An international team of researchers, led by Southern Methodist University (SMU) paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs, has discovered matching sets of Early Cretaceous dinosaur footprints on what are now two different continents. Over 260 footprints were found in Brazil and Cameroon, providing evidence of the last time terrestrial dinosaurs could freely cross between South America and […]
Brazil
Posted inGeography
Peace Border, the world’s only binational plaza shared by two countries
In a world where borders are often synonymous with separation, control, and sometimes conflict, the Peace Border between Uruguay and Brazil is a curious exception. This border stretch, connecting the cities of Rivera (Uruguay) and Santana do Livramento (Brazil), is much more than just a dividing line between two nations. It is a symbol of […]
Posted inModern Era
How Brazil Became the Last Refuge of the Confederates
Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia, Recife, Fortaleza, Manaus—these are the cities in Brazil that attract tourism. It is unlikely that a traveler would note in their agenda two places practically unknown to most, such as Santa Bárbara d’Oeste or Americana. However, a historian—and probably also a novelist or a filmmaker—would find an incredibly interesting […]
Posted inGeography
Altamira, the Brazilian city whose territory is larger than 104 countries
Altamira, located in the state of Pará, in northern Brazil, on the banks of the Xingu River (a tributary of the Amazon), is a geographic colossus that fascinates both for its vast territorial expanse and its natural and cultural wealth. With an area of 159,533 square kilometers, it is the largest municipality in Brazil and […]
Posted inScience
Ancient Submerged Island the Size of Spain Found off the Coast of Brazil
A study led by scientists at the University of São Paulo (USP, Brazil) has shown that the Rio Grande Rise (RGR), a possible continental basaltic plateau and seamount chain now submerged in the South Atlantic Ocean about 1,200 km off the coast of Brazil, was once a giant tropical island, rich in minerals and covered […]
Posted inPre-Columbian Era, Science
Researchers Discover that Syphilis-like Diseases Were Widespread in the Americas Before Columbus’ Arrival
Scientists have made an amazing discovery that sheds new light on the history of an important disease. Researchers from the universities of Basel and Zurich in Switzerland found the genetic material of the pathogen Treponema pallidum in the bones of people who died in Brazil around 2,000 years ago. This is the oldest confirmed discovery […]
Posted inFirst World War
The Battle of the Porpoises, when a Brazilian Cruiser Fired on the Animals Believing Them to Be a German U-boat
What’s going on with the Brazilian navy and marine life? Once upon a time, warships from that country had their ups and downs with the French during a conflict of grotesque proportions known as the Lobster War. Now, we’re going to look at an even more bizarre episode: the Battle of the Porpoises, an incident […]
Posted inModern Era
The enigmatic 512 Manuscript describing an ancient Mediterranean civilization in pre-Hispanic Brazil
Like a Lovecraft tale, the Rare Works section of the National Library of Brazil jealously guards a strange ten-page document baptized with the suggestive name of Manuscript 512. It narrates an eighteenth-century expedition during which the ruins of an ancient city were discovered that seemed to have developed a classical civilization in the Mediterranean style. […]
Posted inGeography
In 1982 the Itaipu Dam destroyed the Guaíra Falls, the largest waterfalls in the world
The Guairá Falls were, until 1982, the largest waterfalls in the world by water volume. With 49 million liters per second, the 18 falls that formed them doubled the volume of the Niagara Falls and surpassed in 12 times that of the Victoria Falls. They were located on the Paraná River, along the border between […]
