Brazil

At a Glance

Cherrington Scholars Eligible

• Brazil is South America's biggest and most influential country and takes up almost half the continent.
• Plans for the capital city of Brasilia, whose core was constructed between 1956 and 1960, were based on the ideas of modernist architect Le Corbusier. Brazil’s own Oscar Niemeyer designed most of the public buildings.
• Bossa nova, developed in the late 1950s by a group of students and musicians in the Copacabana and Ipanema districts of Rio de Janeiro, is celebrated for its complex harmonies and the intricate relationship between lyrics and music.
• Pelé, the former soccer player who retired from the game in 1977 after winning three world cups, is still regarded by many as the best player of all time.
• The city of Rio de Janeiro is home to Floresta da Tijuca, the largest forest inside an urban region.