MEET OUR SOUTHERNMOST STATE CAPITAL CITY

From the subtropical climate to the cultural habits, Porto Alegre is fairly different from the other state capitals in Brazil. Founded in 1742 by immigrants from the Portuguese archipelago of Azores, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul was the destination of thousands of immigrants from Portugal and Italy - like many other cities in Brazil but also from other European countries, particularly Germany and Poland.


Besides that, as the state is located far down the south of Brazil, the gauchos, as people from Rio Grande do Sul are called, share several cultural traits with their neighbours from Argentina and Uruguay, from the folklore music to the habit of drinking the mate infusion, or chimarrao.

Porto Alegre lies on the eastern bank of the Guaíba River, right at the convergence point of five other rivers, which together form the enormous Lagoa dos Patos (Ducks Lagoon). Its 497 square kilometres are covered with more than one million trees, making it one of the greenest cities in Brazil, despite being the nucleus of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in the country, with roughly four million inhabitants. There are over 1.4 million people living within the boundaries of Porto Alegre.




Temperatures are a lot milder in Porto Alegre than they are in most of the Brazilian capitals, with an annual temperature average of 19.5ºC and cold winters that have historical records of snow and subzero temperatures. The four seasons are very defined, though, and during the summer, temperatures may go well beyond 35ºC. The capital of Rio Grande do Sul is also famous for featuring one of the highest human development index figures in the whole country.





SOURCE: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/

TOURISM IN PORTO ALEGRE

WHAT TO DO IN PORTO ALEGRE

REVIEWS POSTED BY REAL TRAVELERS

WHERE´S 'THE LOST WORLD' BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE?

It is here, at Mount Roraima, also known as Tepuy Roraima and Cerro Roraima. First described by the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in 1596, its 31 km2 summit area consists on all sides of cliffs rising 400 metres (1,300 ft). The mountain also serves as the triple border point of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana.

Mount Roraima lies on the Guiana Shield forming the highest peak of Guyana's Highland Range. The tabletop mountains of the park are considered some of the oldest geological formations on Earth, dating back to some two billion years ago in the Precambrian.

Many of the species of the flora and fauna found on Roraima are unique to the plateau. It rains almost every day of the year. Low scanty and bristling vegetation is also found in the small, sandy marshes that intersperse the rocky summit. Most of the nutrients that are present in the soil are washed away by torrents that cascade over the edge, forming some of the highest waterfalls in the world.

Since long before the arrival of European explorers, the mountain has held a special significance for the indigenous people of the region, and it is central to many of their myths and legends. The Pemon and Kapon natives of the Gran Sabana see Mount Roraima as the stump of a mighty tree that once held all the fruits and tuberous vegetables in the world. Felled by Makunaima, their mythical trickster, the tree crashed to the ground, unleashing a terrible flood.

The adventures of the explorers Im Thurn and Harry Perkins in the mid-19th century may have inspired Arthur Conan Doyle's seminal book about people and dinosaurs, The Lost World, published in 1912.

In 2009, Mount Roraima served as inspiration for a location in the Disney/Pixar animated movie Up. Today, Mount Roraima is a destination for backpackers. Almost all who go up the mountain approach it from the Venezuelan side. Although the path to reach the plateau is well marked and popularly traveled, it is easy to get lost on top of the mountain, as there are few distinct trails and the near constant cloud cover on top and the uncanny rock formations make visual references problematic.

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

TOUR PACKAGES (IN ENGLISH)

TOUR PACKAGES (FROM SAO PAULO)

FOR BACKPACKERS (IN PORTUGUESE)

THEME TRIPS (IN PORTUGUESE) FROM SAO PAULO

UPSIDES AND DOWNSIDES OF THE TRIP (IN PORTUGUESE)

SOME PICS ON THE CAPITAL OF THE STATE, BOA VISTA

LOCAL FLORA AND FAUNA

EXPEDITION

AN ACCESSIBILITY MANUAL NOT ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

The Brazilian government has issued an accessibilty manual for the 2014 World Cup´s Host Cities, but in Portuguese language only. Some impairments may quite as clearly be depicted by the international signs used, but the how-to is yet unclear. (manual)

One must begin by entering the city name (Pesquise pela cidade) and then filtering the search by a specific impairment. The result will be restaurants, hotel, show clubs, car rental spots, public spaces which feature special accessibility resources. Though not complete yet, bear in mind Brazilian people in general are very accessible, and one might eventually find help when less expected. Also, our legislation about accessibility dates back as far as the year 2000. (accessibility legislation) There´s zillions to be done yet, though.

A blog with focus on the World Cup accessibility and the forthcoming Olympic Games (in Portuguese)

Updated tourism information (in Portuguese)

TWITTER (in Portuguese)

FANCY THAT!

