NOV20
All country briefings

South America · Country briefing

Brazil

A child-friendly mission briefing for 20 November — capital, climate, school day, languages, fun facts, native animals, and five questions to ask the class on the other side of the world.

  • Capital
    Brasília
  • Population
    ~217 million
  • Time zone
    America/Sao Paulo (UTC -3)
  • Currency
    Brazilian real (BRL)
Brazil, with Brasília marked
loading map…

Climate in November: Late spring; warm with rain in many regions.

Brasília, the capital of Brazil

The capital

Brasília

Photo · Unsplash

Fun facts

What makes Brazil a bit special.

  • Amazon

    The world's largest rainforest

  • Football

    Five-time World Cup winners

  • Carnival

    5 million people celebrate in the streets

  • Coastline

    7,400 km of Atlantic beaches

  • Iguazu Falls

    275 waterfalls in one place

  • Coffee

    World's biggest coffee grower

Native animals

Wildlife your partner class might know best.

  • 🐆

    Jaguar

    The biggest cat in the Americas

  • 🐦

    Toucan

    Famous for its huge, colourful beak

  • 🐹

    Capybara

    The world's largest rodent — friendly and chill

  • 🐜

    Giant anteater

    Tongue is over 50 cm long

  • 🦜

    Macaw

    Bright blue, yellow and green parrot

School life

In a Brazil classroom

Many Brazilian schools run in two shifts so different classes use the same building morning and afternoon.

Typical school day: Often morning or afternoon shifts (e.g., 07:00–12:00 or 13:00–17:30).

School year: February to December.

Greetings to learn

Say hello like a local

  • Olá!
    Portuguese · oh-LAH
  • Oi!
    Portuguese · oy

Five questions to ask

Conversation starters

  1. 01What do you do during break time?
  2. 02What music do you like?
  3. 03What's your favourite Brazilian food?
  4. 04What's the weather like today?
  5. 05What do you want to learn about our country?

What not to assume

Friendly cautions

  • ℹBrazil is huge — northern Amazon experience is very different from the southern coast.
  • ℹCarnival is famous but is one part of a rich cultural calendar.

Culture

Food, music, sport, festivals.

  • Food

    • Feijoada
    • Pão de queijo
    • Açaí
    • Brigadeiros

  • Music

    • Samba
    • Bossa nova
    • Funk carioca
    • Sertanejo

  • Sport

    • Football
    • Volleyball
    • Capoeira

  • Festivals

    • Carnaval (Feb/Mar)
    • Festa Junina
    • Natal
Reflection prompts
  • “How would a shift system change your school day?”
  • “What's similar between your favourite music and theirs?”

Could your class meet Brazil?

Choose Brazilwhen you register — we’ll show you the time-zone feasibility.

Register your classroom