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Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil67 (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil, 
listen (help·info)), is the largest country in South America and the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas.8 It is the fifth largest country by geographical area and the fifth most populous country in the world.89
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi).8 It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz.8
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Ãlvares Cabral in 1500 until its independence in 1822.10 Initially independent as the Brazilian Empire, the country has been a republic since 1889, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified.10 Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federal Republic.11 The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.1112
Brazil is the world's eighth largest economy by nominal GDP13 and the ninth largest by purchasing power parity.14 Economic reforms have given the country new international recognition.15 Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, Mercosul (Mercosur) and the Union of South American Nations, and is one of the BRIC Countries. Brazil is also home to a diversity of wildlife, natural environments, and extensive natural resources in a variety of protected habitats.8
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The land now called Brazil (the origin of whose name is disputed), was claimed by Portugal in April 1500, on the arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Ãlvares Cabral.16 The Portuguese encountered stone age natives divided into several tribes, most of whom shared the same Tupi-Guarani linguistic family, and fought among themselves.17
Colonization was effectively begun in 1534, when Dom João III divided the territory into twelve hereditary captaincies,1819 but this arrangement proved problematic and in 1549 the king assigned a Governor-General to administer the entire colony.1920 The Portuguese assimilated some of the native tribes21 while others were enslaved or exterminated in long wars or by European diseases to which they had no immunity.2223 By the mid 16th century, sugar had become Brazil's most important export1724 and the Portuguese imported African slaves2526 to cope with the increasing international demand.2227
Through wars against the French, the Portuguese slowly expanded their territory to the southeast, taking Rio de Janeiro in 1567, and to the northwest, taking São LuÃs in 1615.28 They sent military expeditions to the Amazon rainforest and conquered British and Dutch strongholds,29 founding villages and forts from 1669.30 In 1680 they reached the far south and founded Sacramento on the bank of the Rio de la Plata, in the Eastern Strip region (present-day Uruguay).31
At the end of the 17th century sugar exports started to decline32 but the discovery of gold by explorers in the region that would later be called Minas Gerais (General Mines) around 1693, and in the following decades in current Mato Grosso and Goiás, saved the colony from imminent collapse.33 From all over Brazil, as well as from Portugal, thousands of immigrants came to the mines.34
The Spanish tried to prevent Portuguese expansion into the territory that belonged to them according to the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, and succeeded in conquering the Eastern Strip in 1777. However, this was in vain as the Treaty of San Ildefonso, signed in the same year, confirmed Portuguese sovereignty over all lands proceeding from its territorial expansion, thus creating most of the current Brazilian borders.35
In 1808, the Portuguese royal family, fleeing the troops of the French Emperor Napoleon I that were invading Portugal and most of Central Europe, established themselves in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which thus became the seat of the entire Portuguese Empire.36 In 1815 Dom João VI, then regent on behalf of his incapacitated mother, elevated Brazil from colony to sovereign Kingdom united with Portugal.36 In 1809 the Portuguese invaded French Guiana (which was returned to France in 1817)37 and in 1816 the Eastern Strip, subsequently renamed Cisplatina.38
King João VI returned to Europe on 26 April 1821, leaving his elder son Prince Pedro de Alcântara as regent to rule Brazil.39 The Portuguese government attempted to turn Brazil into a colony once again, thus depriving it of its achievements since 1808.40 The Brazilians refused to yield and Prince Pedro stood by them declaring the country's independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822.41 On 12 October 1822, Pedro was declared the first Emperor of Brazil and crowned Dom Pedro I on 1 December 1822.42
At that time almost all Brazilians were in favor of a monarchy and republicanism had little support.4344 The subsequent Brazilian War of Independence spread through almost the entire territory, with battles in the northern, northeastern, and southern regions.45 The last Portuguese soldiers surrendered on 8 March 182446 and independence was recognized by Portugal on 29 August 1825.47
