States of Brazil Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mato Grosso

Mato Grosso is the third largest state in Brazil. Its large size and central location within South America contribute to its varied landscape which includes rain forests, hills and mountains and caves. Pictured is the Pantanal, the largest wetlands area in the world. Pantanal is split within Brazil between Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul and the nations of Bolivia and Paraguay. Although the Pantanal and Amazon areas are protected, illegal poaching and logging occurs on a frequent basis.

Mato Grosso is also home to a large number of indigenous people, especially Xingu people. The Xingu Indigenous Park is located in Mato Grosso and is dedicated to preserving indigenous people, cultures and the environment.

Answer: Acre

Acre is the westernmost state in Brazil and the westernmost point in the country can be found in Serra do Divisor National Park (pictured), along the Peruvian border. Most of Acre is rain forest situated on a plateau and the elevation does not vary much. During World War II, Acre played an important role as it was the Allied Forces' main source of rubber since Southeast Asia's rubber plantations were taken by the Japanese.

Answer: Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais is landlocked but located near the Atlantic Ocean and close to both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It is about the size of France in terms of land area. The capital of Minas Gerais is Belo Horizonte.

The state is well-known for the many presidents that have come from Minas Gerias, including Dilma Rousseff, Itamar Franco and Alfonso Pena. Minas Gerais is the largest producer of coffee and milk in Brazil.

Pictured is the Gruta Rei do Mato, a famous tourist attraction in the state. Its name literally means Cave of the Forest King, which refers to a fugitive who hid out in the cave for years, according to legend.

Answer: Tocantins

Tocantins is located in central Brazil. Its capital city is Palmas, which is a relatively new city built in 1989. Much of Tocantins is covered with cerrado, which is a land form similar to a grassy savanna. Tocantins is also home to Ilha do Bananal, the world's largest island within a river. The Tocantins River, for which the state is named, is dammed and provides hydroelectric power to the state and other places as well.

Jalapao National Park (pictured) is mostly cerrado land and is home to many endangered and threatened species of animals including the Brazilian merganser, a species of duck, and the chaco eagle. It was also the location of "Survivor: Tocantins", the eighteenth season of the U.S. series.

Answer: Rio Grande do Norte

According to NASA, Rio Grande do Norte has the purest air in the world outside of Antarctica. This may be attributed to the dry air in the region, though environmental activist say the recent increase in petroleum production threaten the air quality.

The biggest economic industry in the state is tourism. Rio Grande do Norte is known for its beaches including Genipabu Beach and Sand Dunes in the capital city Natal, Ponta Negra which is known for its colorful fishing boats, and Cape Sao Roque, the closest place in South America to Africa.

The Cajueiro do Pirangi is the world's largest cashew tree. Its trunk has the girth of about 70 normal sized cashew trees. Its branches are spread out so far and are so heavy that they actually grow roots when they touch the ground.

Answer: Amazonas

Amazonas is the largest state in Brazil and accounts for about 18.5% of Brazil's land area. Despite having so much land, only a small part of it is inhabited and most of that land is around the Amazon River in cities like Manaus. Manuas had just over two million people according to the 2016 Brazil Census. The second largest city in Amazonas has just under 200,000 people. The rest of the state is covered by the Amazon Rain Forest and remains mostly inhabitable but there are some small villages there. The state is plagued by deforestation and poaching.

Brazil's highest point, Pico da Neblina (pictured), is located in Amazonas along the Venezuelan border. Amazonas borders three countries: Venezuela, Colombia and Peru.

Answer: Bahia

Some of the biggest industries in Bahia are mining, petrochemicals, textiles and automotive. Most of the industries are located in the capital of Bahia.

Outside of industry, Bahia is best known for its beaches, like other coastal Brazilian states. These beaches include the Coconut Coast, Dende Coast, Discovery Coast (parts of which may have been the first place in Brazil seen by Europeans) and Whale Coast. Whale Coast contains Abrolhos Marine National Park, which is a popular site for bird and whale watching.

Pictured is the Bay of All Saints or the Baia de Todos os Santos. It is the largest bay in the country and was first discovered by Europeans by Amerigo Vespucci in 1501. During slave days, the Bay of All Saints was a major slave port because of the many sugar plantations that operated in and around Salvador. As a result, Bahia has an above average amount of people of mixed race and twice as many citizens identify as Black compared to Brazil as a whole, according to the 2008 census.

Answer: Rio Grande do Sul

Rio Grande do Sul was originally settled by Guarani people. The first Europeans to live there were Jesuit missionaries. Some of the first missions in Brazil and South America were founded here and many of them can still be visited. The town of Sao Miguel das Missoes is famous for the Jesuit mission ruins that still stand today.

The "Gaucho" or cowboy culture that is present in Rio Grande do Sul is mainly influenced by the neighboring countries of Uruguay and Argentina. The state is rural in some areas and churrasco, a kind of meat barbecue, is a common meal in both Rio Grande do Sul and Argentina. There are also an abundance of wineries in the state, similar to Napa Valley, California.

There many rivers, lakes and lagoons in Rio Grande do Sul. The most prominent body of water is Lagoa dos Patos, Brazil's largest lake. Though it is often called the largest lake in Brazil, it is technically a lagoon. A lagoon is a body of water separated from a larger body of water (in this case the Atlantic Ocean) by a sand bars or reefs. A lake is also typically deeper than a lagoon.

Answer: Parana

The Iguacu Falls are among the most famous waterfalls on earth. They are shared mostly between Brazil and Argentina but Paraguay also claims a small part. The Itaipu Dam surpassed the Three Gorges Dam in China as the dam that produces the most energy in the world, in 2016.

It is sometimes called the world's largest dam but that is disputed and is dependent on how the size of the dam is measured (i.e. by height, length, power produced). The dam begins near the Igaucu Falls and travels almost 26,000 feet along the Brazilian-Paraguayan border.

Answer: Piaui

Piaui has a very short coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. It has the shortest coastline of any state in Brazil that is not landlocked. The Serra da Capivara is estimated to be home to the most rock paintings in the world. One of the park's most famous sites is the Pedra Furada (pictured). The area in and around the Pedra Furada rock formation is especially rich in cave paintings and other archaeological finds.

Caatinga is a form of woodland or forest that needs very little water to survive. If the weather becomes too rainy, the plants will die. The word caatinga means white forest in English. Caatinga is not unique to Piaui but it is very prevalent within the state.