Brazil
Official Country Name
Brazil
Brazil Overview
Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822 and a republic in 1889. 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.
Brazil Economy
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. Since 2004, Brazil has 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; from 2003 to 2006, 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. 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. Brazil has improved its debt profile over the past year by shifting its debt burden toward real denominated and domestically held instruments. LULA DA SILVA restated his commitment to fiscal austerity by maintaining the country's primary surplus during the 2006 election and plans to pass a package of further economic reforms upon entering office for his second term. Another challenge is maintaining economic growth over a period of time to generate employment and make the government debt burden more manageable.
Brazil Location
Brazil is located in Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Region
Brazil is located in South America
Brazil Population
Brazil has population of 188,078,227
Brazil Climate
Brazil has mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Brazil Terrain
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Brazil Natural Resources
bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Ethnic Groups in Brazil
Brazil has the following ethnic groups - white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2000 census)
Brazil Religions
Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census)
Brazil Languages
Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Brazil Capital
Brazil capital is Brasilia
Brazil Currency
Brazil currency is real
Map of Brazil
