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Categories: Brazil | South American countries

Brazil

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This article is about Brazil, the country. For other article subjects named Brazil see Brazil (disambiguation).

The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America. Spanning a vast area between the Andes and the Atlantic Ocean, it borders Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Named after brazilwood, a local tree, Brazil is home to both extensive agricultural lands and rain forests.

República Federativa do Brasil


(In Detail)	(Full size)

National motto: Ordem e Progresso
(Portuguese, Order and Progress)

Official Language

Portuguese

Minority Languages

Indigenous and Immigrant Languages, please see below

Capital

Brasília

Largest City

São Paulo

President

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Area
- Total
- % water

Ranked 5th
8,511,965 km²
0.65%

Population
- Total (2003)
- Density

Ranked 5th
182,032,604
22/km²

Independence
- Declared:
- Recognised:

From Portugal
September 7, 1822
August 29, 1825

GDP (base PPP)
- Total (2002)
- GDP/head

Ranked 10th(countries)
Ranked 7th(economies)
$1.376 trillion
$7,800 (2002)

Currency

Real

Time zone

UTC -2 to -5

National anthem

Hino Nacional Brasileiro

Internet TLD

.BR

Calling Code

Contents

1 History

2 Politics

3 States

4 Geography

5 Economy

6 Demographics

6.1 Ethnic groups
6.2 Religion
6.3 Language

7 Culture

8 Sports

9 Miscellaneous topics

10 External links

History

Main article: History of Brazil

Brazil had been inhabited for at least 6,000 years by semi-nomadic populations when the first Portuguese explorers, Led by Pedro Álvares Cabral disembarked on 1500. Over the next three centuries it was re-settled by Portuguese and exploited mainly for brazilwood at first, and later for sugarcane agriculture. Work on the colony was based on slavery. In 1808 King João VI of Portugal, fleeing from Napoleon, relocated to Brazil with the royal family , nobles and government. Though they returned in 1821, the interlude led to the opening of commercial Ports to England - at the time isolated from most European ports by Napoleon - and the "elevation" of Brazil to the status of a United Kingdom to Portugal's Crown. In 1822 the then prince-regent Dom Pedro I, declared independence on September 7, 1822, establishing the independent Empire of Brazil. This lasted until the next emperor, Dom Pedro II was deposed and a republican based federation was established in November 15, 1889.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Brazil attracted over 5 million European and Asian immigrants. That period also saw Brazil industrialise and further expand into its interior. Brazilian democracy was replaced by dictatorship three times — 1930–1934 and 1937–1945 under Getulio Vargas, and 1964–1985 under a succession of generals appointed by the military.

Brazil faces a deep economic and social crisis due to its huge national debt, which consumes a disproportionate fraction of its GNP and is preventing much-needed investment and economic growth. However, due to a increase in exports the economy of Brazil are growing above expected in 2004 and the overall feeling is optimistic for the year 2005.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Brazil

The 1988 constitution grants broad powers to the federal government, of which the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms. The president has extensive executive powers and is both head of state and head of government and he also appoints the cabinet.

The Brazilian legislature, the bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional, consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal of 81 seats, of which three members from each state or federal district are 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. Beside the Senate there is the Chamber of Deputies or Câmara dos Deputados of 513 seats, whose members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms.

States

Main article: States of Brazil

Brazil consists of 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district (distrito federal):

Geography

Main article: Geography of Brazil

Brazil is characterised 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 Brazil's population and its agricultural base. Along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean are also found several mountain ranges, amongst which the highest peak is the Pico da Neblina at 3,014 m. Major rivers include the Amazon, the largest river in the world by volume, the Paraná with its impressive Iguaçu falls, the Rio Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and the Tapajós rivers.

Situated along the equator, Brazil's climate is predominantly tropical, with little seasonal variation, though the subtropical south is more temperate and can occasionally experience frost and snow. Precipitation is abundant in the humid Amazon Basin, though more arid landscapes are found as well, in particular in the northeast.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Brazil

Possessing large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, as well as a large labour pool, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. Major export products include coffee, soybeans, iron ore, orange juice and steel. After crafting a fiscal adjustment program and pledging progress on structural reform, Brazil received a USD 41.5 billion IMF-led international support program in November 1998. In January 1999, the Brazilian Central Bank announced that the Real would no longer be pegged to the US dollar. This devaluation helped moderate the downturn in economic growth in 1999 that investors had expressed concerns about over the summer of 1998, and the country posted moderate GDP growth.

Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001 - to less than 2% - because of a slowdown in major markets and the hiking of interest rates by the Central Bank to combat inflationary pressures. Investor confidence was strong at yearend 2001, in part because of the strong recovery in the trade balance. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem.

After Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came to power in 2003, the government has changed economic policies. The economy is growing again, and is expected to do so for the forseeable future.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Brazil

Ethnic groups

The only clearly separated minority ethnic groups in Brazil are the various non-assimilated indigenous tribes, comprising less than 1% of the population, who live in officially delimited reservations and either avoid contact with "civilized" people, or have assimilated mainstream Brazilian culture to some extent but still constitute separate social and political communities. The rest of the population can be considered a single "Brazilian" ethnic group, with highly varied racial types and backgrounds, some broad regional trends, but without clear ethnic sub-divisions.

Most of the population descends from early European settlers (chiefly Portuguese, but also some French and Dutch), African slaves (Yoruba, Ewe, Bantu, and others), and assimilated indigenous peoples (mostly Tupi and Guarani, but also of many other ethnic groups). Trans-ethnic marriages and concubinates have been common and fairly well accepted ever since the first Portuguese settlers arrived.

