Brazil

For other uses, see the country.

Federative Republic of Brazil República Federativa do Brasil
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Ordem e Progresso  (Portuguese) "Order and Progress"
Anthem: Hino Nacional Brasileiro
Capital	Brasília
Largest city	São Paulo
Official languages	Portuguese.
Demonym(s)	Brazilian
Government	Presidential Federal republic
• President	Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
• Vice President	José Alencar Gomes da Silva
Independence  from Portugal
• Declared	September 7 1822
• Recognized	August 29 1825
• Republic	November 15 1889
• Water (%)	0.65
Population
• 2007 estimate	190,010,647 (5th)
• 2000 census	169,799,170
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$1.803 trillion (9th)
• Per capita	$9,108 (68th)
GDP (nominal)	2006 estimate
• Total	$1.067 trillion (10th)
• Per capita	$5,717 (64th)
Gini (2004)	54 high
HDI (2004)	0.792 high (69th)
Currency	Real (R$) (BRL)
Time zone	UTC−2 to −5 (officially −3) (BRT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−2 to −5 (BRST)
Calling code	55
ISO 3166 code	BR
Internet TLD	.br

Brazil (IPA: /bɹə.zɪl/), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil or República Federativa do Brasil, ), is the largest and most populous country in Latin America, and the fifth largest in the world in both area and population. Its territory covers 8,514,877 km² between central South America and the Atlantic Ocean, and it is the eastern-most country of the Americas.

It borders Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the department of French Guiana to the north, Uruguay to the south, Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest, Bolivia and Peru to the west, and Colombia to the northwest. The only South American countries not bordered by Brazil are Ecuador and Chile. The Brazilian coastline covers 7,367 km to the east. Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha, Trindade e Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas.

A tropical climate is predominant. In the south of the country, subtropical climate prevails . Brazil is cut through by the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn. It is home to varied fauna and flora and extensive natural resources.

Brazil was colonized by Portugal from 1500 until its independence in 1822. The republican system has been adopted since 1889, although its parliament dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified. Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federative Republic. The Federation is formed by the indissoluble association of the States, the Federal District, and the Municipalities. There are currently 26 States and 5,564 Municipalities.

The Brazilian population tends to concentrate along the coastline in large urban centers. While Brazil has one of the largest populations in the world, population density is low and the inner continental land has large areas of low population. It is a multiracial country composed of European, Amerindian, African and Asian elements. The official language is Portuguese, and it is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas. Catholicism is the predominant religion, though Protestant communities have experienced significant growth in the last decades. Brazil has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world.

History

Main article: History of Brazil

The first names used for the new-found-land were Ilha de Vera Cruz ("Vera Cruz Island") and Terra de Santa Cruz ("Santa Cruz Land"). Soon after "Brazil" was adopted. According to the traditional theory, Brazil was named after brazilwood tree, an abundant species in the Brazilian coastline at the time Portuguese explorers first arrived. Its reddish wood was used to color clothes and fabrics. Another theory connects the name of the country to the Irish myth of Hy-Brazil, a phantom island similar to St. Brendan's Island.

Colony

Main articles: Colonial Brazil and Indigenous peoples of Brazil

Map of Brazil issued by the Portuguese explorers in 1519.

It is generally accepted that Brazil was first discovered by Europeans on April 22, 1500, when Pedro Álvares Cabral reached the territory, claimed it for Portugal, and named it Vera Cruz (True Cross), though this is contested by some. Until 1530, Portugal had little interest in Brazil, mainly due to the high profits gained through commerce with Indochina. This lack of interest led to several "invasions" by different countries, such as France in Rio de Janeiro, and the Netherlands in Recife, so the Portuguese Crown devised a system to effectively occupy Brazil, without paying the costs. Through the Hereditary Captaincies system, Brazil was divided into strips of land that were donated to Portuguese noblemen, who were in turn responsible for the occupation of the land and answered to the king. Later, the Portuguese realized the system was a failure (only two lots were successfully occupied) and took direct control of the failed captaincies.

After the initial attempts to find gold and silver failed, the Portuguese colonists adopted an economy based on the production of agricultural goods that were to be exported to Europe. Tobacco, cotton, cachaça and some other agricultural goods were produced, but sugar became by far the most important Brazilian colonial product until the early eighteenth century. The first sugarcane farms were established in the mid-16th century and were the key for success of the captaincies of São Vicente and Pernambuco, leading sugarcane plantations to quickly spread to other coastal areas in colonial Brazil. The period of sugar-based economy (1530-c.1700) is known as the "Sugarcane Cycle" in Brazilian history. Even though Brazilian sugar was reputed as being of high quality, the industry faced a crisis during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when the Dutch and the French started producing sugar in the Antilles, located much closer to Europe, causing the sugar prices to fall.

