Some classic ‘Large Type’ action in Brazil – Casas Bahia is the largest retail chain in Brazil, and proudly display their logo on the roof.

They have a complex numbering scheme for their buildings – you’ll see that this is number 1 and to the West is number 2. I spent a while considering why they’ve numbered the buildings on the roof but I gave in and decided to post it anyway

Thanks: Ivan

The Iguazu Falls are situated on the border of Argentina and Brazil, who both claim the falls as one of their top tourist destinations. In peak flow the water has a massive surface area of 1.3 million square feet, split over about 270 separate falls.

Iguazu Falls are wider in area than the Niagara or Victoria falls and despite being reportedly more spectacular than both have failed to achieve as much fame. When the First Lady Mrs. Roosevelt saw Iguazu Falls she exclaimed “Poor Niagara”, yet to be honest I hadn’t heard about Iguazu until about 10 minutes ago. Still, I’ve learned my lesson now and read the Wikipedia page.

Thanks: PZ, Doug Olson, Vinicius Lage, Zara, Román Gorojovsky, Michael Walter & Spamboy

Damming the Paraná River on the border between Brazil and Paraguay sits an incredible engineering achievement – the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, Itaipú.

Itaipú is 196 metres high and contains enough iron and steel to build 380 Eiffel Towers. It took 40 thousand people to build it, and they had to move 50 million tons of earth and rock to do it.

In 1995 Itaipú provided 25% of the total energy requirement of Brazil, as well as 78% of Paraguay’s! The facility has been constantly upgraded since then, and the expansion is expected to bring the amount of energy produced next year to over 100 million megawatt-hours.

Make sure you zoom in on the flow from the spillway, and there’s more fascinating facts at Wikipedia!

Thanks to floki, Oliver Dueck, Luciano A. Ferrer, Rhaffael C. C de Barros, Bong Laden, Doug Olson, Vinicius Lage, Juliano Oliveira, Olaf van Zandwijk and Manuel Fernandez.

Rio de Janeiro’s location within steep mountains makes it perfect for the sports of hang and paragliders. Here on Pedra Bonita (”Beautiful Rock”) is one of over 50 launch ramps in Rio where those who are brave enough leap off and glide allllllllll the way down to the beach below.

Thanks: Wagner Fajardo

Here’s a totally awesome image of an enormous supertanker speeding along just off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Only ships above 250,000 tonnes are considered true supertankers, and due to their massive size and weight, their stopping distances are generally measured in miles. They’re also capable of carrying around two million barrels of oil.

It all seems completely unbelievable somehow, and yet Wikipedia tells us it’s true…

Thanks to Gus.