The first Brazilian constitution was promulgated on 25 March 1824, after its acceptance by the municipal councils across the country.49505152 Pedro I abdicated on 7 April 1831 and went to Europe to reclaim his daughter’s crown, leaving behind his five year old son and heir, who was to become Dom Pedro II.53 As the new emperor could not exert his constitutional prerogatives until he reached maturity, a regency was created.54
Disputes between political factions led to rebellions and an unstable, almost anarchical, regency.55 The rebellious factions, however, were not in revolt against the monarchy,5657 even though some declared the secession of the provinces as independent republics, but only so long as Pedro II was a minor.58 Because of this, Pedro II was prematurely declared of age and "Brazil was to enjoy nearly half a century of internal peace and rapid material progress."59
Brazil won three international wars during the 58-year reign of Pedro II (the Platine War, the Uruguayan War and the War of the Triple Alliance)60 and witnessed the consolidation of representative democracy, mainly due to successive elections and unrestricted freedom of the press.61 Most importantly, slavery was extinguished after a slow but steady process that began with the end of the international traffic in slaves in 185062 and ended with the complete abolition of slavery in 1888.63 The slave population had been in decline since Brazil's independence: in 1823, 29% of the Brazilian population were slaves but by 1887 this had fallen to 5%.64
When the monarchy was overthrown on 15 November 188965 there was little desire in Brazil to change the form of government66 and Pedro II was at the height of his popularity among his subjects.6768 However, he "bore prime, perhaps sole, responsibility for his own overthrow."69 After the death of his two sons, Pedro believed that "the imperial regime was destined to end with him."70 He cared little for the regime's fate7172 and so neither did anything, nor allowed anyone else to do anything, to prevent the military coup, backed by former slave owners who resented the abolition of slavery.737475
The "early republican government was little more than a military dictatorship. The army dominated affairs both at Rio de Janeiro and in the states. Freedom of the press disappeared and elections were controlled by those in power".65 In 1894 the republican civilians rose to power, opening a "prolonged cycle of civil war, financial disaster, and government incompetence."76 By 1902, the government began a return to the policies pursued during the Empire, policies that promised peace and order at home and a restoration of Brazil's prestige abroad.76 and was successful in negotiating several treaties that expanded (with the purchase of Acre) and secured the Brazilian boundaries.77
In the 1920s the country was plagued by several rebellions caused by young military officers.7879 By 1930, the regime was weakened and demoralized, which allowed the defeated presidential candidate Getúlio Vargas to lead a coup d'état and assume the presidency.80 Vargas was supposed to assume the presidency temporarily but instead, he closed the National Congress, extinguished the Constitution, ruled with emergency powers and replaced the states' governors with his supporters.8182
In 1935 Communists rebelled across the country and made an unsuccessful bid for power.83 The communist threat, however, served as an excuse for Vargas to launch another coup d'état in 1937 and Brazil became a full dictatorship.8485 The repression of the opposition was brutal with more than 20,000 people imprisoned, internment camps created for political prisoners in distant regions of the country, widespread torture by the government agents of repression, and censorship of the press,8687
Brazil remained neutral during the early years of World War II until the government declared war against the Axis powers in 1942.88 Vargas then forced German, Japanese and Italian immigrants into concentration camps,89 and, in 1944, sent troops to the battlefields in Italy.9091 With the allied victory in 1945 and the end of the Nazi-fascist regimes in Europe, Vargas's position became unsustainable and he was swiftly overthrown in a military coup.92 Democracy was reinstated and General Eurico Gaspar Dutra was elected president and took office in 1946.93 Vargas returned to power in 1951, this time democratically elected, but he was incapable of either governing under a democracy or of dealing with an active opposition, and he committed suicide in 1954.9495
Several brief interim governments succeeded after Vargas's suicide.96 Juscelino Kubitscheck became president in 1956 and assumed a conciliatory posture towards the political opposition that allowed him to govern without major crises.97 The economy and industrial sector grew remarkably,98 but his greatest achievement was the construction of the new capital city of BrasÃlia, inaugurated in 1960.99 His successor was Jânio Quadros, who resigned in 1961 less than a year after taking office.100 His vice-president, João Goulart, assumed the presidency, but aroused strong political opposition101 and was deposed in April 1964 by a coup that resulted in a military regime.102
The new regime was intended to be transitory103 but it gradually closed in on itself and became a full dictatorship with the promulgation of the Fifth Institutional Act in 1968.104 The repression of the dictatorship's opponents, including urban guerrillas,105 was harsh, but not as brutal as in other Latin American countries.106 Due to the extraordinary economic growth, known as an "economic miracle", the regime reached its highest level of popularity in the years of repression.107