During the eighteenth century, private explorers who called themselves the Bandeirantes found gold and diamond mines in the state of Minas Gerais. The exploration of these mines ended up financing the Portuguese Royal Court's debts for a long time. However, the predatory way in which such riches were explored by the Portuguese Crown harmed colonial Brazil with excessive taxes (at some point, taxes amounted up to one fifth of all the gold and diamonds mined in the country, or 20 percent of total production, named the quinto). Some popular movements supporting independence came about against the abusive taxes established by the metropolis, such as the Tiradentes incident in 1789, but they were often dismissed with violence by Portugal. Gold production declined towards the end of the eighteenth century, starting a period of relative stagnation of the Brazilian hinterland.

Empire

Main articles: Brazilian Declaration of Independence and Empire of Brazil

Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil, 1873.

In 1808, the Portuguese court, fleeing from Napoleon’s troops which had invaded the territory of Portugal, moved aboard a large fleet, escorted by British men-of-war, with all the government apparatus to its then-colony, Brazil, establishing themselves in the city of Rio de Janeiro. From there the Portuguese king João VI ruled his huge empire for 13 years, and there he would have remained for the rest of his life if it were not for the turmoil aroused in Portugal due, among other reasons, to his long stay in Brazil after the end of Napoleon's reign.

After João VI returned to Portugal in 1821 due to the Liberal Revolution of 1820 that had erupted in the city of Porto, his heir-apparent Pedro became regent of the Kingdom of Brazil. Following a series of political events and disputes, Brazil achieved its independence from Portugal on September 7 1822. On October 12 1822, Dom Pedro was acclaimed as the first Emperor of Brazil. He was crowned on December 1 1822. Brazil was one of only two countries among those of the 'new world' that housed an effective legal monarchical state (the other was Mexico), for a period of almost 90 years.

Organizing the new government quickly brought the differences between the Emperor and his leading subjects to the fore. In 1824, Pedro closed the Constituent Assembly that he had convened because he believed that body was endangering liberty. Pedro then produced a constitution modeled on that of Portugal (1822) and France (1814). It specified indirect elections and created the usual three branches of government but also added a fourth, the "moderating power", to be held by the Emperor. Pedro's government was considered economically and administratively inefficient. Political pressures eventually made the Emperor step down in April 7, 1831. He returned to Portugal leaving behind his five-year-old son Pedro. Brazil was then to be governed by regents from 1831 to 1840 until Pedro was old enough to assume his royal duties. The regency period was turbulent and marked by numerous local revolts including the Male Revolt, the largest urban slave rebellion in the Americas, which took place in Bahia, 1835.

On July 23 1840, Pedro II was crowned Emperor. His government was highlighted by a substantial rise in coffee exports, the War of the Triple Alliance, and the end of slave trade from Africa in 1850, although slavery in Brazilian territory would only be abolished in 1888. When slavery was finally abolished, a large influx of European immigrants took place . By the 1870s, the Emperor's grasp on domestic politics had started deteriorating in face of crisis with the Roman Catholic Church, the Army and the slaveholders. The Republican movement slowly gained strength. In the end, the empire fell because the dominant classes no longer needed it to protect their interests. Indeed, imperial centralization ran counter to their desire for local autonomy. By 1889 Pedro II had stepped down and the Republican system had been adopted.

Republic

Main articles: History of Brazil (1889–1930), History of Brazil (1930–1945), History of Brazil (1945–1964), History of Brazil (1964–1985), and History of Brazil (1985–present)

File:Getulio55.jpg

Getúlio Vargas announcing the Estado Novo in 1937.

Pedro II was deposed on November 15, 1889 by a Republican military coup led by general Deodoro da Fonseca, who became the country’s first de facto president through military ascension. The country’s name became the Republic of the United States of Brazil (which in 1967 was changed to Federative Republic of Brazil). From 1889 to 1930, the government was a constitutional democracy, with the presidency alternating between the dominant states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. However, several requirements had to be fulfilled for people to be eligible to vote. Thus, democracy was actually restricted to a small portion of the population.

A military junta took control in 1930. Getúlio Vargas took office soon after, and would remain as dictatorial ruler (with a brief democratic period in between), until 1945. He was re-elected in 1951 and stayed in office until his suicide in 1954. After 1930, the successive governments continued industrial and agriculture growth and development of the vast interior of Brazil.

Provisional president Getúlio Dorneles Vargas ruled as dictator (1930–1934), congressionally elected president (1934–1937), and again dictator (1937–1945), with the backing of his revolutionary party coalition. He also served as a senator (1946–1951) and the democratically elected president (1951–1954). Vargas was a member of the gaucho oligarchy whose riches were based on land property, and rose to power through a system of patronage and clientelism, but he had a fresh vision of how Brazilian politics could be shaped to support national development. He understood that with the breakdown of direct relations between workers and employers in the ever-growing factories in Brazil, workers could eventually become the platform of a new form of political power — populism. By applying such insights inspired on Italian fascism, he would gradually establish such mastery over the Brazilian political world that he would stay in power for fifteen years. Vargas was responsible for Brazil's military role in World War II on the side of the Allies.

Juscelino Kubitschek's office years (1956-1961) were marked by the political campaign motto of plunging "50 anos em 5" (English: fifty years (of development) in five). Kubitschek sought to achieve this progress with the aid of foreign investment, which in turn would be given generous incentives such as profit remittances abroad, low taxes, privileges for the import of industrial machinery, and government grants of land. Kubitschek was responsible for the construction of Brasília, Brazil's ultra-modern capital, in the 1960s.

