Brazil

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República Federativa do Brasil Federative Republic of Brazil
Flag Coat of arms
Motto Ordem e Progresso  (Portuguese) "Order and Progress"
Anthem Hino Nacional Brasileiro
Capital		Brasília 15°45′S, 47°57′W
Largest city		São Paulo
Official languages		Portuguese.
Demonym		Brazilian
Government		Presidential Federal republic
-	President	Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
-	Vice President	José Alencar Gomes da Silva
Independence		from Portugal
-	Declared	September 7, 1822
-	Recognized	August 29, 1825
-	Republic	November 15, 1889
Area
-	Total	8,514,877 km² (5th) 3,287,597 sq mi
-	Water (%)	0.65
Population
-	2007 estimate	190,010,647 (5th)
-	2000 census	169,799,170
-	Density	22 /km² (182nd) 57 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2005 estimate
-	Total	$1.803 trillion (9th)
-	Per capita	$9,108 (68th)
GDP (nominal)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$1.067 trillion (10th)
-	Per capita	$5,717 (64th)
Gini? (2004)		54
HDI (2004)		0.792 (medium) (69th)
Currency		Real (BRL or R$)
Time zone		BRT (UTC−2 to −5 (officially −3))
-	Summer (DST)	BRST (UTC−2 to −5)
Internet TLD		.br
Calling code		+55

Brazil (IPA: /bɹə.zɪl/), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil or República Federativa do Brasil, listen (help·info) ^[1]), is the largest and most populous country in Latin America, and the fifth largest in the world in both area and population. Its territory covers 8,514,877 km² ^[2] between central South America and the Atlantic Ocean, and it is the eastern-most country of the Americas.

It borders Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the department of French Guiana to the north, Uruguay to the south, Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest, Bolivia and Peru to the west, and Colombia to the northwest. The only South American countries not bordered by Brazil are Ecuador and Chile. The Brazilian coastline covers 7,367 km^[3][4] to the east. Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha, Trindade e Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas.

A tropical climate is predominant. In the south of the country, subtropical climate prevails ^[5]. Brazil is cut through by the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn. It is home to varied fauna and flora and extensive natural resources.

Brazil was colonized by Portugal from 1500 until its independence in 1822. The republican system has been adopted since 1889, although its parliament dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified. Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federative Republic. ^[6] The Federation is formed by the indissoluble association of the States, the Federal District, and the Municipalities.^[7] There are currently 26 States and 5,564 Municipalities.^[8]

The Brazilian population tends to concentrate along the coastline in large urban centers. While Brazil has one of the largest populations in the world, population density is low and the inner continental land has large areas of low population.^[9] It is a multiracial country composed of European, Amerindian, African and Asian elements. The official language is Portuguese,^[10] and it is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas. Catholicism is the predominant religion, though Protestant communities have experienced significant growth in the last decades. Brazil has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world.^[11]

During the early 1990s Brazil started following new trends by opening its economy to free trade ^[12] and implementing a large scale privatization plan, as well as expanding the agricultural ^[13], mining, manufacturing, and service sectors. Although the country still faces many social and structural problems, there have been substantial economical developments through stabilization programs.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Colony 2.2 Empire 2.3 Republic 3 Government and politics 4 Foreign relations and the military 5 Law 6 Administrative divisions 6.1 Regions 6.2 States 7 Geography and climate 8 Environment 9 Economy 10 Demographics 10.1 Ethnic groups 10.2 Immigration and emigration 10.3 Largest cities 11 Languages 12 Education and health 13 Social issues 14 Culture 15 Religion 16 Sports 17 Science and technology 18 International Rankings 19 See also 20 References 20.1 Footnotes 20.2 Further reading 21 External links

[edit] Etymology

Main article: Etymology of Brazil

The first names used for the new-found-land were Ilha de Vera Cruz ("Vera Cruz Island") and Terra de Santa Cruz ("Santa Cruz Land"). Soon after "Brazil" was adopted.

According to the traditional theory, Brazil was named after brazilwood tree, an abundant species in the Brazilian coastline at the time Portuguese explorers first arrived. Its reddish wood was used to color clothes and fabrics. Another theory connects the name of the country to the Irish myth of Hy-Brazil, a phantom island similar to St. Brendan's Island.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Brazil

Fossil records found in Minas Gerais show evidence that the area now called Brazil has been inhabited for at least 8,000 years by indigenous populations.^[14] It is generally accepted that Brazil was first discovered by Europeans on April 22, 1500, when Pedro Álvares Cabral reached the territory, claimed it for Portugal, and named it Vera Cruz (True Cross),^[15] though this is contested by some.

[edit] Colony

Main articles: Colonial Brazil and Indigenous peoples of Brazil

Until 1530, Portugal had little interest in Brazil, mainly due to the high profits gained through commerce with Indochina. This lack of interest led to several "invasions" by different countries, such as France in Rio de Janeiro, and the Netherlands in Recife, so the Portuguese Crown devised a system to effectively occupy Brazil, without paying the costs. Through the Hereditary Captaincies system, Brazil was divided into strips of land that were donated to Portuguese noblemen, who were in turn responsible for the occupation of the land and answered to the king. Later, the Portuguese realized the system was a failure (only two lots were successfully occupied) and took direct control of the failed captaincies.^[16][17]

After the initial attempts to find gold and silver failed, the Portuguese colonists adopted an economy based on the production of agricultural goods that were to be exported to Europe. Tobacco, cotton, cachaça and some other agricultural goods were produced, but sugar became by far the most important Brazilian colonial product until the early eighteenth century.^[18][19][20] The first sugarcane farms were established in the mid-16th century and were the key for success of the captaincies of São Vicente and Pernambuco, leading sugarcane plantations to quickly spread to other coastal areas in colonial Brazil. The period of sugar-based economy (1530-c.1700) is known as the "Sugarcane Cycle" in Brazilian history. Even though Brazilian sugar was reputed as being of high quality, the industry faced a crisis during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when the Dutch and the French started producing sugar in the Antilles, located much closer to Europe, causing the sugar prices to fall.

During the eighteenth century, private explorers who called themselves the Bandeirantes found gold and diamond mines in the state of Minas Gerais. The exploration of these mines ended up financing the Portuguese Royal Court's debts for a long time. However, the predatory way in which such riches were explored by the Portuguese Crown harmed colonial Brazil with excessive taxes (at some point, taxes amounted up to one fifth of all the gold and diamonds mined in the country, or 20 percent of total production, named the quinto). Some popular movements supporting independence came about against the abusive taxes established by the metropolis, such as the Tiradentes incident in 1789, but they were often dismissed with violence by Portugal.^[21] Gold production declined towards the end of the eighteenth century, starting a period of relative stagnation of the Brazilian hinterland.^[22]

[edit] Empire

Main articles: Brazilian Declaration of Independence and Empire of Brazil

In 1808, the Portuguese court, fleeing from Napoleon’s troops which had invaded the territory of Portugal, moved aboard a large fleet, escorted by British men-of-war, with all the government apparatus to its then-colony, Brazil, establishing themselves in the city of Rio de Janeiro. From there the Portuguese king João VI ruled his huge empire for 13 years, and there he would have remained for the rest of his life if it were not for the turmoil aroused in Portugal due, among other reasons, to his long stay in Brazil after the end of Napoleon's reign.^[23]

After João VI returned to Portugal in 1821 due to the Liberal Revolution of 1820 that had erupted in the city of Porto, his heir-apparent Pedro became regent of the Kingdom of Brazil. Following a series of political events and disputes, Brazil achieved its independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822. On October 12, 1822, Dom Pedro was acclaimed as the first Emperor of Brazil. He was crowned on December 1, 1822. Brazil was one of only two countries among those of the 'new world' that housed an effective legal monarchical state (the other was Mexico), for a period of almost 90 years.

