Brazil 5-CRUZEIROS REAIS (KM627)¶
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Reverse MACAW PARROTS
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Obverse Denomination
- Composition
- Stainless Steel
- Country
- Brazil
- Approx. Size
- 21mm
- Area
- South America
- Animal Class
- Birds
- Species
- Macaw Parrots
- KM#
- 627
There are many species of Macaw, most of them endangered and at least five species already extinct. The top two reasons for their downfall are deforestation and the pet trade. Macaws are reported to live for up to 100 years in the wild, and 75 years in captivity.
Due to runaway inflation at the time, this coin -- worth 5 cruzeiros reais -- would have been represented by 5,000 cruzeiros just the year before. By the middle of the following year, 2,750 cruzeiros reais would become 1 reais.
Brazil¶
- Area
- South America
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, and the largest country in South America where it occupies half the continent and borders every other country except Ecuador and Chile. It also features the largest river in the world -- the Amazon -- which cuts its way across the top of the country through the vast Amazon Rainforest before arriving at the North Atlantic. Brazil has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years and was recently claimed by the Portugese in 1500. The Portugese royal family took up residence in Rio de Janeiro during the Napoleonic wars.The country was declared an independent empire by Dom Pedro I (the new emperor) in 1822. That lasted until 1889, when Brazil became a federal republic. Brazilian democracy was interrupted by two brief dictatorships (1930-34, 1937-45), and by one long one after a 1964 military coup that saw a progression of generals running the show until 1985. Brazil enjoys vast amounts of natural mineral resources, and has lots of coffee beans and cocoa (among other things) for the rest of the world. Brazil is the only South American country whose national language is Portugese.