The military forces took office in Brazil in a coup d'état in 1964, and remained in power until March 1985, when it fell from grace because of political struggles between the regime and the Brazilian elites. Some historians may argue that the dismantling of the military dictatorship was merely a consequence of the regime's opening policy in the final years, but others will find that internal struggles for power within the government, combined with a strong popular disapproval of the dictatorship, were also partially responsible for the end of the regime. Just as the Brazilian regime changes of 1889, 1930, and 1945 unleashed competing political forces and caused divisions within the military, so too did the 1964 regime change. Tancredo Neves was elected president in an indirect election in 1985, as Brazil returned to civil government regime. He died before taking office, and the vice-president, José Sarney, was sworn in as president in his place.

Democracy was re-established in 1988 when the current Federal Constitution was enacted. Fernando Collor de Mello was the first president truly elected by popular vote after the military regime. Collor took office in March 1990. In September 1992, the National Congress voted for Collor's impeachment after a sequence of corruption scandals were discovered by the media.{

The vice-president, Itamar Franco, took office as the president. Assisted by the Minister of Finance at that time, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Itamar Franco's administration implemented the Plano Real economic package,which included a new currency pegged to the U.S. dollar, the real. The new-found economic stability in the country after years of undergoing hyperinflation scenarios increased the popularity of Fernando Henrique Cardoso as a politician. In the elections held on October 3, 1994, Fernando Henrique Cardoso ran for president and won. Cardoso followed a neoliberal scheme that included the privatization of various state-owned companies, limited intervention in employment relationships and, after the financial downturns in the late 1990s, a floating monetary exchange rate regime. Reelected in 1998,Cardoso guided Brazil through a wave of financial crises, including the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the Russian default in 1998.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Brazil

Brazil's current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Brazilian Federation is based on the indissoluble association of three autonomous political entities: the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District. A fourth entity originated in the aforementioned association: the Union. There is no hierarchy among the political entities. The Federation is set on six fundamental principles: sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of the people, social value of labor, freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism.

The classic tripartite division of power, encompassing the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches under the checks and balances system, is formally established by the Constitution. The Executive and Legislative are organized independently in all four political entities, whilst the Judiciary is organized only in the Federal and State levels.

Practically all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated with the Executive. The form of government is Republican and democratic, and the system of government is Presidential. The President is Head of State and Head of Government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term, with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. Currently the President of Brazil is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He was elected on October 27, 2002, and re-elected on October 29, 2006. The President appoints the Ministers of State, who assist in governing. Governors head the government in States and the Federal District, whilst mayors are responsible for the government of Municipalities. Governors and Mayors are assisted by Secretaries.

The House of Representatives at the National Congress in Brasília, the capital of Brazil.

Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of laws in Brazil. The National Congress is the Union’s Legislative. It is a bicameral house formed by the House of Representatives and the Federal Senate. Representatives are elected every four years in a system of proportional representation, and represent the people. Senators are elected for eight-year terms, and represent the interests of the States. The ordinary law making process is described in detail by the Federal Constitution. The Executive participates by analyzing and eventually vetoing laws before they are formally enacted. Vetoes can be overturned by the Legislative. In the States and Municipalities, the Legislative is organized in unicameral houses named, respectively, Legislative Assemblies and Municipal Houses. Legislative houses may pass legal judgment in exceptional cases, and have administrative functions related to their personnel.

Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively. They can also enact laws related to internal court proceedings.Also, the Judiciary has administrative functions regarding its personnel. The Union’s Judiciary relates to the Federal Justice system. States have their own Justice system, and so does the Federal District. Municipalities rely upon the State or Federal Justice depending on the nature of the lawsuit. Both the Federal and State Justice systems are interconnected when appeals reach higher courts. There are also specialized courts, such as labor, military and electoral courts.

All members of the executive and legislative branches are elected by direct suffrage. Judges and other judicial authorities are appointed after passing entry exams. Voting is compulsory for those aged 18 or older. For those older than 70 and between the ages of 16 and 18 voting is optional.. Candidates for office must have Brazilian nationality, be affiliated with a political party, and fulfill minimum age requirements. No formal education is required, as long as the candidate is alphabetized. Four political parties stand out among several small ones: PT, PSDB, PMDB and DEM, formerly PFL.

Despite attempts at reform, public institutions of Brazil remain largely inefficient, with underpaid civil service personnel, bureaucracy, underinvestment in infrastructure, illiteracy, informality in employment relations, social inequality, and rampant corruption are some of the major problems still requiring attention from authorities and reformists. Recent political scandals have further tarnished the reputation of public authorities in all branches of government, especially the legislative.

Foreign relations and the military

Main articles: Foreign relations of Brazil and Military of Brazil

File:FAB M2000C2.jpg

Two Brazilian Air Force M2000C fighter jets.

