World Facts Index > Brazil > Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo
 Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation
in 1822 and a republic in 1889. By far the largest and most populous country in South
America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the
governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to
civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and
development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it
is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal
income distribution remains a pressing problem.
Geography of Brazil
|
Location:
|
Eastern South America,
bordering the Atlantic Ocean |
|
Coordinates:
|
10 00 S, 55 00 W |
|
Area:
|
total: 8,511,965 sq
km
land: 8,456,510 sq km
note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das
Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e
Sao Paulo
water: 55,455 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly smaller than the
US |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 14,691 km
border countries: Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia
1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru
1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km |
|
Coastline:
|
7,491 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
contiguous zone: 24
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
|
Climate:
|
mostly tropical, but
temperate in south |
|
Terrain:
|
mostly flat to rolling
lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal
belt |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
bauxite, gold, iron ore,
manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum,
hydropower, timber |
|
Natural hazards:
|
recurring droughts in
northeast; floods and occasional frost in south |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
deforestation in Amazon
Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal
species indigenous to the area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife
trade; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several
other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by
improper mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills |
|
Geography - note:
|
largest country in South
America; shares common boundaries with every South American country
except Chile and Ecuador
|
More Geography
Population of Brazil
|
Population:
|
196,342,592 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 25.8% (male 24,687,656/female
23,742,998)
15-64 years: 68.1% (male 63,548,331/female 64,617,539)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 4,712,675/female 6,769,028) |
|
Median age:
|
28.2 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
1.04% |
|
Infant mortality:
|
28.6 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 71.97 years
male: 68.02 years
female: 76.12 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.91 children born/woman |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black
6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% |
|
Religions:
|
Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%,
Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% |
|
Languages:
|
Portuguese (official), Spanish, English,
French |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 86.1%
female: 86.6%
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
long form: Federative
Republic of Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil |
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Government type:
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federative republic |
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Capital:
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Brasilia |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
26 states (estados, singular - estado) and
1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara,
Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas
Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio
Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins |
|
Independence:
|
7 September 1822 (from Portugal) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 7 September (1822) |
|
Constitution:
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5 October 1988 |
|
Legal system:
|
based on Roman codes; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
|
Suffrage:
|
voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70;
compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not vote |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA
SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January
2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003);
Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular
vote for a single four-year term; election last held 1 October 2006 with runoff
29 October 2006 (next to be held 3 October 2010 and, if necessary, 31 October
2010) |
|
Legislative branch:
|
bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists
of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each state and federal
district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms;
one-third elected after a four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year
period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are
elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed for
life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional
Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed "for
life," judges, like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70 |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions and federations;
large farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical Christian churches and
the Catholic Church |
Economy
Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining,
manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all
other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets.
Having weathered 2001-03 financial turmoil, capital inflows are regaining
strength and the currency has resumed appreciating. The appreciation has
slowed export volume growth, but since 2004, Brazil's growth has yielded
increases in employment and real wages. The resilience in the economy stems
from commodity-driven current account surpluses, and sound macroeconomic
policies that have bolstered international reserves to historically high
levels, reduced public debt, and allowed a significant decline in real
interest rates. A floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and a
tight fiscal policy are the three pillars of the economic program. From 2003
to 2007, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current
account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains coupled with high commodity
prices contributed to the surge in exports. Brazil improved its debt profile
in 2006 by shifting its debt burden toward real denominated and domestically
held instruments. LULA DA SILVA restated his commitment to fiscal
responsibility by maintaining the country's primary surplus during the 2006
election. Following his second inauguration, LULA DA SILVA announced a package
of further economic reforms to reduce taxes and increase investment in
infrastructure. The government's goal of achieving strong growth while
reducing the debt burden is likely to create inflationary pressures.
|
GDP:
|
$1.849 trillion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
2.4% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$8,400 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 8.4%
industry: 40%
services: 51.6% |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 31.27% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
6.9% |
|
Labor force:
|
90.41 million |
|
Labor force by occupation:
|
agriculture: 20%
industry: 14%
services: 66% |
|
Unemployment:
|
9.8% |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $140.6 billion
expenditures: $172.4 billion |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 8.3%
hydro: 82.7%
other: 4.6%
nuclear: 4.4% |
|
Industries:
|
textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin,
steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment |
|
Agriculture:
|
coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa,
citrus; beef |
|
Exports:
|
transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans,
footwear, coffee, autos |
|
Export partners:
|
US 19.8%, China 7.5%, Argentina 7.3%, Germany 5.2%,
Netherlands 4.3% |
|
Imports:
|
machinery, electrical and transport
equipment, chemical products, oil |
|
Import partners:
|
US 19.6%, Germany 8.6%, Argentina 8.5%, China 6.2%,
Nigeria 5.6% |
|
Currency:
|
real (BRL) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
History of Brazil
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |