Essential info for Brazil

Population: About 192 million

Major religions: Catholicism (73 percent), Protestantism (15 percent)

Capital city: Brasília

Largest city: São Paulo

Legal system: Constitutional republic

Main languages: Portuguese (official), English and Spanish (cities and business)

Time: Brazil has a number of time zones: The Western areas and towns are GMT -4, Brasília and Belm are GMT -3 (GMT -2 from October to March), while Rio and Sao Paulo are GMT -2 (GMT -3 from April to October).

Electricity: Generally 220V. Two-pin plugs are the most common.

Currency: The Real (BRL), divided into 100 centavos.

Tipping: Standard 10 per cent.

International dialling code: +55. Area codes depend on service provider.

Emergency numbers: 197 (police), 192 (ambulance), 193 (fire)

Internet TLD: .br

Drives on the: Right