Brazil is a political and economical leader in Latin America. However, social and economic problems prevent it from becoming an effective global power. Between World War II and 1990, both democratic and military governments sought to expand Brazil's influence in the world by pursuing a state-led industrial policy and an independent foreign policy. More recently, the country has aimed to strengthen ties with other South American countries, engage in multilateral diplomacy through the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Brazil's current foreign policy is based on the country's unique position as a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power. According to the Brazilian Constitution, ten principles govern Brazilian foreign relations: national independence, prevalence of human rights, self-determination of each nation, non-intervention, equality among nations, protection of peace, peaceful resolution of conflicts, repudiation of terrorism and racism, cooperation among nations for the progress of mankind, and the granting of political asylum. Indeed, Brazilian foreign policy has generally reflected multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and nonintervention in the affairs of other countries. The Brazilian Constitution also determines. the country shall seek the economic, political, social and cultural integration of the nations of Latin America.

The Armed forces of Brazil comprise the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Navy, and the Brazilian Air Force. The Military Police (State's Military Police) is described as an ancillary force of the Army. Brazilian armed forces are the largest in Latin America. All military branches are part of the Ministério da Defesa (Ministry of Defence). The Brazilian Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Brazilian armed forces. The FAB is the largest air force in Latin America, with about 700 manned aircraft in service. The Brazilian Navy is responsible for naval operations and for guarding Brazilian territorial waters. It is the oldest of the Brazilian Armed forces and the largest navy in Latin America, with a 27,307-ton aircraft carrier, the NAeL São Paulo (formerly FS Foch of the French Navy). Finally, the Brazilian Army is responsible for land-based military operations, with a strength of approximately 190,000 soldiers.

Law

Main article: Law of Brazil

The finance minister, Guido Mantega, and the president of the Supreme Federal Tribunal, Ellen Gracie Northfleet.

Brazilian Law is based on Roman-Germanic traditions. Thus, civil law concepts prevail over common law practices. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part of the system, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretation guidelines; however, they are not binding towards other specific cases but in very few exceptional situations. Doctrinal works and comments of legal academic pundits have strong influence in law creation and in legal cases.

Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare cases, the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments. The Judiciary is organized in the Federal and State levels, though not in Municipalities. There are also specialized military, labor, and elections courts. The highest court is the Supreme Federal Tribunal.

The main criticism this system met over the last decades relates to the slow pace at which final decisions are passed. Lawsuits on appeal may take several years to resolve, and in some cases more than a decade to see definitive judgment.

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Regions of Brazil and States of Brazil

Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean North Northeast Central-West Southeast South Acre Amazonas Pará Roraima Amapá Rondônia Tocantins Maranhão Bahia Piauí Ceará Rio Grande do Norte Paraíba Pernambuco Alagoas Sergipe Mato Grosso Mato Grosso do Sul Federal District Goiás Minas Gerais São Paulo Rio de Janeiro Espírito Santo Paraná Santa Catarina Rio Grande do Sul Argentina Bolivia Chile Colombia French Guiana Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela

Geographically, mainland Brazil is commonly divided into five regions: North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and South. Also, Brazil is a federation consisting of twenty-six states ([estados] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), one federal district ([Distrito Federal] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) and 5,564 Municipalities.

The North constitutes 45.27% of the surface of Brazil, and it is the region with the lowest number of inhabitants. With the exception of Manaus, which hosts a tax-free industrial zone, and Belém, with the biggest metropolitan area of the region, it is a fairly unindustrialized and undeveloped region. It accommodates most of the largest rainforest of the world and many indigenous tribes. The Northeast has about 30% of Brazil's population. The region is culturally diverse, with roots from the Portuguese colonial period, Afro-Brazilian culture and some Brazilian Indian influence. It is also the poorest region of Brazil, and has long periods of dry climate. It is well-known for its beautiful coast. The largest cities are Salvador, Recife and Fortaleza. The Central-West has a low demographic density compared to the other regions , mostly because of the Pantanal, the world’s largest marshlands area, and a small part of the Amazon rainforest, in the northwest. However, much of the region is covered by Cerrado, the largest savanna in the world. It is also a very important area for agriculture in the country. The largest cities of this region are: Brasília (the capital), Goiânia, Campo Grande and Cuiabá.

The Southeast is the richest and most densely populated region. It has more inhabitants than any other South American country, and hosts one of the largest megalopolis of the world, whereof the main cities are the country's two biggest ones; São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The region is very diverse, including the major business centre of São Paulo, the historical cities of Minas Gerais and its capital Belo Horizonte, the third-largest metropolitan area in Brazil, the world famous beaches of Rio de Janeiro, and the acclaimed coast of Espírito Santo. The South is the wealthiest region by GDP per capita It is also the coldest region of Brazil, with occasional occurrences of frosts and snow in some of the higher altitude regions. The region has been heavily settled by European immigrants, mainly of Italian, German, Portuguese and Slavic ancestry, and shows clear influences from these cultures. The largest cities of this region are: Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, Londrina, Caxias do Sul and Joinville.

Geography and climate

Main articles: Geography of Brazil and Climate of Brazil

The Iguazu Falls.