General Ernesto Geisel became president in 1974 and began his project of re-democratization through a process that he said would be "slow, gradual and safe."108109 Geisel ended the military indiscipline that had plagued the country since 1889,110 as well as the torture of political prisoners, censorship of the press,111 and finally, the dictatorship itself, after he extinguished the Fifth Institutional Act.104 However, the military regime continued, under his chosen successor General João Figueiredo, to complete the transition to full democracy.112
The civilians fully returned to power in 1985 when José Sarney assumed the presidency113 but, by the end of his term, he had become extremely unpopular due to the uncontrollable economic crisis and unusually high inflation.114 Sarney's unsuccessful government allowed the election in 1989 of the almost unknown Fernando Collor, who was subsequently impeached by the National Congress in 1992.115 Collor was succeeded by his Vice-President Itamar Franco, who appointed Fernando Henrique Cardoso as Minister of Finance.
Cardoso produced a highly successful Plano Real (Royal Plan)116 that granted stability to the Brazilian economy117 and he was elected as president in 1994 and again in 1998.118 The peaceful transition of power to LuÃs Inácio Lula da Silva, who was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, proved that Brazil had finally succeeded in achieving its long-sought political stability.119
The Brazilian Federation is the "indissoluble union" of three distinct political entities: the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District.11 The Union, the states and the Federal District, and the municipalities, are the "spheres of government". The Federation is set on five fundamental principles:11 sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of human beings, the social values of labour and freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism. The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial under the checks and balances system), is formally established by the Constitution.11 The executive and legislative are organized independently in all three spheres of government, while the judiciary is organized only at the federal and state/Federal District spheres.
All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected.120121122 Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams.120 Voting is compulsory for the literate between 18 and 70 years old and optional for illiterates and those between 16 and 18 or beyond 70.11 Together with several smaller parties, four political parties stand out: Workers' Party (PT), Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), and Democrats (DEM). Almost all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated to the Executive.
The form of government is that of a democratic republic, with a presidential system.11 The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term,11 with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. The current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who was elected on October 27, 2002,123 and re-elected on October 29, 2006.124 The President appoints the Ministers of State, who assist in government.11 Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of law in Brazil. The National Congress is the Federation's bicameral legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively.
Fifteen political parties are represented in Congress. It is common for politicians to switch parties, and thus the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly. The largest political parties are the Workers' Party (PT), Democrats (DEM), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB-center), Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), Progressive Party (PP), Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Liberal Party (PL), Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Democratic Labor Party (PDT), and the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB).125
Brazilian law is based on Roman-Germanic traditions126 and civil law concepts prevail over common law practice. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are seldom binding on other specific cases. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases.
The legal system is based on the Federal Constitution, which was promulgated on 5 October 1988, and is the fundamental law of Brazil. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules.127 As of April 2007, there have been 53 amendments. States have their own constitutions, which must not contradict the Federal Constitution.128 Municipalities and the Federal District have "organic laws" (leis orgânicas) which act in a similar way to constitutions.11129 Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary and executive bodies may enact legal norms.11 Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare situations the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments.11 There are also specialized military, labor, and electoral courts.11 The highest court is the Supreme Federal Tribunal.