Organizing the new government quickly brought the differences between the Emperor and his leading subjects to the fore. In 1824, Pedro closed the Constituent Assembly that he had convened because he believed that body was endangering liberty. Pedro then produced a constitution modeled on that of Portugal (1822) and France (1814). It specified indirect elections and created the usual three branches of government but also added a fourth, the "moderating power", to be held by the Emperor. Pedro's government was considered economically and administratively inefficient. Political pressures eventually made the Emperor step down in April 7, 1831. He returned to Portugal leaving behind his five-year-old son Pedro. Brazil was then to be governed by regents from 1831 to 1840 until Pedro was old enough to assume his royal duties. The regency period was turbulent and marked by numerous local revolts including the Male Revolt, the largest urban slave rebellion in the Americas, which took place in Bahia, 1835.^[24]

On July 23, 1840, Pedro II was crowned Emperor. His government was highlighted by a substantial rise in coffee exports, the War of the Triple Alliance, and the end of slave trade from Africa in 1850, although slavery in Brazilian territory would only be abolished in 1888. When slavery was finally abolished, a large influx of European immigrants took place ^[25][26][27]. By the 1870s, the Emperor's grasp on domestic politics had started deteriorating in face of crisis with the Roman Catholic Church, the Army and the slaveholders. The Republican movement slowly gained strength. In the end, the empire fell because the dominant classes no longer needed it to protect their interests.^[28] Indeed, imperial centralization ran counter to their desire for local autonomy. By 1889 Pedro II had stepped down and the Republican system had been adopted.

[edit] Republic

Main articles: History of Brazil (1889–1930), History of Brazil (1930–1945), History of Brazil (1945–1964), History of Brazil (1964–1985), and History of Brazil (1985–present)

Pedro II was deposed on November 15, 1889^[29] by a Republican military coup led by general Deodoro da Fonseca, who became the country’s first de facto president through military ascension. The country’s name became the Republic of the United States of Brazil (which in 1967 was changed to Federative Republic of Brazil). From 1889 to 1930, the government was a constitutional democracy, with the presidency alternating between the dominant states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais.^[30][31] However, several requirements had to be fulfilled for people to be eligible to vote. Thus, democracy was actually restricted to a small portion of the population.

A military junta took control in 1930. Getúlio Vargas took office soon after, and would remain as dictatorial ruler (with a brief democratic period in between), until 1945. He was re-elected in 1951 and stayed in office until his suicide in 1954. After 1930, the successive governments continued industrial and agriculture growth and development of the vast interior of Brazil.^[32]

Provisional president Getúlio Dorneles Vargas ruled as dictator (1930–1934), congressionally elected president (1934–1937), and again dictator (1937–1945), with the backing of his revolutionary party coalition. He also served as a senator (1946–1951) and the democratically elected president (1951–1954).^[33] Vargas was a member of the gaucho oligarchy whose riches were based on land property, and rose to power through a system of patronage and clientelism,^[34] but he had a fresh vision of how Brazilian politics could be shaped to support national development. He understood that with the breakdown of direct relations between workers and employers in the ever-growing factories in Brazil, workers could eventually become the platform of a new form of political power — populism. By applying such insights inspired on Italian fascism, he would gradually establish such mastery over the Brazilian political world that he would stay in power for fifteen years. Vargas was responsible for Brazil's military role in World War II on the side of the Allies.^[35]

Juscelino Kubitschek's office years (1956-1961) were marked by the political campaign motto of plunging "50 anos em 5" (English: fifty years (of development) in five). Kubitschek sought to achieve this progress with the aid of foreign investment, which in turn would be given generous incentives such as profit remittances abroad, low taxes, privileges for the import of industrial machinery, and government grants of land. Kubitschek was responsible for the construction of Brasília, Brazil's ultra-modern capital, in the 1960s.

The military forces took office in Brazil in a coup d'état in 1964, and remained in power until March 1985, when it fell from grace because of political struggles between the regime and the Brazilian elites. Some historians may argue that the dismantling of the military dictatorship was merely a consequence of the regime's opening policy in the final years, but others will find that internal struggles for power within the government, combined with a strong popular disapproval of the dictatorship, were also partially responsible for the end of the regime. Just as the Brazilian regime changes of 1889, 1930, and 1945 unleashed competing political forces and caused divisions within the military, so too did the 1964 regime change.^[36] Tancredo Neves was elected president in an indirect election in 1985, as Brazil returned to civil government regime. He died before taking office, and the vice-president, José Sarney, was sworn in as president in his place.

Democracy was re-established in 1988 when the current Federal Constitution was enacted.^[37] Fernando Collor de Mello was the first president truly elected by popular vote after the military regime.^[38][39] Collor took office in March 1990. In September 1992, the National Congress voted for Collor's impeachment after a sequence of corruption scandals were discovered by the media.^[40][41]

The vice-president, Itamar Franco, took office as the president. Assisted by the Minister of Finance at that time, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Itamar Franco's administration implemented the Plano Real economic package,^[42] which included a new currency pegged to the U.S. dollar, the real. The new-found economic stability in the country after years of undergoing hyperinflation scenarios increased the popularity of Fernando Henrique Cardoso as a politician.^[43] In the elections held on October 3, 1994, Fernando Henrique Cardoso ran for president and won. Cardoso followed a neoliberal scheme that included the privatization of various state-owned companies, limited intervention in employment relationships and, after the financial downturns in the late 1990s, a floating monetary exchange rate regime. Reelected in 1998,^[44] Cardoso guided Brazil through a wave of financial crises, including the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the Russian default in 1998. In 2000, Cardoso demanded the disclosure of some classified military files concerning Operation Condor, a network of South American military dictatorships that kidnapped and assassinated political opponents.^[45]

[edit] Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Brazil

The Brazilian Federation is based on the indissoluble association of three autonomous political entities: the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District.^[46] A fourth entity originated in the aforementioned association: the Union.^[47] There is no hierarchy among the political entities. The Federation is set on six fundamental principles:^[48] sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of the people, social value of labor, freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism.

The classic tripartite division of power, encompassing the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches under the checks and balances system, is formally established by the Constitution.^[49] The Executive and Legislative are organized independently in all four political entities, whilst the Judiciary is organized only in the Federal and State levels.

Practically all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated with the Executive. The form of government is Republican and democratic,^[50] and the system of government is Presidential.^[51] The President is Head of State and Head of Government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term,^[52] with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. Currently the President of Brazil is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He was elected in October 27, 2002,^[53] and re-elected in October 29, 2006.^[54] The President appoints the Ministers of State and is assisted by them.^[55] Governors head the government in States and the Federal District, whilst Mayors are responsible for the government of Municipalities. Governors and Mayors are assisted by Secretaries.

Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of laws in Brazil. The National Congress is the Union’s Legislative. It is a bicameral house formed by the House of Representatives and the Federal Senate. Representatives are elected every four years in a system of proportional representation, and represent the people.^[56] Senators are elected for eight-year terms, and represent the interests of the States.^[57] The ordinary law making process is described in detail by the Federal Constitution.^[58] The Executive participates by analyzing and eventually vetoing laws before they are formally enacted. Vetoes can be overturned by the Legislative. On certain matters, the Executive and Judiciary authorities may have exclusive prerogatives for legislative initiative. In the States and Municipalities, the Legislative is organized in unicameral houses named, respectively, Legislative Assemblies and Municipal Houses. Legislative houses may pass legal judgment in exceptional cases,^[59] and have administrative functions related to their personnel.

Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively. They can also enact laws related to internal court proceedings.^[60] Also, the Judiciary has administrative functions regarding its personnel. The Union’s Judiciary relates to the Federal Justice system. States have their own Justice system,^[61] and so does the Federal District. Municipalities rely upon the State or Federal Justice depending on the lawsuit nature. Both the Federal and State Justice systems are interconnected when appeals reach higher courts. By historical tradition, Brazilian Justice is also divided according to the specialized courts, so there are also labor, military and election courts.^[62]

The President, Governors, and Mayors are elected by direct vote in the Executive ^[63][64][65]. Likewise, the Legislative members are also elected by direct vote ^[66]. No judicial authorities are elected. Judges are appointed after passing rigorous entry exams ^[67]. Voting is compulsory for those aged 18 or older.^[68] For people older than 70 and aged between 16 and 18 voting is optional. Voting is also optional for illiterate people. ^[69] Candidates must have Brazilian nationality, be affiliated with a political party, and fulfill minimum age requirements as well as basic administrative conditions. No formal education is required, as long as the candidate is alphabetized.^[70] Four political parties stand out among several small ones: PT, PSDB, PMDB and DEM, formerly PFL.

