While it is a huge country like the United States, Brazil only has 26 states and one distrito federal (the capital Brasilia stands by itself, like Washington, D.C.). There are generally 16 recognized Brazilian Portuguese dialects from the states, such as Gaúcho from the south, Carioca from Rio de Janeiro, and Nortista from states like Amazonas, Pará, and Piauí. Here are the 10 most populated Brazilian states and their capitals:

Sã0 Paulo, São Paulo

Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro

Salvador, Bahia

Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul

Curitiba, Paraná

Recife, Pernambuco

Fortaleza, Ceará

Belém, Pará

São Luís, Maranhão

The rest of the states are Santa Catarina, Goiás, Paraíba, Espírito Santo, Amazonas, Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas, Mato Grosso, Piauí, Mato Grosso do Sul, Sergipe, Rondônia, Tocantins, Acre, Amapá, Roraima, and the capital Brasilia.

The capital Brasilia is within the state of Goiás. Tocantins is the most recent Brazilian state, which has only been a state since 1988. It was formed from the northern area of the state of Goiás.

Learning the geography and history of modern Brazil is extremely useful for learning Portuguese and expanding your knowledge of Brazil.