Brazil is characterized by the extensive low-lying Amazon Rainforest in the north and a more open terrain of hills and low mountains to the south — home to most of the Brazilian population and its agricultural base. Along the Atlantic coast there are several mountain ranges, at the top altitude of roughly 2,900 meters (9,500 ft). The highest peak is the 3,014 meter (9,735 ft) Pico da Neblina (Misty Peak) in Guiana's highlands. Major rivers include the Amazon, the largest river in the world in flowing water volume, and the second-longest in the world; the Paraná and its major tributary, the Iguaçu River, where the Iguaçu Falls are located; the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and the Tapajós rivers.

A number of islands in the Atlantic Ocean are part of Brazil: Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Rocas Atoll, Fernando de Noronha and Trindade and Martim Vaz.

Located mainly within the tropics, Brazil's climate has little seasonal variation. Southern Brazil, however, has a subtropical temperate weather, occasionally experiencing frost and snow in the higher regions. Precipitation is abundant in the humid Amazon Basin, but more arid landscapes are found as well, particularly in the northeast.

The Amazon Rainforest.

Although 90% of the country is within the tropical zone, the climate of Brazil varies considerably from the mostly tropical North (the equator traverses the mouth of the Amazon) to temperate zones below the Tropic of Capricorn (23°27' S latitude), which crosses the country at the latitude of the city of São Paulo. Brazil has five climatic regions: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, and subtropical.

Temperatures along the equator are high, averaging above 25 °C, reaching the summer extremes of up to 40 °C in the temperate zones. There is little seasonal variation near the equator, although at times it can get cool enough for wearing a jacket, especially in the rain. At the country's other extreme, there are frosts south of the Tropic of Capricorn during the winter (June-August), and in some years there is snow in the mountainous areas, such as Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Temperatures in the cities of São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, and Brasília are moderate (usually between 15 °C and 30 °C), because of their elevation of approximately 1,000 meters. Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Salvador, located in the coast, have warm climates, with average temperatures ranging from 23 °C to 27 °C. The southern cities of Porto Alegre and Curitiba have a subtropical climate similar to that in parts of the United States and Europe, and temperatures can fall under zero degrees Celsius in the winter.

Precipitation levels vary widely. Most of Brazil has moderate rainfall of between 1,000 and 1,500 millimeters a year, with most of the rain falling in the summer (between December and April), south of the Equator. The Amazon region is notoriously humid, with rainfall generally more than 2,000 millimeters per year and reaching as high as 3,000 millimeters in parts of the western Amazon and near Belém. It is less widely known that, despite high annual precipitation, the Amazon rain forest has a three- to five-month dry season, the timing of which varies according to location north or south of the equator.

Environment

Main article: Environment of Brazil

The Toco Toucan is a typical animal of the Brazilian rain forests.

Brazil's large area is subdivided into different ecosystems, which together sustain some of the world's greatest biodiversity. Due to the relatively explosive economic and demographic rise of the country in the last century, Brazil's ability to protect its environmental habitats has increasingly come under threat. Extensive logging in the nation's forests, particularly the Amazon, both official and unofficial, destroys areas the size of a small country each year, and potentially a diverse variety of plants and animals. Between 2002 and 2006, an area of the Amazon Rainforest the size of South Carolina was completely decimated, for the purposes of raising cattle and woodlogging.

There is general consensus that Brazil has the highest number of both terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates of any country in the world. Also, Brazil has the highest primate diversity of any country in the world, It claims the highest number of mammals, the second highest number of amphibian and butterflies, the third highest number of bird, and fifth number of reptile. There is a high number of endangered species; many of them live in threatened habitats such as the Atlantic Forest.

Brazil's environment is under threat because of the (quick) economic and demographic rise. Extensive logging, official and unofficial, destroys forests the size of a small country per year, and with it a diverse series of species. Between 2002 and 2006, an area of the Amazon Rainforest the size of South Carolina was completely decimated, for the purposes of raising cattle and woodlogging. For 2020, it is estimated that at least 50% of the species resident in Brazil will become extinct.

Economy

Main articles: Economy of Brazil and Economic history of Brazil

Itaipu Dam, the world's largest operational hydroelectric plant.

Possessing large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, as well as a large labour pool, Brazil's GDP (PPP) outweighs that of any other Latin American country, being the core economy of Mercosul. The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is regarded as one of the group of four emerging economies called BRIC. Major export products include aircraft, coffee, automobiles, soybean, iron ore, orange juice, steel, ethanol, textiles, footwear, corned beef and electrical equipment.

According to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Brazil has the ninth largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity (PPP) and tenth largest at market exchange rates. Brazil has a diversified middle income economy with wide variations in development levels. Most large industry is agglomerated in the Southern and South East states. The Northeast is the poorest region of Brazil, but it has attracted new investments in infrastructure for the tourism sector and intensive agricultural schemes.

Brazil had pegged its currency, the real, to the U.S. dollar in 1994. However, after the East Asian financial crisis, the Russian default in 1998 and the series of adverse financial events that followed it, the Brazilian central bank has temporarily changed its monetary policy to a managed-float scheme while undergoing a currency crisis, until definitively changing the exchange regime to free-float in January 1999. Brazil received an IMF rescue package in mid-2002 in the amount of USD 30.4 billion, a record sum at that time. The IMF loan was paid off early by Brazil's central bank in 2005 (the due date was scheduled for 2006).

