Another World.

Brazil's unique heritage, rhythms and language create a rich cultural samba

From the vast and lonely Amazon to the hectic hubbub of its cities, Brazil is another world. Half the size of South America and the fifth-largest country in the world, Brazil has its own rhythms, culture and language--Portuguese inflected with idioms from its African and Indian roots. Brazil's unique position is perhaps best exemplified by its Carnaval, a five-day-long street party with samba parades, spectacular floats and revelers dressed in even more spectacular costumes.

Having emerged from hyperinflation in the early 1990s, Brazil unluckily caught the Asian financial flu last year, sparking a major contraction of the economy. A currency devaluation has caused much grief, but experts anticipate that Brazil's recovery has begun.

Major business cities are Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte. The seat of government and policymakers is Brasilia. Other important cities are Manaus, Salvador da Bahia, Curitiba and Belem.

Brazil has become more dangerous in recent years, with petty criminals targeting tourists, especially around hotels and nightclubs in the evening. At Sao Paulo's international airport, be careful with your briefcase and carry-on luggage.

Also note that Brazil is one of the few countries in Latin America that requires U.S. visitors to obtain a visa before arrival.

Cosmopolitan, chic, frenzied and sometimes violent, Sao Paulo has the hum of New York and the skyscrapers to match. Since the start of the century, immigrants from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany and Japan, as well as from other regions of Brazil, have turned Sao Paulo from a sleepy Jesuit mission into the developing world's largest industrial park. Today, it is the industrial and financial center of Brazil.

For all its immensity, it is not unfriendly. Non-Portuguese speakers armed with a phrasebook, a little Spanish or a knack for sign language will find most Paulistas, natives of Sao Paulo, are ready to help.

Because of the city's size and traffic jams, it can take considerable time to get between appointments. Try to schedule meetings geographically close together, bearing in mind that the city has basically three centers. The first is downtown, where you can find the BOVESPA and BM&F. The second stretches across Avenida Paulista, where institutional trading houses surround the city's Central Bank headquarters. The third is still in development. To get away from the congestion and high-rent district near Avenida Paulista, multinationals such as Deutsche Bank have set up shop on the Marginal Pinheiros.

The secure and efficient subway system (the Metro) will help you avoid traffic. Paulistas wear conservative business attire for most occasions.

Dark suits and cocktail dresses are suggested for formal events. Offices generally stay open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. Banking hours are from 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. The only time of the year it may be hard to get any business done in Brazil is during Carnaval, which is held for the five days ending with Ash Wednesday, usually in February or March.

Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's heart, its cultural capital and emotional nerve center--though it lost its status as the nation's capital nearly 40 years ago. Built in a setting of natural beauty, Rio is home to the largest urban rain forest in the world. The forest plunges down the mountains to the city's stunning lagoons and sandy beaches lining miles of open ocean. Little wonder Rio's nickname is the "Marvelous City."

Discovered on New Year's Day in 1501 by Portuguese explorers who mistook Guanabara Bay for the mouth of a river, the name Rio de Janeiro means "river of January." Today, everybody just calls it plain Rio.

It's wise to remember that the romantic sparkling lights that glimmer on the hillsides illuminate the city's notorious shantytowns. Crime, especially in the tourist-filled Copacabana district, is common.

Most visitors are easy targets, if only because they usually lack a tan. Don't wear expensive watches or jewelry and carry as little cash as possible, especially when going to the beach.

Security around the major hotels is good, and while fixed-price taxis outside major hotels often cost about double the fare of common taxis, they are less likely to take unnecessary detours. They are also less likely to demonstrate their Formula One racing ambitions.

The subway system (Metro) is clean, fast and efficient, but only goes as far as Botafogo. It does not extend to Copacabana and Ipanema. Buses are uncomfortable and can be dangerous.

Public telephones (orelhao, or big ears) are everywhere. Buy a phone card or special token at newsstands, generally at major intersections. Many are open 24 hours.

Business visitors should not be surprised when meetings start late or executives are informally dressed. This relaxed attitude is counterbalanced by the Cariocas' (Rio natives) quickness and creativity. Cafezinhos (literally little coffees), usually highly sugared, and mineral water are a staple of nearly every business meeting in this city.

In meetings between men and women, kisses on both cheeks are common. Men shake hands enthusiastically. Cariocas are easy-going and slow to take offense. However, they usually prefer face-to-face meetings, rather than talking over Rids unreliable telephones. Offices hours are 9 am. to 6p.m. Banking hours are from 10 a.m. to 4p.m.

Rios cultural life is intense and varied. Top stars of Brazilian music play often at such local clubs as Canecao and the Metropolitan. As the city gears up for Carnaval, samba-school rehearsals can provide the visitor with an unforgettable all-night experience. But because the samba schools are in the city's slums, it's best to visit with a native or a tour group. Rio also has its share of fashionable discos, such as Resumo de Opera and El Turf. But by far, the most popular pastime here is having a few chopes (draft beers) and taking in the scenery at an outdoor cafe.

Belo Horizonte, Brazil's third-largest city and the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, is the distribution and processing center of a rich agricultural, cattle and mining region. Its chief manufacturing products are steel, steel products, automobiles and textiles. Half the mineral production of Brazil comes from Minas Gerais, including most of the iron ore. Gemstones and gold are still found here.

The city was the first Brazilian planned development and was especially designed to be the state capital. However, its wide, landscaped avenues and carefully thought-out residential suburbs have paid the price of rapid urbanization.

Tradition is all-important in Minas: In terms of family values and politics, Mineiros are Brazil's most conservative citizens. Paradoxically, the fashion industry is avant-garde, and the city is known as the capital of fashion designers.

As Brazil's capital city and the seat of government, Brasilia is the ultimate planned community, conceived to develop the isolated Brazilian interior and inaugurated in 1960 after only three years of construction.

Brasilia's glass-encased buildings are set at right angles to one another in so-called super blocks (super quadras, or SQ). They are designed to be complete living units, containing apartments, shopping areas, supermarkets, schools and playgrounds. Today's residents praise them for their orderliness, especially when compared with the urban chaos of Rio and Sao Paulo.

Traffic also flows smoothly. The city was built for the car and has ample freeways. Most of the population is composed of civil servants and politicians.

POPULATION: 166.3 million * AREA: 8.5 million sq. km. * GDP [*] (1998): US$ 711.3 billion * GDP [*] PER CAPITA: US$ 4,277 * EXPORTS (1998): US$ 51,120 million * IMPORTS (1998): US$ 57,558 million * LITERACY RATE: 83.3% * LIFE EXPECTANCY: 64 years * LANGUAGE Portuguese * TELEPHONE COUNTRY CODE: 55 * TELEPHONE CITY CODE: Belo Horizonte: 31, Sao Paulo: 11, Rio de Janeiro: 21, Brasilia: 61 * CURRENCY: US$1 = 1,689 Real (As of May 21, 1999) * JANUARY MEDIAN TEMPERATURE: Belo Horizonte: 22.5 Centigrade, 72.5 Fahrenheit, Sao Paulo: 23[degrees]C/73.4[degrees]F, Rio de Janeiro: 26.5[degreesC/ 79.7[degrees]F, Brasilia:22.5[degrees]C/72.5[degrees]F * JULY MEDIAN TEMPERATURE: Belo Horizonte: 17[degrees]C/62.6[degrees]F, Sao Paulo: 15.5[degrees]C/59.9[degrees]F, Rio de Janeiro:21.5[degrees]C/70.7[degrees]F, Brasilia: 19.5[degrees]C/67.1[degrees]F

(*.) 1995 CONSTANT PRICES