Brazil faces an uphill task in organizing its public administrative structure. Reforms have been undertaken in each administration, with mixed results. Public institutions are widely regarded as inefficient. Unprepared and underpaid civil service personnel, bureaucracy,^[71] underinvestment in infrastructure,^[72][73][74] illiteracy,^[75] informality in employment relations,^[76] social inequality, and rampant corruption are some of the major problems still requiring attention from authorities and reformists. Recent political scandals on corruption have further marred the reputation of public authorities in all branches of government, especially the Legislative.^[77]

Nonetheless, since the mid-1990s Brazil has been improving in some macroeconomic and social aspects, such as the taming of a soaring hyperinflation (up to 80 percent a month in the late 1980s), the overcoming of an economic downturn related to a currency crisis following the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s,^[78] and the full repayment of IMF's financial rescue packages in 2005, a decision that was followed shortly after by Argentina.^[79] Several reforms have helped raise per capita growth and the general quality of life in Brazil since the mid-1990s.^[80] A tax reform aiming at unifying the value-added tax in the country is currently being voted at the National Congress, and its approval and implementation are currently in the government policy agenda.^[81]

[edit] Foreign relations and the military

Main articles: Foreign relations of Brazil and Military of Brazil

Brazil is a political and economical leader in Latin America.^[82][83] However, deep-seated social and economic problems have imposed difficulties regarding its efforts of becoming an effective global power.^[84] 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, engage in multilateral diplomacy through the United Nations and the Organization of American States, and act at times as a countervailing force to U.S. political and economic influence in Latin America.^[85] Brazil's current foreign policy is based on the country's unique position as a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power.^[86] According to the Brazilian Constitution,^[87] ten principles govern Brazilian foreign relations: national independence, prevalence of human rights, self-determination of each nation, non-intervention, equality among nations, protection of peace, peaceful resolution of conflicts, repudiation of terrorism and racism, cooperation among nations for the progress of mankind, and the granting of political asylum. Indeed, Brazilian foreign policy has generally reflected multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and nonintervention in the affairs of other countries.^[88] The Brazilian Constitution also determines.^[89] the country shall seek the economic, political, social and cultural integration of the nations of Latin America.^{[90][91][92][93]}

The Armed forces of Brazil comprise the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Navy, and the Brazilian Air Force.^[94] The Military Police (State's Military Police) is described as an ancillary force of the Army.^[95] Brazilian armed forces are the largest in Latin America.^[96][97] All military branches are part of the Ministério da Defesa (Ministry of Defence).^[98] The Brazilian Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Brazilian armed forces. Força Aérea Brasileira was formed when the air divisions of the Army and Navy were merged into a single military force, initially called "National Air Force". Both air divisions transferred their equipments, installations and personnel to the new armed force. The FAB is the largest air force in Latin America, with about 700 manned aircraft in service, and as of July 8, 2005, had 66,020 personnel on active duty. An additional 7,500 civilian personnel are employed by the Air Force.^[99] The Brazilian Navy is responsible for naval operations and for guarding Brazilian territorial waters. It is the oldest of the Brazilian Armed forces and the largest navy in Latin America,^[100] with a 27,307-ton aircraft carrier, the NAeL São Paulo (formerly FS Foch of the French Navy), some American and British-built frigates, a few locally-built corvettes, coastal diesel-electric submarines and many other river and coastal patrol craft. Finally, the Brazilian Army is responsible for land-based military operations, with a strength of approximately 190,000 soldiers.

[edit] Law

Main article: Law of Brazil

Brazilian Law is based on Roman-Germanic traditions.^[101] Thus, civil law concepts prevail over common law practices. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part of the system, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretation guidelines; however, they are not binding towards other specific cases but in very few exceptional situations. Doctrinal works and comments of legal academic pundits have strong influence in law creation and in legal cases.

The Federal Constitution, promulgated on October 5, 1988, is the fundamental law of Brazil and it rules the system. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules.^[102] As of April 2007, it has been through 53 Amendments. States also adopt their own Constitutions, but they must also not contradict the Federal Constitution.^[103] Municipalities and the Federal District do not have their own Constitutions; instead, they adopt "organic laws" (leis orgânicas).^[104][105]

Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary^[106] and executive bodies^[107] may also enact legal norms. The Federation enacts federal laws by means of the two houses of the National Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The States, Municipalities and Federal District enact, respectively, state, municipal and district laws through local legislative houses. There is no hierarchy among federal, state, municipal and district laws. To avoid possible contradictions, the Federal Constitution determines which law fields each entity may legislate upon.^[108] Therefore, a certain law may be deemed unconstitutional if it invades a subject or territory reserved for laws of another legislative house.

Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare cases, the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments.^[109] The Judiciary is organized in the Federal and State levels, though not in Municipalities. There are also specialized military, labor, and elections courts.^[110] The highest court is the Supreme Federal Tribunal.

The main criticism this system met over the last decades relates to the slow pace at which final decisions are passed. Lawsuits on appeal may take several years to resolve, and in some cases more than a decade to see definitive judgment.^[111]

[edit] Administrative divisions

Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean North Region Northeast Region Central-West Region Southeast Region South Region Acre Amazonas Pará Roraima Amapá Rondônia Tocantins Maranhão Bahia Piauí Ceará Rio Grande do Norte Paraíba Pernambuco Alagoas Sergipe Mato Grosso Mato Grosso do Sul Federal District Goiás Minas Gerais São Paulo Rio de Janeiro Espírito Santo Paraná Santa Catarina Rio Grande do Sul Argentina Bolivia Chile Colombia French Guiana Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela

Geographically, mainland Brazil is commonly divided into five regions: North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and South. Also, Brazil is a federation consisting of twenty-six states (estados, one federal district (Distrito Federal) and 5,564 Municipalities.

[edit] Regions

Main article: Regions of Brazil

The North constitutes 45.27% of the surface of Brazil,^[112] and it is the region with the lowest number of inhabitants.^[113] With the exception of Manaus, which hosts a tax-free industrial zone, and Belém, with the biggest metropolitan area of the region, it is a fairly unindustrialized and undeveloped region. It accommodates most of the largest rainforest of the world and many indigenous tribes. The Northeast has about 30% of Brazil's population.^[114] The region is culturally diverse, with roots from the Portuguese colonial period, Afro-Brazilian culture and some Brazilian Indian influence. It is also the poorest region of Brazil,^[115][116] and has long periods of dry climate.^[117] It is well-known for its beautiful coast. The largest cities are Salvador, Recife and Fortaleza. The Central-West has a low demographic density compared to the other regions ^[118], mostly because of the Pantanal, the world’s largest marshlands area,^[119] and a small part of the Amazon rainforest, in the northwest. However, much of the region is covered by Cerrado, the largest savanna in the world. It is also a very important area for agriculture in the country.^[120] The largest cities of this region are: Brasília (the capital), Goiânia, Campo Grande and Cuiabá.

The Southeast is the richest ^[121] and most densely populated region.^[122] It has more inhabitants than any other South American country, and hosts one of the largest megalopolis of the world, whereof the main cities are the country's two biggest ones; São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The region is very diverse, including the major business centre of São Paulo, the historical cities of Minas Gerais and its capital Belo Horizonte, the third-largest metropolitan area in Brazil, the world famous beaches of Rio de Janeiro, and the acclaimed coast of Espírito Santo. The South is the wealthiest region by GDP per capita ^[123] and has the best standard of living in the country.^[124] It is also the coldest region of Brazil,^[125] with occasional occurrences of frosts and snow in some of the higher altitude regions.^[126] The region has been heavily settled by European immigrants, mainly of Italian, German, Portuguese and Slavic ancestry, and shows clear influences from these cultures. The largest cities of this region are: Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, Londrina, Caxias do Sul and Joinville.

[edit] States

Main article: States of Brazil

The Brazilian states enjoy a significant autonomy of government, law making, public security and taxation ^[127]. The government of a state is headed by a Governor (governador) ^[128][129], elected by popular vote ^[130], and also comprises its own legislative body (assembléia legislativa). Each state is divided into municipalities (municípios) with their own legislative council (câmara de vereadores) and a mayor (prefeito), which are autonomous and hierarchically independent from both federal and state government ^[128][131]. A municipality may include other towns (distritos) besides the municipal seat; those, however, have no separate government.

