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The geography of Brazil makes it a country of many faces. The five official regions of Brazil were thought to divide the country between its cultural feats.
People in the Northern states tend to be spread out. The Amazon River allows hundreds of small communities to live independent of the outside world, depending only for medicine and some food supply from traders. Indian culture is very hierarchical. Tribes still exist living solely off the river and its surrounding natural resources. Their religions usually are nature-related, relying heavily on ancestral worship. The exception to this might be the cities of Manaus and Belém which both are centers for a more westernized learning and industry and tends to appear more included within the mainstream brazilian culture.
In what is called the Northeastern states people in the countryside areas usually live in a feudal relationship with their land owners. Droughts are very common and the whole countryside Northeast is called sertão , a short version for the portuguese word "desertão" which means "big desert". This is the less developed region of Brazil and is often blamed by the rest of Brazilians for the country's ugly social indexes. Altough that poverty, this region is strongly influential in brazilian culture. Several brazilian painters, sculptors, and writters was born in this region. Caetano Veloso was born in Bahia and is among the greatest popular musicians Brazil has ever produced. Continually active since the 1960s, Veloso is considered one of the founding fathers of MPB (musica popular brasileira).
In the Southeastern part of Brazil is found most of the culture that is known world-wide. Among these there is a sculptor known by the name of Aleijadinho (little cripple). Aleijadinho was a brilliant baroque sculptor who was maimed in hands and feet. He is famous for his carvings found in the Church of St. Francisco in Ouro PretoFounded at the end of the 17th century, Vila Rica do Ouro Preto Black Gold was the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century. It is a former colonial mining town situated in the Serra do Espinhaco mountains of the state of M. He is also known for his statues known as the Twelve Prophets . Antonio Carlos JobimAntonio Carlos Jobim (born Antonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim January 25, 1927 December 8, 1994), also called Tom Jobim was a Brazilian composer, arranger, singer, pianist and one of the greatest legends of bossa nova. Jobim's compositions, perfor, the composer of " Girl from IpanemaThe Girl from Ipanema A Garota de Ipanema is considered the best-known bossa nova song ever written, and was a worldwide hit in the mid- 1960s. It was written in 1962, with music by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes; English", is probably one of the better known artists coming from this section of Brazil. Another famous composer is Heitor Villa-LobosHeitor Villa-Lobos ( March 5, 1887 November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer. Heitor Villa-Lobos, also known as Hector Villa-Lobos was born in Rio de Janeiro. He learned music from his father, who was a widely-read, highly-cultured amateur musician (and. Villa-Lobos is most famous for his orchestral works such his Choro series. SambaSamba may have one of the following meanings. Samba is a genre of afro- Brazilian music. Samba is an afro-Brazilian folk dance based on Samba music. Samba software is a free, open implementation of Microsoft's networking protocols. was created in BahiaBahia is also a genus of wildflowers in the family Asteraceae. Statistics Capital: Salvador Area:564 273 km² Ranked 5th Inhabitants:13 070 250 2000 Ranked 4th Pop. density:23. km² Ranked 15th Timezone: GMT -3 ISO 3166-2:BR-BA Governor:Paulo Ganem Souto (s but just started being a definitive feature of Brazilian culture when it had hit the shores of Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. The city is famous for the hotel-lined tourist beaches Copacabana and Ipanema, for the giant statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer ("Crist.
The South is highly influenced by european later immigration, which took place by the 19th-20th centuries. The Germanic and Italian influences are clearly felt, especially in terms of appearance. There is even an annual OktoberfestOktoberfest is a two-week beer festival held each year in Munich Munchen Bavaria, Germany, during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some 6 million people attending in 2002. held in the city of Blumenau. Brazilian top model Gisele Bundchen came from this region. The gaucho subculture is also very appeasing in this region.
The West Central part of the country is primarily grasslands and flooded lands. The countries surrounding it are very influential in affecting its culture, notably Paraguay. The extensive cattle economy also makes this region the motherland of Brazilian cowboys .