Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2020 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

1 Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking country in both North and South America. The first Portuguese colony was established there in 1516. About 98% of Brazilians use it as a first language, but more than 160 indigenous languages are also spoken. 2 In Brazilian restaurants, passadors (waiters) go around the tables like matadors with meter-long swords and grilled beef, pork, sausages, and chicken hearts seasoned with sea salt and herbs. They serve thin slices of meat continuously until diners “surrender” by raising a white flag on the table. 3 During the last 40 years, more than 18% of the Brazilian Amazon has been destroyed. Experts predict that if the current rate of deforestation continues, 55% of the Amazon could be gone by the year 2030. Pressure from other governments is…

Iguazu Falls is one of Brazil’s amazing natural wonders. The sixth largest waterfall in the world, it consists of 275 separate waterfalls. Iguazu Falls was named one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature in 2011. Iguazu (ee-gwuh-soo) means “great waters” or “big water” in the Tupi-Guarani language of the indigenous people of the region. The falls were created by volcanic activity. Cooling lava created stone called basalt. Earthquakes later caused cracks (faults) in the basalt, creating the waterfalls where the Iguazu River flows. However, a popular legend tells a different story about how the waterfalls were created. Naipi, the beautiful daughter of the chief of the Guarani people, was to be sacrificed to the serpent giant god Mboi, who lived by the Iguazu River. When Taruba, a young man…

Brazil’s Amazon rain forest is being destroyed at an alarming rate. During 2019, an area comparable in size to New York City was destroyed in the month of May alone. If something isn’t done to save the Amazon, it could be damaged beyond repair. Sixty percent of the 2.6-million square-mile (6.7 million square-kilometer) Amazon rain forest is located in Brazil. During the last 40 years, more than 18% of the Brazilian Amazon has been destroyed. Experts predict that if the current rate of deforestation continues, 55% of the Amazon could be gone by the year 2030. The millions of animal, insect, bird, fish, and plant species that live in the rain forest could disappear forever. The Amazon is home to 10% of the Earth’s known plant and animal species. The…

Characters: Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Narrator 3 Turtle O Pai: Father, pronounced “oo PIE,” Jose: son Maria: daughter NARRATOR 1: Many years ago, on the banks of the mighty Amazon River, Turtle played her flute in the warm sun. TURTLE: I play notes high. I play notes low. I play them fast. I play them slow. I tap my toe. Then away I go! NARRATOR 1: Turtle danced her happiest dance, twirling this way and that. She bobbed. She grooved. She busted out her moves. When she was done, Turtle pulled her head and legs into her shell and slept. Little did she know that a man was peeking at her from behind a wide, green leaf. She did not hear his stomach growl with hunger, or feel him pick…

OFFICIAL NAME: Federative Republic of Brazil LOCATION: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana are to the north. To the west lies Peru; to the south, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay. AREA: 3.3 million square miles POPULATION: 2.1 million (2020 estimate) GOVERNMENT: federal republic CAPITAL: Brasilia CLIMATE: mostly tropical, but temperate in south TERRAIN: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt HIGHEST POINT: Pico da Neblina, 9,888 feet (3,014 meters) NATIONAL LANGUAGE: Portuguese NATIONAL DAY: September 7 MAIN RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic, 64.6%; Protestant, 22.2%; other, 11.2%; none 2% CURRENCY: Brazilian real…

If you were asked to name the five largest countries in the world, would you be surprised to discover that Brazil is one of them? Only Russia, Canada, China, and the United States are bigger. Brazil, officially known as the Federative Republic of Brazil, or the República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese, is the eighth-largest economy in the world, and it is home to almost 212 million people. It is also the only Portuguese-speaking country in both North and South America. Most importantly, Brazil is one of the most diverse and fascinating countries in the world. Brazil is the largest country in South America and has 4,600 miles of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Its almost 10,000 miles of inland borders are shared with every country in South American except…

Brazil is “o País do Futebol”—“the Country of Soccer.” It has one of the world’s best teams, holds an unprecedented five World Cup titles, and is the only country to have played in every World Cup tournament. The game was introduced in 1894, when Thomas Donohue, a Scottish expatriate, organized the first official match. However, it was Charles Miller who sparked the country’s interest in the game when he brought the first equipment home after learning to play while he was studying in England. Known as the “Father of Soccer,” Miller helped set up the first league in Brazil. Excitement for the game spread like wildfire, and soccer was soon the most popular sport in the country. “Pelé is the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for 20…