The judiciary is organized at the state and federal levels within districts called foros. The foros in the state judiciary are called comarcas. Each comarca may include one or several municipalities. In the federal judiciary the foros are called seções judiciárias. One seção judiciária corresponds to the area of one State or the Federal District. ^[132] Seções judiciárias may be divided in smaller units, called subseções judiciárias. ^[133]

[edit] Geography and climate

Main articles: Geography of Brazil and Climate of Brazil

Brazil is characterized 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 the Brazilian population and its agricultural base. Along the Atlantic coast there are several mountain ranges, at the top altitude of roughly 2,900 meters (9,500 ft). The highest peak is the 3,014 meter (9,735 ft) Pico da Neblina (Misty Peak) in Guiana's highlands.^[134][135] Major rivers include the Amazon, the largest river in the world in flowing water volume, and the second-longest in the world; the Paraná and its major tributary, the Iguaçu River, where the Iguaçu Falls are located; the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and the Tapajós rivers.

A number of islands in the Atlantic Ocean are part of Brazil: Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Rocas Atoll, Fernando de Noronha and Trindade and Martim Vaz.

Located mainly within the tropics, Brazil's climate has little seasonal variation. Southern Brazil, however, has a subtropical temperate weather, occasionally experiencing frost and snow in the higher regions. Precipitation is abundant in the humid Amazon Basin, but more arid landscapes are found as well, particularly in the northeast.

Although 90% of the country is within the tropical zone, the climate of Brazil varies considerably from the mostly tropical North (the equator traverses the mouth of the Amazon) to temperate zones below the Tropic of Capricorn (23°27' S latitude), which crosses the country at the latitude of the city of São Paulo. Brazil has five climatic regions: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, and subtropical.

Temperatures along the equator are high, averaging above 25 °C, reaching the summer extremes of up to 40 °C in the temperate zones.^[136] There is little seasonal variation near the equator, although at times it can get cool enough for wearing a jacket, especially in the rain. At the country's other extreme, there are frosts south of the Tropic of Capricorn during the winter (June-August), and in some years there is snow in the mountainous areas, such as Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Temperatures in the cities of São Paulo^[137], Belo Horizonte^[138], and Brasília^[139] are moderate (usually between 15 °C and 30 °C), because of their elevation of approximately 1,000 meters. Rio de Janeiro^[140][141], Recife^[142] and Salvador^[143], located in the coast, have warm climates, with average temperatures ranging from 23 °C to 27 °C. The southern cities of Porto Alegre^[144] and Curitiba^[145] have a subtropical climate similar to that in parts of the United States and Europe, and temperatures can fall under zero degrees Celsius in the winter.

Precipitation levels vary widely. Most of Brazil has moderate rainfall of between 1,000 and 1,500 millimeters a year, with most of the rain falling in the summer (between December and April), south of the Equator. The Amazon region is notoriously humid, with rainfall generally more than 2,000 millimeters per year and reaching as high as 3,000 millimeters in parts of the western Amazon and near Belém. It is less widely known that, despite high annual precipitation, the Amazon rain forest has a three- to five-month dry season, the timing of which varies according to location north or south of the equator.^[146]

[edit] Environment

Main article: Environment of Brazil

Brazil's large area is subdivided into different ecosystems, which together sustain some of the world's greatest biodiversity. Due to the relatively explosive economic and demographic rise of the country in the last century, Brazil's ability to protect its environmental habitats has increasingly come under threat. Extensive logging in the nation's forests, particularly the Amazon, both official and unofficial, destroys areas the size of a small country each year, and potentially a diverse variety of plants and animals.^[147] Between 2002 and 2006, an area of the Amazon Rainforest the size of South Carolina was completely decimated, for the purposes of raising cattle and woodlogging.^[148]

There is general consensus that Brazil has the highest number of both terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates of any country in the world.^[149] Also, Brazil has the highest primate diversity of any country in the world,^[149] It claims the highest number of mammals,^[149] the second highest number of amphibian and butterflies,^[149] the third highest number of bird,^[149] and fifth number of reptile.^[149] There is a high number of endangered species;^[150] many of them live in threatened habitats such as the Atlantic Forest.

[edit] Economy

Main articles: Economy of Brazil and Economic history of Brazil

Possessing large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing,^[151] and service sectors, as well as a large labour pool, Brazil's GDP (PPP) outweighs that of any other Latin American country, being the core economy of Mercosul. The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is regarded as one of the group of four emerging economies called BRIC. Major export products include aircraft, coffee, automobiles, soybean, iron ore, orange juice, steel, ethanol, textiles, footwear, corned beef and electrical equipment.^[152]

According to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Brazil has the ninth largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity (PPP) and tenth largest at market exchange rates. Brazil has a diversified middle income economy with wide variations in development levels. Most large industry is agglomerated in the Southern and South East states. The Northeast is the poorest region of Brazil, but it has attracted new investments in infrastructure for the tourism sector^[153] and intensive agricultural schemes.^[154][155]

Brazil's diverse industries range from automobiles, steel and petrochemicals to computers, aircraft, and consumer goods and amount to one-third of the GDP.^[156] With the increased economic stability provided by the Plano Real economic package, both Brazilian and multinational corporations have invested heavily in new equipment and technology, a large proportion of which has been purchased from American enterprises.^[157]

Brazil had pegged its currency, the real, to the U.S. dollar in 1994. However, after the East Asian financial crisis, the Russian default in 1998^[158] and the series of adverse financial events that followed it, the Brazilian central bank has 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.^[159] Brazil received an IMF rescue package in mid-2002 in the amount of USD 30.4 billion,^[160][161] a record sum at that time. The IMF loan was paid off early by Brazil's central bank in 2005 (the due date was scheduled for 2006).^[162]

Brazil has a diverse and sophisticated services industry as well. During the early 1990s, the banking sector amounted to as much as 16% of GDP. Although undergoing a major overhaul, Brazilian financial services industry provides local businesses with a wide range of products and is attracting numerous new market players, including U.S. financial institutions and overseas firms issuing and trading Brazilian Depositary Receipts (BDRs).^[163] The São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro stock exchanges are undergoing a merger.^[164]

One of the issues the Brazilian central bank ("Bacen") is currently dealing with is the excess of speculative short-term capital inflows to the country in the past few months, which might explain in part the recent downfall of the U.S. dollar against the real in the period.^[165] Nonetheless, foreign direct investment (FDI), related to long-term, less speculative investment in production, is estimated to be USD 193.8bn for 2007.^[166] Inflation monitoring^[167] and control currently plays a major role in Brazil's Central Bank activity in setting out short-term interest rates as a monetary policy measure. The IPCA index, measured and calculated by the IBGE on a monthly basis, is the most commonly used index for inflation, although other indices such as the IPC-Fipe and IGP-M (FGV) are also widely used.

As a core country of both G20 industrial nations and G20 developing nations, Brazil has been expanding its influence in global economic negotiations, such as the currently debated Doha Round.^[168] Barriers of Brazil's economy to high and fast growth are complex and often debated.^[169]

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demography of Brazil

Brazilian people

Brazil's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. In general, Brazilians trace their origins from four sources of migration:

• Amerindians, Brazil's indigenous population, who are believed by some archeologists to be human groups that migrated from Siberia across the Bering Strait around 9000 BC.
• Portuguese colonists and settlers, arriving from 1500 onward.
• Africans brought to the country from 1530 until the end of the slave trade in 1850.
• Diverse groups of immigrants from Europe, Asia and the Middle East arriving in Brazil during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

It is believed that the Americas were settled by three migratory waves from Northern Asia. The Native Brazilians are thought to descend from the first wave of migrants, who arrived in the region around 9000 BC. The main Native Brazilian groups are the Tupi-Guarani, the Jê, the Arawaks and the Caraibas (Caribs). The Tupi-Guarani nation, originally from the Paraná river basin and also the main of Native-Paraguayan nations, had spread all along the Brazilian coastline from South to North and got to be known by the Portuguese as "Os Índios da Língua Geral" ("The Indians of the General Language"); the Jê nation occupied most of the interior of the country from Maranhão to Santa Catarina. The Arawaks and the Caribs, the last ones to get in contact with the Portuguese, lived in the North and Northwest of Brazil.

The European immigration to Brazil started in the sixteenth century, with the vast majority of them coming from Portugal. In the first two centuries of colonization, 100,000 Portuguese arrived in Brazil (around 500 colonists per year). In the eighteenth century, 600,000 Portuguese arrived (6,000 per year).^[170] The first region to be settled by the Portuguese was Northeastern Brazil, followed by the Southeast region. The original Amerindian population of Brazil (between two and five million) has in large part been exterminated or assimilated into the Portuguese population.^[171] The Mamelucos (or Caboclos, a mixed race between Whites and Amerindians) have always been present in many parts of Brazil.

