The EmbassyNational Symbols
The National Flag
The Brazilian Flag has a large yellow shaped diamond on a green background. The colors green and yellow represent the Royal Houses of Bragança (Emperor Pedro I) and Habsburg (Empress Leopoldina). The stars on the blue circle represent the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the night of November 15, 1889, the date of the proclamation of the republic.
Each of the 27 stars represents a different Brazilian state and the Federal District. The motto “Ordem e Progresso” ("Order and Progress") is inscribed in capital letters inside the band.
Click here to print the Brazilian Flag
The Brazilian National Anthem
The Brazilian National Anthem (Hino Nacional Brasileiro, in Portuguese) was composed by Francisco Manuel da Silva in 1822. The lyrics by Joaquim Osório Duque Estrada were introduced through a 1922 Decree by President Epitácio Pessoa.
Click here to listen to the National Anthem (1.28MB MP3)
Click here to read the National Anthem (Portuguese and English)
Click here to download the National Anthem score
Click here to download the National Anthem vocal score
The Coat of Arms
The coat of arms of Brazil was created in November 19, 1889; four days after Brazil became a republic. The coat of arms consists of the central emblem surrounded by coffee branches (on the left) and tobacco branches (on the right), which were important crops in Brazil at that time.
In the blue circle in the center, the Southern Cross (also known as Cruzeiro do Sul) can be seen. The ring of 27 stars around it represents Brazil's 26 states and the Federal District. The blue ribbon contains the official name of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil – Federative Republic of Brazil) in its first line. In the second line, there is the date when the federative republic was established (November 15, 1889).
The National Flower
The Ipê-amarelo (Tecoma chrysostricha) is the common name given to the many Brazilian plants and trees belonging to the mimosa, bignonia and borage families; there is no English equivalent. The Ipê-amarelo, a member of the genus Tecoma, is the national flower of Brazil. It belongs to the tropical family of bignonias, which includes almost four hundred Brazilian species.
The National Bird: Sabiá
The Sabiá, or Thrush, is known for the beauty of both its plumage and its singing and is found all over Brazil, in 12 species, the best known of which is the Rufous-bellied Thrush, or Sabiá-laranjeira, Brazil’s national bird.
For years, the Sabiá has been celebrated in both writing and music, including in several very famous Brazilian poems and songs. On October 4, 2002, the Sabiá-laranjeira became the newest official symbol of Brazil, designated as the national bird in a Presidential Decree, which included for the first time its scientific name, Turdus rufiventris.