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Moved from Brazil by Evan. Please, just use this for reference, adding stuff into Brazil if you need to.

[edit] Geography

Location 

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Geographic coordinates 

10 00 S, 55 00 W

Map references 

South America

Area 

total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq km
note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo
water: 55,455 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries 

total: 14,691 km
border countries: Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km

Coastline 

7,491 km

Maritime claims 

contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate 

mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Terrain 

mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m

Natural resources 

bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

Land use 

arable land: 6.3%
permanent crops: 1.42%
other: 92.28% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

26,560 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards 

recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south

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 

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note 

largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador

[edit] People

Population 

176,029,560
note: Brazil took an intercensal count in August 1996 which reported a population of 157,079,573; that figure was about 5% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau, which is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 28% (male 25,140,954; female 24,199,276)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 57,424,151; female 59,409,928)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 3,992,017; female 5,863,234) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.87% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

18.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

9.32 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

35.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 63.55 years
female: 67.91 years (2002 est.)
male: 59.4 years

Total fertility rate 

2.05 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

0.57% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

540,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

18,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian

Ethnic groups 

white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%

Religions 

Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%

Languages 

Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.3%
male: 83.3%
female: 83.2% (1995 est.)

[edit] Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local short form: Brasil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil

Government type 

federative republic

Capital 

Brasilia

Administrative divisions 

26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins

Independence 

7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Constitution 

5 October 1988

Legal system 

based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage 

voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age

Executive branch 

chief of state: President Luiz Ignacio Lula DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
election results: in runoff election 27 October 2002, Luiz Ignacio Lula DA SILVA (PT) was elected with 61.3% of the vote; Jose SERRA (PSDB) 38.7%
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 6 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006); runoff election held 27 October 2002
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
head of government: President Luiz Ignacio Lula DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch 

bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three members from each state or federal district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party PMBD 19, PFL 19, PT 14, PSDB 11, PDT 5, PSB 4, PL 3, PTB 3, PPS 1, PSD 1, PPB 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PT 91, PFL 84, PMDB 74, PSDB 71, PPB 49, PL 26, PTB 26, PSB 22, PDT 21, PPS 15, PCdoB 12, PRONA 6, PV 5, other 11
elections: Federal Senate - last held 6 October 2002 for two-thirds of the Senate (next to be held NA October 2006 for one-third of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006)

Judicial branch 

Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life)

Political parties and leaders 

Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Michel TEMER, president]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Jose Carlos MARTINEZ, president]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Jose ANIBAL, president]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Miguel ARRAES, president]; Brazilian Progressive Party or PPB [Paulo Salim MALUF]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Renato RABELLO, chairman]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA, president]; Green Party or PV [leader NA]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jorge BORNHAUSEN, president]; Liberal Party or PL [Deputy Valdemar COSTA Neto, president]; National Order Reconstruction Party or PRONA [Dr. Eneas CARNEIRO]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Senator Roberto FREIRE, president]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [leader NA]; Worker's Party or PT [Jose GENOINO, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders 

left wing of the Catholic Church; Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions allied to leftist Worker's Party

International organization participation 

AfDB, BIS, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOP, UNMOVIC, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Rubens Antonio BARBOSA
FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco
chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Donna J. HRINAK
embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia
mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
telephone: [55] (61) 312-7000
FAX: [55] (61) 225-9136
consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
consulate(s): Recife

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)

[edit] Economy

Economy - overview 

Possessing 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. The maintenance of large current account deficits via capital account surpluses became problematic as investors became more risk averse to emerging market exposure as a consequence of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the Russian bond default in August 1998. After crafting a fiscal adjustment program and pledging progress on structural reform, Brazil received a $41.5 billion IMF-led international support program in November 1998. In January 1999, the Brazilian Central Bank announced that the real would no longer be pegged to the US dollar. This devaluation helped moderate the downturn in economic growth in 1999 that investors had expressed concerns about over the summer of 1998, and the country posted moderate GDP growth. Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001 - to less than 2% - because of a slowdown in major markets and the hiking of interest rates by the Central Bank to combat inflationary pressures. Investor confidence was strong at yearend 2001, in part because of the strong recovery in the trade balance.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $1.34 trillion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

1.9% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $7,400 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 9%
industry: 32%
services: 59% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line 

22% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 47% (1997) (1997)

Distribution of family income - Gini index 

59 (1997)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

7.7% (2001) (2001)

Labor force 

79 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation 

services 53%, agriculture 23%, industry 24%

Unemployment rate 

6.4% (2001 est.)

Budget 

revenues: $100.6 billion
expenditures: $91.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) (2000)

Industries 

textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment

Industrial production growth rate 

1% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production 

342.3 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 6%
other: 4% (2000)
hydro: 89%
nuclear: 1%

Electricity - consumption 

360.64 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

42.3 billion kWh
note: supplied by Paraguay (2000)

Agriculture - products 

coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef

Exports 

$57.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities 

manufactures, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos

Exports - partners 

US 24.4%, Argentina 11.2%, Germany 8.7%, Japan 5.5%, Italy 3.9%, Netherlands (2001)

Imports 

$57.7 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities 

machinery and equipment, chemical products, oil, electricity, autos and auto parts

Imports - partners 

US 23.2%, Argentina 11.2%, Germany 8.7%, Japan 5.5%, Italy 3.9% (2001)

Debt - external 

$251 billion (2001) (2001)

Economic aid - recipient 

NA

Currency 

real (BRL)

Currency code 

BRL

Exchange rates 

reals per US dollar - 2.378 (January 2002), 2.358 (2001), 1.830 (2000), 1.815 (1999), 1.161 (1998), 1.078 (1997)
note: from October 1994 through 14 January 1999, the official rate was determined by a managed float; since 15 January 1999, the official rate floats independently with respect to the US dollar

Fiscal year 

calendar year

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

17.039 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

4.4 million (1997)

Telephone system 

general assessment: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations
international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999)

Radios 

71 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

138 (1997)

Televisions 

36.5 million (1997)

Internet country code 

.br

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

50 (2000)

Internet users 

13.98 million (2002)

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

total:
broad gauge: 5,679 km 1.600-m gauge (1,199 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 24,666 km 1.000-m gauge (930 km electrified)
dual gauge: 336 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
note: in addition to the interurban routes itemized above, Brazil has 247.8 km of suburban railway consisting of 170.8 km of 1.600-m gauge (75 km electrified) and 77 km of 1.000-m gauge (1999 est.)

Highways 

total: 1.98 million km
paved: 184,140 km
unpaved: 1,795,860 km (1996)

Waterways 

50,000 km

Pipelines 

crude oil 2,980 km; petroleum products 4,762 km; natural gas 4,246 km (1998)

Ports and harbors 

Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, Vitoria

Merchant marine 

total: 165 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,662,570 GRT/5,875,933 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Chile 2, Germany 6, Greece 1, Monaco 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 32, cargo 25, chemical tanker 5, combination ore/oil 9, container 12, liquefied gas 11, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 54, roll on/roll off 10, short-sea passenger 1

Airports 

3,365 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 665
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 155
914 to 1,523 m: 435
under 914 m: 45 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 2,925 2,738
1,524 to 2,437 m: 72
914 to 1,523 m: 1,316
under 914 m: 70 1,350 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes naval air and marines), Brazilian Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)

Military manpower - military age 

18 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 48,859,610 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 32,743,504 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually 

males: 1,762,740 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$13.408 billion (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

1.9% (FY99)

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

uncontested dispute with Uruguay over islands in the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada)

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 Colombian and Peruvian cocaine headed for the US and Europe; 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

[edit] See also