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Government. Brazil is a presidential federal republic.  

Administrative division. Brazil is a federation of 26 states.

Capital. The capital is Brasília.

Area:  8 511 900 sq km.

Population: 190 million.

Ethnic groups: Brazilian “ethnic” group.

Language: Portuguse.

Religion: 73.89% of the population follow Roman Catholicism; 15.41% Protestantism; 0.907% other Christian denominations.

Currency: Real.

Calling code: +55.

Geography. Brazil is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area. Brazil occupies nearly half of South America, sharing land borders with Uruguay to the south; Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest; Bolivia and Peru to the west; Colombia to the northwest; Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the overseas department of French Guiana to the north.

The factors of size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse. Brazilian topography includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country. The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills. The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges. These ranges include the Mantiqueira Mountains, the Espinhaço Mountains, and the Serra do Mar. The highest point in Brazil is the Pico da Neblina at 3,014 metres (9,890 ft). Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins. Major rivers include the Amazon, the largest river in terms of volume of water, and the second-longest in the world; the Paraná and its major tributary, the Iguaçu River; the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and the Tapajós river.

Climate. Brazil hosts five major climatic subtypes: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, and temperate. An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no real dry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when most rain falls. Temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F).Over central Brazil rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate. In the interior northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme. From south of Bahia, near São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, where some appreciable rainfall occurs in all months. The south has temperate conditions, with average temperatures below 18 °C (64 °F) and cool winters; frosts are quite common, with occasional snowfalls in the higher areas.

Flora and Fauna. Brazil comprises different ecosystems, ranging from equatorial rainforests in the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, to temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in central Brazil.

Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach four million. Larger mammals include pumas, jaguars, ocelots, rare bush dogs, and foxes. Peccaries, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums, and armadillos are abundant.

The largest metropolitan areas in Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte, with 19.7, 11.4, and 5.4 million inhabitants respectively. Almost all the capitals are the largest city in their corresponding state, except for Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in the states of São Paulo (Campinas, Santos and the Paraíba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley), and Santa Catarina (Itajaí Valley).

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind São Paulo, and the third largest metropolitan area in South America, behind São Paulo and Buenos Aires. Commonly known as just Rio, the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa, or "The Marvelous City".

The city also boasts the largest and second largest urban forests in the world: Floresta da Tijuca, or "Tijuca Forest" and (almost connected to the first) the forest in Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, or White Stone State Park. Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport connects Rio de Janeiro with many Brazilian cities and also operates several international flights.

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival and Maracanã stadium, one of the world's largest football stadiums.

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, and along with Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City and New York City is among the five largest metropolitan regions of the world. The city is the capital of the State of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state. It is also the richest city of Brazil. São Paulo exerts strong regional influence in commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment.

People from the city of São Paulo are known as paulistanos, while paulistas designates anyone from the whole of São Paulo state, including the paulistanos. A famous nickname for the city is "Sampa". São Paulo is also known for its unreliable weather, the sheer size of its helicopter fleet, architecture and multitude of skyscrapers. The São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport operates many domestic and international flights.

Gramado is a municipality and small touristic town, southeast of Caxias do Sul and east of Nova Petrópolis in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the Serra Gaúcha region. Most of the population of Gramado is of German or Italian descent.

Gramado hosts the Festival de Gramado, a major South American film festival and Gramado's most important event. Gramado is also known by hydrangeas blossoming in late spring. Another key event in Gramado is Natal Luz, when Gramado is decked out in lights and wreathes made of recycled material by local residents.