Samba Pa Ti Trivia Quiz

Answer:

All the cities included in this quiz are the capitals of their respective states, as well as their largest cities. You may have noticed, however, that Brazil's three most populous cities - São Paulo (also the largest city in the Americas and in both the Western and the Southern Hemisphere), Rio de Janeiro, and the federal capital, Brasília - have been left out, on account of being a bit of a giveaway. Unfortunately, the Collection quiz format does not support diacritic marks in the question section, though I have used them here in the information section.

Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Fortaleza ("fortress" in Portuguese) is the capital of the state of Ceará in Brazil's Northeast Region. Originally a fort established in the early 17th century, it was founded as a village in 1729. Now home to over 2.5 million people, it is an important industrial and commercial centre, as well as a thriving tourist destination with its beautiful beaches and night life.

The first capital of Brazil, Salvador ("saviour") is also one of the oldest cities in the country, having been founded in 1549. Home to over 2.5 million people, it is the capital of the state of Bahia in the Northeast Region. A port city located on the Bay of All Saints (after which the state is named), Salvador is internationally known for its unique Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage, its spectacular Carnival celebrations, and its beautiful Baroque architecture: its historic centre was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Belo Horizonte ("beautiful horizon"), the capital of the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast Region, was Brazil's first planned modern city, built in the 1890s to replace Ouro Preto. Home to about 2.5 million people, it is located in a mountainous area, at an elevation of 852 m (2,795 ft). A thriving economic and cultural centre, the city is also famous for its contemporary architecture and its parks and nature reserves. The Pampulha Modern Ensemble (designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the architect of Brasília) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016.

Over two million people make their home in the city of Manaus (named after an indigenous people), located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. The capital of the state of Amazonas in the North Region of Brazil, Manaus lies at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers, which form the Amazon River. The city was originally a fort built by the Portuguese in the late 17th century: with the rubber boom of the late 19th century, it grew into the wealthiest city of South America, boasting a world-famous opera house. This unlikely metropolis, reached mainly by plane or boat, is also a popular tourist destination.

The largest city of Brazil's South Region, Curitiba ("pine forest" in Tupi) is the capital of the state of Paraná, home to nearly two million people. Established at the end of the 17th century, the city saw considerable growth from the mid-19th century onward as a cattle trading post, attracting waves of immigration. Located on a plateau at an elevation of 934.6 m (3,066 ft), Curitiba enjoys a temperate oceanic climate, and is famous for its innovative urban planning and well-maintained green areas.

The coastal city of Recife ("reef"), capital of the state of Pernambuco, is a major seaport and the largest urban area in both the North and Northeast Regions of Brazil, with a population of over 1.7 million. Founded in 1537 as a fishing village, it soon became a major hub for large-scale production of sugar cane. Named for the stone reefs that are found offshore, Recife is built on three islands separated by three rivers, with many smaller rivers and canals linked by bridges. The nearby town of Olinda was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.

Home to over 1.5 million people, Goiânia is the capital of the state of Goiás in Brazil's Central-West Region. It is a planned city, founded in 1933 to replace the historic town of Goiás as state capital. Located about 200 km (120 mi) west of Brasília, Goiânia is an important economic hub, in particular for agriculture and the automotive industry. The city is also famous for its vast urban green areas.

The capital of the state of Pará in the North Region, Belém (the Portuguese name for Bethlehem) lies on the Pará River, about 100 km (62.1 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean in the Amazon Delta. Founded in 1616 as a colony named Feliz Lusitânia, it became the state capital in 1772. Its economy, once mainly based on the sugar trade and cattle ranching, now hinges on the export of the many valuable products of the Amazon rainforest, such as hardwoods, fruits and mineral ores. Home to about 1.4 million people, Belém blends the modernity of skyscrapers with the charm of colonial architecture.

With a population of about 1.4 million, Porto Alegre ("joyful harbour") is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state. Founded in 1769, it lies at the northern end of the Lagoa dos Patos, a huge coastal lagoon formed by the estuary of the Guaiba River. Porto Alegre is an important industrial, commercial and cultural centre, whose population is largely descended from European immigrants - notably from Germany and Italy.

The capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the Northeast Region, Natal ("birth") lies on the Atlantic Ocean, near the easternmost point of South America, Cape São Roque. The city was founded in 1599: for a long time its economy was based on cattle raising, as its dry, sandy surroundings were not suitable for the cultivation of sugarcane. Now home to about 800,000 people, Natal is one of Brazil's leading tourist destinations because of its tropical beaches, and a major exporting hub for fruits, seafood and carnauba wax.

A curiosity for soccer fans: eight out of these ten cities (with the exception of Belém and Goiânia), along with Rio de Janeiro, Brasília and São Paulo, were also host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The six wrong answers are all capitals of countries in Central and South America: Belize (Belmopan), Nicaragua (Managua), Honduras (Tegucigalpa), Suriname (Paramaribo), Bolivia (Sucre, the country's constitutional capital) and Paraguay (Asunción).