Brazil is South America's biggest and most influential country and takes up almost half the continent. It is one of the world's economic giants and is revered for its football prowess, coffee production and distinctive music such as samba and bossa nova. Two-thirds of Brazil’s population lives near the coast, meaning that life is a beach for locals and tourists alike. People are the essence of the country, and while Brazil is home to a multitude of ethnic groups of varying economic status, there are some characteristics that everyone shares – energy and passion.

Rio is the hottest of destinations, particularly around Carnival time. Brazil’s landscape is as diverse as the people who inhabit it. Few tourists venture far from Brazil’s spectacular beaches but a trip into the interior reveals a different Brazil, one with a great deal to offer the visitor. Brazil includes much of the world's biggest rainforest around the Amazon, whose exploitation has become a major environmental worry. Almost entirely covered with dense rainforest, Brazil’s northern interior is split into the vast regions of Amazonas, Pará, Acre and Rondônia.