

Brazil.

Traditional Foods

• Brazilian cuisine was developed from

indigenous, European, and African

influences

• The Jaca fruit, also known as the Jack

fruit, is larger than the average watermelon

and could cause severe head trauma if it

fell on someone's head. This fruit grows off

the trunks of trees in Brazil, falling off the

tree when ripe. The edible portion of the

fruit features a fleshy, off-white pulp.

• A traditional stew, Moqueca includes a

variety of Brazilian flavors.

Fish, garlic, cilantro, boiled eggs and a

melting pot of other ingredients mingle

together in this Brazilian classic, creating a

filling and delicious one-pot meal.

• The national beverage

is coffee and cachaça is Brazil's

native liquor. Cachaça is distilled

from sugar cane and is the main ingredient

in the national cocktail, Caipirinha.

Attitudes & Values

To the extent possible, direct personal confrontation is avoided.

Though they are cordial and magnanimous at the interpersonal

level, Brazilians as a whole are exploitative with regard to the

environment.

Brazilians are known for their informality, good nature, and charm

(simpatia ), as well as their desire not to be thought unpleasant or

boorish (chato ). They place high value on warmth, spontaneity, and

lack of pomp and ceremony.

Another significant character of Brazilians is that they are outwardly

expressive people.

Religion

• Roman Catholic is the main religion in Brazil

• Brazil has the largest number of Catholics in the world.

• Brazil religion and practices are extremely diverse and

span several different belief systems and religious

traditions. Brazilians enjoy complete freedom to practice

their personally held religious beliefs

Population

• As of July 2012, Brazil’s population is 199,321,413

Religious Holidays

• The Brazilian Carnival is an annual festival held for 4

days before Easter

• Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil

• The country stops completely for almost a week and

festivities are intense, day and night, mostly in coastal

cities

Political Holidays

The three main Brazilian civic holidays are :

• Tiradentes Day (April 21): Tiradentes Day

celebrates national hero Joaquim José da Silva

Xavier, a lieutenant known

as Tiradentes because he also worked as a

tooth-extractor. He was martyred together with

other conspirators that tried to overthrow the

Portuguese colonizers, in 1792.

• Independence Day (September 7)

• Republic Declaration Day (November 15).

• The two latter are self-explainable – they refer to

the day of the rupture with the Portuguese

colonizers, in 1822, and to the day the country

substituted the Monarchy by the Republican

system, in 1889.

Language

• Nearly all Brazilians speak Portuguese, a Romance

language, belonging to the Indo-European language family. The

Portuguese language was introduced to Brazil by the Portuguese in

the early sixteenth century.

• The way that they speak the Portuguese language can be so

sensually rhythmic and tonal, thus leaving you with the desire to

speak some of it yourself, so that you can better appreciate these fun

and outgoing Brazilian folks.

• Brazil is the one of a few countries in Latin America that

does not speak the Spanish language.

Family

• Families tend to be large and extended family is quite close.

• Women play an equal role in Brazilian family and society.

• Brazilians are very dependent on family and friends. Children in

Brazil will almost always live with their parents up until the day they

marry. And if that said marriage doesn’t make out good, then the

kids move back in with the parents until who knows when, usually

with the grandchildren in tow.

• Brazilian parents are very physically affectionate with their children.

It stands to reason that these children will continue to have this need

for affection to be filled from their future mates as well.

Work

• Many of the jobs in Brazil are

within the oil and gas industry

such as piping, engineering, and

transportation. There are also

many tourism jobs available such

as working in hotels or

restaurants.

• Unemployment in Brazil is at

historic lows, hovering around

6%, and qualified labor is often

hard to come by.

• Prospects for graduates without

experience are more limited

though and it is advisable to

seek an employment posting in

Brazil by joining an international

company with offices there.

Marriage

• Groomsmen carry or are pinned with small Brazilian flags instead of

flowers. Matching tuxedos may be hard to come by in Brides tend not

to purchase a wedding dress for the ceremony. Instead, they go to

bridal shops and rent a dress for one-time use.

• Bridesmaids and groomsmen are chosen at the time of the wedding.

Those selected consist of couples paired off at the altar, usually three

men and three women.

• Brazilian wedding ceremonies follow Christian traditions closely. A

traditional Brazilian song or the Brazilian national anthem is sung.

During the ceremony, the wedding ring should not be dropped. If it

is, superstition states the marriage will be short-lived. Once the

marriage is confirmed, the bride and groom sign their wedding license.

Similar to the Western superstition, grooms carry brides over the

threshold of their home or hotel room. The first step across the

threshold must be taken with his right foot for luck.

Recreation and Sports

• The most popular sport in Brazil

is football. The Brazilian national

football team is ranked among the

best in the world according to the FIFA

World Rankings, and has won

the World Cup tournament a record

five times.

• Rio de Janeiro was selected to host

the 2016 Olympic Games and 2016

Paralympic Games, the first to be held

in South America and second in Latin

America after Mexico City.

• People in Brazil often spend time at

the beach, as Brazil often has

pleasant weather and is in a coastal

region. Because of the interesting sea

life and clarity of the water, tourists

often go snorkeling or diving.

Brazilians are in love with American

soccer, and spend a lot of time playing

the sport and watching matches on

television.

• Brazil has a large transport network, though not diverse due to the lack of railroads and canals. Roads are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic.

• There are about 2,500 airports in Brazil, including landing fields: the second largest number in the world, after the United States.

• The São Paulo Metro was the first underground transit system in Brazil.