Bovespa, the São Paulo Stock Exchange.

Brazil has a diverse and sophisticated services industry as well. During the early 1990s, the banking sector amounted to as much as 16% of GDP, and has attracted foreign financial institutions and firms by issuing and trading Brazilian Depositary Receipts (BDRs). The São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro stock exchanges are undergoing a merger.

One of the issues the Brazilian central bank is currently dealing with is the excess of speculative short-term capital inflows to the country in the past few months, which might explain in part the recent downfall of the U.S. dollar against the real in the period. Nonetheless, foreign direct investment (FDI), related to long-term, less speculative investment in production, is estimated to be USD 193.8bn for 2007. Inflation monitoring and control currently plays a major role in Brazil's Central Bank activity in setting out short-term interest rates as a monetary policy measure. The IPCA index, measured and calculated by the IBGE on a monthly basis, is the most commonly used index for inflation, although other indices such as the IPC-Fipe and IGP-M (FGV) are also widely used.

As a core country of both G20 industrial nations and G20 developing nations, Brazil has been expanding its influence in global economic negotiations, such as the currently debated Doha Round. Barriers of Brazil's economy to high and fast growth are complex and often debated.

Demographics

Main articles: Demography of Brazil, Immigration to Brazil, Languages of Brazil, and Brazilian Portuguese

Skin color/Race (2005)
White		49.9%
Brown/Multiracial		43.2%
Black		6.3%
Asian or Amerindian		0.7%
File:Adriana lim a.jpg
Brazilian people

Brazil's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups.

Brazilians are mostly descendants of Brazil's indigenous peoples, colonial Portuguese settlers, African slaves, along with several groups of immigrants who arrived in Brazil mostly from the 1820's until the 1970's. Most of the immigrants were Italians and Portuguese, but also significant numbers of Germans, Spaniards, Japanese and Syrian-Lebanese.

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) classify the Brazilian population among five categories: white, black, pardo (brown), yellow (Asian) or Indigenous, based on skin color or race. The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census found Brazil to be made up of 93 million Whites, 80 million brown people, 11.7 million Blacks and 1.3 million Asian or Amerindian.

The ethnic composition of Brazilians is not uniform across the country. Due to its large influx of European immigrants in the 19th century, the Southern Region has a large White majority, composing 80.8% of its population. The Northeastern Region, as a result of the large numbers of African slaves working in the sugar cane engenhos, has a majority of brown and black peoples, respectively 63.1% and 7%. Northern Brazil, largely covered by the Amazon Rainforest, is 71.5% brown, due to its strong Amerindian component. Southeast and Central-Western Brazil have a more balanced ratio among different ethnic groups.

Portuguese is the only official language of Brazil . It is spoken by nearly the entire population and is virtually the only language used in schools, newspapers, radio, TV and for all business and administrative purposes. Moreover, Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity. 180 Amerindian languages are spoken. There are important German and Italian-speaking communities in the South of the country.

Cities in Brazil, except for the state of São Paulo, are usually not arranged in a single network, but rather on various export paths to seaside ports. Some geographers have called this an "archipelago" of cities , and the most important cities are on the coast or close to it. State capitals are also each the largest city in its state, except for Palmas, the new capital of the recently created state of Tocantins, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in São Paulo state (Campinas, Santos and Paraíba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley), and Santa Catarina (Itajaí Valley).

Largest urban agglomerations in Brazil 2017 Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics estimates
	Rank	Name	State	Pop.	Rank	Name	State	Pop.
São Paulo Rio de Janeiro	1	São Paulo	São Paulo	21,314,716	11	Belém	Pará	2,157,180	Belo Horizonte Recife
	2	Rio de Janeiro	Rio de Janeiro	12,389,775	12	Manaus	Amazonas	2,130,264
	3	Belo Horizonte	Minas Gerais	5,142,260	13	Campinas	São Paulo	2,105,600
	4	Recife	Pernambuco	4,021,641	14	Vitória	Espírito Santo	1,837,047
	5	Brasília	Federal District	3,986,425	15	Baixada Santista	São Paulo	1,702,343
	6	Porto Alegre	Rio Grande do Sul	3,894,232	16	São José dos Campos	São Paulo	1,572,943
	7	Salvador	Bahia	3,863,154	17	São Luís	Maranhão	1,421,569
	8	Fortaleza	Ceará	3,594,924	18	Natal	Rio Grande do Norte	1,349,743
	9	Curitiba	Paraná	3,387,985	19	Maceió	Alagoas	1,231,965
	10	Goiânia	Goiás	2,347,557	20	João Pessoa	Paraíba	1,168,941

Education and health

Main articles: Education in Brazil and Health care in Brazil

Federal University of Paraná, in Curitiba.

