Chief
of State: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since
1 January 2003)
Head of Government: President
Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003)
Government Type: federative republic |
Population:
188,078,227
note: Brazil conducted a census in August 2000, which
reported a population of 169,799,170; that figure was
about 3.3% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau,
and 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
2006 est.)
Languages: Portuguese (official),
Spanish, English, French
Religion: 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)
Life Expectancy: 71.97 |
Currency:
real (BRL)
GDP(per capita): $8,400 (2005
est.)
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.
Exports: transport equipment,
iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos
Import: machinery, electrical
and transport equipment, chemical products, oil |
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Location:
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Area: total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq km
water: 55,455 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 |
Background:
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.
Independence Day: 7 September
1822 (from Portugal)
Capital City: 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 |
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