Another important ethnic group, Africans, first arrived as slaves. Many came from Guinea, or from West African countries - by the end of the eighteenth century many had been taken from Congo, Angola and Mozambique (or, in Bahia, from Nigeria). By the time of the end of the slave trade in 1850, around three to five million slaves had been brought to Brazil–37% of all slave traffic between Africa and the Americas. Nowadays, there are still immigration waves coming from the African continent, from countries such as Cape Verde and Sierra Leone.

The largest influx of European immigrants to Brazil occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. According to the Memorial do Imigrante statistics data, Brazil attracted nearly 5 million immigrants between 1870 and 1953.^[172][173] These immigrants were divided in two groups: a part of them was sent to Southern Brazil to work as small farmers. However, the biggest part of the immigrants was sent to Southeast Brazil to work in the coffee plantations. The immigrants sent to Southern Brazil were mainly Germans (starting in 1824, mainly from Rhineland-Palatinate, Pomerania, Hamburg, Westphalia, etc) and Italians (starting in 1875, mainly from the Veneto and Lombardia). In the South, the immigrants established rural communities that, still today, have a strong cultural connection with their ancestral homelands. In South East Brazil, most of the immigrants were Italians (mainly from the Veneto, Campania, Calabria and Lombardia), Portuguese (mainly from Beira Alta, Minho and Alto Trás-os-Montes), Spaniards (mainly from Galicia and Andalusia).

Notably, the first half of the twentieth century saw a large inflow of Japanese (mainly from Honshū, Hokkaidō and Okinawa) and Arab (from Lebanon and Syria) immigrants. These Arab immigrants were - and still are - wrongly called "Turks" by many Brazilians because their original countries were still under Turkish rule back in the day Arab immigration to Brazil began. The number of actual Turks who immigrated to Brazil was in fact very small.

[edit] Ethnic groups

Brazilians are mostly descendants of Brazil's indigenous peoples, colonial Portuguese settlers, African slaves, along with several groups of immigrants who arrived in Brazil mostly from the 1820's until the 1970's. Most of the immigrants were Italians and Portuguese, but also significant numbers of Germans, Spaniards, Japanese and Syrian-Lebanese.^[175]

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) classify the Brazilian population among five categories: white, black, pardo (brown), yellow (Asian) or Indigenous, based on skin color or race. The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census found Brazil to be made up of 93 million Whites, 80 million brown people, 11.7 million Blacks and 1.3 million Asian or Amerindian.

Compared to other census realized in the last two decades, for the first time the number of White Brazilians did not exceed 50% of the population. In 2000, Whites were 53.7% in the census. In comparison, the number of brown people went up of 38.5% for 43.2% and the Black one from 6.2% to 6.3%.^[176] According to the IBGE, this trend is mainly because of the revaluation of the identity of historically discriminated ethnic groups.^[174]

The ethnic composition of Brazilians is not uniform across the country. Due to its large influx of European immigrants in the 19th century, the Southern Region has a large White majority, composing 80.8% of its population.^[177] The Northeastern Region, as a result of the large numbers of African slaves working in the sugar cane engenhos, has a majority of brown and black peoples, respectively 63.1% and 7%.^[178] Northern Brazil, largely covered by the Amazon Rainforest, is 71.5% brown, due to its strong Amerindian component^[179]. Southeast and Central-Western Brazil have a more balanced ratio among different ethnic groups.

According to the Brazilian Constitution, racism is a non-bailable crime. It is also not subject to a statute of limitations, although few cases ever go to trial.

[edit] Immigration and emigration

Main article: Immigration to Brazil

Immigration has been a very important demographic factor in the formation, structure and history of the population in Brazil, influencing culture, economy, education, racial issues, etc. Brazil has received the second largest number of immigrants in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States.

Brazil's structure, legislation and settlement policies for arriving immigrants were much less organized than in Canada and the United States at the time. Nevertheless, an Immigrant's Hostel (Hospedaria dos Imigrantes) was built in 1886 in São Paulo, and quick admittance and recording routines for the throngs of immigrants arriving by ship at the seaports of Vitória, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranaguá, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre were established. The São Paulo site alone processed more thar 2.5 million immigrants in its almost 100 years of continuous operation. People of more than 70 different nationalities were recorded.

Following the trend of several other countries in the Americas, which encouraged immigration from many countries, Brazil quickly became a melting pot of races and nationalities, probably the second largest in the world after the USA, but being peculiar in the sense of having the highest degree of intermarriage in the world. Immigrants found a strong social and cultural tolerance toward inter-racial marriage, including large numbers of mulattoes (white and black), mestizos (Indian and white) and mixed European, African and Indian people, though it was not accompanied by an entire lack of racism. Correspondingly, the same mentality reflected in low psychological and social barriers regarding intermarriage between Europeans, Middle Easterners and Asians of several origins, as well as between people of different religions.

In the second half of the 1980s, Brazilians from various socioeconomic levels started to emigrate to other countries in search of economic opportunities. High inflation and low economic growth in the 1980s, signs of what became known as the "lost decade" in Latin America, followed by the government's unsuccessful liberal economic policies in the 1990s, meant that even educated Brazilians could make more money doing low-skilled work abroad.

In the 1990s, near 1.9 million Brazilians were living outside the country, mainly in the United States, Paraguay and Japan^[180], but also in Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Israel. However, there were no specific policies implemented by the government to encourage or discourage this emigration process.^[181]

The 2000 Brazilian Census provides some information about the high number of migrants returning to Brazil. Of those who reported residing in another country less than 10 years before the 2000 census, 66.9 percent were Brazilians. If only the returning migrants (former Brazilian immigrants) are considered, 26.8 percent of Brazilians came from Paraguay, 17 percent came from Japan, and 15.8 percent came from the United States.^[181]

[edit] Largest cities

Main article: List of largest cities in Brazil

Cities in Brazil, except for the state of São Paulo, are usually not arranged in a single network, but rather on various export paths to seaside ports. Some geographers have called this an "archipelago" of cities ^[182], and the most important cities are on the coast or close to it. State capitals are also each the largest city in its state, except for Palmas, the new capital of the recently created state of Tocantins, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in São Paulo state (Campinas, Santos and Paraíba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley), and Santa Catarina (Itajaí Valley).

Rank	City	State	Pop.	Rank	City	State	Pop.
1	São Paulo	SP	11,016,703	11	Belém	PA	1,428,368
2	Rio de Janeiro	RJ	6,136,652	12	Guarulhos	SP	1,283,253
3	Salvador	BA	2,714,119	13	Goiânia	GO	1,220,412
4	Fortaleza	CE	2,416,920	14	Campinas	SP	1,059,420	São Paulo	Rio de Janeiro	Belo Horizonte
5	Belo Horizonte	MG	2,399,920	15	São Luís	MA	922,458
6	Brasília	DF	2,383,784	16	São Gonçalo	RJ	973,372
7	Curitiba	PR	1,788,559	17	Maceió	AL	922,458
8	Manaus	AM	1,644,690	18	D. de Caxias	RJ	855,010
9	Recife	PE	1,515,052	19	Nova Iguaçu	RJ	844,583
10	Porto Alegre	RS	1,440,939	20	Teresina	PI	813,992	Brasília	Curitiba	Recife
Source:[225] Guarulhos is part of the Greater São Paulo. Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu and São Gonçalo are part of the Greater Rio de Janeiro.

São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are far larger than any other Brazilian city. São Paulo's influence in most economic aspects can be noted in a national (and even international) scale; other Brazilian metropolises are second tier, even though Rio de Janeiro (partially due to its former status as the national capital) still host various large corporations' headquarters, besides being Brazil's cultural center with respect to soap operas and film production.

[edit] Languages

Main articles: Languages of Brazil and Brazilian Portuguese

Portuguese is the only official language of Brazil ^[183]. It is spoken by nearly the entire population and is virtually the only language used in schools, newspapers, radio, TV and for all business and administrative purposes. Moreover, Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity.

Portuguese as spoken in Brazil has developed independently of the European mother tongue, and it has undergone fewer phonetic changes than the language spoken in Portugal,^[184] thus it is often said that the "language of Camões", an important Portuguese fifteenth century author, sounded closer to modern Brazilian Portuguese than to the language spoken in Portugal today, and that his work is poetically more perfect when read the Brazilian way.