The Federal Constitution of 1988 and the 1996 General Law of Education in Brazil (LDB) attributed to the Federal Government, states, Federal District and municipalities the responsibility of managing the Brazilian educational system, considering three educational public systems as a basis for collaboration between these federal systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as mechanisms and sources for financial resources. The new Constitution reserves 25% of state and municipal taxes and 18% of federal taxes for education. In 2003, the literacy rate was at 88 percent of the population, and the youth literacy rate (ages 15–19) was 93.2 percent. However, Brazilian annalists tend to approach these favorable numbers with suspicion, considering the generally poor levels of performance displayed by students, especially in the public school network.

According to Brazilian Government, the most serious health problems are Childhood mortality, Motherhood mortality, Mortality by non-transmissible illness and Mortality caused by external causes (transportation, violence and suicide).

Social issues

Main article: Social issues in Brazil

In Salvador, Bahia, the Bonfim favela is testimony to high economic inequality within Brazil.

According to Fundação Getúlio Vargas, in June 2006 the rate of poverty based on labour income was of 18.57% of the population — a 19.8% reduction during the previous four years. The rate of poverty is in part attributed to the country's economic inequality. Brazil ranks among the world's highest nations in the Gini coefficient index of inequality assessment. Poverty in Brazil is most visually represented by the various favelas, slums in the country's metropolitan areas and remote upcountry regions that suffer with economic underdevelopment and below-par standards of living. There are also great differences in wealth and welfare between regions.

While the Northeast region has the worst economic indicators nationwide due to low comprehensiveness and quality of public services, seasonal drought in rural areas, and widespread corruption, many cities in the South and Southeast enjoy First World socioeconomic standards. In 2005, Brazil had more than 15 million (10.2%) people that were considered to be illiterate. Also, the impact of social problems varies widely according to each social class. The rich and middle classes normally avoid most issues and enjoy a similar lifestyle to that of first world countries, clustering in high standard neighborhoods and guaranteeing quality in services through privately owned hospitals, schools and companies. Some social and political issues that plague other countries are either mild or practically non-existent problems in Brazil, such as racism, religious intolerance, separatist movements, internal unrests, or terrorism.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Brazil

Brazilian Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian culture is a Latin American culture of a very diverse nature. Its chief early influence was Portuguese culture, due to strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire that spread the Portuguese language, legal system and other cultural inheritances. Other important influences came from other parts of Europe, the Native South American people (such as the Tupi), Africa and Asia creating a diverse multicultural and multiethnic society.

Brazilian Carnival (Portuguese: Carnaval) is an annual celebration held 40 days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent. During Lent, Roman Catholics, which constitute the majority in Brazil, are to abstain from bodily pleasures. Brazilian Carnival as a whole exhibits some differences with its counterparts in Europe and other parts of the world, and within Brazil it has distinct regional manifestations. Other regional festivals include the Boi Bumbá and Festa Junina (June Festivals).

In the 1950's, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes, Baden Powell de Aquino, and João Gilberto popularized the Bossa Nova style, which was followed by Música Popular Brasileira (literally "Brazilian Popular Music," often abbreviated to MPB). Elis Regina, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque and Nara Leão are artists with an important role in shaping the MPB style. In the late 1960s, the tropicalismo was popularized by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Brazil

Christ the Redeemer, in Corcovado mountain. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

According to the IBGE census: 74% are Roman Catholics (about 139 million); 15.4% are Protestants (about 28 million); 7.4% consider themselves agnostics, atheists or without a religion (about 12 million); 1.3% are followers of Spiritism (about 2.2 million); 0.3% are followers of African traditional religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda; 1.7% are members of other religions. Some of these are Jehovah's Witnesses (1,100,000), Latter-day Saints (600,000), Buddhism (215,000), Judaism (150,000), and Islam (27,000) and some practice a mixture of different religions, such as Catholicism, Candomblé, and indigenous American religions. Brazil has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world. Followers of Protestantism are rising in number.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Brazil

The Maracanã Stadium at the Brazilian Championship.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazilian national football team (Seleção) has been victorious in the World Cup tournament a record five times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. As of July, 2007, it is ranked the best in the world by FIFA. Basketball, volleyball, auto racing, and martial arts also attract large audiences. Though not as regularly followed or practiced as the previously mentioned sports, tennis, team handball, swimming, and gymnastics have found a growing number of enthusiasts over the last decades. Brazil has also had significant success with auto racing, particularly Formula 1 racing, with noted drivers such as Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet.

Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil. Beach soccer, futsal (official version of indoor soccer) and footvolley emerged in the country as variations of soccer. In martial arts, it is attributed to Brazilians the invention of Capoeira, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Vale Tudo.

Brazil has undertaken the organization of large-scale sporting events: the country organized and hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup and is organizing a bid to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup event. São Paulo organized the IV Pan American Games in 1963 and Rio de Janeiro hosted the XV Pan American Games in 2007. Brazil also tries for the fourth time to host the Summer Olympics with Rio de Janeiro in 2016 . The country already tried with Brasília in 2000, Rio de Janeiro in 2004 and Rio de Janeiro in 2012.