This system has been criticised over the last few decades for the slow pace at which final decisions are issued. Lawsuits on appeal may take several years to resolve, and in some cases more than a decade elapses before definitive rulings are made.130 Nevertheless, the Supreme Federal Tribunal was the first court in the world to transmit its sessions on television, and also via Youtube.131132 More recently, in December 2009, the Supreme Court adopted Twitter to display items on the day planner of the ministers, to inform the daily actions of the Court and the most important decisions made by them.133
Brazil is a political and economic leader in Latin America,134135 however, social and economic problems prevent it from becoming an effective global power.136 Between World War II and 1990, both democratic and military governments sought to expand Brazil's influence in the world by pursuing a state-led industrial policy and an independent foreign policy. More recently, the country has aimed to strengthen ties with other South American countries, and engage in multilateral diplomacy through the United Nations and the Organization of American States.137
Brazil's current foreign policy is based on the country's position as: a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power.138 In general, current Brazilian foreign policy reflects multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and nonintervention in the affairs of other countries.139 The Brazilian Constitution also determines that the country shall seek the economic, political, social and cultural integration of the nations of Latin America.11140141142
The armed forces of Brazil consist of the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Navy, and the Brazilian Air Force. With a total of 371,199 active personnel,143 they comprise largest armed force in Latin America.citation needed The Army is responsible for land-based military operations and has 235,978 active personnel.144 The Military Police (States' Military Police) is described as an ancillary force of the Army by the constitution, but is under the control of each state's governor.11 The Navy is responsible for naval operations and for guarding Brazilian territorial waters. It is the oldest of the Brazilian armed forces and the only navy in Latin America to operate an aircraft carrier, the NAe São Paulo (formerly FS Foch of the French Navy).145 The Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Brazilian armed forces, and the largest air force in Latin America, with about 700 manned aircraft in service.146
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Brazil is a federation composed of twenty-six States, one federal district (which contains the capital city, BrasÃlia) and municipalities.11 States have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Federal government. They have a governor and a unicameral legislative body elected directly by their voters. They also have independent Courts of Law for common justice. Despite this, states have much less autonomy to create their own laws than in the United States. For example, criminal and civil laws can only be voted by the federal bicameral Congress and are uniform throughout the country.11
The states and the federal district may be grouped into regions: Northern, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and Southern. The Brazilian regions are merely geographical, not political or administrative divisions, and they do not have any specific form of government. Although defined by law, Brazilian regions are useful mainly for statistical purposes, and also to define the application of federal funds in development projects.
Municipalities, as the states, have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Union and state government.11 Each has a mayor and an elected legislative body, but no separate Court of Law. Indeed, a Court of Law organized by the state can encompass many municipalities in a single justice administrative division called comarca (county).
Brazil occupies a large area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent's interior,147 sharing land borders with Uruguay to the south; Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest; Bolivia and Peru to the west; Colombia to the northwest; and Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the French overseas department of French Guiana to the north. It shares a border with every country in South America except for Ecuador and Chile. It also encompasses a number of oceanic archipelagos, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz.8 Its size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse.147
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, China and the United States, and third largest in the Americas; with a total area of 8,514,876.599 square kilometers (3,287,612 sq mi) 148, including 55,455 square kilometers (21,411 sq mi) of water.8 It spans three time zones; from UTC-4 in the western states, to UTC-3 in the eastern states (and the official time of Brazil), and UTC-2 in the Atlantic islands.5
Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between 200 metres (660 ft) and 800 metres (2,600 ft) in elevation.149 The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country.149 The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills.149