Many Amerindian languages are spoken daily in indigenous communities, primarily in Northern Brazil. Although many of these communities have significant contact with Portuguese ^[185], today there are incentives stimulating preservation and the teaching of native languages. According to SIL International, 133 native American languages are currently endangered. Some of the largest indigenous language groups include Arawak, Carib, Macro-Gê and Tupi.^[186] In 2006, the City of São Gabriel da Cachoeira in the region of Cabeça do Cachorro (Northwestern region of the State of Amazonas), has adopted some indigenous languages as some of its other official languages along with Portuguese.

Other languages are spoken by descendants of immigrants, who are usually bilingual, in small rural communities in Southern Brazil. The most important are the Brazilian German dialects, such as Riograndenser Hunsrückisch and the Pomeranian language, and also the Talian, based on the Italian Venetian language. In the city of São Paulo, Japanese, Chinese and Korean can be heard in the immigrant neighborhoods, such as Liberdade.

English is also part of the official high school curriculum in most of the Brazilian states, but very few Brazilians are fluent. Spanish is understood to varying degrees by many Brazilians, especially on the borders with Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The same applies to French which is spoken and understood in the cities bordering French Guiana.

[edit] Education and health

Main articles: Education in Brazil and Health care in Brazil

The Federal Constitution of 1988 and the 1996 General Law of Education in Brazil (LDB) attributed to the Federal Government, states, Federal District and municipalities the responsibility of managing the Brazilian educational system, considering three educational public systems as a basis for collaboration between these federal systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as mechanisms and sources for financial resources. The new Constitution reserves 25% of state and municipal taxes and 18% of federal taxes for education.^[187]

As set out by the Brazilian Constitution, the main responsibility for basic education is attributed to the states and municipalities. Hence, a historical feature of Brazilian basic education is its extremely decentralized nature, which gives great organizational autonomy to sub-national governments (27 states and 5,546 municipalities) in organizing their educational systems. Early childhood education, from 0-6 years, is under exclusive responsibility of the municipalities. Responsibility for compulsory primary education from 1st to 9th grades is shared between states and municipalities. Kindergarten and pre-school education are the responsibility of local levels of government, whereas secondary schools are under the responsibility of the states. Maintenance of the system, including salaries, the definition of teacher career structures and supervision of early childhood, primary, and secondary levels (which make up basic education) is decentralized, and these levels are responsible for defining their respective curriculum content.

Higher education starts with undergraduate or sequential courses, which may offer different specialization choices such as academic or vocational paths. Depending on the choice, students may improve their educational background with Stricto Sensu or Lato Sensu postgraduate courses. Higher education has three main purposes: teaching, research and extension, each with their own specific contribution to make to a particular course. Diplomas and certificates are proof of having passed through higher education.

In 2003, the literacy rate was at 88 percent of the population, and the youth literacy rate (ages 15–19) was 93.2 percent.^[188] However, Brazilian annalists tend to approach these favorable numbers with suspicion, considering the generally poor levels of performance displayed by students, especially in the public school network.

According to Brazilian Government, the most serious health problems are:^[189]

• Childhood mortality: about 2.51% of childhood mortality, reaching 3.77% in the northeast region.
• Motherhood mortality: about 73.1 deaths per 100,000 born children in 2002.
• Mortality by non-transmissible illness: 151.7 deaths per 100,000 habitants caused by heart and circulatory diseases, along with 72.7 deaths per 100,000 habitants caused by cancer.
• Mortality caused by external causes (transportation, violence and suicide): 71.7 deaths per 100,000 habitants (14.9% of all deaths in the country), reaching 82.3 deaths in the southeast region.

[edit] Social issues

According to Fundação Getúlio Vargas, in June 2006 the rate of poverty based on labour income was of 18.57% of the population — a 19.8% reduction during the previous four years.^[190] The rate of poverty is in part attributed to the country's economic inequality. Brazil ranks among the world's highest nations in the Gini coefficient index of inequality assessment.

Poverty in Brazil is most visually represented by the various favelas, slums in the country's metropolitan areas and remote upcountry regions that suffer with economic underdevelopment and below-par standards of living. There are also great differences in wealth and welfare between regions.^[191] While the Northeast region has the worst economic indicators nationwide due to low comprehensiveness and quality of public services, seasonal drought in rural areas, and widespread corruption, many cities in the South and Southeast enjoy First World socioeconomic standards.^[192] In 2005, Brazil had more than 15 million (10.2%) people that were considered to be illiterate.^[193]

A recent attempt to mitigate these problems is the "Fome Zero" hunger-eradication program implemented by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Part of this is "Bolsa Família",^[194] a major anti-poverty program that gives money directly to impoverished families.

High levels of violence are a part of life in Brazil, especially in large urban centers. Annalists generally point out the alarming social inequality as the major reason behind this problem. Muggings, robberies and kidnappings are common in many cities. Police brutality and corruption are widespread.

For the vast majority of the population, structural underdevelopment dramatically influences the quality of life. Most of the large cities have inefficient transportation systems and suffer from constant traffic congestion. The most important Municipalities grew without any planning within its urban perimeters. Public institutions tend to be bureaucratic and generally offer inadequate services. In many cases public hospitals and schools lack enough personnel, equipment and investment. On paper, the social security system should provide the basic needs for people requiring assistance, but astounding debts have turned it inept and unreliable. Super population and constant rebellions are familiar characteristics of the prison system.

Social issues affect each region differently. The North and Northeast regions face the most intense struggles, whereas the South and Southeast regions are the most developed. Also, the impact of social problems varies widely according to each social class. The rich and middle classes normally avoid most issues and enjoy a similar lifestyle to that of first world countries, clustering in high standard neighborhoods and guaranteeing quality in services through privately owned hospitals, schools and companies.

Some social and political issues that plague other countries are either mild or practically non-existent problems in Brazil, such as racism, religious intolerance, separatist movements, internal unrests, or terrorism.

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of Brazil

The Brazilian culture is a Latin American culture of a very diverse nature. Its chief early influence was Portuguese culture, due to strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire that spread the Portuguese language, legal system and other cultural inheritances. Other important influences came from other parts of Europe, the Native South American people (such as the Tupi), Africa and Asia creating a diverse multicultural and multiethnic society.

The core culture of Brazil is rooted in the culture of Portugal. The Portuguese colonists and immigrants brought the Roman Catholic faith, the Portuguese language and many traditions and customs that still influence the modern-day Brazilian culture.

As a multiracial country, its culture also absorbed other influences. The Amerindian peoples influenced Brazil's language and cuisine and the Africans, brought as slaves, largely influenced Brazil's music, dance, cuisine, religion and language. The Yoruba traditions, from nowadays Southwest Nigeria had made its way strongly into Afro-Brazilian religion and into Brazilian religiousness as a whole. Ancient Yoruba Orishas (gods) like Shango and Oxum are worshipped in Brazil, while samba and capoeira (musical rhythm and martial art, respectively) were originally contributions from the Bantu peoples from Angola and Congo.

Italian, German and other European immigrants came in large numbers and their influences are felt closer to the Southeast and South of Brazil.

Brazilian Carnival (Portuguese: Carnaval) is an annual celebration held 40 days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent. During Lent, Roman Catholics, which constitute the majority in Brazil, are to abstain from bodily pleasures. The carnival, which is celebrated as a profane event, can thus be considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh. Brazilian Carnival as a whole exhibits some differences with its counterparts in Europe and other parts of the world, and within Brazil it has distinct regional manifestations. Other regional festivals include the Boi Bumbá and Festa Junina (June Festivals).

Brazil's rich cultural tradition extends to its musical styles, which include samba, bossa nova, forró, frevo, maracatu, among others. Brazilian contributions to the genres of classical music can be seen in the works of composers José Maurício Nunes Garcia (1767-1830), Antonio Carlos Gomes, Elias Álvares Lobo, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Camargo Guarnieri, Cláudio Santoro and Osvaldo Lacerda.

In the 1950's, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes, Baden Powell de Aquino, and João Gilberto popularized the Bossa Nova style, which was followed by Música Popular Brasileira (literally "Brazilian Popular Music," often abbreviated to MPB). Elis Regina, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque and Nara Leão are artists with an important role in shaping the MPB style. In the late 1960s, the tropicalismo was popularized by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.

