Brazil is the largest country in South America.  It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 190 million people.  It is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas and the largest lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in the world.

Brazil was a colony of Portugal from 1500 until 1815, when it was elevated to United Kingdom with Portugal and Algarves.  The colonial bond was in fact broken in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese Kingdom was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal.  The independence from Portugal was achieved in 1822.  Initially independent as the Empire of Brazil, the country has been a republic since 1889, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to 1824 when the first constitution was ratified.

Brazil is a federation composed of 26 States, one federal district (which contains the capital city, Brasília) and municipalities.  States have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Federal government.  They have a governor and a unicameral legislative body elected directly by their voters.

Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, influenced by the Amerindian and African languages.  As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries.  These differences are comparable to those between American and British English.

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil and is located on the South Atlantic coast.  Rio is famous for its breathtaking landscape, its laid-back beach culture and its annual carnival.

The harbor of Rio de Janeiro is comprised of a unique entry from the ocean that makes it appear as the mouth of a river.  Additionally, the harbor is surrounded by spectacular geographic features including Sugar Loaf mountain at 1,296 feet, Corcovado Peak at 2,310 feet, and the hills of Tijuca at 3,350 feet.  These features work together to collectively make the harbor one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

It is a common mistake to think of Rio as Brazil's capital, a distinction it lost on April 21st 1960 when Brasilia became the capital.  Beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema, the Christ The Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue, the stadium of Maracanã and Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) are all well-known sights of what the inhabitants call the "marvelous city" (cidade maravilhosa), and are also among the first images to pop up in travelers´ minds, along with the Carnival celebration.

Money
Banks do money exchange but only the bigger branches and major currencies.  There might be a commission.  Better rates can be found at shops with the sign "Cambios" which base their rates on a semi-official "Parallel" rate, which is slightly higher than the commercial rate and thus better than you will get with a credit card or ATM.  These are usually found on the main commercial streets, i.e. Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, one block from the Copacabana sea front, and Rua Visconde de Pirajá, two blocks from the Ipanema beach. Rates vary, so ask around.  The shop offering the best rate today may not offer the best rate tomorrow, so if you are changing money more than once, ask around again.

ATMs
Machines have different features, listed in Portuguese above the machine, and do not all return money for foreign cards.  The features can vary between machines at the same bank.  If you are trying to use a foreign card look for Visa/Mastercard logos on the terminals themselves and international banks (HSBC, Citi) as the best starting points.  Also beware that in Rio specifically, most ATMs are closed between 22:00 and 06:00 (10pm and 6am) so plan accordingly.

Shopping
When shopping in street commerce, always bargain; this can lower prices considerably.  Bargaining in stores and malls, though, is usually impolite.  But naturally merchants won't bargain unless you ask, especially if you are clearly a tourist.  To tourists, items can easily be overpriced by a factor of 20%, especially in highly informal markets such as Saara or on the beach.

Shopping malls can be found all over town, with the cheaper ones in the Zona Norte like Shopping Tijuca and Shopping Iguatemi and popular upscale shopping malls concentrated in the Zona Sul like Shopping Rio Sul and Shopping Leblon and Sao Conrado Fashion Mall and BarraShopping in Zona Oeste.