This unit, designed for use with students in grades 6-12, concerns the diverse and unifying forces that characterize life in Brazil's urban centers. Comprised of seven lessons and used with a set of slides, lesson 1, "Geography," distinguishes Brazil from other South American countries through an examination of the country's geographic features. Lesson 2, "Population," presents concepts of demography, population density, population growth, rural-urban population distribution, and migration. Lesson 3, "History," teaches students about important dates and events during the three major periods in Brazilian history: the Colony, the Empire, and the Republic. Lesson 4, "People of Brazil," presents the concepts of ethnic diversity and race mixture as important themes for understanding Brazil. Lesson 5, "Distribution of National Wealth," defines economic terms and presents two activities that illustrate the uneven distribution of the gross national product (GNP) in Brazil and the difference between real and per capita incomes. Lesson 6, "Urban Contrasts," draws on concepts from previous lessons, such as: class distinctions, industrialization, geography and climate, migration, and ethnic and racial diversity to explain different styles of city life. Finally, lesson 7, "Culture," presents studies and discussion questions on Brazilian culture and the forces that create nationalism, such as: family, politics, religion, carnival, soccer, art, music, literature, television and film, the press and radio, and food. A glossary, a bibliography, and two appendices (recipes for Brazilian "Doces" (sweets) and Brazilian literature in translation and other recommended reading) are included. (DB)