Facts about Brazil Independence Day

"Brazil" comes from a Portuguese name from a tree common in Brazil from which a red dye was obtained (pau-brasil - meaning 'red like an ember'). The area then gained the name "terra de Brasil". The original name given to the region by the Portuguese was "Land of the Holy Cross". Brazil Independence Day Facts

Brazil has the largest population of Catholics in the world at 123 million. Brazil Independence Day Facts

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. It makes up 47 per cent of South America and borders every other country on the continent, apart from Ecuador and Chile. Brazil Independence Day Facts

Bolivia exports more Brazil nuts than Brazil and, technically, Brazil nuts are seeds not nuts. Brazil Independence Day Facts

Brasilia was founded on 21 April 1960 to be the new national capital. Brasilia looks like an aeroplane when viewed from above - it was planned this way rather than it being a coincidence. Brazil Independence Day Facts

Brazil has more than 4,000 airports - more than any other country other than the U.S. Brazil Independence Day Facts

The Brazilian soccer stadium Zerão was designed so the halfway line is on the Earth's equator, making each team defend a different hemisphere. Brazil Independence Day Facts

In 1808, Rio de Janeiro became the capital of Portugal, making it the only European capital ever to be outside Europe. Brazil Independence Day Facts

Three of the five wealthiest people in Brazil earned their fortunes from beer. Brazil Independence Day Facts

Rio de Janeiro means "January River". Mistakenly a Portuguese explorer thought the bay was the mouth of a river. Brazil Independence Day Facts

Sao Paulo has the largest economy by GDP of any city in the Southern Hemisphere (and 11th overall). Brazil Independence Day Facts

Established in 1532, São Vicente, near Sao Paulo, is the oldest city in Brazil and was Portugal’s first permanent settlement in the Americas. Brazil Independence Day Facts

Brazil has been the world's largest exporter of coffee for more than 150 years. Today, Brazil supplies about a third of the world's coffee; though a hundred years ago it supplied around 80 per cent of the world\’s coffee. Brazil Independence Day Facts

The Amazon River is the world's largest by volume of water discharged. Around 209,000 cubic metres per second flow into the Atlantic Ocean – more than the next seven largest rivers combined. During the wet season the river is up to 30 miles wide. Brazil Independence Day Facts