A Kid's Life in Brazil

A Kid's Life In...
Brazil
By Ricky

Brazil is farther east then any other country in South America.

Brazil has the fifth largest population in the world.

Brazil is the largest country in South America and has more people than all the other South American countries combined.

Bom dia (hello)! My name is Messias and I live in Brazil. I like to eat feijoada(fay-zhoh-AH-dah) and caipirinha (kye-peer-EEN-yah). I am 10 years old and will finish school in four years. Kids go to school from 7 years old to 14 years old in my country. In Brazil we have only 4 hours of school a day. We have school uniforms that include T-shirts with the schools' name on it.

The people in my country come from many backgrounds. Like most of the people in my country, I am from European ancestry. I am German, Italian, and Spanish. Believe it or not there are less than 1% of the original Brazilians, called Indians, still living in our country. Like most of the people in my country, my family is of the Roman Catholic religion. Coffee Beans

Here are some more facts about my country. Brazil is the world's greatest grower and exporter of coffee. Everyone in Brazil likes soccer, especially me, and you can tell because there is a stadium in every city. Many mountain climbers like to climb Pico da Neblina because it is the highest point in Brazil, being 9,888 feet.

3\4 of Brazilians like me live in cities, most of which are on the coast. Brazil is home to most of the Amazon River which is 4001 miles long! (That's a long boat trip!) I live in the capital city of Brazil, Brasilia. It is in the center of Brazil (rare occasion eh?). I like to visit The Iguacu Falls. This is made up of 275 waterfalls.

The other big cities in Brazil are Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. There are over 11 million people living in Sao Paulo which makes it one of the most populated cities in the entire world! Rio de Janeiro is a popular place for tourists to visit and is known for its beautiful coastline and many festivals.

When I walk to school each day I see many food vendors selling pineapples, melons, grapes, Brazil nuts, and locally grown palm fruit. In Brazil we speak Portuguese. Each week I get 50 centavos. There are 100 centavos to a real. In Brazil alcohol costs 40% less than gasoline. (But I'm to young to drink it!)

Sadly, 60% of Brazilian homes have no toilets or drains, 52% have no waste collection, and 70% have no running water. Rubber is found in the Amazon rain forest to make tires and shoes. I guess I better rap things up. Tchau!