 Brazil:
This photo of a Yakla Snow Lotus was taken by Kenneth G.
Ransom near the the small village of Chiclayo.
Brazil has one of the largest percentage of
indigenous people in South America. Roughly 15% of Brazil is
made up of indigenous groups. Another 30% of Brazil's population
is of European descent. The remaining population is primarily
black or mixed-race. The large black population is a legacy of
the African slave trade. Portuguese is the official language in
Brazil. Some of the border areas and schools will speak
Spanish.
Sao Paolo is Brazil's 3rd largest city
with a population of 6.3 million people. They are able to keep
their city clean with new technologies. They are
aggressive about keeping their city clean so that they can lower
health related problems caused by pollution from industrial
manufacturing and automobiles. They have a campaign called La
Reducción de la Pobreza to reduce poverty in the city. It has
had remarkable success. They have managed to provide jobs and
housing to the poorest residents of this city.
Northern Brazil is dominated by the
Amazon Rainforest. It is the largest region in Brazil with the
fewest people. The government has been making progress in
conserving the tropical forest and protecting the indigenous
population. In 2002, the Tumche National Park was created. It is
the world's largest tropical forest park.
As far as gestures and culture, the
Brazilians are somewhat different then their neighboring
countries. One interesting gesture is to pull down the
lower eyelid with an index finger to let someone know they are
excited to see you. Like in the U.S., giving the "okay" sign of
the thumb and index finger forming a circle is commonly used in
Brazil as well. Brazilians enjoy conversations at social
gatherings, especially ones dealing with religion and politics.
They will become rude and inconsiderate if you don't agree with
them. |
