Curious Facts about Brazil
Fun Facts for your next trip to Brazil
Did you know that...
... there was an anti-bikini club in Rio de Janeiro in 1947? As late as 1961, Brazil's then-president Janio Quadros even had the bikini banned.
... the Brazilian beauty market ranks third behind the USA and Japan? Since 2010, the costs of most plastic surgery procedures have been tax-deductible. This also applies to medically unnecessary operations.
... the composition of the rubber sole of Havaianas is about as much of a secret as the recipe for Coca Cola or Nutella? The Brazilian rubber slippers were invented in 1962 and were long regarded as the "sandals of the poor". Their already low price was even controlled by the government in the 1980s, similar to the price of rice, beans, and other everyday goods. In the 1990s, the slippers finally came into fashion. First in Brazil and soon around the world.
... Brazil's first favela was created in Rio? Former recruits of the Canudos/Bahia campaign settled on a hill in Rio and named it "Alto da Favela" after a hill in Bahia. Favela is the name of a thorny plant that grows in Bahia.
... the beach in Brazil is a public area and must be accessible to everyone? According to an 1831 law, this applies to all sections 33 meters inland. Also for hotel beaches or private islands. The only exception are marine areas.
... Brazil has the second-largest dark-skinned population in the world after Nigeria?
... Sao Paulo has probably the best sushi outside Japan and the largest community of Japanese outside Japan lives in Brazil? The wave of immigration began more than a hundred years ago. Today 1.5 million Brazilians of Japanese descent live in the country. The Liberdade district in Sao Paulo is considered the center of Japanese culture in Brazil.
... Brazilian prisoners can reduce their prison sentence by four days for every book they read and summarize in a report?
... Ninety percent of new cars in Brazil also run on ethanol made from sugar cane? The warm temperatures help.
... Brazilian athletes who took part in the 1932 Olympic Games financed their trip by selling coffee on the way?
... Brazil was the first country in the world to ban tanning studios to protect health?
... in 1959 a lady rhino from the local zoo won the city council elections in Sao Paulo? At that time it was still common practice to simply write the name of your preferred candidate on the election card.
... the capital Brasilia looks like an airplane from above?
... Brazil's government has tried to sell an aircraft carrier on eBay?
... Rio de Janeiro was once the capital of Portugal, making it the only European capital outside the continent?
... the 2016 Olympic Games will be held on South American soil for the first time? A great honor for Brazil.
... voting is compulsory in Brazil? Non-voters are threatened with a fine.
... there is a Brazilian city called "Nao-Me-Toque"? Translated this means "Don't touch me".
... Brazil has 64 national parks and more than 200 nature reserves? One of the most fascinating landscapes, the Lencois Maranhenses National Park, is home to dunes that are constantly being reshaped by wind and ocean currents. The dunes reach a height of up to 40 meters.
Source: Moritz