Brazil
Brazil
- Capital
- Brasília
- Population
- 212,559,409
- Region
- Americas
- Languages
- Portuguese
Brazil has an official policy of avoiding contact with several indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation deep within the Amazon rainforest. To protect these communities from modern diseases and cultural disruption, the government monitors their lands remotely rather than entering them. This approach has led to the identification of dozens of distinct groups that represent some of the last uncontacted peoples on Earth. This unique conservation effort marks Brazil as a global leader in protecting human cultural heritage through non-intervention.
Currency
The official currency of Brazil is the Real, identified by the ISO code BRL. Introduced in 1994 as part of the 'Plano Real,' it was designed to stop decades of hyperinflation that had forced the country to change its currency multiple times in short succession.
Flag symbolism
The green field represents the House of Braganza, the family of Brazil's first emperor, Peter I, while the yellow rhombus symbolizes the House of Habsburg, the family of his wife, Empress Maria Leopoldina. The blue globe in the center features a starry sky that depicts the constellations as they appeared over Rio de Janeiro on the morning the republic was proclaimed in 1889. Across the globe, a white banner carries the national motto 'Ordem e Progresso,' which was inspired by the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte. Each of the stars represents a specific federated unit, with the single star above the banner symbolizing the state of Pará.
Emblem history
The coat of arms of Brazil features a central five-pointed star colored in the national hues of green and gold, bordered in red to symbolize the blood of patriots. Inside the star, five blue stars form the Southern Cross, a constellation that has served as a navigational guide and national icon for centuries. The emblem is flanked by a branch of coffee on the left and a branch of tobacco on the right, which were the primary commercial crops of the country when the republic was established. At the base, a blue ribbon bears the official name of the nation and the date the monarchy was replaced by a republican government.