Brazil

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Brazil

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name República Federativa do Brasil/Federative Republic of Brazil Area 8,511,965 sq km/3,286,469 sq mi Capital Brasília Language Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French, 120 Indian languages Religion Roman Catholic 70%; Indian faiths Time difference GMT -2/5 Major holidays 1 January, 21 April, 1 May, 7 September, 12 October, 2, 15 November, 25 December; variable: Carnival (2 days), Corpus Christi, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Holy Thursday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, Belém, Recife, Porto Alegre, Salvador, Curitiba, Manaus, Fortaleza Major ports Rio de Janeiro, Belém, Recife, Porto Alegre, Salvador Physical features the densely forested Amazon basin covers the northern half of the country with a network of rivers; south is fertile; enormous energy resources, both hydroelectric (Itaipú Reservoir on the Paraná, and Tucuruí on the Tocantins) and nuclear (uranium ores); mostly tropical climate Airports 22 international airports, 45 other principal airports, and about 1,450 other airports and airstrips; total passengers carried: 33.4 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 29,000 km/18,020 mi; total passenger journeys: 1.6 million (2001) Roads total road network: 1,724,924 km/1,071,818 mi, of which 5.5% paved (2000 est); passenger cars: 170.3 per 1,000 people (2000 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Luiz Inácio da Silva from 2003 Political system liberal democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 26 states and one federal district Political parties Workers' Party (PT), left of centre; Social Democratic Party (PSDB), moderate, left of centre; Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), left of centre; Liberal Front Party (PFL), right wing; National Reconstruction Party (PRN), right of centre Death penalty abolished for ordinary crimes in 1979; laws provide for the death penalty for exceptional crimes, such as crimes committed in wartime Armed forces 287,200; 1,340,000 reserves; plus paramilitary forces of 385,600 (2006 est) Conscription 12 months Defence spend (% GDP) 1.6 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4.2 (2002 est) Health spend (% GDP) 3.4 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency real GDP (US$) 784.1 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 3.6 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 644.1 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 8,230 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 4.5% (2006 est) Unemployment 9.8% (2005 est) Labour force 21% agriculture, 21% industry, 58% services (2004) Foreign debt (US$) 187.1 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners USA, Argentina, Germany, the Netherlands, China Resources iron ore (world's second-largest producer), tin (world's fourth-largest producer), aluminium (world's fourth-largest producer), gold, phosphates, platinum, bauxite, uranium, manganese, coal, copper, petroleum, natural gas, hydroelectric power, forests Industries mining, steel, machinery and transport equipment, food processing, textiles and clothing, chemicals, petrochemicals, cement, lumber Exports steel products, transport equipment, coffee, iron ore and concentrates, aluminium, iron, tin, soybeans, chemical products, orange juice (85% of world's concentrates), tobacco, leather footwear, sugar, beef, textiles. Principal market: USA 19.2% (2005) Imports mineral fuels, machinery and mechanical appliances, chemical products, foodstuffs, transport equipment and parts, fertilizers, cast iron and steel. Principal source: USA 17.5% (2005) Arable land 6.9% (2006 est) Agricultural products soybeans, coffee (world's largest producer), tobacco, sugar cane (world's third-largest producer), cocoa beans (world's second-largest producer), maize, rice, cassava, oranges; livestock (beef and poultry)


