Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi). It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47.3% of the continent's land area. Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries, and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection.
Tourism
Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of the country. The country had 5.17 million visitors in 2012, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the second main destination in South America, after Argentina, and third in Latin America after Mexico and Argentina. Revenues from international tourists reached US$6.6 billion in 2012, continuing a recovery trend from the 2008-2009 economic crisis.
Brazil offers for both domestic and international tourists an ample gamut of options, with natural areas being its most popular tourism product, a combination of ecotourism with leisure and recreation, mainly sun and beach, and adventure travel, as well as historic and cultural tourism. Among the most popular destinations are the Amazon Rainforest, beaches and dunes in the Northeast Region, the Pantanal in the Center-West Region, beaches at Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, cultural and historic tourism in Minas Gerais and business trips to São Paulo city.
According to the World Tourism Organization (WTO), international travel to Brazil began to grow fast since 2000, particularly during 2004 and 2005. However, in 2006 a slow down took place, and international arrivals have had almost no growth both in 2007 and 2008. In spite of this trend, revenues from international tourism continued to rise, from USD 3.9 billion in 2005 to USD 4.9 billion in 2007, a one billion dollar increase despite 333 thousand less arrivals. This favorable trend is the result of the strong devaluation of the American dollar against the Brazilian real, which began in 2004, but on the other hand, making Brazil a more expensive international destination. This trend changed in 2009, when both visitors and revenues fell as a result of the 2008-2009 economic crisis. By 2010 the industry recovered, and arrivals grew above 2006 levels to 5.16 million international visitors, and receipts from these visitors reached USD 5.9 billion. In 2012 the historical record was reached with 5.6 million visitors and US$6.6 billion in receipts.
Brazil ranked in the 28st place at the world's level, third in the Americas, after Canada and United States. Brazil's main competitive advantages are its natural resources, which ranked 1st on this criteria out of all countries considered, and ranked 23rd for its cultural resources, due to its many World Heritage sites. The TTCI report notes Brazil's main weaknesses: its ground transport infrastructure remains underdeveloped (ranked 116th), with the quality of roads ranking in 105th place; and the country continues to suffer from a lack of price competitiveness (ranked 114th), due in part to high ticket taxes and airport charges, as well as high prices and high taxation. Safety and security have improved significantly: 75th in 2011, up from 128th in 2008.
Tourism by regions of Brazil
Southeast Region
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro State: Angra dos Reis, Paraty, Resende, Visconde de Mauá, Itatiaia National Park, Petrópolis, Vassouras, Teresópolis, Serra dos Órgãos, Nova Friburgo, Saquarema, Arraial do Cabo, Cabo Frio, Búzios, Ilha Grande
Espírito Santo: Vitória, Vila Velha, Guarapari, Anchieta, Piúma, Marataízes, Domingos Martins, Santa Teresa
Minas Gerais: Belo Horizonte, Sabará, Ouro Preto, Congonhas, Mariana, Lavras, São João del Rei, Tiradentes, Diamantina, Caxambu, São Lourenço, São Thomé das Letras, Caparaó National Park, Pico da Bandeira, Serra do Cipó National Park
São Paulo
São Paulo State: São Sebastião, Ilhabela, Boiçucanga, Ferraz de Vasconcelos, Guararema, Guarujá, Santos, Iguape, Cananéia, São Vicente, Campos do Jordão, Campinas, Ribeirão Preto, São José dos Campos, Sorocaba, Americana, Araçatuba, Araraquara, Araras, Atibaia, Barretos, Birigüi, Botucatu, Bragança Paulista, Itu, Jaú.
