Na aula de geografia, nós vimos no mapa onde fica aquele país.

Because na and no are contractions:

• na = em + a
• no = em + o

So:

• na aula = in the class / in class
• no mapa = on the map or literally in the map, depending on how English expresses it

Portuguese uses these contractions very often, and they are required in normal usage:

• em a aula → wrong

• na aula → correct

• em o mapa → wrong
• no mapa → correct

This is one of the most common patterns in Portuguese.

In Portuguese, school subjects are often expressed with aula de + subject.

So:

• aula de geografia = geography class
• aula de português = Portuguese class
• aula de matemática = math class

The de here is very natural in Portuguese. Literally it is something like class of geography, but in English we usually just say geography class.

Yes, it could be left out.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear. So both of these are correct:

• Nós vimos no mapa onde fica aquele país.
• Vimos no mapa onde fica aquele país.

Why include nós then?

Common reasons:

• for emphasis
• for clarity
• for contrast with another subject
• because the speaker simply chose to say it

Since vimos already shows we, nós is not necessary, but it is perfectly natural.

Here it is from ver (to see), in the preterite:

• eu vi
• você/ele/ela viu
• nós vimos

This form can be confusing because vimos can also be a form of vir (to come) in another context. So context matters.

In this sentence, no mapa makes it clear that vimos means we saw.

Compare:

• Nós vimos o país no mapa. = We saw the country on the map.
• Nós vimos cedo hoje. would not make sense with ver, so context would push you toward another interpretation

For learners, it is best to remember that Portuguese sometimes has identical verb forms, and context resolves the ambiguity.

Because ficar is very common in Portuguese when talking about where a place is located.

So:

• Onde fica aquele país? = Where is that country? / Where is that country located?

Using ficar often sounds a bit like to be located.

You may also hear:

• Onde está...?

That is also possible in some contexts, but for cities, countries, neighborhoods, buildings, and other locations, ficar is extremely common and often the most natural choice.

Examples:

• Onde fica o Brasil?
• Onde fica a estação?
• Onde fica sua escola?

So this is a very useful pattern to learn as a chunk: onde fica...

Both can be understood, but onde fica aquele país is the more natural and standard-sounding order here.

Portuguese often places the verb before the subject in expressions like this, especially with verbs such as ficar, estar, chegar, and similar verbs in location or existence-style structures.

So:

• onde fica aquele país → more natural
• onde aquele país fica → possible, but less natural in this sentence

English speakers often want to keep the subject before the verb, but Portuguese does not always do that.

This verb-before-subject order is especially common after question words like onde, quando, como, etc.

These are demonstratives, and they indicate distance.

Basic idea:

• este = this, near the speaker
• esse = that, near the listener or previously mentioned
• aquele = that over there, farther away from both

So aquele país suggests that country in a more distant sense.

In Brazilian Portuguese, the distinction between este and esse is often less strict in everyday speech, and esse is very common. But aquele still clearly suggests greater distance, whether physical or sometimes mental/discourse distance.

Examples:

• este livro = this book
• esse livro = that book
• aquele livro = that book over there

In your sentence, aquele país sounds natural if the speaker is referring to a country not close to them in the map/discussion context.

The accent shows the stressed syllable and helps distinguish the pronunciation.

• país is pronounced roughly pa-IS
• the stress falls on the last syllable

The accent also helps show that the vowels are pronounced separately:

• pa-ís

Without the accent, pais is a different word:

• pais = parents

So the accent matters both for pronunciation and meaning.

It is not always strictly necessary, but it is very natural.

Na aula de geografia is an introductory adverbial phrase, and Portuguese often separates that kind of phrase with a comma:

• Na aula de geografia, nós vimos...

Without the comma, the sentence is still understandable:

• Na aula de geografia nós vimos...

The comma gives a small pause and makes the structure a little clearer. In writing, many native speakers would use it here.

Yes — very often.

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, a gente is extremely common for we.

So a very natural spoken version would be:

• Na aula de geografia, a gente viu no mapa onde fica aquele país.

Grammatically, a gente takes third-person singular verb forms:

• a gente viu
• not a gente vimos

Compare:

• nós vimos = standard and correct
• a gente viu = very common in speech

If you are learning Brazilian Portuguese, you should definitely get used to hearing a gente.

Yes, it could, but it sounds a bit less natural than onde fica aquele país.

Portuguese allows some flexibility in word order, but native usage often prefers the version with fica before the subject in this type of clause.

So these are both possible:

• onde fica aquele país → more natural
• onde aquele país fica → understandable, but less idiomatic here

As a learner, it is safest to copy the more natural pattern: onde fica + place.

In this sentence, English usually says on the map, while Portuguese uses no mapa.

So the preposition does not match English word-for-word. That is normal.

A good habit is to learn the whole expression:

• ver no mapa = to see on the map
• achar no mapa = to find on the map

Portuguese uses em here, which becomes no with o mapa.

Yes. That mix is normal.

• vimos is past: we saw
• fica is present: is located

This happens because the main action happened in the past, but the location of the country is still a present fact.

So the logic is:

• In geography class, we saw on the map
• where that country is located

English does the same thing naturally:

• We saw where that country is.

You would not usually say where that country was unless the location itself used to be different, which is not the idea here.

So the tense combination in Portuguese is completely natural.