Posts under "Geography"

Brazil’s States and Capitals

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Jan 22 2010

It’s important to learn the Brazilian states and their capitals, especially if you plan on traveling in Brazil. Today, we’re going to review them and also see what some of the states and cities mean in English when translated from Portuguese.

Acre – Rio Branco [sharp, pungent, acrid] [White River]
Alagoas – Maceió
Amapá – Macapá
Amazonas – Manaus [Amazon]
Bahia – Salvador [Bay] [Savior]
Ceará – Fortaleza [Fort]
Distrito Federal – Brasília [Federal District]
Espírito Santo – Vitória [Holy Spririt] [Victory]
Goiás – Goiânia
Maranhão – São Luís [Saint Louis]
Mato Grosso – Cuiabá [Thick Forest]
Mato Grosso do Sul – Campo Grande [South Thick Forest] [Big Field]
Minas Gerais – Belo Horizonte [General Mines] [Beautiful Horizon/Skyline]
Pará – Belém
Paraíba – João Pessoa [John Person]
Paraná – Curitiba
Pernambuco – Recife [Reef]
Piauí – Teresina
Roraima – Boa Vista [Good View]
Rondônia – Porto Velho [Old Port]
Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro [January River]
Rio Grande do Norte – Natal [Great River of the North] [Christmas]
Rio Grande do Sul – Porto Alegre [Great River of the South] [Happy Port]
Santa Catarina – Florianópolis [Saint Catherine] [Floriano City]
São Paulo – São Paulo [Saint Paul]
Sergipe – Aracaju
Tocantins – Palmas [Palms]

Documentary: Curitiba Living

Posted by Rachel 3 Comments
Oct 8 2009

Here’s a great video for intermediate speakers, since there are subtitles and the narrator speaks in English. It’s a fantastic short documentary about Curitiba and its high quality of life, due largely to excellent city planning and making people–not cars–a priority.

Check it out!

YouTube Preview Image

Questions: Checking Understanding

1. How do you say “a person from Curitiba?”

2. What is “qualidade de vida?”

3. How do you say “efficiency” in Portuguese?

4. How do you say “that’s fine” or “that’s ok” in Portuguese?

5. What is “obra” in English?

Rio de Janeiro vs. São Paulo

Posted by Rachel 12 Comments
Oct 6 2009

One sure way to get Brazilians and Brazilophiles talking is by asking the controversial question: which city do you prefer, Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo? So for today’s interactive feature, that’s the question at hand!

The question isn’t intended to imply that one city is better than the other (although some people from each city have that opinion). It is simply a question about personal preference: the beach vs. the urban center, outdoor sports vs. cultural sites, etc.

It’s a tough question, but I want to hear from all of you!

Listening Practice: São Paulo Graffiti Documentary

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Aug 27 2009

Today, we’re going to do a listening comprehension activity with a great thirteen minute documentary on graffiti art in São Paulo. Watch the video clicking the link above (which has subtitles) and then take a look at the questions to see how well you picked up on vocabulary in the video.

Photo: Alexandre Orion (artist featured in the documentary)

Questions:

1. What’s the word for “flashlight” in Portuguese?

2.  How does the artist say “I could go on forever” in Portuguese?

3.  There’s a shot of a graffiti painting with the message “Please don’t throw trash.” How is it written in Portuguese?

4. What’s the difference between the Portuguese words for “tunnel” and “tunnels?”

5. What’s the Portuguese word for “skull?”

The Seven Wonders of Nature: Vote Brazil!

Posted by Rachel No Comments
Jul 24 2009

Brazil has been nominated for two locations in the Seven Wonders of Nature competition, in which people can vote for the greatest wonders of the natural world. The Amazon and Iguaçu Falls were chosen amongst thirty total natural wonders from around the world. They are competing against the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Dead Sea, and Mount Kilimanjaro, amongst others.

The top thirty finalists were chosen by a panel of experts based on five factors: unique beauty, diversity and distribution, ecological significance, historical legacy, and geo-location (allowing an equal amount of finalists from the seven continents).

You can vote for your favorite seven wonders of nature on the official website, though the results won’t be announced until 2011. You can vote on the website or by phone, and the site will release the latest ranking of the most voted sites next week.

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