Southern Region
Paraná: Curitiba, Morretes, Antonina, Paranaguá, Ilha do Mel, Superagüi National Park, Foz do Iguaçu, Iguaçu Falls
Santa Catarina: Florianópolis, Ilha de Santa Catarina, Joinville, Blumenau, Itapema, Itajaí, Balneário Camboriú
Rio Grande do Sul: Porto Alegre, Torres, Aparados da Serra National Park, Serra Gaúcha, Canela, Gramado, Paleorrota
Center-West Region
Distrito Federal: Brasília
Goiás: Goiânia, Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, Pirenópolis, Goiás Velho, Caldas Novas, Emas National Park, Araguaia River
Mato Grosso: Cuiabá, The Pantanal, Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, Tangará da Serra Waterfall Leap of the Clouds (Salto das Nuvens), Barra do Garças, Alta Floresta, Cáceres, Barão de Melgaço, Poconé
Mato Grosso do Sul: Campo Grande, Corumbá, Bonito, Ponta Porã, Aquidauana, Coxim, Jardim
Northeast Region
Bahia: Salvador, Cachoeira, Lençóis, Morro de São Paulo, Ilhéus, Itacaré, Porto Seguro, Arraial d'Ajuda, Trancoso, Chapada Diamantina National Park, Abrolhos Marine National Park
Pernambuco: Recife, Olinda, Itamaracá, Igarassu, Caruaru, Porto de Galinhas, New Jerusalem, Garanhuns, Triunfo, Fernando de Noronha, Catimbau Valley, Petrolina
Ceará: Fortaleza, Aracati, Canoa Quebrada, Jericoacoara, Tatajuba, Camocim, Sobral, Baturité, Ubajara National Park, Juazeiro do Norte
Sergipe: Aracaju, Laranjeiras, São Cristóvão, Estância, Propriá
Alagoas: Maceió, Maragogi, Penedo, Barra de São Miguel, Paripueira, Porto de Pedras
Paraíba: João Pessoa, Campina Grande, Cabedelo, Ingá, Baía da Traição, Sousa
Rio Grande do Norte: Natal, Mossoró, Tibau do Sul, Tibau, Parnamirim, Touros, São Miguel do Gostoso, Galinhos, Caicó, Macau, Martins, Maxaranguape, Cape São Roque
Piauí: Teresina, Sete Cidades National Park, Parnaíba, Serra da Capivara National Park
Maranhão: São Luís, Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Alcântara, Imperatriz, Carolina.
North Region
Amazonas: Manaus, Parintins, Tefé, Mamirauá
Pará: Belém, Ilha de Marajó, Santarém
Tocantins: Palmas, Ilha do Bananal, Natividade
Amapá: Macapá, Oiapoque
Roraima: Boa Vista, Monte Roraima
Rondônia: Porto Velho, Guajará-Mirim, Guaporé Valley
Acre: Rio Branco, Xapuri, Brasiléia, Assis Brasil
Cuisine
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's varying mix of indigenous and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences. Examples are Feijoada, considered the country's national dish; and regional foods such as vatapá, moqueca, polenta and acarajé.
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.
An average meal consists mostly of rice and beans with beef and salad. Often, it's mixed with cassava flour (farofa). Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and served in most typical restaurants. Popular snacks are pastel (a pastry); coxinha (chicken croquete); pão de queijo (cheese bread and cassava flour / tapioca); pamonha (corn and milk paste); esfirra (Lebanese pastry); kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine); empanada (pastry) and empada, little salt pies filled with shrimps or heart of palm.
Brazil has a variety of candies such as brigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls), cocada (a coconut sweet), beijinhos (coconut truffles and clove) and romeu e julieta (cheese with a guava jam known as goiabada). Peanuts are used to make paçoca, rapadura and pé-de-moleque. Local common fruits like açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, cocoa, cashew, guava, orange, passionfruit, pineapple, and hog plum are turned in juices and used to make chocolates, popsicles and ice cream.
See also
- Index of Brazil-related articles
- List of Brazilians
- Outline of Brazil
External links
- Brazilian Tourism Portal by Embratur (Brazilian Tourist Board)
- New York Times Travel Guides: Brazil
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