1. By Alex Mitias

2. Brazil The name Brazil conjures up images of football, carnival, beautiful beaches and the Amazon rainforest. Brazil is also the fifth largest country in the world, and has one of the fastest growing economies.

3. Cities Today, Brazil’s new capital city is Brasilia, completed in 1960. The original capital, Rio de Janeiro, was overcrowded. Rio is the most visited city in the southern hemisphere.

4. History Portuguese explorers settled in Rio in the early 16 th century. They named it Rio (river) de Janeiro (January, the month of discovery). Rio’s population is over 6.3 million.

5. Landmark The famous statue of Christ the Redeemer, at the summit of Corcovado mountain, overlooks the city and bay of Rio.

6. Tourism The famous beaches of Rio attract tourists from all over the world.

7. Rio Carnival! Rio’s annual Carnival is the biggest street party in the world! It attracts over 1 million tourists.

8. Living in Rio 1 million people live in favelas (shanty towns). The richest people live in high-rise apartments overlooking the famous Copacabana beach.

9. Working in Rio People work in manufacturing, teaching, banking, media and tourism. The state oil company Petrobras has created thousands of jobs in Rio.

10. Rio 2016 Rio will host the Summer Olympics in 2016.