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.
Location
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Geographic coordinates
10 00 S, 55 00 W
Map references
South America
Area
total
8,511,965 sq km
land
8,456,510 sq km
water
55,455 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
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries
total
16,885 km
border countries
Argentina 1,261 km, Bolivia 3,423 km, Colombia 1,644 km, French Guiana 730.4 km, Guyana 1,606 km, Paraguay 1,365 km, Peru 2,995 km, Suriname 593 km, Uruguay 1,068 km, Venezuela 2,200 km
Coastline
7,491 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
contiguous zone
24 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
continental shelf
200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Climate
mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
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
largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
Population
190,010,647
note: Brazil conducted a census 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 2007 est.)
white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2000 census)
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% (2000 census)
Languages
Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
88.6%
male
88.4%
female
88.8% (2004 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form
Brazil
local long form
Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form
Brasil
Government type
federal republic
Capital
name
Brasilia
geographic coordinates
15 47 S, 47 55 W
time difference
UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in February
note
Brazil is divided into four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands
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
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)
election results
Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (PT) reelected president - 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17%
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 and two-thirds elected every four years, alternately) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held in October 2010 for two-thirds of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PDT 1, PSB 1, PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; total seats following election - PFL 18, PMDB 15, PSDB 15, PT 11, PDT 5, PTB 4, PSB 3, PL 3, PCdoB 2, PRB 2, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB 65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13, PSC 9, other 17
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 parties and leaders
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy FIDELIX da Cruz]; Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Tasso JEREISSATI]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Governor Eduardo Henrique Accioly CAMPOS]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; Freedom and Socialism Party or PSOL [Heloisa HELENA]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS; Liberal Front Party or PFL (now known as the Democrats Party or DEM); Liberal Party or PL; Partido Municipalista Renovador or PMR [Natal Wellington Rodrigues FURUCHO]; Party of the Republic or PR [Sergio TAMER]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Federal Deputy Roberto FREIRE]; Progressive Party or PP [Federal Deputy Pedro CORREA]; Social Christian Party or PSC; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose Ribeiro BERZOINI]
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
3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 238-2700
FAX
[1] (202) 238-2827
consulate(s) general
Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL
embassy
Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia
mailing address
Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
telephone
[55] (61) 3312-7000
FAX
[55] (61) 3225-9136
consulate(s) general
Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
consulate(s)
Recife
Flag description
green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)
Economy - overview
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. From 2001-03 real wages fell and Brazil's economy grew, on average only 2.2% 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. Since 2004, Brazil has enjoyed continued growth that yielded increases in employment and real wages. The three pillars of the economic program are a floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and tight fiscal policy, initially reinforced by a series of IMF programs. The currency depreciated sharply in 2001 and 2002, which contributed to a dramatic current account adjustment; from 2003 to 2006, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains - particularly in agriculture - also contributed to the surge in exports. 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 - before falling as a percentage of GDP beginning in 2003. 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 public investment. A major challenge will be to maintain sufficient growth to generate employment and reduce the government debt burden.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.655 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$967 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$8,800 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
8%
industry
38%
services
54% (2006 est.)
Labor force
96.34 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
20%
industry
14%
services
66% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate
9.6% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
31% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
0.7%
highest 10%
31.27% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
56.7 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
20.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$244 billion
expenditures
$219.9 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY07 est.)
textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment
Industrial production growth rate
3.2% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
546 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
8.3%
hydro
82.7%
nuclear
4.4%
other
4.6% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
415.9 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports
7 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
39 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2005)
Oil - production
1.59 million bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - consumption
2.1 million bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports
278,400 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports
379,400 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves
12.22 billion bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production
9.66 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
17.28 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
8.07 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
306 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Current account balance
$13.5 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$137.5 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos
Exports - partners
US 17.9%, Argentina 8.6%, China 8.2%, Germany 4.1% (2006)
Imports
$91.4 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, electronics
Imports - partners
US 20.4%, Argentina 8.2%, China 7.8%, Germany 7.5% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$87.27 billion (January 2007 est.)
Debt - external
$176.5 billion (30 November 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$30 billion (2002)
Currency (code)
real (BRL)
Currency code
BRL
Exchange rates
reals per US dollar - 2.1761 (2006), 2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003), 2.9208 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
42.382 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular
86.21 million (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
good working system
domestic
extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations
international
country code - 55; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999)
Radios
71 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
138 (1997)
Televisions
36.5 million (1997)
Internet country code
.br
Internet hosts
6.508 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
50 (2000)
Internet users
25.9 million (2005)
Airports
4,276 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
714
over 3,047 m
8
2,438 to 3,047 m
24
1,524 to 2,437 m
164
914 to 1,523 m
464
under 914 m
54 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
3,562
1,524 to 2,437 m
81
914 to 1,523 m
1,634
under 914 m
1,847 (2006)
Heliports
417 (2006)
Pipelines
condensate/gas 244 km; gas 11,669 km; liquid petroleum gas 341 km; oil 5,212 km; refined products 4,755 km (2006)
Railways
total
29,252 km
broad gauge
4,877 km 1.600-m gauge (939 km electrified)
standard gauge
194 km 1.440-m gauge
narrow gauge
23,785 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)
dual gauge
396 km 1.000 m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways
total
1,751,868 km
paved
96,353 km
unpaved
1,655,515 km (2004)
Waterways
50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2007)
Merchant marine
total
137 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,038,923 GRT/3,057,820 DWT
by type
bulk carrier 21, cargo 21, chemical tanker 8, container 8, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 47, roll on/roll off 8
foreign-owned
15 (Chile 1, Germany 7, Norway 2, Spain 4, UK 1)
registered in other countries
5 (Ghana 1, Liberia 3, Marshall Islands 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria
Military branches
Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil (MB), includes Naval Air and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB) (2007)
Military service age and obligation
21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 9 to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2001)
Manpower available for military service
males age 19-49
45,586,036
females age 19-49
45,728,704 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 19-49
33,119,098
females age 19-49
38,079,722 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
1,785,930
females age 19-49
1,731,648 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
2.6% (2006 est.)
Disputes - international
unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute with Uruguay over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada boundary streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis; trace amounts of coca cultivation in the Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for Europe; also used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area
