Archive for 'Geography'
The Seven Wonders of Nature: Vote Brazil! Posted by Rachel on Jul 24, 2009
Brazil has been nominated for two locations in the Seven Wonders of Nature competition, in which people can vote for the greatest wonders of the natural world. The Amazon and Iguaçu Falls were chosen amongst thirty total natural wonders from around the world. They are competing against the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the…
Favorite Brazilian Beach Posted by Rachel on Jul 2, 2009
Brazilians are very serious about their beaches, partially because they have so many beautiful ones to choose from. From Amapa to Rio Grande do Sul, there are thousands of miles of coastline. So for today’s interactive feature, the question is: what is your favorite Brazilian beach? I think this is an exceedingly difficult question, since…
UCLA Launches Brazil Center Posted by Rachel on Feb 20, 2009
This month, the University of California, Los Angeles opened a center devoted to Brazil studies as a part of a larger center focusing on the Southern Cone. The center’s opening also featured an exhibit “Rio de Janeiro: Two Centuries of Urban Change, 1808-2008,” which will be on display at the Charles E. Young Research Library…
Winter in Rio Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 30, 2008
Winter in Rio de Janeiro is usually associated with fewer tourists, cooler, drier temperatures, bundled up residents and the exodus of the wealthy en route for skiing resorts abroad. This year, however, has been a bit different. This July, the temperatures have been higher than usual, reaching 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on some…
Brazilian City Spotlight: Campos do Jordão Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 2, 2008
Much like Aspen, Campos de Jordão is the winter vacation spot of the elite, though unlike Colorado, there’s no snow in Campos. It’s located 167 from the city of São Paulo, located in the state of the same name. The city was founded in 1874 in the Serra da Mantiqueira, one of the tallest mountain…
Brazilian City Spotlight: Manaus, Amazonas Posted by Transparent Language on May 26, 2008
Manaus is the capital city of Amazonas state and has a fascinating history. The city was settled in 1669, and was named Manaus in 1832, which means “mother of the gods” in the indigenous language of the Manaos tribe. It became a major urban center during the rubber boom in the 1900s. Today, it has…
Naturalidades: Part V Posted by Transparent Language on May 11, 2008
Today we’re going to do the last part of our lesson on naturalidades, which determine exactly where a person is from in Brazil: either the city or the state. These are written in lower case, as opposed to in English, in which we use upper case, as in Hawaiian or Alaskan. Let’s look at…