The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).149 These ranges include the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço mountains and the Serra do Mar.149 In the north, the Guiana Highlands form a major drainage divide, separating rivers that flow south into the Amazon Basin from rivers that empty into the Orinoco River system, in Venezuela, to the north. The highest point in Brazil is the Pico da Neblina at 2,994 metres (9,823 ft), and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean.8
Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic.150 Major rivers include the Amazon (the world's second-longest river and the largest in terms of volume of water), the Paraná and its major tributary the Iguaçu (which includes the Iguazu Falls), the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and Tapajós rivers.150
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The climate of Brazil comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a large area and varied topography, but most of the country is tropical.8 According to the Köppen system, Brazil hosts five major climatic subtypes: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, temperate, and subtropical. The different climatic conditions produce environments ranging from equatorial rainforests in the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, to temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in central Brazil.151 Many regions have starkly different microclimates.152153
An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no real dry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when most rain falls.151 Temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F),153 with more significant temperature variation between night and day than between seasons.152
Over central Brazil rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate.152 This region is as extensive as the Amazon basin but has a very different climate as it lies farther south at a lower altitude.151 In the interior northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme. The semiarid climatic region generally receives less than 800 millimetres (31 in) of rain,154 most of which generally falls in a period of three to five months of the year155 and occasionally less than this, creating long periods of drought.152 Brazil's 1877-78 Grande Seca (Great Drought), the most severe ever recorded in Brazil,156 caused approximately half a million deaths.157 The one from 1915 was devastating too.158
South of Bahia, near São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, with rain falling throughout the year .151 The south enjoys temperate conditions, with cool winters and average annual temperatures not exceeding 18 °C (64 °F);153 winter frosts are quite common, with occasional snowfall in the higher areas.151152
Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon Rainforest, recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world,159 with the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, sustaining the greatest biodiversity.160 In the south, the Araucaria pine forest grows under temperate conditions.160
The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats. Much of it, however, remains largely undocumented, and new species are regularly found.citation needed Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach four million.160
Larger mammals include pumas, jaguars, ocelots, rare bush dogs, and foxes; peccaries, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums, and armadillos are abundant. Deer are plentiful in the south, and many species of New World monkeys are found in the northern rain forests.160161 Concern for the environment has grown in response to global interest in environmental issues.162
The natural heritage of Brazil is severely threatened by cattle ranching and agriculture, logging, mining, resettlement, oil and gas extraction, over-fishing, wildlife trade, dams and infrastructure, water contamination, climate change, fire, and invasive species.159 In many areas of the country, the natural environment is threatened by development.163 Construction of highways has opened up previously remote areas for agriculture and settlement; dams have flooded valleys and inundated wildlife habitats; and mines have scarred and polluted the landscape.162164
Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, the world's tenth largest economy at market exchange rates and the ninth largest in purchasing power parity (PPP), according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.2165166 The Brazilian economy has been predicted to become one of the five largest in the world in the decades to come, the GDP per capita following and growing.167 Its current GDP (PPP) per capita is $10,200, putting Brazil in the 64th position according to World Bank data. It has large and developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors, as well as a large labor pool.14
Brazilian exports are booming, creating a new generation of tycoons.168 Major export products include aircraft, electrical equipment, automobiles, ethanol, textiles, footwear, iron ore, steel, coffee, orange juice, soybeans and corned beef.169 The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is one of a group of four emerging economies called the BRIC countries.170
Brazil pegged its currency, the real, to the U.S. dollar in 1994. However, after the East Asian financial crisis, the Russian default in 1998171 and the series of adverse financial events that followed it, the Central Bank of Brazil temporarily changed its monetary policy to a managed-float scheme while undergoing a currency crisis, until definitively changing the exchange regime to free-float in January 1999.172
