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 has overcome more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of the interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool Brazil is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem.

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S 55 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 8,511,965 km²
Land: 8,456,510 km²
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 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries
Total: 14,691 km
Border countries: (10) 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
Extremes 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 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south

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

Population
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.)
Growth rate: 0.87% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: 22% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Brazilian
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%

Languages: Portuguese (official) Spanish English French

Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%

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/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 9.32 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.03 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 35.87 deaths/1000 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.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.57% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 540,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 18,000 (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 83.3%
Male: 83.3%
Female: 83.2% (1995 est.)

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
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]

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
In the us fax: [1] (202) 238-2,827
In the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco
In the us chancery: 3,006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 238-2,700
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Donna J. HRINAK
From the us embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70,403-900, Brasilia
From the us mailing address: Unit 3,500, APO AA 34,030
From the us telephone: [55] (61) 312-7,000
From the us fax: [55] (61) 225-9,136
From the us consulates general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
From the us consulates: 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)

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.

Real gdp growth rate: 1.9% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,400 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 9%
Industry: 32%
Services: 59% (2000 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee soybeans wheat rice corn sugarcane cocoa citrus; beef

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.)

Labor force: 79 million (1999 est.)
By occupation services: 53%
By occupation agriculture: 23%
By occupation industry: 24%

Unemployment rate: 6.4% (2001 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)

Budget
Revenues: $100.6 billion
Expenditures: $91.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) (2000)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7.7% (2001) (2001)

Exports: $57.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Commodities: manufactures iron ore soybeans footwear coffee autos
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)
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemical products oil electricity autos and auto parts
Partners: US 23.2% Argentina 11.2% Germany 8.7% Japan 5.5% Italy 3.9% (2001)

Debt external: $251 billion (2001) (2001)

Exchange rates
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

Electricity
Production: 342.3 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 6%
Production by source other: 4% (2000)
Production by source hydro: 89%
Production by source nuclear: 1%
Consumption: 360.64 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports note: supplied by Paraguay (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 17.039 million (1997)
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

Internet
Country code: .br
Service providers isps: 50 (2000)
Users: 13.98 million (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $13.408 billion (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 1.9% (FY99)

Airports: 3,365 (2001)
With paved runways total: 665
With paved runways over 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 23
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 155
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 435
With paved runways under 914 m: 45 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 2,925 2,738
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 72
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1,316
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 70 1,350 (2002)

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

Railways
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.)

Waterways: 50,000 km

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
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

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