Drifting down the Amazon, or looking for festivals
in Bahia, discover what the different regions of Brazil have to offer.
The original inhabitants of the land we know as Brazil
today included the Arawaks and Caribs in the north, the Guaraní on the east coast and
along the River Amazon, the Ge towards the south, and the Pano in the west.
Brazil is made up of 26 states and the federal district.
The states are Acre, Alagoas, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará,
Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará,
Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do
Sul, Rondônia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Sergipe, and Tocantins. The federal
district includes Brasília, which replaced Rio de Janeiro as the national capital in
1960.
The length of the Amazon from Iquitos, in Peru,
to its mouth on the north-eastern coast of Brazil is about 3,700 km. All of it is
navigable.
Amazonian Sounds:
Dave Jackson used to listen to the parakeets outside his boarding school, just east of
Manaus, and has explored the riverways of the Amazon. On this page, he brings the sounds
of the rainforest to the web.
Drifting
Down the Amazon:
Walter Glaser takes a trip down the Amazon, from Iquitos to Manaus.
As the Portuguese stepped up colonization of the territory, Thomé
de Souza became the first governor-general in 1549, and founded Bahia (Salvador) as his
capital.
With the shortage of labourers, large numbers of Africans were brought
into the region as slaves.
Bahian
Festivals:
It is affectionately said that: "When Bahians are not actually participating in a
festival they are rehearsing for one."
Regions of Bahia:
From north to south, east to west, Bahia offers a wide range of options for journeys with
historic, cultural, and natural attractions.
Visit Fortaleza:
Fortaleza, the capital city of the State of Ceará, has been for decades one of the most
popular destinations of Brazilian tourists.
The French had eyes on the coast and, in 1555, founded a colony
far to the south of Bahia; on the bay of Rio de Janeiro.
The Portuguese soon destroyed the colony, and in 1567 they established
their own settlement of Rio de Janeiro on its site.
Regiao
dos Lagos:
Of course Rio has wonderful beaches but if you want to discover something special, head
north of the city to Cabo Frio and Buzios.
There were frequent attacks by the British and the Dutch after
Philip II of Spain inherited the crown of Portugal in 1580.
The Dutch even set up the Dutch West India Company around Recife and
Olinda, in the north east, in the 1630's.
In 1640, the successful Portuguese revolt against Spanish
overlordship, returned the sovereignty of Brazil to Portugal.
The Dutch renounced their claims to Brazilian territory, in 1661,
after uprisings backed by Portugal made it no longer profitable to remain there.
Viva Brazil:
Brazilian megasite put together by Walter Morales. If there's a half decent Brazilian link
out there, Walter seems to find it. The only problem is you'll need a lot of time to weed
through the pages and find what you want.
Brazil Cities:
Find out more about Brazil's major cities.
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