Some splendid colonial buildings are preserved, many of them churches. The modernist movement has been very influential, especially during the construction of the new capital Brasilia in 1960 by Oscar Niemeyer.
Most of the population of 185 million was traditionally concentrated in the coastal states, but the growth rates are now higher inland.
This human melting pot includes millions of people whose ancestors came from distant countries such as Japan, Syria and Germany and who still maintain some old-country traditions.
Brazil has a lot to offer... - it is official.
Immigration to Brazil began when the country opened its ports to "friendly nations" (1808), and gathered momentum in the wake of the Declaration of Independence (1822).
In this vast country which is Brazil, we have a rich regional cuisine that is almost impossible to generalize across a land that is coloured by such striking differences.
USD500 (or equivalent in other currency) worth of goods bought duty-free in Brazil
400 cigarettes or 25 cigars