Excellent Reasons to Study Portuguese

Portuguese in the World

• Brazil is the biggest country in South America (with 3,286,470 sq. miles it occupies almost 50% of South America!).


• Extending 2,700 miles from north to south, Brazil has an incredible climatic and geographic diversity -- from the tropical forests in the Amazon region to the temperate climate in Southern Brazil; from the beautiful beaches on the coast to the rich farmland of interior Brazil -- the county offers many natural beauties.


• Portuguese is spoken by over 250 million people, making it the 7th most widely spoken language in the world.


• One out of three Latin Americans and one out of every two South Americans speaks Portuguese, not Spanish.


• Worldwide, there are between 170 to 210 million people who speak Portuguese (besides Brazil, Portuguese is also spoken in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cap Verde, Guinea Bissau). Portuguese is the 3rd most spoken Western language in the World (only behind English and Spanish!).


• Portuguese is spoken in the United States, Brazil (the 4th largest country in the world), in five countries in Africa, and in Europe.


• The United States government has declared Portuguese to be one of the six crucial languages for individuals in the US to learn.


• 2000 Census estimated that there are ca. 212,000 Brazilian living in the USA, while unofficial estimates put the number between 800,000 and 1,2 million.


• Beyond this, if you already know Spanish, the study of Portuguese will give you an additional advantage since you will gain a better understanding of Latin America. This is increasingly important because of the strengthening economic and cultural ties within the Americas (North, Central and South America).


• The study of Portuguese opens multiple career paths in a variety of fields. You can go into business, diplomacy, choose a career in government, social services, media, law, health and the arts.


• Brazil is the 8th largest economy in the world.


• In a 1996 article, the magazine Veja classified Miami as the “fastest growing Brazilian city” with 20% annual growth in the Brazilian population.


• Brazil is also Florida’s # 01 trading partner.


• Brazil has a rich and diverse culture that reflects its multiethnic and multicultural roots. Brazil is known internationally for its music, its dances, its literature, art and cinema.



Portuguese at UNM



• Learning Portuguese will give UNM graduates employment advantages in business, government, non-governmental agencies, and education.


• UNM has one of the oldest Portuguese programs in the US, with a full range of undergraduate and graduate courses and one of the finest library collections in the country.


• UNM has a summer study abroad program in the beautiful Northeastern city of Fortaleza, where students can improve their Portuguese language skills and earn credits toward graduation. Beyond this, there are also study abroad programs with the Universidade de Campinas (São Paulo), Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (São Paulo), and Pontificia Universidad do Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre).


• The UNM Portuguese program emphasizes both the culture and the literature of Brazil, and includes classes on popular culture, music, cinema, video-making and theater.


• The Language Lab at the University of New Mexico hosts a large and varied collection of both Brazilian film as well as music.