How Big is Brazil?

With 3,266,199 square miles of terrestrial territory, Brazil is the 5th largest country by landmass behind Russia, China, and the US of A. While Russia is in a league of its own with two and a half million square miles more than the second largest country in the world, with just 428,761 additional square miles…

Brazil as a Growing International Destination

Even as the country looks forward to hosting both the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, tourism brought 5.4 million visitors in 2011, and with those visitors an additional $6.775 billion added to the economy. According to a 2011 study by the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) which looked at attractiveness…

Transformation in Colombia

With a recent history of destabilizing violence from various radical narcotics groups such as the FARC, Colombia has surprised many observers of the region over the past two decades by transforming the outlook for the country from desperate and violent, to leading the region in stability and growth. In hosting the Summit of the Americas in…

War Against the Press in Ecuador

Since taking office in January of 2007 Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has been heavy handed in his dealings with media in addition to aggressively pursuing his progressive policies. As early as May of his first year as President, he audaciously and ironically had his security remove the editor of El Universo newspaper during an interview.…

Santiago’s Superstructure Skyscraper

In early 2011, the Gran Torre Santiago became the tallest building in South America. Planned to reach a height of 980ft (300m), the building struggled through stalled construction during the global economic downturn from 2008–2009. Only a few blocks away, the Titanium La Portada previously held the title of the tallest building in Chile at…