SAO PAULO — Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world both in terms of population and land area. It is 11 times bigger than Turkey and covers almost half of South America. It has a strong economy and a vast expanse of territory.
This developed country has a population of 190 million people, including immigrants from Europe and Africa. Caucasians comprise 65 percent of the population. The main religion in Brazil is Roman Catholicism, followed by Protestantism. Around a thousand Brazilian soccer players are transferred to other teams around the world each year. In 2007 alone, Brazil, which has some of the best soccer players, generated $17 million in revenue from soccer player transfers. There are currently about 40 Brazilian soccer players on Turkish teams.Brazil is also home to 40,000 private schools. Parents have the option of sending their children to one of many schools that are in their income range. São Paulo, a city in southeastern Brazil, is the largest and most populous city in South America. The skyline is dominated with skyscrapers of different heights. Among the skyscrapers are cathedrals and magnificent churches. In addition to the skyscrapers, there are many parks in São Paulo — the largest is Ibirapuera Park. There is a giant statue of José de Anchieta, known as the apostle of Brazil, in the center of the city. Anchieta’s statue holds the Bible in one hand and a cross in the other. The first missionaries to come to these lands were Jesuit priests, who converted the pagan indigenous peoples to Catholicism and marked the first period of the colonization of Brazil.
Brazil was colonized primarily by the Portuguese for about 300 years. Christian missionaries founded the first two Jesuit colleges in the country in 1554. First they built a church, and then they built a school adjacent to the church. There are still priests who teach Bible classes in the squares and recite passages aloud to attract the attention of the public. In the city center, there is a massive television screen on which people can see the amount of the tax payments made each second in Brazil. In just a few moments, one sees the amount of taxes paid increase tremendously.
São Paulo is the second largest city in the world in terms of the number of restaurants, the first being New York. There are more than 12,500 restaurants chains from 52 different kitchens, including Japanese, Italian, Middle Eastern and Australian cuisine. Brazilians like meat very much and steakhouses are very popular, the most popular one being Fogo de Chão. This unique steakhouse offers featured meats that are seasoned to perfection. Customers enjoy unlimited meat for a set price. Waiters and waitresses continue to serve meat until the customer says it’s enough. Before the meat is served, the waiter and waitress provide information on the kind of meat that is being served. In Brazil, there are five Fogo de Chão restaurants, which host around 70,000 customers each month, and there are 10 in the US, where the restaurant serves around 150,000 customers each month. The minimum price per person is $60, but can go up to $100 if drinks and desserts are added. Turkish-style tea is not very common in Brazil, where most people enjoy drinking coffee. The waiters said their uniforms were inspired from Ottoman costumes. Some aspects of the culture of Ottoman Empire immigrants who traveled to Brazil hundreds of years ago have survived into the modern day.
People who’d like to pay less for meat can find food at much cheaper prices on the streets. There are many places that sell meat for just 1 Brazilian real. But people are advised to be cautious because the ingredients of the meat and whether it was cooked in a clean environment are unknown. Gyros in Brazil are known as the Greek gyro.
Another popular venue in São Paulo is March 25th Street, which hosts around 300,000 people every day. It is very similar to the busy shopping precinct of Tahtakale in Turkey. There are sellers shouting their prices and urging customers to visit their stand, and customers shopping away or trying to figure out which way to head. An ideal place for those who’d like to go somewhere calmer after the complex nature of São Paulo is Foz do Iguaçu, which is popular for its natural beauty and waterfalls. By plane, it is located an hour and a half away from São Paulo. Since Brazil is a very large country, the climate can be different in each city. While the weather in São Paulo may be cloudy, in the south the skies are generally clear blue. Peak out from the airplane window and you’ll see a vast land of greenery and natural beauty waiting for you. You will see the Iguazu River flowing softly along on one side and fields planted with different crops on the other. There are many detached homes inside the forest. Apartment buildings can only be found in the city centers.
Some signs that are eye-catching in the city are those that read “Argentina 5 km” and “Paraguay 14 km.” Foz do Iguaçu is a border city to both countries and a bridge of friendship between them. Although it is not a very big city, it has many tourist attractions. The best view of the Iguazu River can be seen from the city. While the weather is most often pleasant, tourists are advised to bring umbrellas because short rain showers can start unexpectedly. Even from a distance, the beauty of the waterfalls is mesmerizing. There are 275 waterfalls, some with a drop of 82 meters, along an area of nearly three kilometers. The name Iguazu simply means “great waters” in the local Indian language.
The effect of the waterfalls is better understood as one nears it. People can get a bird’s eye view of the thundering Iguazu Falls from a helicopter tour. The seven-minute helicopter tour ride costs around $70 and can carry up to four people. The Iguazu waterfalls are three times bigger and two times taller than Niagara Falls in Canada. Although the waterfalls are shared by both Argentina and Brazil, the best view is from Brazil. That’s why most tourists who come to Argentina also visit Brazil to capture the amazing view of the waterfalls.
Statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro (L) - Sugar Loaf, Rio de Janeiro (R)
The most striking point in this country is the junction where are all three countries — Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay — meet. Standing at the middle of this point, one can see Paraguay and Argentina. Brazil and Argentina are divided by the Iguazu River while Brazil and Paraguay are divided by the Paraná River. From this point, one can see the national flags of each country waving in their own lands.
Brazil, which was named after the tree called Pau-Brasil, is also known for the Amazon, soccer, samba, festivals and carnivals. Turkish Airlines (THY) started direct flights to Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, from ?stanbul and Dakar, Senegal, on April 5, 2009. The new routes immediately attracted many visitors.
Bon voyage!
[QUICK FACTS]
Capital: Brasilia
Official language: Portuguese
Government: Presidential federal republic
President: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Vice president: Jose Alencar
Area: 8,514,877 square kilometers
Population: 198,739,269*
GDP (PPP): $10,100 **
Religion: Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6 percent, Protestant 15.4 percent, Spiritualist 1.3 percent, Bantu/voodoo 0.3 percent, other 1.8 percent, unspecified 0.2 percent, none 7.4 percent
*July 2009 estimate **2008 estimate
30 April 2009, Thursday
SA?M ORHAN
zaman.com