Brazil

     From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article is about Brazil, the country. For other article subjects named Brazil see Brazil (disambiguation). The Federative Republic of Brazil (spelled "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.

Republica Federativa do Brasil

(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto: Ordem e Progresso (Portuguese, Order and Progress)
Official language	Portuguese
Capital	Brasilia
Largest City	Sao Paulo
President	Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 5th 8,511,965 km2 0.65%
Population  - Total (2000)  - Density	Ranked 5th 174,468,575 20.5/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) 1,34 trillions $ 9,300 $
Currency	Real
Time zone	UTC -2 to -5
National anthem	Hino Nacional Brasileiro
Internet TLD	.BR
Calling Code	55

Table of contents

1 History 2 Politics 3 States 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Sports 9 Miscellaneous topics 10 External links

History

Main article: History of Brazil Brazil was first sighted by Europeans in 1500 and developed as a Portuguese commercial colony, based to a large extent on slavery. The Portuguese royal family and government fled Portugal from Napoleon in 1808 and relocated to Brazil. Though they returned in 1821, the interlude led to a growing desire for independence amongst Brazilians and in 1822 the then prince-regent Dom Pedro I established the independent Empire of Brazil. This lasted until the next emperor, Dom Pedro II was deposed in 1889 and a republican based federation was adopted.

Brazil received an influx of over 5 million immigrants in the late 19th, early 20th centuries, a period that also saw Brazil industrialise and further expand into its interior. Brazil became a dictatorship in 1937 under Getulio Vargas, returned to popular elections in 1945, but following a military coup d'etat in 1964 saw a succession of generals as president, until 1985. Brazil has since returned to a popularly elected government and is pursuing further development of its economic standing, both domestically and internationally.

See also: Discoverer of the Americas

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 parliament, 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 Camara dos Deputados of 513 seats, whose members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms.

There is some talk among monarchists in Brazil of restoring the monarchy as a symbol of national unity and political stability. A national plebiscite was held on the issue in April of 1993, but was ultimately rejected.

See also:

• Cangaco (criminal hinterland bands)
• Cafe com leite (reference to Brazil's domination by the "coffee oligarchs")
• Coronelismo (reference to machine politics)
• Integralism (influential Brazilian fascist movement in the 1930s)

States

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

• Acre
• Alagoas
• Amapa
• Amazonas
• Bahia
• Ceara
• Federal District
• 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

See also: List of cities in Brazil

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 Parana with its impressive Iguacu falls, the Rio Negro, Sao Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and the Tapajos 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.

• National parks (Brazil)
• List of Brazilian National Forests

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 Lula da Silva came to power in 2003, the government continued to run the same former president Cardoso's policies, attending to market pressures and international agencies - such as IMF and World Bank - demands. As people were expecting swift changes in the social agenda, this fact has caused a measurable electoral disappointment.

See also:

• Communications in Brazil
• Transportation in Brazil

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Brazil Four major groups make up the Brazilian population: the Portuguese, the original colonisers; Africans brought to Brazil as slaves; various other European, Middle Eastern, and Asian immigrant groups who have settled in Brazil since the mid-19th century; and indigenous people of Tupi and Guarani language stock. In Brazil's early years, a significant amount of Africans brought over as slaves populated the northern part of Brazil, where many worked on the sugar cane plantations, while the Portuguese tend to occupy southern Brazil in the industrialized part of the country. Today, there are still signs of this population trend still existing. Intermarriage between the Portuguese and indigenous people or slaves was common. Although the major European ethnic stock of Brazil was once Portuguese, subsequent waves of immigration have contributed to a diverse ethnic and cultural heritage.

Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. About 80% of all Brazilians belong to the Roman Catholic Church; most others adhere to various Protestant faiths or follow practices derived from African religions.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Brazil

• List of Brazilians
• Brazilian Literature
• Music of Brazil
• Cuisine of Brazil
• Brazil Skyscrapers
• Brazil Religions

Sports

Main Article: Sports in Brazil

• Brazilian Football League Teams

Miscellaneous topics

• Military of Brazil
• Foreign relations of Brazil

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)
• Presidencia - Official presidential site (in Portuguese)
• Camara dos Deputados - Official Chamber of Deputies site (in Portuguese)
• Senado Federal - Official senatorial site (in Portuguese)
• IBGE - Maps and statistics about Brazil (in English)
• Virtual Brazil - Information about Brazilian culture, economy and tourism (in English)
• Fortaleza City - Ceara and Fortaleza tourism information (in Portuguese)