Brazil received an International Monetary Fund rescue package in mid-2002 of $30.4 billion,173 then a record sum. Brazil's central bank paid back the IMF loan in 2005, although it was not due to be repaid until 2006.174 One of the issues the Central Bank of Brazil recently dealt with was an excess of speculative short-term capital inflows to the country, which may have contributed to a fall in the value of the U.S. dollar against the real during that period.175 Nonetheless, foreign direct investment (FDI), related to long-term, less speculative investment in production, is estimated to be $193.8 billion for 2007.176 Inflation monitoring and control currently plays a major part in the Central bank's role of setting out short-term interest rates as a monetary policy measure.177
Brazil's economy is diverse,178 encompassing agriculture, industry, and many services.168179180181 The recent economic strength has been due in part to a global boom in commodities prices with exports from beef to soybeans soaring.180181 Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 5.1% of the gross domestic product in 2007,182 a performance that puts agribusiness in a position of distinction in terms of Brazil's trade balance, in spite of trade barriers and subsidizing policies adopted by the developed countries.vague183184
The industry — from automobiles, steel and petrochemicals to computers, aircraft, and consumer durables— accounted for 30.8% of the gross domestic product.182 Industry, which is often technologically advanced, is highly concentrated in metropolitan São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas, Porto Alegre, and Belo Horizonte.185
Brazil is the world's tenth largest energy consumer with much of its energy coming from renewable sources, particularly hydroelectricity and ethanol; nonrenewable energy is mainly produced from oil and natural gas.186 A global power in agriculture and natural resources, Brazil experienced tremendous economic growth over the past three decades.187 It is expected to become a major oil producer and exporter, having recently made huge oil discoveries.188189190 The governmental agencies responsible for the energy policy are the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the National Council for Energy Policy, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, and the National Agency of Electricity.191192
Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities and research institutes. But more than 73% of funding for basic research still comes from government sources.193 Some of Brazil's most notable technological hubs are the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Air Force's Aerospace Technical Center, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the INPE. The Brazilian Space Agency has the most advanced space program in Latin America, with significant capabilitiesvague in launch vehicles, launch sites and satellite manufacturing.194
Uranium is enriched at the Resende Nuclear Fuel Factory to fuel the country's energy demands and plans are underway to build the country's first nuclear submarine.195 Brazil is one of the three countries in Latin America196 with an operational Synchrotron Laboratory, a research facility on physics, chemistry, material science and life sciences.
Brazil has a large and diverse transport network. Roads are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic. The road system totaled 1.98 million km (1.23 million mi) in 2002. The total of paved roads increased from 35,496 km (22,056 mi) in 1967 to 184,140 km (114,425 mi) in 2002.197
Brazil's railway system has been declining since 1945, when emphasis shifted to highway construction. The total length of railway track was 30,875 km (19,186 mi) in 2002, as compared with 31,848 km (19,789 mi) in 1970. Most of the railway system belongs to the Federal Railroad Corp., with a majority government interest; there are also seven lines which the government privatized in 1997.198 The São Paulo Metro was the first underground transit system in Brazil. The other metro systems are in Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Recife, Belo Horizonte, BrasÃlia, Teresina, Fortaleza, and Salvador.
There are about 2,500 airports in Brazil, including landing fields: the second largest number in the world, after the United States.199 São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, near São Paulo, is the largest and busiest airport, handling the vast majority of popular and commercial traffic of the country and connecting the city with virtually all major cities across the world.200
Coastal shipping links widely separated parts of the country. Bolivia and Paraguay have been given free ports at Santos. Of the 36 deep-water ports, Santos, ItajaÃ, Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Sepetiba, Vitória, Suape, Manaus and São Francisco do Sul.vague201
| Colour/Race (2008) | |
|---|---|
| White | 48.43% |
| Brown (Multiracial) | 43.80% |
| Black | 6.84% |
| Yellow | 0.58% |
| Amerindian | 0.28% |
The population of Brazil as recorded by the 2008 PNAD was approximately 190 million202 (22.31 inhabitants per square kilometer), with a ratio of men to women. of 0.95:1203 and 83.75% of the population defined as urban.204 The population is heavily concentrated in the Southeastern (79.8 million inhabitants) and Northeastern (53.5 million inhabitants) regions, while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North, which together make up 64.12% of the Brazilian territory, have a total of only 29.1 million inhabitants.