See also: Category:Brazilian art, Category:Brazilian artists, Brazilian Carnival, List of tallest buildings in Brazil, Cuisine of Brazil, List of Brazilians, Literature of Brazil, Music of Brazil, Cinema of Brazil, and Holidays in Brazil

[edit] Religion

Main article: Religion in Brazil

According to the IBGE census: 74% are Roman Catholics (about 139 million); 15.4% are Protestants (about 28 million); 7.4% consider themselves agnostics, atheists or without a religion (about 12 million); 1.3% are followers of Spiritism (about 2.2 million); 0.3% are followers of African traditional religions such as Candomblé and Umbanda; 1.7% are members of other religions. Some of these are Jehovah's Witnesses (1,100,000), Latter-day Saints (600,000),^[195] Buddhism (215,000), Judaism (150,000), and Islam (27,000) and some practice a mixture of different religions, such as Catholicism, Candomblé, and indigenous American religions.^[196]

Brazil has the largest Roman Catholic population in the world.

Followers of Protestantism are rising in number. Until 1970, the majority of Brazilian Protestants were the ones of "traditional churches", mostly Lutherans, Presbyterians and Baptists. Since then, numbers of Pentecostal and Neopentecostal adherents have increased significantly.

Islam in Brazil was first practiced by African slaves.^[197] Today, the Muslim population in Brazil is made up mostly of Arab immigrants. A recent trend has been the increase in conversions to Islam among non-Arab citizens.^[198]

The largest population of Buddhists in Latin America lives in Brazil. This is mostly because Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan.^[199]

Brazil appears as a devout country to outsiders yet in an IBOPE poll, about 8% of Brazilians declared themselves to be non-religious (with 2% declaring themselves atheists) and 58% of Catholics considered themselves "not very practicing" or "not at all practicing".^[200]

[edit] Sports

Main article: Sports in Brazil

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil.^[201] Basketball, volleyball, auto racing, and martial arts also attract large audiences. Though not as regularly followed or practiced as the previously mentioned sports, tennis, team handball, swimming, and gymnastics have found a growing number of enthusiasts over the last decades.

The Brazilian national football team (Seleção) has been victorious in the World Cup tournament a record five times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. As of July, 2007, it is ranked the best in the world by FIFA.^[202] Brazilian football clubs have also experienced significant international success, winning the most prestigious South American competition (Copa Libertadores) on thirteen occasions. ^[203]

Regarding auto racing, Brazilian drivers have won the Formula 1 world championship eight times: Emerson Fittipaldi (1972 and 1974), Nelson Piquet (1981, 1983 and 1987) and Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990 and 1991). The circuit located in São Paulo, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, hosts the annual Grand Prix of Brazil,^[204] which has been in the Formula 1 calendar since 1973. In Indy 500, Brazilian drivers have achieved victory five times: Fittipaldi won in 1989 and 1993, Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002 and Gil de Ferran in 2003. In the World Sportscar Championship, Raul Boesel was champion in 1987. In Moto GP, Alex Barros has the highest number of starts (259) and seven wins.

In basketball, Brazil’s men’s team has won the Basketball World Championship twice, in 1959 and 1963. The women’s team has won the FIBA World Championship for Women only once, in 1994. Currently though, both national teams have become less competitive; as of June, 2007, FIBA ranks the men's team 17th in the world ^[205] and the women's team as 4th.^[206] In volleyball, the country didn’t enjoy much success until the early 1990s, but as of 2006, Brazil’s men’s national team is on top of the FIVB rank with various championship victories.^[207] The women’ team also won several competitions and is currently ranked second in the world by FIVB.^[208]

Brazil has had disappointing results in the Olympic Summer Games, considering the size of its population and economy. It currently ranks 39th in the all-time medal table, having won only 17 gold medals in all events. In Athens 2004, Brazil finished 16th in the rank with 5 gold medals^[209] Brazil’s poor Olympic record relates to a lack of heavy governmental investments in sport and to a general overemphasis on team sports. The government, through its Ministry of Sport, has established a number of programs to try and revert the situation, such as "Programa Bolsa-Atleta",^[210] "Projetos Esportivos Sociais",^[211] and "Descoberta de Talento Esportivo",^[212] albeit effective improvements remain to be seen. Due to its tropical nature, Brazil usually does not take part in the Olympic Winter Games, although ten athletes were sent to 2006 Winter Olympics.

Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil. Beach soccer, futsal (official version of indoor soccer) and footvolley emerged in the country as variations of soccer. In martial arts, it is attributed to Brazilians the invention of Capoeira, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,Muay Thai and Vale Tudo.

Brazil has undertaken the organization of large-scale sporting events: the country organized and hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup^[213] and is organizing a bid to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup event^[214]. Also, São Paulo city organized the IV Pan American Games in 1963^[215] and Rio de Janeiro city hosted the XV Pan American Games in 2007^[216]. Brazil also tries for the fourth time to host the Summer Olympics (Brasilia 2000^[217], Rio de Janeiro 2004^[218], Rio de Janeiro 2012^[219] and currently, Rio de Janeiro 2016 ^[220][221]).

[edit] Science and technology

Main article: Science and technology in Brazil

Brazil has today a well developed plan of science and technology. Basic research is largely carried out in public universities and research centers and institutes, and partly in private institutions, especially in non-profit non-governmental organizations. Despite governmental regulations and incentives, investment in research and development has been growing in private universities and companies as well since the 1990s. Nonetheless, more than 90% of funding for basic research still comes from governmental sources.^[222]

Some of Brazil's most important technological hubs are located in São José dos Campos, Campinas, São Carlos, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife and São Paulo.

Brazilian information technology is comparable in quality to other countries that play a major role in the international market, much like India and China, but because Brazil possesses a larger internal market, the exports of software are still very limited.^[223] Catering for the internal market, Brazilian IT is particularly efficient in providing solutions to financial services, defense, CRM, eGovernment, and healthcare. The Brazilian government as an institution has plans to switch its operating systems, replacing the current proprietary software scheme for the free software scheme.^[224]

Major Brazilian scientific research institutions with worldwide recognition include the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica and the Brazilian Enterprise of Agropecuary Research.

The Brazilian Space Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira) is the civilian authority in Brazil that is in charge of the country's burgeoning space program. It operates a rocket launch site at Alcântara, Maranhão.

[edit] International Rankings

Main article: International rankings of Brazil

Organization	Survey	Ranking
Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal	Index of Economic Freedom, 2007	70 out of 157
The Economist	Worldwide Quality of Life Index, 2005	39 out of 111
The Economist	Democracy Index, 2007	42 out of 167
Reporters Without Borders	Worldwide Press Freedom Index, 2006	75 out of 168
Transparency International	Corruption Perceptions Index, 2006	70 out of 163
United Nations Development Programme	Human Development Index	69 out of 177

[edit] See also

v • d • e Major topics in Brazil
History	First inhabitants · Colonization · Empire · Old Republic · Estado Novo · Second Republic · Military rule · Contemporary
Politics	Constitution · President · National Congress · Law · Supreme Federal Tribunal · Elections · Political parties · Foreign relations · Human rights
Economy	Real · Central Bank · List of companies · Agriculture · Industry · Communications · Transportation · Economic history · Energy
Geography	Regions · States · Cities · Islands · Climate · Environment · Extreme points
Demographics	People · Languages · Religion · Education · Health care · Largest cities
Culture	Carnival · Cuisine · Cinema · Holidays · Literature · Music · Sports · Tourism
Other	Military · International rankings · Science and Technology ·Social apartheid
Portal · Brazil Collaboration · Current events in Brazil · WikiProject

[edit] References

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

Find more information on Brazil by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
	Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Images and media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

Government and administration

• (English) (Portuguese) Brasil.gov.br — Brazilian Federal Government web portal
• (English) (Portuguese) The President of Brazil official website
• (English) (Portuguese) House of Representatives website
• (Portuguese) Senate website
• (Portuguese) AEB - Brazilian Space Agency website

Information and statistics

• (English) Congressional Research Service (CRS) - Reports regarding Brazil
• (English) (Portuguese) IBGE - Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica
• (Portuguese) IPEA - Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada
• (English) Library of Congress — A Country Study: Brazil
• (English) Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Brazil"
• (English) (Portuguese) BNDES - Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social
• (English) (Portuguese) Brazilian National Library
• (English) CIA World Factbook entry on Brazil

