Interesting Brazil Facts

Brazil is well known for their success in the world of soccer. Their national men's soccer team has the most FIFA World Cup wins of any country. Five in all, they have won the FIFA World Cup in the years 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. Brazil's men's soccer team also has made the final four of the FIFA World Cup five other times.

The country also was picked to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The official emblem of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is called Inspiration and incorporates the element of hands to represent victory and union. The yellow and green colors of the official emblem don't just represent the national colors of the country, but also the sunny beaches and tropical parts of Brazil.

The origin of the country's name is believed to have been taken from the Brazilwood tree (which is also known as pau-brasil).

The country's national anthem is challenging for many Brazilians to understand because of the use of uncommon words and complex structure.

Its capital city is Brasilia. Although, technically Brasilia isn't classified as a "city". Another interesting fact about Brasilia is that it has been said it is built in the shape of an airplane or flying bird.

Brazil produces more coffee than any other country; a fact many probably would guess. But did you know Brazil is also the biggest producer of oranges? That's a fact than not many Brazilians even know as orange juice isn't all that popular there. Tropical fruits such as pineapple, mango, or papaya are more popular juice choices.

Brazil's national cocktail is caipirinha. Caipirinha is made with cachaca, sugar, and limes. Cachaca is a liquor which is made from sugarcane that is fermented. Cachaca is similar to rum, but if you made a Caipirinha with rum rather than cachaca, it wouldn't be called a caipirinha. It would be called a caipirissima. The Art of Drink refers to the caipirissima as the "underprivileged brother to the caipirinha."

A few basic facts about Brazilians: the average age of a Brazilian is 27 years old; their average lifespan is 71 years; and most live in urban areas of Brazil.

The official language of this South American country is not Spanish, but Portuguese.

Second to the United States of America, the country has the most pet dogs.

A common interesting fact is that Brazil is the location of the world's widest road where 160 cars can drive side by side. The widest road in reference is what's known as the Monumental Axis. The Monumental Axis is located in Brasilia. But, apparently this fact is not really true. By most standards, the road is wide but it seems as if people might be including the wide median as the potential to be the widest road.

Brazil's motto is Ordem e Progresso which translates to order and progress.

Fact Sources:

Fifa.com, "Brazil on FIFA.com." URL: (www.fifa.com)

Artofdrink.com, "Caipirissima" by Darcy O'Neil. URL: (http://www.artofdrink.com/2006/08/caipirissima.php)