World Countries Info > Brazil > Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo
Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an
independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and most populous country in
South America, Brazil has overcome more than half a century of military
intervention in the governance of the country to pursue industrial and
agricultural growth and development of the interior. Exploiting vast natural
resources and a large labor pool, Brazil is today South America's leading
economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution
remains a pressing problem.
Geography of Brazil
|
Location:
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Eastern South America,
bordering the Atlantic Ocean |
|
Geographic coordinates:
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10 00 S, 55 00 W |
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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:
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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:
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bauxite, gold, iron ore,
manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum,
hydropower, timber |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 6.3%
permanent crops: 1.42%
other: 92.28% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
26,560 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
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recurring droughts in
northeast; floods and occasional frost in south |
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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 |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
|
Geography - note:
|
largest country in South
America; shares common boundaries with every South American country
except Chile and Ecuador
|
More Geography
Population of Brazil
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Population:
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184,101,109
note: Brazil took a count in August 2000, which reported a population of
169,799,170; that figure was about 3.3% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau,
and is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for
this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS;
this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex
than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 26.6% (male 24,915,902;
female 23,966,713)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 61,739,012; female 62,770,480)
65 years and over: 5.8% (male 4,389,659; female 6,319,343) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 27.4 years
male: 26.7 years
female: 28.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.11% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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17.25 births/1,000 |
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Death rate:
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6.14 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 30.66 deaths/1,000 live
births
female: 26.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 34.47 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 71.41 years
male: 67.45 years
female: 75.57 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.97 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.7% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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610,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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8,400 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
|
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian |
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Ethnic groups:
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white (includes Portuguese, German,
Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes
Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic (nominal) 80% |
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Languages:
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Portuguese (official), Spanish, English,
French |
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Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 86.1%
female: 86.6% (2003 est.)
|
Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Federative
Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local short form: Brasil
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 |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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7 September 1822 (from Portugal) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 7 September (1822) |
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Constitution:
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5 October 1988 |
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Legal system:
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based on Roman codes; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age
and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age |
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Executive branch:
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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
election results: in runoff election 27 October 2002, Luiz Inacio "Lula"
DA SILVA (PT) was elected with 61.3% of the vote; Jose SERRA (PSDB) 38.7%
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote
for four-year terms; election last held 6 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006);
runoff election held 27 October 2002
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
head of government: 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 |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral National Congress or Congresso
Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three members from
each state or 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)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
PMBD 19, PFL 19, PT 14, PSDB 11, PDT 5, PSB 4, PL 3, PTB 3, PPS 1, PSD 1, PP 1; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PT 91, PFL 84, PMDB 74, PSDB
71, PP 49, PL 26, PTB 26, PSB 22, PDT 21, PPS 15, PCdoB 12, PRONA 6, PV 5, other 11; note
- many congressmen have changed party affiliation since the election
elections: Federal Senate - last held 6 October 2002 for two-thirds of the Senate
(next to be held NA October 2006 for one-third of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last
held 6 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are
appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice;
Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB
[Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Social
Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Jose SERRA]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Miguel
ARRAES]; Brazilian Progressive Party or PP [Paulo Salim MALUF]; Communist Party of Brazil
or PCdoB [Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA]; Green Party or
PV [Jose Luiz DE FRANCA Penna]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jorge BORNHAUSEN]; Liberal
Party or PL [Deputy Valdemar COSTA Neto]; National Order Reconstruction Party or PRONA
[Dr. Eneas CARNEIRO]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Senator Roberto FREIRE]; Social
Democratic Party or PSD [leader NA]; Worker's Party or PT [Jose GENOINO] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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left wing of the Catholic Church; Landless
Worker's Movement; labor unions allied to leftist Workers' Party |
Economy
Possessing 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. From 2001-03 real wages fell and Brazil's
economy grew, on average, only 1.1% per year, as the country absorbed a series of
domestic and international economic shocks. That Brazil absorbed these shocks without
financial collapse is a tribute to the resiliency of the Brazilian economy and the
economic program put in place by former President CARDOSO and strengthened by President
Lula DA SILVA. The three pillars of the economic program are a floating exchange rate,
an inflation-targeting regime, and tight fiscal policy, which have been reinforced by a
series of IMF programs. The currency depreciated sharply in 2001 and 2002, which
contributed to a dramatic current account adjustment: in 2003, Brazil ran a record trade
surplus and recorded the first current account surplus since 1992. While economic
management has been good, there remain important economic vulnerabilities. The most
significant are debt-related: the government's largely domestic debt increased steadily
from 1994 to 2003, straining government finances, while Brazil's foreign debt (a mix of
private and public debt) is large in relation to Brazil's modest (but growing) export
base. Another challenge is maintaining economic growth over a period of time to generate
employment and make the government debt burden more manageable.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $1.379 trillion
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0.1% (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2003
est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 8.2%
industry: 37.8%
services: 53.9% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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22% (1998 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 48% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
60.7 (1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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9.3% (2003) |
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Labor force:
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79 million (1999 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 53%, agriculture 23%, industry 24% |
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Unemployment rate:
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12.2% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $100.6 billion
expenditures: $91.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) |
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Industries:
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textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber,
iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3.4% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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321.2 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 8.3%
hydro: 82.7%
other: 4.6% (2001)
nuclear: 4.4% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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335.9 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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37.19 billion kWh; note - supplied by
Paraguay (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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1.561 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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2.199 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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8.507 billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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5.95 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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9.59 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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3.64 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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221.7 billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn,
sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef |
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Exports:
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$73.28 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans,
footwear, coffee, autos |
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Exports - partners:
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US 25.8%, Netherlands 5.3%, Germany 4.2%,
China 4.2% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$48.25 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery, electrical and transport
equipment, chemical products, oil |
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Imports - partners:
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US 22.1%, Argentina 10.1%, Germany 9.3%,
Japan 5% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$223.6 billion (2003) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$30 billion IMF disbursement (2002) |
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Currency:
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real (BRL) |
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Currency code:
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BRL |
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Exchange rates:
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reals per US dollar - 3.08 (2003), 2.92
(2002), 2.36 (2001), 1.83 (2000), 1.81 (1999)
note: from October 1994 through 14 January 1999, the official rate was determined
by a managed float; since 15 January 1999, the official rate floats independently with
respect to the US dollar |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
History of Brazil
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