Economy and business

• (English) Bacen Central Bank of Brazil
• (English) Bovespa - São Paulo Stock Exchange website
• (English) International Finance Corporation's "Doing Business in Brazil 2007" report
• (English) Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
• (English) (Portuguese) Britcham in Brazil
• (English) (Portuguese) Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain

News and opinion

• (English) The Council on Hemispheric Affairs An independent source of news and opinion on Latin America.
• (English) Brazil Political Comment
• (English) Latin Lawyer A guide to Latin America's leading business law firms.
• (English) Biodiversity Hotspots - Brazil, a biodiversity hotspot
• (English) UK House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee, "Trade with Brazil and Mercosur", retrieved 15 June 2007.
• (English) UK House of Commons' Minutes of evidence taken before Trade and Industry Committee
• (English) Center for Economic and Policy Research, "Brazil’s Presidential Election: Background on Economic Issues", retrieved 10 June 2007.
• (English) European Commission, Brazil: Country Strategy Paper 2007-2013

Sports

• (English) All about Brazilian Football - Football+Brazil

Tourism

• (English) Official Brazilian Tourism Webpage
• (English) Accommodation in Brazil — Guide courtesy of the Brazilian embassy in London, UK
• (English) About Brazil Photography, History, Geography, Culture, Facts
• (English) Morro de Sao Paulo A site about islands and beaches of Brazil
• (English) Satellite images of Brazil's main cities
• (English) Brazil Brasil.com General information on Brazil for foreign visitors.
• Brazil travel guide from Wikitravel

Communities

• (English) (Portuguese) Brazilian Community Council of Australia (BraCCA)
• (English) (Portuguese) Florida Brasil (Brazilian Community in Florida)

Templates

Geographic locale v • d • e Countries of South America Countries and territories also in or commonly reckoned elsewhere in the Americas shown in italics Sovereign states Argentina · Bolivia · Brazil · Chile · Colombia · Ecuador · Guyana · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago · Uruguay · Venezuela Dependencies Aruba (Netherlands) · Falkland Islands (UK) · French Guiana (France) · Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands) · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK) International membership and history v • d • e Latin Union Andorra · Angola · Argentina · Bolivia · Brazil · Cape Verde · Chile · Colombia · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Cuba · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · France · Guatemala · Guinea-Bissau · Haiti · Holy See · Honduras · Italy · Mexico · Moldova · Monaco · Mozambique · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Portugal · Romania · San Marino · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Sovereign Military Order of Malta · Spain · Timor-Leste · Uruguay · Venezuela Official languages: French · Italian · Portuguese · Romanian · Spanish v • d • e Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) Members: Angola · Brazil · Cape Verde · East Timor · Guinea-Bissau · Mozambique · Portugal · São Tomé and Príncipe Observers: Equatorial Guinea  · Mauritius v • d • e Union of South American Nations  (Unasur · Unasul) Argentina · Bolivia · Brazil · Chile · Colombia · Ecuador · Guyana · Paraguay · Peru · Suriname · Uruguay · Venezuela v • d • e Mercosur · Mercosul  (Southern Common Market) Members Argentina · Brazil · Paraguay · Uruguay · Venezuela Associate members Bolivia · Chile · Colombia · Ecuador · Peru Observers Mexico v • d • e Organization of American States (OAS) Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Bolivia · Brazil · Canada · Chile · Colombia · Costa Rica · Cuba · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · St. Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · St. Kitts and Nevis · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago · United States · Uruguay · Venezuela v • d • e Group of Eight plus Five (G8+5)  Canada ·  France ·  Germany ·  Italy ·  Japan ·  Russia ·  United Kingdom ·  United States   Brazil ·  China ·  India ·  Mexico ·  South Africa v • d • e Group of Fifteen (G15)  Algeria  Argentina  Brazil  Chile  Egypt  India  Indonesia  Iran  Jamaica  Kenya  Malaysia  Mexico  Nigeria  Peru  Senegal  Sri Lanka  Venezuela  Zimbabwe v • d • e BRIC countries  Brazil  ·   Russia  ·   India  ·   China (PRC) v • d • e Portuguese Empire North Africa  15th century 1415–1640  Ceuta 1420           Madeira 1458–1550  Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir) 1471–1550  Arzila (Asilah) 1471–1662  Tangier 1485–1550  Mazagan (El Jadida) 1488–1541  Safim (Safi) 16th century 1505–1769  Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir) 1506–1525  Mogador (Essaouira) 1506–1525  Aguz (Souira Guedima) 1506–1769  Mazagan (El Jadida) 1513–1541  Azamor (Azemmour) 1577–1589  Arzila (Asilah) Sub-Saharan Africa  15th century 1455–1633  Arguin 1470–1975  São Tomé1 1474–1778  Annobón 1478–1778  Fernando Póo (Bioko) 1482–1637  Elmina (São Jorge da Mina) 1482–1642  Portuguese Gold Coast 1496–1550  Madagascar (part) 1498–1540  Mascarene Islands 16th century 1500–1630  Malindi 1500–1975  Príncipe1 1501–1975  Portuguese E. Africa (Mozambique) 1502–1659  St. Helena 1503–1698  Zanzibar 1505–1512  Quíloa (Kilwa) 1506–1511  Socotra 1557–1578  Accra 1575–1975  Portuguese W. Africa (Angola) 1588–1974  Cacheu2 1593–1698  Mombassa (Mombasa) 17th century 1642–1975  Cape Verde 1645–1888  Ziguinchor 1680–1961  São João Baptista de Ajudá 1687–1974  Bissau2 18th century 1728–1729  Mombassa (Mombasa) 1753–1975  São Tomé and Príncipe 19th century 1879–1974  Portuguese Guinea 1885–1975  Portuguese Congo (Cabinda) 1 Part of São Tomé and Príncipe from 1753.   2 Part of Portuguese Guinea from 1879. Southwest Asia  16th century 1506–1615  Gamru (Bandar Abbas) 1515–1622  Hormuz (Ormus) 1515–1650  Muscat 1521–1602  Bahrain Indian subcontinent  15th century 1498–1545  Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep) 16th century Portuguese India    1500–1663  Cochim (Kochi)    1502–1661  Quilon (Coulão/Kollam)    1502–1663  Cannanore (Kannur)    1507–1657  Negapatam (Nagapattinam)    1510–1962  Goa    1512–1525  Calicut (Kozhikode)    1518–1619  Paliacate (Pulicat)    1521–1740  Chaul    1523–1662  São Tomé de Meliapore    1528–1666  Chittagong    1534–1601  Salsette Island    1534–1661  Bombay (Mumbai)    1535–1739  Baçaím (Vasai-Virar)    1536–1662  Cranganore (Kodungallur)    1540–1612  Surat    1548–1658  Tuticorin (Thoothukudi)    1559–1962  Daman and Diu    1568–1659  Mangalore    1579–1632  Hughli    1598–1610  Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) 1518–1521  Maldives 1518–1658  Ceilão (Ceylon/Sri Lanka) 1558–1573  Maldives 17th century Portuguese India    1687–1749  São Tomé de Meliapore 18th century Portuguese India    1779–1954  Dadra and Nagar Haveli East Asia and Oceania  16th century 1511–1641  Malacca 1512–1621  Banda Islands 1512–1621  Moluccas (Maluku Islands)    1522–1575  Ternate    1576–1605  Ambon    1578–1650  Tidore 1512–1665  Makassar 1553–1999  Macau 1571–1639  Decima (Dejima, Nagasaki) 17th century 1642–1975  Portuguese Timor (East Timor)1 19th century Macau    1864–1999  Coloane    1851–1999  Taipa    1890–1999  Ilha Verde 20th century Macau    1938–1941  Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin) 1 1975 is the date of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, the independence of East Timor was recognized by Portugal and the rest of the world. North America and the North Atlantic Ocean  15th century 1432           Azores 1499–1526  Labrador 16th century 1500–1526  Nova Scotia 1500–1526  Terra Nova (Newfoundland) Central and South America  16th century 1500–1822  Brazil 1536–1620  Barbados 17th century 1680–1777  Nova Colônia do Sacramento 19th century 1808–1822  Cisplatina (Uruguay) Portuguese colonization of the Americas