POPULATION

Population 188,882,800 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1.3% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 22 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 84 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 28%, 15–59 63%, 60+ 9% (2005 est) Ethnic groups wide range of ethnic groups, including 55% of European origin (mainly Portuguese, Italian, and German), 38% of mixed parentage, 6% of African origin, as well as American Indians and Japanese Life expectancy 68 (men); 76 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 34 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 8 Literacy rate 88% (men); 88% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 20.6 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 2.7 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.5 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 14,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 9 (urban); 11 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 23.1 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 46.3 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 444 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 358 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 10.5 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 34 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1500 Originally inhabited by South American Indians. Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral sighted and claimed Brazil for Portugal. 1530 Start of Portuguese colonization; Portugal monopolized trade but colonial government was decentralized. 1580–1640 Brazil came under Spanish rule along with Portugal. 17th century Sugar-cane plantations established with slave labour in coastal regions, making Brazil the world's largest supplier of sugar; cattle ranching developed inland. 1695 Gold discovered in central highlands. 1763 Colonial capital moved from Bahía to Rio de Janeiro. 1770 Brazil's first coffee plantations established in Rio de Janeiro. 18th century Population in 1798 totalled 3.3 million, of which around 1.9 million were slaves, mainly of African origin; significant growth of gold-mining industry. 1808 Portuguese regent, Prince John, arrived in Brazil and established his court at Rio de Janeiro; Brazilian trade opened to foreign merchants. 1815 The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarve made Brazil co-equal with Portugal. 1821 Crown Prince Pedro took over government of Brazil. 1822 Pedro defied orders to return to Portugal; he declared Brazil's independence to avoid reversion to colonial status. 1825 King John VI recognized his son as Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. 1831 Pedro I abdicated in favour of his infant son, Pedro II. 1847 First prime minister appointed, but emperor retained many powers. 1865–70 Brazilian efforts to control Uruguay led to War of the Triple Alliance with Paraguay. 1888 Slavery abolished in Brazil. 1889 Monarch overthrown by liberal revolt; a federal republic was established, with central government controlled by coffee planters. 1902 Brazil produced 65% of world's coffee. 1915–19 Lack of European imports during World War I led to rapid industrialization. 1930 Revolution against coffee planter oligarchy placed Getúlio Vargas in power; he introduced social reforms. 1937 Vargas established authoritarian corporate state. 1942 Brazil entered World War II as ally of the USA. 1945–54 Vargas ousted by military coup. In 1951 he was elected president and continued to extend the state control of the economy. In 1954 he committed suicide. 1960 Capital moved to Brasília. 1964 Bloodless coup established a technocratic military regime; free political parties abolished; intense concentration on industrial growth aided by foreign investment and loans. 1970s Economic recession and inflation undermined public support for the military regime. 1985 After gradual democratization from 1979, Tancredo Neves became first civilian president in 21 years. 1988 New constitution reduced powers of president. 1989 Fernando Collor (PRN) elected president. Brazil suspended its foreign debt payments. 1992 Collor charged with corruption and replaced by Vice-President Itamar Franco. 1994 New currency introduced, the third in eight years. Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB) won presidential elections. Collor cleared of corruption charges. 1997 Constitution amended to allow president to seek asecond term of office. 1998 President Cardoso re-elected. Brazil's currency weakened by stock market crash; despite offer of International Monetary Fund (IMF) rescue package, the real was devalued. 1999 Economy began to recover and economic reforms were put in place. 2001 Prison riots in São Paulo state involving 28,000 prisoners left 20 people dead. 2002 IMF granted government a US$30 billion loan, the IMF's largest-ever financial rescue package. A strong winner in presidential elections, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (‘Lula’) of the left-wing Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT; Workers' Party) put a left-wing government in power for the first time in 40 years. 2004 During what was dubbed ‘Red April’ by activists, landless peasants illegally seized more than 50 properties across the country. The agrarian Movement (MST) claimed the government's pace of resettlement was too slow. Brazil launched its first space rocket. 2005 Murder of US missionary Dorothy Stang, a campaigner for Amazon peasant farmers, focused attention on the issue of land and resources in Amazon; government announced plan to protect part of region from ecological ruin. Ruling Workers' Party rocked by allegations of corruption; numerous resignations ensued and president delivered a televised apology. 2005–06 At least 30 people killed by death squads in Rio de Janeiro. Despite growing violence, triggered by prison uprisings, voters in a referendum rejected proposal to ban firearm sales. Gang attacks and police retaliation killed scores of people. 2006 President Lula re-elected. 2007 Acting on 1995 pledge to root out slavery, government announced that more than 1,000 people had been freed from sugar-cane plantation in the Amazon.


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