Social & Economic Levels

• Poverty in Brazil is most visually represented by the various slums in the

country's metropolitan areas and remote upcountry regions that suffer with

economic underdevelopment and below-par standards of living.

• While racial divisions in Brazil are not clearly defined, class lines are.

• There are the very wealthy, the middle class, and the very poor. And in

Brazil the very poor make up a large percentage of the population.

• You see them on the streets trying to sell food and trinkets when you stop at

a traffic light; they descend on you when you park your car, offering

'protection' for a price (and, if you don't pay, your car will not be protected);

and, you see them along the highways in miserable shacks trying to sell all

sorts of things to drivers speeding by.

Brazilian Architecture

• Brazil is a center of world festivals, music and bright life. Brazilian architecture is as wild and extravagant as its festivals.

• Brazilian architecture of colonial period was formed under the influence of Portuguese culture but was adopted for hot, tropical climate. It can be seen in churches and cathedrals of ancient cities such as Ouro-Preto, the first capital of Minas Gerais.

• The architecture of the city is so amazing that the government decided to make it a national asset, and recently it have been added to the World Heritage UNESCO.

Government

• The President of Brazil is Dilma Rousseff.

• She was elected democratically for the period of

1/01/2011 to 12/31/2014

• The Federal Constitution is the supreme law of

Brazil. It is the foundation and source of the legal

authority underlying the existence of Brazil and the

federal government.

• It provides the framework for the organization of the

Brazilian government and for the relationship of the

federal government to the states, to citizens, and to

all people within Brazil.

• Brazil’s official name is Federative Republic of

Brazil

Educational System

• Education in Brazil is regulated by the Federal Government through the Ministry of

Education which defines the guiding principles for the organization of education programs.

Local governments are responsible for establishing state and education programs following

the guidelines and using the funding supplied by the federal government.

• (Educação Infantil)Pre-school education is entirely optional, and exists to aid in the

development of children under 6

• (Ensino Médio)Secondary Education takes 3 years. The minimum is 2,200 hours of

teaching over 3 years. Students must have finished their Fundamental education before

they are allowed to enroll in Ensino Médio.

• Higher Education (Ensino Superior)As is the case in many nations, higher education in

Brazil can be divided into undergraduate and graduate work. In addition to providing

education, Universities promote research and provide separate classes to the community.

• Secondary education is mandatory for those wishing to pursue higher education. In

addition, students must pass a competitive entrance examination (known as vestibular) for

their specific course of study.

San-Paulo University

• The most famous university in Brazil is

located in a fine city San-Paulo. San-

Paulo University is considered to be the

best one in the country. It consists of 9

campuses 4 of which are situated in

San-Paulo.

• The main campus is called Armando do

san Oliveira. University takes part in all

spheres of scientific programs and was

named the best academic institution in

Latin America.

• It has enormous territory which includes

numerous libraries, cafes and party

centers. It also has one of the top Brazil

museums like museum of Modern

Art, Historical museum and historical

museum of san-Paulo.

Culture

Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions

of Italian, German and other European as well Japanese and Arab immigrants

who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil

The core culture of Brazil is derived from Portuguese culture, because of its

strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire. Among other influences, the

Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman

Catholicism and colonial architectural styles. The culture was, however, also

strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European

cultures and traditions.

Health

• Brazil has long had a public health system, but like other social programs

that primarily serve the poor, it is vastly underfunded.

• Many of the poor either self-medicate or get whatever remedies they can

from local pharmacists who are the only health care providers in some rural

areas.

• For those who can afford it at the other end of the social spectrum, Brazil

has world class health care in modern medical centers, particularly in the

prosperous Southeast and South.

• The Brazilian public health system, the National Health System is managed

and provided by all levels of government. The public health services are

universal and available to all citizens of the country for free. However, 45.5

million Brazilians have contracted a private health plan.

Land & Climate

• The climate ranges

from tropical to

temperate in southern

Regions

• It rains on average 43”

every year

• Home to the Amazon

Jungle

• Amazonia or Amazon rainforestcovers more than half of Braziland it's the world's largest tropicalrainforest.

• The Amazon River is the secondlongest river (Only to the Nile), inthe world and the longest andlargest river of South America.

• More than 20 % of the Amazonrain forest is disappearingbecause of people cutting downtrees for ; furniture and paper.

• 20% of the oxygen that webreathe comes from thisrainforest.

• 50% of the 9 feet of rain itreceives each year is released tothe atmosphere by the foliage ofthe trees. Deforestation is severelyaffecting this statistic.

Animals of the Amazon

• Anaconda

• Toucan

• Jaguar

• Poison Arrow Frog

• Spider Monkey

• Scarlet Macaw

Economy

• It is a major producer of such agricultural products

as

sugarcane, soybeans, oranges, coffee, cocoa, rice,

wheat, and cotton. It is also a major supplier of beef

with vast cattle ranches primarily in the southern and

western regions of the country.

• Because of the tremendous growth of

industry, agriculture accounts for only 13 percent of

the nation' gross domestic product.

• Brazil’s economy is the largest in South America and

the country boasts well developed

agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and service

sectors. in recent years, Brazil has improved its

macroeconomic stability, built foreign

reserves, reduced debt, kept inflation rates under

control and committed to fiscal responsibilities.

Music

Brazilian music is full of excitement, joy, passion and energy.

Something like you’ve never seen before, a really particular type of

music. Brazilian music is the result of a long simmering mix of

heritage from Portuguese, African and Amerindian influence. If you

are going to Brazil, you’ll be surrounded by magical and mystical

music, everywhere you go in Brazil there is music.