Famous landmarks in Brazil
18 landmarks · 12 animals · 2 places to discover
Brazil on My Earth Toy, the free 3D toy globe for kids: 18 landmarks, 12 animals, 2 places to discover. Here you can see its flag, capital and size, then fly to every place on the globe.
The flag of Brazil is green with a large yellow diamond. Inside is a blue globe showing a starry sky, crossed by a white band with the motto "Ordem e Progresso" (Order and Progress).
Read about this flag →Brazil at a glance
- Capital
- Brasília
- Continent
- South America
- Area
- 8,515,767 km²
- Population
- 212 million
Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth-largest in the world, covering almost half of the continent. Its capital is Brasília, and about 212 million people live there, more than in any other country in Latin America. Brazil is famous for the Amazon rainforest, giant waterfalls, beaches, carnival, samba music and its love of football.
On My Earth Toy you can visit Christ the Redeemer above Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, the Amazon Rainforest, the Maracanã Stadium and the dunes and lagoons of Lençóis Maranhenses. Brazil's animals on the globe include the jaguar, toco toucan, giant anteater, electric eel and giant otter.
Geography and nature
Most of the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest on Earth, lies in Brazil, and the mighty Amazon River carries more water than any other river. In the southwest is the Pantanal, one of the biggest tropical wetlands in the world, where jaguars hunt along the rivers. The east has a long Atlantic coast with famous beaches. Brazil probably has more kinds of plants and animals than any other country.
People, languages and culture
Brazil is the largest country where Portuguese is the main language. Brazilians have Indigenous, European, African and Asian roots, and this mix shapes the music, food and festivals. Carnival, held before Lent, fills cities like Rio de Janeiro and Salvador with samba parades. Feijoada, a stew of black beans and pork, is a national favourite. Brazil has won the men's FIFA World Cup five times, more than any other country.
History in a nutshell
Indigenous peoples lived across Brazil for thousands of years before the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral arrived in 1500. Portugal ruled the colony for over three centuries, bringing millions of enslaved Africans to work on sugar plantations and in mines. Brazil declared independence on 7 September 1822 and became an empire, then a republic in 1889. Slavery was abolished in 1888. The new capital, Brasília, opened in 1960.
Fun facts
- Brasília was built almost from scratch in a few years, and from above its plan looks like an aeroplane or a bird.
- The giant anteater has no teeth and can flick its long tongue very quickly to slurp up ants and termites.
- An electric eel can make a shock of several hundred volts.
- Christ the Redeemer was finished in 1931 and its arms stretch about 28 metres across.
Famous landmarks in Brazil
Christ the Redeemer
Brazil · South America
An Art Deco statue of Jesus with outstretched arms, overlooking Rio from the summit of Corcovado.
Iguazu Falls
Brazil · South America
A system of some 275 cascades on the Brazil–Argentina border, crowned by the roaring Devil's Throat.
Amazon Rainforest
Brazil · South America
The largest tropical rainforest on Earth, home to an unrivalled diversity of plants and animals.
Maracanã Stadium
Brazil · South America
Built for the 1950 World Cup, Brazil's temple of football was rebuilt for the 2014 World Cup final.
Lençóis Maranhenses
Brazil · South America
White sand dunes that fill with turquoise rainwater lagoons each rainy season.
Sugarloaf Mountain
Brazil · South America
A rounded granite peak at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, reached by a famous cable car.
National Congress of Brazil
Brazil · South America
Oscar Niemeyer's modernist parliament: twin towers flanked by an upturned and a downturned dome.
Cathedral of Brasília
Brazil · South America
Oscar Niemeyer's cathedral: sixteen hyperboloid concrete columns reaching skyward, with blue stained glass in between.
São Paulo Cathedral
Brazil · South America
A neo-Gothic cathedral on Praça da Sé, pairing twin 92 m spires with a Renaissance-style green dome.
São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP)
Brazil · South America
Lina Bo Bardi's art museum: a glass-walled volume held 8 m above the ground by two huge beams on four red pillars.
Museum of Tomorrow
Brazil · South America
Santiago Calatrava's science museum stretches some 335 m along Pier Mauá.
Rio de Janeiro Cathedral
Brazil · South America
Edgar Fonseca's modernist cathedral is a 75 m concrete cone, 106 m across at the base.
Edifício Copan
Brazil · South America
Oscar Niemeyer's S-shaped residential slab with 1,160 flats, one of the largest apartment buildings in Latin America.
Pelourinho
Brazil · South America
Salvador's old quarter of pastel colonial houses around a sloping square, topped by the blue Rosário dos Pretos church.
Central Bank of Brazil Headquarters
Brazil · South America
Hélio Ferreira Pinto's 1981 headquarters of the Central Bank of Brazil in the Setor Bancário Sul: a ribbed raw-concrete spine flanked by stacked bronze-glass blocks, the upper blocks cantilevered out over a recessed gap.
Altino Arantes Building (Farol Santander)
Brazil · South America
The former Banespa headquarters, an Art Deco skyscraper inspired by the Empire State Building, with stepped setbacks rising to a glazed lantern.
Edifício Itália
Brazil · South America
A 46-storey tower by Franz Heep with a rounded, elongated plan wrapped in a fine grid of concrete brise-soleil.
Tower Club Residence
Brazil · South America
A residential tower on Quadra 206 in Águas Claras, ranked among the tallest buildings in Brasília (about 110 m): two slab wings folded into a shallow V around a shared core, with pale walls and tall strips of glazing.
Animals in Brazil
Places to discover in Brazil
Questions
What is the capital of Brazil?
The capital of Brazil is Brasília.
Which continent is Brazil in?
Brazil is in South America.
How big is Brazil?
Brazil covers about 8,515,767 km².
How many people live in Brazil?
About 212 million people live in Brazil.
What are the most famous landmarks in Brazil?
Some of the best-known landmarks in Brazil are Christ the Redeemer, Iguazu Falls, Amazon Rainforest, Maracanã Stadium and Lençóis Maranhenses. My Earth Toy has 18 landmarks from Brazil on its free 3D globe, each with a photo and quick facts.
Which animals can you find in Brazil on My Earth Toy?
On the globe you can find Jaguar, Toco toucan, Giant anteater, Electric eel and Giant otter in Brazil.
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-30