Introduction to Brazil
The largest country in South and Latin America, Brazil consists of 26 states and a Federal District. The capital, Brasília, is located within the Federal District and has the fourth largest population in the country, following São Paulo, which has the highest population.
Language and Culture
The primary language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese. Notably, it is the largest country globally to have Portuguese as its official language, and it stands out as the only country in both North and South America where Portuguese is the dominant language.
The influence of the Portuguese language and culture came during the era of Portuguese exploration, particularly under Pedro Álvares Cabral, who claimed Brazil for the Portuguese Empire. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808, ultimately gaining independence in 1822. Consequently, even after over a century of independence, the cultural and linguistic legacy of Portugal endures in Brazil today.
List of States in Brazil
Here is a list of the abbreviations for all 26 states in Brazil, organized alphabetically:
- Acre – AC
- Alagoas – AL
- Amapá – AP
- Amazonas – AM
- Bahia – BA
- Ceará – CE
- Goiás – GO
- Espírito Santo – ES
- Maranhão – MA
- Mato Grosso – MT
- Mato Grosso do Sul – MS
- Minas Gerais – MG
- Pará – PA
- Paraíba – PB
- Paraná – PR
- Pernambuco – PE
- Piauí – PI
- Rio de Janeiro – RJ
- Rio Grande do Norte – RN
- Rio Grande do Sul – RS
- Rondônia – RO
- Roraima – RR
- São Paulo – SP
- Santa Catarina – SC
- Sergipe – SE
- Tocantins – TO
Federal District
Distrito Federal – DF