The mightiest river in the world, the Amazon contains one-fifth of the world’s fresh flowing water. It also has more tributaries than any other river on the planet. About 1,000 streams and small rivers empty into it. An Amazing Waterway The Amazon is one of the world’s longest rivers, second only to the Nile in Africa. Beginning with streams in the Andes Mountains in Peru, the Amazon flows 4,000 miles eastward through Colombia and Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. Throughout its course, the river usually ranges from about one to six miles wide. During the annual flood season, it can swell to as much as 20 miles wide in some areas. It is also one of the deepest rivers, reaching 300 feet deep in a number of areas. In addition,…

Brazilian artists, especially women, are making a big statement in the international art world. Beatriz Milhazes’ paintings are displayed in permanent collections in important museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Reina Sofia National Museum in Madrid, Spain, and the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro. She has had solo and group exhibitions of her work in Paris and Hong Kong and a permanent installation in New York Presbyterian Hospital. Beatriz Milhazes lives in Rio de Janeiro and has an art studio across from the Jardin Botanico, a large city garden. This is the inspiration for her vibrantly colorful collages. She uses a unique technique. Since she does not want the brush strokes to show, Beatriz paints her colors and shapes on pieces…

The popular toco toucan is one of the largest, best-known species of toucans in the world. What makes the toco toucan so well-liked? It has a colorful beak that is almost half the size of its body. The 8-inch-long beak is a deep orange with a large black spot near the tip. It is made of lightweight keratin, the same protein that makes up fingernails and animal horns. The “loud and proud” beak stands out against the black feathers that cover most of the bird’s body. Each round eye is bordered with a ring of blue skin, which is bordered by orange skin. Toco Loco? The toco toucan’s behavior seems a bit over the top, at times. The birds make a crazy amount of noise that can be heard for…

Brazilian food is a flavorful blend of tastes and cultures that reflects the history of the country. Take feijoada completa (fay-jo-A-da kom-PLE-ta), the “national dish.” It is a rich stew of beans and leftover meats eaten with rice, collard greens, farofa (a crumblike condiment unique to Brazil), and orange slices. Brazilians drink caipirinha (kai-pi-RIN-ya), an icy slush of lime juice, syrup, and sugarcane alcohol, before the meal. For dessert, there is Romeu e Julieta, made of soft cheese and guava (a tropical fruit) paste. What countries influenced this traditional meal? Native South Americans inhabited Brazil for thousands of years before the Portuguese came. They lived mainly on fish and the bounty of the forest—root vegetables, herbs, greens, fruits, and nuts. Manioc, a staple food, is the source of farofa, which…

The lyrics of this old samba (the Brazilian carnival song) are the best summary to describe how the locals, as well as foreigners, feel when they are part of the biggest party on Earth: the carnival in Brazil. Wondering why? Try to visualize thousands of people in elaborate costumes, dancing together on an avenue-turned-runway, followed by a spectacle of lights, musical instruments, and over-the-top parade floats, singing the samba aloud with the help of a crowd of almost 100,000 viewers sitting in the avenue stands. You are, then picturing the Samba parade in Rio de Janeiro city, the heart of the carnival party. How amazing is it to find that it all starts up in the hills and on the city’s outskirts in poor shantytowns called favelas where the poorest…

During a bout, participants—called capoeiristas—fight inside a circle of onlookers called a roda. They use graceful, fluid movements to avoid attacks and powerful kicks to land blows on their opponent. In the early 1700s, many people in Brazil were enslaved. The harsh laws that they suffered under ensured they could not get weapons or training to protect themselves. They needed to invent a type of fighting that used no weapons—and capoeira was born. The Brazilian government was afraid capoeira would help slaves escape or rebel. In the 1800s, it outlawed capoeira. Anyone caught practicing it was punished severely. Although capoeira was forbidden, people never stopped practicing. Starting in the 1920s, new interest in the art from tourists and Brazilians led to new schools being established. In 1940, it was officially…