Carimbó is a tall African drum made of a hollow trunk of wood, thinned by fire, and covered with a deerskin. It is about 1m tall and 30cm wide. It is also the name of a Brazilian dance common in the northern part of Brazil, originally from the Brazilian region of Pará,  Marajó island and the capital city of Belém dating back from the time that Brazil was still a Portuguese colony.

Carimbó is a loose and very sensual dance which involves only side to side movements and many spins and hip movement by the female dancer, who typically wears a rounded skirt. The music is mainly based on the beat of Carimbó drums. In this dance, a woman throws her handkerchief on the floor and her male partner attempts to retrieve it by using solely his mouth.

STAGGERING NUMBERS

EMBRAPA, a company of technological innovation linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, focuses on generating knowledge and technology to Brazilian agriculture. Since its foundation on April 26, 1973 , it has been developing a model of genuine Brazilian tropical agriculture and livestock. Today it is a global benchmark in agriculture in the tropical climate and supports the Brazilian Government on actions to promote sector development in emerging countries This way, the barriers that limited the production of food, fiber and energy in Brazil have been overcome.

This effort helped change Brazil in innovative genetics biotechnology, agriculture R&D, and technology transference among others.  Nowadays, our agriculture is one of the most efficient and sustainable in the planet. We incorporated a wide area of degraded cerrado lands to productive systems; a region that now accounts for nearly 50% of our grain production. We quadruplicated the supply of beef and pork and expanded 22 times the chicken supply. These are some of the achievements that took the country from a condition of basic food importer to one of the largest food producer and exporter.



NUMBERS:
Territorial coverage

15 Centrail Units: located in Brasilia
47 Decentralized Units scattered: in all regions of Brazil
4 Virtual Labs Abroad (LABEX): in the USA, Europe, China and South Korea
3 International Offices: in Latin America and Africa


Team

Total of 9,790 employees
2,444 researchers
2,503 analysts
1,780 technician
3,063 assistants


Budget

R$ 2.3 billion in 2013

EMBRAPA in Brazil

ONGOING PROJECTS

WINE PRODUCTION IN A TROPICAL COUNTRY

COMING FOR THE WORLD FOOTBALL CUP?

You might as well check this out - a newly released Guide to the host cities. It includes services, tips and useful information so as not to miss the best of the World Cup. Also, news on the latest developments.

Why is the mascot a three-banded armadillo? In Brazil it is known as 'tatu-bola'. It is native to the country´s north-east and is capable of rolling itself into the shape of a ball when it feels threatened.

WORLD CUP PORTAL

CARE FOR SOME COFFEE?

One of the main tourist attractions in the city of Santos, the Museu do Café [Coffee Museum] was created in 1998 as an institution of the State Secretary of Culture, with the aim of preserving and spreading knowledge about the historical relation between coffee and Brazil. Among the objects and documents that make up its archive, it is possible to perceive how the development of coffee growing and the nation’s political, economic and cultural development are closely linked. This relation, which began in the middle of the 18th century, has remained strong until today. 

Photo by Marcus Cabaleiro www.marcuscabaleiro.com.br

Installed in the former building of the Official Coffee Exchange, which began to operate there in 1922, the Museu do Café counts among its collection a stained-glass work and a number of paintings by Benedicto Calixto, an icon in the art of São Paulo State. Museum-goers can also visit the Auction Room, where the negotiations for setting the daily price for bags of coffee were held, until this activity was transferred to the city of São Paulo in the 1950s.

The building of the Official Coffee Exchange was constructed to centralize, organize and control the coffee market. Inaugurated in 1922, as part of the celebrations of the Centennial of Brazil’s Independence, the building became a key symbol of the wealth of the coffee business and one of the most emblematic sights in the city of Santos. 
 
The building’s eclectic architectural style and splendor, the quality of the materials used in its construction, and the richness of the details of its decoration all contribute to an understanding of its importance during the golden years of the coffee trade.

The Coffee Preparation Center (CPC) plays a fundamental role in spreading knowledge about the different ways to prepare one of the world’s most traditional beverages. Besides the barista course, it offers workshops and lectures for different publics, with the aim to stimulate the search for technical information on coffee.

SOURCE: Government of the State of Sao Paulo

Coffee that isn't strong enough is referred to as chafé in Brazil, which translates to "tea-coffee." A true testament to the fact that they don't believe in weak brews or tea, really. You won't find too many vanilla lattes either, they're not ones for all that jazz. They thrive on the traditional cafezinhos, which are espressos with a splash of hot water.

In Portuguese

Museu do Cafe

BIDDING ROOM 360 DEGREE VIEW