Archive for 'Geography'
Fernando De Noronha Posted by Rachel on Sep 11, 2011
Fernando de Noronha is a set of 21 volcanic islands off the coast of northern Brazil, and a tourist destination reachable by plane from Recife and Natal. It was first explored by the Portuguese in the early 1500s, and was subsequently invaded and ruled by the English, French, and Dutch until it was retaken by…
Aleijadinho – Brazilian Baroque Sculptor Posted by polyana on Jul 21, 2011
I was in Ouro Preto this past weekend, one of the more famous historic towns in Minas Gerais, in the southeast of Brazil. The town has maintained its historic look and feel with stone streets, Portuguese architecture, and gorgeous Baroque Catholic churches. A couple of the churches contain the sculpture of Antonio Francisco Lisboa, more…
Brazil World Cup Cities Posted by Rachel on Apr 19, 2011
Recently, the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism released a bunch of short videos about the World Cup host cities in 2014. They’re available in English, but we’re going to watch them in Portuguese, of course. They’re a short little overview of what each city has to offer visitors, so you can see scenes from around Brazil…
Portuguese-Speaking Countries Posted by Rachel on Nov 19, 2010
While Transparent’s Portuguese Blog’s main focus is on Brazil and Brazilian Portuguese, it’s also important to know where else Portuguese is spoken in the world! Here are the countries where Portuguese is the official language: 1. Portugal (population: 10 million) The birthplace of this beautiful language, there are around twelve dialects, ranging from Açoriano…
Isolated in the Amazon Posted by Rachel on Nov 2, 2010
The FUNAI, or the Fundação Nacional do Índio, is the Brazilian governmental organization in charge of protecting and advocating for Brazil’s indigenous populations. Created in 1967, the agency not only helps provide education and basic services to tribes, but also promotes the study and understanding of tribal populations and indigenous culture. Also, one of the…
Paulistanês: Speaking Like You’re From São Paulo City Posted by polyana on Oct 18, 2010
Continuing with our “getting to know Brazilian accents & regional sayings,” series, I realized I hadn’t written about Paulistanês, the “language” spoken in São Paulo city, where I’m currently living and hear everyday! The funny thing about people who live in the city of São Paulo is that they think everyone else has an accent…
Wine in Brazil Posted by Rachel on Oct 18, 2010
For some foreigners considering Brazilian agriculture, something like soybeans or coffee might come to mind, rather than wine. For those more familiar with Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul might be the only place you think of when you think of Brazilian viticulture. But it may come as a surprise to some that despite having several…