Brazil
"Land of the Amazon"
The Basics
Location: Brazil is located in Eastern South America and boarders the Atlantic Ocean.
Weather: The weather in Brazil through the months of December-March is a hot and festive time for anybody living there or vacationing! April-October is the warm and dry months along the coast and chillier through May-September towards the southern parts.
Climate Type: The varying heights in Brazil causes the climate to vary above sea level. it is a very tropical like area, rainfall is heavy throughout the year causing large areas to be mostly rainforests. The humidity and precipitation is very high also throughout the year.
Physical Characteristics: The big physical features that Brazil is known for is the Amazon River that runs through a large part of Brazil, also giving it the nickname "Land of the Amazon". Another big feature is the Parana River which runs through a majority of the parts of Brazil that the Amazon doesn't reach.
How to Fit in:
Languages: Language is one of the most important elements of Brazil's unity. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese and a vast majority of people there only speak this language. Portuguese is the only language used in schools, newspapers, radio and on TV.
Folkways: In Brazil you should never have to call or get your waiters attention, they should always be standing so close you could whisper what you need. Another folkway in Brazil is the O.K, sign should never be used, although in most countries it means nothing more than ok, in this country it is very rude and the people find it degrading. People in Brazil also will make horns with their fingers meaning good luck.
Taboos: If you are ever traveling to Brazil from America or you are an American you should never address yourself as being "an American", they find it offending and take pride in their own culture. Also the people of Brazil resent being spoken to in Spanish. Another odd taboo of this country is pinching somebody's earlobe means you appreciate them!
Values: Something that is of big value to a majority of the people like most countries is family. Most households have children and two working parents, the rate of single-parent households is growing in this country. Another big value is natural resources, they are rich in Bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, petroleum, hydropower and timber!
Digging deeper into culture:
Subculture: The rich and wealthy in Brazil can be considered a subculture, they are a smaller cultural group within a culture. Another subculture could be considered the poor and the slum areas of Brazil.
Cultural Landscape: A popular thing for the people in Brazil is football, in many other countries it is known as soccer! Another thing that people enjoy is martial arts and there is many different kinds of martial arts that people are involved in.
Evidence of cultural diffusion: The people of Brazil in the past had forced the natives of the Americas to become Christians, causing cultural diffusion in the Americas. Food is also a big thing that has contributed to cultural diffusion in this country and many others! You can have food ranging anywhere from Portuguese, Japanese, Indian, and Italian almost anywhere in Brazil!
Evidence of cultural change: One thing that has cause a lot of change in the culture in this country is that in the more modern day like now, the urban areas have become very expensive areas to live in. Most of the "free" thing have been taken away from these people in Brazil, an example is parking on the streets. It is almost impossible to park on the streets of Brazil because it is so expensive. The Indigenous Indians, Africans, and Portuguese are who have shaped modern Brazil!
Sources:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html
http://www.brazil.org.za/brazil-sports.html
http://www.brazil.org.za/brazil-culture.html
http://www.mapsofworld.com/brazil/information/natural-resources.html
Used Mrs. Wedlunds book for folkways