Brazil trivia: 48 questions and answers

Chile. Chile does not border Brazil. Brazil borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador, and also France, through French Guiana.

Brasília. Brasília, a new city built in the middle of the country, has been the capital since 1960. Before that the capital was Rio de Janeiro, and before 1763 Salvador.

False. False. Brazil's constitution makes Portuguese the official language. Brazil is the only country in the Americas where Portuguese is the official language.

Pedro Álvares Cabral. Pedro Álvares Cabral reached Brazil on his way to India and claimed the land for Portugal. Vasco da Gama had opened the sea route to India two years earlier.

Salvador. Salvador, founded by Tomé de Sousa in 1549, was the capital until 1763, when the capital moved to Rio de Janeiro.

Prince Pedro, who became Emperor Pedro I. Prince Pedro, who became Emperor Pedro I, declared independence by the Ipiranga brook in São Paulo. Tiradentes had died in 1792, and Deodoro and Isabel belong to the 1880s.

Tooth-puller. Tiradentes means 'tooth-puller': Joaquim José da Silva Xavier also worked as a dentist. He was hanged in Rio de Janeiro on 21 April 1792, and 21 April is now a national holiday.

True. True. Princess Isabel signed the Golden Law, the Lei Áurea, on 13 May 1888. About four in ten of all Africans taken to the Americas in the slave trade were brought to Brazil.

False. False. Brazil was a Portuguese colony and declared its independence from Portugal in 1822.

True. True. After independence Brazil was an empire under Pedro I and Pedro II. On 15 November 1889 a military coup deposed Pedro II and Brazil became a republic.

Black beans. Brazilian feijoada is made with black beans, cooked slowly with sausage and pork. It is served with rice, farofa, collard greens and orange slices.

Cassava starch. It is made with cassava starch, also sold as tapioca flour, so it contains no gluten. That gives it its chewy inside.

Cachaça. The caipirinha is made with cachaça, a spirit distilled from sugarcane juice. With vodka instead, it is called a caipiroska.

An air force brigadier who ran for president in 1945. They are named after Brigadier Eduardo Gomes, an air force brigadier who ran for president in 1945. The sweets were sold to raise money for his campaign.

Jambu. Jambu is an Amazon leaf that makes your mouth tingle and feel slightly numb. It is used in tacacá and duck in tucupi from Pará.

A chicken drumstick. A coxinha is shaped like a chicken drumstick, or a teardrop. It is filled with shredded chicken, coated in breadcrumbs and fried.

True. True. In Pará, where most açaí grows, it is traditionally eaten unsweetened with fish and cassava flour. The sweet frozen açaí bowl is a newer idea that spread from Rio de Janeiro.

False. False. Lunch, almoço, is usually the biggest meal, often rice and beans with meat, salad and farofa. Dinner is lighter.

River of January. Rio de Janeiro means 'River of January'. The name refers to Guanabara Bay, which Portuguese sailors reached on 1 January 1502.

An airplane. Brasília's plan looks like an airplane: the government buildings lie along the 'body' and the homes along the curved 'wings'.

True. True. São Paulo is Brazil's largest city, with about 12 million people, and Rio de Janeiro is second, with about 6.7 million.

Corcovado. Christ the Redeemer stands on Corcovado, above Rio de Janeiro. Sugarloaf is the peak by the bay, reached by cable car.

Argentina. The falls are on the border between Brazil and Argentina. Most of the falls are on the Argentine side, while the Brazilian side has the widest panoramic views.

Rubber. It was built during the rubber boom and opened in 1896. Rubber from Amazon trees made Manaus rich until plantations in Southeast Asia took over the trade.

Rainwater. Rainwater. In the rainy season, from about January to June, rain collects in the valleys between the dunes and forms blue and green lagoons.

Oscar Niemeyer. Oscar Niemeyer designed the cathedral, opened in 1970, and most of Brasília's great public buildings. Aleijadinho worked in the 1700s in Minas Gerais.

True. True. At the Meeting of Waters the two rivers differ in speed, temperature and sediment, so they run side by side for kilometres before mixing.

A tree. A tree. Brazilwood, pau-brasil, gave a valuable red dye, and the Portuguese called the land 'Terra do Brasil', the land of brazilwood.

About 60 percent. About 60 percent. The rest is shared by eight other countries and territories, with the largest shares in Peru and Colombia.

Five. Five times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. As of 2026 that is more than any other country.

Coffee. Coffee. Brazil grows about a third of the world's coffee. The first bushes were planted in Pará in 1727.

Japan. Japan. The Kasato Maru arrived on 18 June 1908 with 781 Japanese workers. Today Brazil has the largest population of Japanese origin outside Japan.

Tropical wetland. It is the world's largest tropical wetland, and one of the best places on Earth to see wild jaguars.

True. True. French Guiana, part of France, lies north of Brazil. The 730 km border is the longest land border France has with any country.

True. True. The stars show the sky over Rio on 15 November 1889. There are 27 of them, one for each state and the Federal District.

Obrigada. Obrigada means thank you. By tradition a woman says obrigada and a man says obrigado. Por favor is please, tchau is bye and desculpe is sorry.

A beach. A beach. Praia means a beach, as in Praia do Futuro in Fortaleza.

How great!. 'Que legal!' means 'How great!' or 'How cool!'. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, legal usually means cool or nice.

True. True. Saudade is a longing for someone or something that is absent, and it is often said to have no exact translation in English.

Bom dia. Bom dia means good morning. Boa noite is for the evening, tchau means bye and saúde means cheers.

A conta, por favor. A conta, por favor means 'the bill, please'. Quanto custa? asks the price of something, and bom apetite means enjoy your meal.

Com licença. Com licença means 'excuse me, may I pass?'. Prazer is 'nice to meet you'.

False. False. 'Tudo bem?' is a friendly greeting meaning 'How are you?', literally 'All good?'. To ask for the bill, say 'A conta, por favor'.

192. Call 192 for an ambulance. 190 is the police, 193 the fire brigade and 199 civil defence.

The United States. Since 10 April 2025, citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia need an e-visa. British visitors can stay up to 90 days without a visa.

Hand over your things and do not resist. Hand over your things and do not resist. Your safety matters more than a phone or wallet, so carry little and keep valuables out of sight.

False. False. Some states use 127 V, such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and others 220 V, such as Bahia and the Federal District around Brasília. Check appliances before you plug them in.

True. True. The 10 percent serviço is usually on the bill and counts as the tip. By law it is optional, but most people pay it.