Science and technology

Main article: Science and technology in Brazil

File:Img destaque legacy600.jpg

An Embraer Legacy 600 business jet, produced in Brazil.

Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities and research institutes.. Despite governmental regulations and incentives, investment in research and development has been growing in private universities and companies as well since the 1990s. Nonetheless, more than 90% of funding for basic research still comes from governmental sources.

Some of Brazil's most important technological hubs are located in São José dos Campos, Campinas, São Carlos, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife and São Paulo, and institutes include the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica and the Brazilian Enterprise of Agropecuary Research.

Brazilian information technology is comparable in quality and positioning to those of India and China, but because Brazil possesses a larger internal market, software exports are very limited. Catering for the internal market, Brazilian IT is particularly efficient in providing solutions to financial services, defense, CRM, eGovernment, and healthcare. The Brazilian government as an institution has plans to switch its operating systems, replacing the current proprietary software scheme for the free software scheme.

The Brazilian Space Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira) is the civilian authority in Brazil that is in charge of the country's burgeoning space program. It operates a rocket launch site at Alcântara, Maranhão.

References

Further reading

1. "Background Note: Brazil". US Department of State.
2. "The World Factbook: Brazil". Central Intelligence Agency.
3. Wagley, Charles (1963). An Introduction to Brazil. New York, New York: Columbia University Press.
4. The World Almanac and Book of Facts: Brazil. New York, NY: World Almanac Books. 2006.
5. Costa, João Cruz (1964). A History of Ideas in Brazil. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
6. Fausto, Boris (1999). A Concise History of Brazil. Cambridge: CUP.
7. Furtado, Celso. The Economic Growth of Brazil: A Survey from Colonial to Modern Times. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
8. Leal, Victor Nunes (1977). Coronelismo: The Municipality and Representative Government in Brazil. Cambridge: CUP.
9. Prado Júnior, Caio (1967). The Colonial Background of Modern Brazil. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
10. Schneider, Ronald (1995). Brazil: Culture and Politics in a New Economic Powerhouse. Boulder Westview.
11. Bethell, Leslie (1991). Colonial Brazil. Cambridge: CUP.
12. Alves, Maria Helena Moreira (1985). State and Opposition in Military Brazil. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
13. Amann, Edmund (1990). The Illusion of Stability: The Brazilian Economy under Cardoso. World Development (pp. 1805-1819).
14. Martinez-Lara, Javier (1995). Building Democracy in Brazil: The Politics of Constitutional Change. Macmillan.
15. Costa, João Cruz (1964). A History of Ideas in Brazil. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
16. Skidmore, Thomas E. (1974). Black Into White: Race and Nationality in Brazilian Thought. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
17. Malathronas, John (2003). Brazil: Life, Blood, Soul. Chichester: Summersdale.

External links

Government and administration

• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon Brasil.gov.br — Brazilian Federal Government web portal
• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon The President of Brazil official website
• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon House of Representatives website
• Template:Pt icon Senate website
• Template:Pt icon AEB - Brazilian Space Agency website

Information and statistics

• Template:En icon Congressional Research Service (CRS) - Reports regarding Brazil
• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica
• Template:Pt icon IPEA - Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada
• Template:En icon Library of Congress — A Country Study: Brazil
• Template:En icon Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Brazil"
• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon BNDES - Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social
• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon Brazilian National Library
• Template:En icon "Brazil". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.

Economy and business

• Template:En icon Bacen Central Bank of Brazil
• Template:En icon Bovespa - São Paulo Stock Exchange website
• Template:En icon International Finance Corporation's "Doing Business in Brazil 2007" report
• Template:En icon Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon Britcham in Brazil
• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain

News and opinion

• Template:En icon The Council on Hemispheric Affairs An independent source of news and opinion on Latin America.
• Template:En icon Brazil Political Comment
• Template:En icon Latin Lawyer A guide to Latin America's leading business law firms.
• Template:En icon Biodiversity Hotspots - Brazil, a biodiversity hotspot
• Template:En icon UK House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee, "Trade with Brazil and Mercosur", retrieved 15 June 2007.
• Template:En icon UK House of Commons' Minutes of evidence taken before Trade and Industry Committee
• Template:En icon Center for Economic and Policy Research, "Brazil’s Presidential Election: Background on Economic Issues", retrieved 10 June 2007.
• Template:En icon European Commission, Brazil: Country Strategy Paper 2007-2013

Sports

• Template:En icon All about Brazilian Football - Football+Brazil

Tourism

• Template:En icon Official Brazilian Tourism Webpage
• Template:En icon Accommodation in Brazil — Guide courtesy of the Brazilian embassy in London, UK
• Template:En icon About Brazil Photography, History, Geography, Culture, Facts
• Template:En icon Morro de Sao Paulo A site about islands and beaches of Brazil
• Template:En icon Satellite images of Brazil's main cities
• Template:En icon Brazil Brasil.com General information on Brazil for foreign visitors.
• Template:Wikitravel

Communities

• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon Brazilian Community Council of Australia (BraCCA)
• Template:En icon Template:Pt icon Florida Brasil (Brazilian Community in Florida)

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