Brazil-
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil-
Capital:
Type of Government: -
Administrative Divisions: -
Age Structure: -
Agriculture: -
Airports: -
With Paved Runways: -
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: total: 8,511,965 sq km.
slightly smaller than the US
Background: Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem.-
Birth rate: -
Budget: -
Coastline: 7,491 km-
Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Communications: -
Constitution:
Currency: -
Current account balance: -
Death rate: -
Debt - external: -
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas: -
Diplomatic representation from the US: -
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Disputes - international: unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute with Uruguay over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada boundary streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina; in 2004 Brazil submitted its claims to UNCLOS to extend its maritime continental margin
Distribution of family income: 59.7 (2004)-
Economic aid - donor: -
Economic aid - recipient:
Economy - overview: Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. From 2001-03 real wages fell and Brazil's economy grew, on average, only 2.2% per year, as the country absorbed a series of domestic and international economic shocks. That Brazil absorbed these shocks without financial collapse is a tribute to the resiliency of the Brazilian economy and the economic program put in place by former President CARDOSO and strengthened by President LULA DA SILVA. In 2004, Brazil enjoyed more robust growth that yielded increases in employment and real wages. The three pillars of the economic program are a floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and tight fiscal policy, all reinforced by a series of IMF programs. The currency depreciated sharply in 2001 and 2002, which contributed to a dramatic current account adjustment; in 2003 to 2005, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains - particularly in agriculture - also contributed to the surge in exports, and Brazil in 2005 surpassed the previous year's record export level. While economic management has been good, there remain important economic vulnerabilities. The most significant are debt-related: the government's largely domestic debt increased steadily from 1994 to 2003 - straining government finances - before falling as a percentage of GDP in 2005, while Brazil's foreign debt (a mix of private and public debt) is large in relation to Brazil's small (but growing) export base. Another challenge is maintaining economic growth over a period of time to generate employment and make the government debt burden more manageable.-
Electricity - consumption:
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Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Environment - current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills-
Environment - International Agreements: -
Ethnic groups: -
Exchange rates: -
Executive branch: -
Exports: -
Exports - partners: -
Fiscal year:
Flag description: green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)-
GDP (official exchange rate): -
GDP (purchasing power parity): -
GDP - composition by sector: -
GDP - per capita: -
GDP - real growth rate:
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 55 00 W
Geography - note: largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador-
Government - note: -
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: -
HIV/AIDS - deaths: -
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Heliports: 417 (2005 est.)-
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis; minor coca cultivation in the Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for Europe and the US; also used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area-
Imports: -
Imports - partners: -
Independence: -
Industrial production growth rate: -
Industries: -
Infant mortality rate: -
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -
International organization participation:
Internet country code: .br-
Internet hosts: -
Internet users:
Investment (gross fixed): 19.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Irrigated land: 26,560 sq km (1998 est.)-
Judicial branch: -
Labor force: -
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: total: 14,691 km
Land use: arable land: 6.96%-
Languages:
Legal system: based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction-
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: -
Literacy:
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean-
Major infectious diseases: -
Manpower available for military service: -
Manpower fit for military service: -
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Map references: South America
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm-
Median age: -
Merchant marine: -
Military - note: -
Military branches: -
Military expenditures - dollar figure: -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: -
Military service age and obligation: -
National holiday: -
Nationality:
Natural gas - consumption: 9.59 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: 5.95 billion cu m (2001 est.)-
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber-
Net migration rate: -
Oil - consumption: -
Oil - exports: -
Oil - imports: -
Oil - production: -
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note:
Political parties and leaders: -
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Population: -186,112,794
Population below poverty line: -
Population growth rate:
Ports and terminals: Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria
Public debt: 50.2% of GDP (2005 est.)-
Radio broadcast stations: -
Railways: -
Refugees and internally displaced persons: -
Religions: -
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: -
Roadways: -
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Telephone system: -
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Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt-
Total fertility rate: -
Transportation - note: -
Unemployment rate:
Waterways: 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2004)