The population of a South American giant
Brazil now ranks as the 5th most populated country in the world, home to nearly 210 million people! The top four are China, India, the United States and Indonesia.
The construction of Brasilia
Rio de Janeiro was Brazil’s capital city for 197 years. Once the decision was made to move the capital to the Central Plateau—where there was absolutely nothing at the time—the city of Brasilia was constructed in less than four years!
Coffee
Despite being a major coffee-producing country, Brazil only ranks 15th in the world in terms of consumption. Brazilians consume an average of 5.5kg per year. The top spot belongs to Finland.
It’s faster by air!
Behind the USA, Brazil has more airports than any other country in the world: 4,000 in total!
Rio de Janeiro’s eternal beauty
With its international appeal and allure, Rio de Janeiro plays host to almost 3.5 million tourists every year, which equates to approximately 50% of overseas visitors to Brazil each year.
Holidays in Brazil: gringo envy
With 30 days paid leave and a busy calendar of bank holidays, Brazilian holiday entitlement is a gringo’s dream. By comparison, there are only 5 days of annual paid holiday in China, 8 in Japan, 20 in the UK and Germany, and 22 in Portugal. Paid holiday doesn’t even exist in the USA!
Brazilian “kissing”
It’s quite normal in Brazil to sign off a message (Whatsapp, e-mail, SMS) with hugs (abraços) or kisses (beijos), even if you don’t know the recipient very well. Europeans, by contrast, are somewhat more reserved at the onset of a relationship: such familiarity is deemed invasive and inappropriate so early on. It’s like trying to steal a kiss without someone noticing.
No profile? Bye-bye!
According to a recent survey, 31% of Brazilians claimed that they wouldn’t hire someone who didn’t have a LinkedIn profile. The same report revealed that the average amongst other countries was 12%. No wonder: with 20 million users, Brazil has the 3rd largest footprint on LinkedIn, behind the USA and India.
Friends or colleagues?
If you’re used to adding co-workers to your social networks, like Facebook or Instagram, you’re not alone. 41% of Brazilian professionals have no issue with this at all. Brazil places joint 2nd, alongside Malaysia, in a ranking of countries most likely to mix personal and professional relations, behind Indonesia (48%). The global average is 33%. However, all this informality comes with an important caveat: Brazilians (29%) rank as the most concerned with what colleagues think about their profile posts.
Call a person by their name
It is perfectly normal in Brazil for two people, say João da Silva and Suzana Ferreira, to make their acquaintance and immediately refer to each other by their first names, so João and Suzana. However, in most countries this might be seen as odd, or even disrespectful. The standard is to only use first names once a certain degree of intimacy or familiarity is established. Before then, only surnames should be used, with the appropriate pronoun. In the UK, for example, João da Silva would be Mr. Silva and Suzana Ferreira would be Ms. Ferreira.
The origins of the word “British”
The word “British” is derived from the name of a Celtic tribe, the Brythons.
“Where does the name England come from?”
The word “England” comes from “Angle-land”, or land of the “Angli”, or Angles, which was a Viking tribe that crossed the North Sea and settled in the north and east of the country. In French, England (Angleterre) quite literally translates as the “land of the Angles”.
– Furthest distance from the sea
No one place in England is more than 121km from the shore.
– The UK’s new national dish
The UK recently named “chicken tikka masala” as their national dish. It is a spicy chicken curry that is unheard of in India.
– Early fish and chips
The UK’s first fish and chip shop was opened in 1860 by a Jewish Immigrant, Joseph Malin, in London.
– London: the champion of languages
There are more languages spoken in London (about 300) than anywhere else in the world.
– The oldest subway in the world
The London Underground, or Tube as it is affectionately known, is the oldest subway in the world. The 409 rolling escalators cover a weekly distance equivalent to several laps of the planet.
– The sinister beginnings of football
It’s alleged that Anglo-Saxon agricultural workers in England invented football. Whilst ploughing a field, they discovered the skull of a Danish warrior who’d been slain in battle a few years earlier. In a sinister act of resentment towards the Danes, they started kicking the skull about between them. This early form of football was called “kicking the Dane’s head”.
