Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
people. The millions of slaves
brought to Brazil from West Africa,
between the 16th and 19th centuries,
have also played an important role in
the development of Brazil as a
country and as a vibrant culture.
Between the 18th and 19th centuries,
the influx of immigrants from Europe,
especially Italy and Germany, and
also from Japan and Korea, have
played their part in forming the
multicultural and ethnically diverse
population of Brazil.
Although Brazil has reputedly
the world's largest Catholic pop-
ulation, its unique mix of people has
given rise to many different religions
and sects. The animistic beliefs of the
indigenous Brazilians, ritualistic Afro-
Brazilian cults, and spiritualist
Kardecism, coexist with other faiths
including Judaism, Islam, and
Buddhism. Candomblé, a syncretic
cult practiced in Bahia, is a unique
amalgamation of Catholicism and
African beliefs.
Brazil upholds the ideal of racial
harmony. However, though not
blatant, racial discrimination does
still exist. As well as having limited
access to education and work
opportunities, black people remain
inadequately represented in the
higher echelons of politics, academia,
and business.
The Congresso Nacional at dusk, Brasília
political parties. The average
educated Brazilian resents the
perceived close alliance between
the politicians and their ambitious
business allies.
THE PEOPLE
Home to over half the population of
South America, Brazil is the fifth most
populous country in the world. The
vast majority of people live in the
coastal parts and major cities, and the
population density grows progress-
ively scantier toward the interior.
Brazil has such a varied mix of races,
nationalities, and ethnic groups that
it is difficult to define a typical
Brazilian. It is often argued that being
Brazilian is more a state of mind
than anything else.
The Portuguese, the first
Europeans to explore Brazil,
were followed by other colonial
powers laying claim to areas
along the Brazilian coast.
However brief the influence
of the French and the Dutch,
and later the British, they all
made their mark on Brazil,
along with the dominant
Portuguese. Their influence is
still visible in its culture and its
Baianas in front of the Convento de São Francisco, Salvador
