It is such a rare gift for any single place in the world to be blessed with almost everything. But Brazil is just one of the few places on earth that has been blessed with such gifts. From human civilizations, to animal kingdoms down to the riches of Mother Nature, the tales of Brazil is quite an inexhaustible one. When we talk about sites of attraction and places well blended by nature to satisfy a tourist guts, this country actually tops the chart. For a very long time, the country has been the hub of tourism with so many things to do and so many adventures to explore – all you need is just some guts.
Ever wondered what made Brazil so special? Relax! And discover some few fascinating facts about the home of samba.
1. Snake Island
Imagine a place where you cannot take five footsteps without meeting at least one snake! The snake island is the creepiest and one of the most deadly places on earth. It is an island situated off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is small in size, just about 43 hectares. It has the world’s largest community of snakes for a single territory. The island was thought to have a population of about 430,000 snakes, and the only home of the critically endangered species, the “venomous Bothrops insularis” (golden lancehead pit viper), a snake that only feed on birds.
You may be wondering how the snakes got there! Well, it has something to do with nature. The snakes only became trapped on the island when rising sea levels covered up the land that connected it to the mainland. Over time, they’ve learned to adapt to their new environment, increasing rapidly in population and rendering the island dangerous to public visitation. Till date, nobody is allowed to visit the island except the Brazilian Navy and some selected researchers from around the world.
2. The Amazon Rain Forest
The Amazon rainforest is a tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. The forest stretches across nine countries including Brazil, but most of it is situated in the Brazilian territory. The vastness of it vegetation and the contribution it is making to the world’s ecosystem has made it one of the most protected forests in the world. That was why it became a global concern when it caught on fire in 2019.
3. Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer)
This world-famous edifice was erected between 1922 and 1931, majorly financed by the Brazilian Catholics churches. The landmark has become a site of attraction with thousands of tourists, trooping into Brazil every year. This statue weighs 635 tons and it is 38 meters high including its pedestal and was named one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” in 2007.
4. The Amazon River
The Amazon River is the world’s largest by volume of water discharged. It is said that around 209,000 cubic meters per second flow into the Atlantic Ocean – more than the next seven largest rivers combined together.
5. Brasilia
This is Brazil's capital city. It took just around 41 months to build; from 1956 to 1960. When viewed from above, the city looks like an airplane.
6. Brazil has been the world’s largest exporter of coffee, a record it has held for more than 150 years. The country supplies over 50% of the world’s coffee.
7. Sao Paul, a city in Brazil, has some of the world’s worst traffic jams. In May 15th 2013, a congestion record was set, with a total of 309 kilometres (192 mi) of queues around the city during the evening rush hour. The city also has the largest economy by GDP of any city in the world Southern Hemisphere.
8. Silva is the most popular surname in Brazil.
9. Brazil has more airports than any other country in the world except the US. The country has more than 4,000 airports –however, below the United States, which has a remarkable over 13,000 airports.
10. According to a 2007 report, there are at least 70 un-contacted tribes still leaving in the Brazilian Amazon.
11. Brazil contributes greatly to the world’s ecosystem being one of the world’s most bio-diverse countries. It has an estimate of around four million plant and animal species. The country is known to have more species of monkey than any other country.
12. More than 70% of Brazilians could trace their ancestry back to Africa.
13. In Laguna, Brazil, fishermen formed a pact with dolphins; these animals help them in catching fishes. They will herd fish towards the fishermen’s waiting nets and even giving them signals. This has been a normal practice for several generations.
