Choosing seven wonders of the world seems like a very difficult task. Just like choosing seven wonders in a single country. The year 2008 saw the foundation of an internet movement to select the seven wonders of Brazil. The result of this selection is not very clear, so, here, we propose something more substantive and real in the country: a visit to the locations declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
CULTURAL
Christ the Redeemer (1938), Rio de Janeiro
This 38-meter-tall image of Jesus of Nazareth, situated 710 meters above sea level at the summit of Corcovado hill, is now considered one of the New Sever Wonders of the Modern World. A visit there will leave you breathless.
Historic city of Ouro Preto (1755), Minas Gerais
The city of Ouro Preto (Black Gold) was the meeting place for gold prospectors and the heart of the exploitation of the gold-bearing mines in Brazil in the 18th century. Exceptional testament to a bygone splendor.
Historic center of the city of Olinda (16th century), Pernambuco
With a history linked to the sugar cane industry, it had to be rebuilt in the 17th century following the pillaging of the Dutch. A stunningly beautiful location with Baroque temples, convents and “passos” (chapels).
Jesuit Reductions (17th and 18th centuries), Rio Grande do Sul and Misiones (Argentina)
Situated in the middle of the tropical rainforest, there are five Reductions (São Miguel das Missões in Brazil, and San Ignacio Miní, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa María la Mayor in Argentina) with varying states of conservation and specific designs.
Historic Center of Salvador da Bahia (1549), Bahia
São Salvador da Bahia was the first capital of Brazil when it was founded in 1763 and has been a point of fusion between European, African and Amerindian cultures. It conserves numerous Renaissance buildings of exceptional quality.
Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Matosinhos, (17th century), Minas Gerais
It has a church with a luxurious Italian rococo-style interior decoration, a staircase decorated with statues of prophets and seven chapels of the Stations of the Cross. An architectural masterpiece.
Brasilia (1956-1960), Federal District
This urban landmark of the country aimed to reflect a harmonious concept of the city, from the design of the administrative and residential districts to the symmetry of the constructions. A wonder of modern architecture.
Serra da Capivara National Park, Piauí
This park possesses numerous refuges excavated in the rock, which were decorated with cave paintings, some of them more than 25,000 years old. An exceptional testament to one of the most ancient human communities in South America.
São Luis historic center (17th century), Maranhão
Founded by the French and occupied by the Dutch before falling under Portuguese domination, the city has conserved a magnificent historical center characterized by the rectangular outline of its streets.
Diamantina historic center (18th century), Minas Gerais
Testament to the adventure of the diamond miners of the 18th century, it is a colonial city with a peculiar location, as it is situated on an inhospitable mountain range, which makes it even more fascinating.
Historic center of the city of Goiás (18th century), Goiás
Its urban design is characteristic of the organically-developed mining cities, adapted to their surroundings. While it is modest, the architecture of its public and private buildings presents great harmony.
São Francisco Square in São Cristóvão, Sergipe
This square is where the São Francisco church and convent, the church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the provincial palace and its associated houses are situated. This fantastic collection, in addition to the 18th and 19th century houses which surround it, is fascinating.
NATURAL
Iguaçu National Park, Paraná
It is home to the largest waterfalls in the world, with a width of over 2,700 meters, shared between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. The different levels of the cascades reach up to 85 meters in height and the visual and sound impact will take your breath away.
Mata Atlântica do Sudeste Reserve, Paraná and São Paulo
The 25 protected zones which form the site make up a surface area of 470,000 hectares and illustrate the biological wealth and the evolution of the last remains of the Atlantic forest. Its extremely rich natural environment always provides panoramas of great beauty.
Mata Atlântica da Costa do Descobrimento Reserve, Bahia and Espírito Santo
There are eight separate protected zones which make up 112,000 hectares of Atlantic forest and combined bushes (“restingas“). It is home to a wide range of endemic species and illustrates an evolutionary model of great interest for science and the environment.
Pantanal Conservation Area, Mato Grosso
The Pantanal reserve consists of four protected zones with a total surface area of 187,818 hectares. It represents 1.3% of the Brazilian Pantanal, one of the most expansive freshwater wetlands in the world.
Central Amazon Conservation Complex, Amazonas
With more than six million hectares, it is the vastest protected zone of the Amazon basin and one of the regions with the richest biodiversity on the planet. It offers a significant sample of várzea (seasonally whitewater-flooded forest) ecosystems, igapó (blackwater-flooded) forests, lakes and rivers which form an aquatic mosaic where the widest variety of electric fish species in the world lives.
Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte
Thanks to its waters rich in nutrients, the site is of maximum importance for the feeding and reproduction of tuna, sharks, sea turtles and marine mammals. They are home to the greatest concentration of tropical marine birds in the Western Atlantic and Golfinhos bay is famous for its exceptional population of dolphins.
Chapada dos Veadeiros Emas national parks, Goiás
These parks shelter the characteristic flora, fauna and habitats of the “Cerrado”, one of the oldest tropical ecosystems in the world. The two protected sites have served as a refuge to numerous species for thousands of years and during the periods of climate change.
“Brazil conceals a world of endless natural and cultural treasures that are waiting to be discovered. TheIBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts in Brazil offer the utmost comfort and the most complete services so that entire families can enjoy their stay in Brazil to the full.”
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