Population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, due to a decline in the mortality rate, even though the birth rate underwent a slight decline. In the 1940s the annual population growth rate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in the 1950s and remaining at 2.9% in the 1960s, as life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 years205 and to 72.6 years in 2007.206 It has been steadily falling since the 1960s, from 3.04% per year between 1950–1960 to 1.05% in 2008 and is expected to fall to a negative value of –0.29% by 2050 207 thus completing the demographic transition.208
According to the National Research by Household Sample (PNAD) of 2008, 48.43% of the population (about 92 million) described themselves as White; 43.80% (about 83 million) as Brown (Multiracial), 6.84% (about 13 million) as Black; 0.58% (about 1.1 million) as Yellow; and 0.28% (about 536 thousand) as Amerindian, while 0.07% (about 130 thousand) did not declare their race.209
In 2007, the National Indian Foundation reported the existence of 67 different uncontacted tribes, up from 40 in 2005. Brazil is believed to have the largest number of uncontacted peoples in the world.210
Most Brazilians descend from the country's indigenous peoples, Portuguese settlers, and African slaves.211 Since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500 miscegenation between these three groups has taken place. The brown population (as multiracial Brazilians are officially called; pardo in Portuguese)212213 is a broad category that includes Caboclos (descendants of Whites and Indians), Mulattoes (descendants of Whites and Blacks) and Cafuzos (descendants of Blacks and Indians).211212213214215216 Caboclos form the majority of the population in the Northern, Northeastern and Central-Western regions.217 A large Mulatto population can be found in the eastern coast of the northeastern region from Bahia to ParaÃba216218 and also in northern Maranhão,219220 southern Minas Gerais221 and in eastern Rio de Janeiro.216221 From the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders to immigration. About five million people from over 60 countries migrated to Brazil between 1808 and 1972, most of them from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan and the Middle-East.222
In 2008, the illiteracy rate was 11.48%223 and among the youth (ages 15–19) 1.74%. It was highest (20.30%) in the Northeast, which had a large proportion of rural poor.224 Illiteracy was high (24.18%) among the rural population and lower (9.05%) among the urban population.225
In 2006 nearly 50,000 people were murdered in Brasil.226 More than 500,000 people have been killed by firearms in Brazil between 1979 and 2003, according to the UN report.227
Catholicism is dominant, making Brazil the largest Catholic nation in the world.228 According to the 2000 Demographic Census (the PNAD survey does not inquire about religion), 73.57% of the population followed Roman Catholicism; 15.41% Protestantism; 1.33% Kardecist spiritism; 1.22% other Christian denominations; 0.31% Afro-Brazilian religions; 0.13% Buddhism; 0.05% Judaism; 0.02% Islam; 0.01% Amerindian religions; 0.59% other religions, undeclared or undetermined; while 7.35% have no religion.229
The largest metropolitan areas in Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte — all in the Southeastern Region — with 19.5, 11.5, and 5.1 million inhabitants respectively.230 Almost all of the state capitals are the largest cities in their states, except for Vitória, the capital of EspÃrito Santo, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in the states of São Paulo (Campinas, Santos and the ParaÃba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley), and Santa Catarina (Itajaà Valley).231
| Largest cities of Brazil | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Municipality | State | Population | ||||||
| 1 | São Paulo | São Paulo | 10,990,249 | ||||||
| 2 | Rio de Janeiro | Rio de Janeiro | 6,161,047 | ||||||
| 3 | Salvador | Bahia | 2,948,733 | ||||||
| 4 | BrasÃlia | Federal District | 2,557,158 | ||||||
| 5 | Fortaleza | Ceará | 2,473,614 | ||||||
| 6 | Belo Horizonte | Minas Gerais | 2,434,642 | ||||||
| 7 | Curitiba | Paraná | 1,828,092 | ||||||
| 8 | Manaus | Amazonas | 1,709,010 | ||||||
| 9 | Recife | Pernambuco | 1,549,980 | ||||||
| 10 | Porto Alegre | Rio Grande do Sul | 1,430,220 | ||||||
| 11 | Belém | Pará | 1,424,124 | ||||||
| 12 | Guarulhos | São Paulo | 1,279,202 | ||||||
| 13 | Goiânia | Goiás | 1,265,394 | ||||||
| 14 | Campinas | São Paulo | 1,056,644 | ||||||
| 15 | São LuÃs | Maranhão | 986,826 | ||||||
| 16 | São Gonçalo | Rio de Janeiro | 982,832 | ||||||
| 17 | Maceió | Alagoas | 924,143 | ||||||
| 18 | Duque de Caxias | Rio de Janeiro | 864,392 | ||||||
| 19 | Nova Iguaçu | Rio de Janeiro | 855,500 | ||||||
| 20 | São Bernardo do Campo | São Paulo | 801,580 | ||||||
| Source: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (2008 Population Estimates) | |||||||||