Starting in the late 19th century Brazil received substantial immigration from several other countries, mainly Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Lebanon, Japan, China and Korea. The Japanese are the largest Asian group in Brazil, but some Chinese and Koreans also settled Brazil. Most Chinese came from mainland China, but others came from Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and also from Portuguese-speaking Macau. (These Chinese from Macao could speak and understand Portuguese, and it was not hard for them to adjust to Brazilian life.) Those immigrant populations and their descendants still retain some of their original ethnic identity, however they are not closed communities and are rapidly integrating into mainstream Brazilian society: for instance, very few of the third generation can understand their grandparents' languages.

Religion

About 74% of all Brazilians claims to be member of the Roman Catholic Church; most of the remaining 26% adhere to various Protestant faiths, Kardecism, Candomblé, Umbanda, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.

According to IBGE 2000 Census, these are the biggest religious denominations in Brazil (only listed those with more than a half million members):

Roman Catholic Church: 124,980,132

Its Charismatic Renewal branch is fast growing; the Progressive Branch (Liberation Theology) and the Conservative branch are in decline. Only 15% of its membership attends the church regularly.

Assembly of God (Assembléia de Deus): 8,418,140

General Convention of the Assembly of God: 3.6 Millions. Affiliated with the American Assemblies of God, Springfield, MO

National Convention of the Assembly of God: 2.5 Millions. A.k.a Madureira Assemblies of God

Other independent Assemblies of God: 1,9 Millions, such Bethesda Assemblies of God

Baptist:3,162,691

Brazilian Baptist Convention: 1,2 Millions adherents.

National Baptist Convention: 1 Million. Charismatics Baptists

Independent Baptist Convention: 400,000. Scandinavian Baptists

Other Baptists: 400,000

Christian Congregation in Brazil: 2,6 Millions. Italian-Brazilian Pentecostals

Spiritist: 2,262,401

These includes Kardec Spiritualist; Afro-Brazilian Sincretists, New Age, etc.

Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus): 2 Millons. Neo-Pentecostal Movement.

Foursquare Gospel Church: 1,318,805. Classic Pentocostals in US, but second-wave pentecostals in Brazil.

Adventists: 1,2 Million

Seventh Day Adventist Church: 900,000

Promise Adventist Church: 150,000. Indigenous Pentecostal Adventists.

Reform Seventh Day Adventist Church: 50,000

Other Adventists: 100,000

Lutherans: 1 Million

Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confission

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil

Other Lutherans

Calvinists: 1 Million

Presbyterian Church of Brazil: 450,000

Independent Presbyterian Church: 300,00

Congregationalists: 100,000

Other Calvinists:150,000

Jehovah's Witness: 1 Million

God is Love Pentecostal Church: 700,000. Divine Healing movement.

Independent Catholics: 600,000

Groups like Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church and many small ones.

Language

Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, giving it a distinct national culture separate from its Spanish-speaking neighbors.

Portuguese is the only language with full official status in Brazil; it is virtually the only language used in schools, newspapers, radio and TV, and for all business and administrative purposes. However many of the indigenous peoples still speak their native languages. These include Mbyá-Guaraní (or simply Guaraní ), Kaingang , Nadëb , Carajá , Caribe , Tucano , Arára , Terêna , Borôro , Apalaí , Canela , Língua Geral (which is now almost extinct but at one time it was the common language used by indigenous and African and African descendent captives throughout the coast of Brazil), and many others. Some of those languages have recently obtained local co-official status — e.g. Nheengatu , Tukano , and Baniwa in São Gabriel da Cachoeira , Amazonas (2003).

Other languages such as German, Italian, Polish and Japanese are still spoken by 19th and 20th century immigrants and their descendants; however they are rapidly being replaced by Portuguese as those communities are integrating into Brazilian society. Some immigrant communities in southern Brazil, chiefly German and Italians ones, have lasted long enough to develop distinctive languages — for example Hunsrückisch and Pommersch. A Japanese-language newspaper, the São Paulo Shinbun , is still published in São Paulo. The English-language daily Brazil Herald is directed mostly to tourists and foreign executives.

Portuguese is the first language of almost 99% of the population.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Brazil

Sports

Main Article: Sports in Brazil

Miscellaneous topics

Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

External links

Brasil.gov.br - Official governmental portal (in Portuguese)
Presidência - Official presidential site (in Portuguese)
Câmara dos Deputados - Official Chamber of Deputies site (in Portuguese)
Senado Federal - Official senatorial site (in Portuguese)
Presidência da República - Official presidential site about all federal legislation for your consult (in Portuguese)
IBGE - Maps and statistics about Brazil (in English)
Virtual Brazil - Information about Brazilian culture, economy and tourism (in English)
Fortaleza City - Ceará and Fortaleza tourism information (in Portuguese)
Mapa Fácil ("Easy Map")- Online maps of more than 5000 Brazilian cities (in Portuguese)
Ethnologue Languages of the World - Languages of Brazil

Countries in South America
Argentina \| Bolivia \| Brazil \| Chile \| Colombia \| Ecuador \| Guyana \| Paraguay \| Peru \| Suriname \| Uruguay \| Venezuela
Dependencies: Falkland Islands \| French Guiana

Southern Common Market (Mercosur)
Argentina \| Brazil \| Paraguay \| Uruguay
Associate members
Bolivia \| Chile \| Colombia \| Ecuador \| Mexico \| Venezuela

Organization of American States (OAS)

Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
Angola \| Brazil \| Cape Verde \| East Timor \| Guinea-Bissau \| Mozambique \| Portugal \| São Tomé and Príncipe

	Portuguese former colonies
Angola \| Brazil \| Cape Verde \| East Timor \| Portuguese Guinea \| Portuguese India \| Macao \| Mozambique \| São Tomé and Príncipe