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How many countries were part of the USSR?
At different times, the number of countries (called Union republics) that were part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) varied.
At the time of the collapse of the USSR in 1991 there were 15 Union republics:
Russian Soviet Federal socialist Republic (RSFSR) Continue reading
Why was Brazil named Brazil?
The official name of the country is the Federal Republic of Brazil.
Originally, after the discovery of this South American country in 1500 by the Portuguese Navigator Pedro Cabral, it was called Terra da Vera Cruz, which means the Land of the True cross.
A little later, the first Portuguese settlers discovered a tree in the coastal rainforests that resembled the famous “fire tree” (in Portuguese, pau-brasil), which was brought to Europe by Arab merchants. Continue reading