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese9 which is spoken by almost all of the population and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. The exception to this is in the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira where Nheengatu, an indigenous language of South America, has been granted co-official status with Portuguese.232 Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.233
Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, influenced by the Amerindian and African languages.234 As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries. These differences are comparable to those between American and British English.234
In 2008, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), which included representatives from all countries with Portuguese as the official language, reached an agreement on the reform of Portuguese into one international language, as opposed to two diverged dialects of the same language. All CPLP countries were given from 2009 until 2014 to adjust to the necessary changes.235
Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eighty Amerindian languages are spoken in remote areas and a number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants.234 There are significant communities of German (mostly the Hunsrückisch, a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly the Talian dialect, of Venetian origin) speakers in the south of the country, both of which, are influenced by the Portuguese language.236237
The core culture of Brazil is derived from Portuguese culture, because of its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire. Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles.238 The culture was, however, also strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions.239 Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions of Italian, German and other European immigrants who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil.240 The indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil's language and cuisine; and the Africans influenced language, cuisine, music, dance and religion.241
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.242 Examples are Feijoada, considered the country's national dish;243244 and regional foods such as vatapá, moqueca, polenta and acarajé. Brazil has a variety of candies such as brigadeiros ("brigadiers") and beijinhos ("kissies"). The national beverage is coffee and cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from sugar cane and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, Caipirinha.
Brazilian art has developed since the 16th century into different styles that range from Baroque (the dominant style in Brazil until the early 19th century)245246 to Romanticism, Modernism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstractionism.
Brazilian cinema dates back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century and has gained a new level of international acclaim in recent years.247
Brazilian music encompasses various regional styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. It developed distinctive styles, among them samba, música popular Brasileira, choro, sertanejo, brega, forró, frevo, maracatu, bossa nova, Brazilian rock, and axé.
The most popular sport in Brazil is football (soccer). The Brazilian national football team is ranked among the best in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings, and has won the World Cup tournament five times.248 Basketball, volleyball, auto racing, and martial arts also attract large audiences. Though not as regularly followed or practiced, tennis, team handball, swimming, and gymnastics have found a growing number of enthusiasts over the last decades. Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil: beach football,249 futsal (indoor football)250 and footvolley emerged in Brazil as variations of football. In martial arts, Brazilians developed Capoeira,251 Vale tudo,252 and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.253 In auto racing, Brazilian drivers have won the Formula One world championship nine times.254255256
Brazil has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, including the 1950 FIFA World Cup257 and has been chosen to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup.258 The São Paulo circuit, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, hosts the annual Grand Prix of Brazil.259 São Paulo organized the IV Pan American Games in 1963,260 and Rio de Janeiro hosted the XV Pan American Games in 2007.260 On 2 October 2009, Brazil was selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games, the first to be held in South America.261
| Organization | Survey | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Institute for Economics and Peace [3] | Global Peace Index262 | 85 out of 144 |
| United Nations Development Programme | Human Development Index | 75 out of 182 |
| Transparency International | Corruption Perceptions Index | 75 out of 180 |
| World Economic Forum | Global Competitiveness Report | 56 out of 133 |
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