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 and crime remain pressing problems.

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S 55 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 8,511,965 km²
Land: 8,456,510 km²
Water: 55,455 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
Comparative: slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries
Total: 16,885 km
Border countries: (10) Argentina 1,261 km; , Bolivia 3,423 km; , Colombia 1,644 km; , French Guiana 730 km; , Guyana 1,606 km; , Paraguay 1,365 km; , Peru 2,995 km; , Suriname 593 km; , Uruguay 1,068 km; , Venezuela 2,200 km

Coastline: 7,491 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

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: 6.93%
Permanent crops: 0.89%
Other: 92.18% (2005)

Irrigated land: 29,200 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 8,233 km³ (2000)

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 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 1.228% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Brazilian
Adjective: Brazilian

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)

Languages: Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); note - less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools) German Italian Japanese English and a large number of minor Amerindian languages

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)

Age structure
0-14 years: 27% (male 26,986,909/female 25,961,947)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 64,939,225/female 66,157,812)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 5,182,987/female 7,113,707) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 28.3 years
Male: 27.5 years
Female: 29 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.228% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 18.72 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 6.35 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.09 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 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, 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: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 23.33 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 26.95 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 19.53 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.71 years
Male: 68.15 years
Female: 75.45 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 660,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 15,000 (2003 est.)

Education expenditures: 4% of GDP (2004)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 88.6%
Male: 88.4%
Female: 88.8% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 15 years (2005)

Country name
Conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
Conventional short form: Brazil
Local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
Local short form: Brasil

Government type: federal republic

Capital
Name: Brasilia
Geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W
Time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in February
Note: Brazil is divided into four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands

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; note - military conscripts do not vote

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Luiz Inacio '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
Head of government: President Luiz Inacio 'LULA' DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 1 October 2006 with runoff 29 October 2006 (next to be held 3 October 2010 and, if necessary, 31 October 2010)
Election results: Luiz Inacio 'LULA' DA SILVA (PT) reelected president - 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17%

Legislative branch
Elections: Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held in October 2010 for two-thirds of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)
Election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PDT 1, PSB 1, PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB 65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13, PSC 9, other 17; note - as of 1 January 2008: Federal Senate - seats by party - PMDB 20, DEM (formerly PFL) 14, PSDB 13, PT 12, PTB 6, PDT 5, PR 4, PRB 2, PSB 2, PCdoB 1, PP 1, PSOL 1; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - PMDB 90, PT 83, PSDB 64, DEM (formerly PFL) 62, PP 41, PR 34, PSB 28, PDT 23, PTB 21, PPS 17, PV 13, PCdoB 13, PSC 7, PAN 4, PSOL 3, PMN 3, PTC 3, PHS 2, PTdoB 1, PRB 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal or STF (11 ministers are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed 'for life' judges like all federal employees have a mandatory retirement age of 70

Political parties and leaders: Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy FIDELIX da Cruz]; Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Sergio GUERRA]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Governor Eduardo Henrique Accioly CAMPOS]; Christian Labor Party or PTC [Daniel TOURINHO]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI]; the Democrats or DEM (formerly Liberal Front Party or PFL) [Federal Deputy Rodrigo MAIA]; Freedom and Socialism Party or PSOL [Heloisa HELENA]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS [Paulo Roberto MATOS]; Labor Party of Brazil or PTdoB [Luis Henrique de Oliveira RESENDE]; Liberal Front Party or PFL (now known as the Democrats or DEM); National Mobilization Party or PMN [Oscar Noronha FILHO]; Party of the Republic or PR [Sergio TAMER]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Federal Deputy Fernando CORUJA]; Progressive Party or PP [Francisco DORNELLES]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge Abdala NOSSEIS]; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose Ribeiro BERZOINI]

International organization participation: AfDB (nonregional members) BIS CAN (associate) CPLP FAO G-15 G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC LAES LAIA Mercosur MIGA MINURCAT MINURSO MINUSTAH NAM (observer) NSG OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA RG UN UNASUR UNCTAD UNESCO UNFICYP UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina UNITAR UNMIL UNMIS UNMIT UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar PATRIOTA
In the us chancery: 3,006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 238-2,700
In the us fax: [1] (202) 238-2,827
In the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL
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) 3,312-7,000
From the us fax: [55] (61) 3,225-9,136
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: 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. Having weathered 2001-03 financial turmoil capital inflows are regaining strength and the currency has resumed appreciating. The appreciation has slowed export volume growth but since 2004 Brazil's growth has yielded increases in employment and real wages. The resilience in the economy stems from commodity-driven current account surpluses and sound macroeconomic policies that have bolstered international reserves to historically high levels reduced public debt and allowed a significant decline in real interest rates. A floating exchange rate an inflation-targeting regime and a tight fiscal policy are the three pillars of the economic program. From 2003 to 2007 Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains coupled with high commodity prices contributed to the surge in exports. Brazil improved its debt profile in 2006 by shifting its debt burden toward real denominated and domestically held instruments. 'LULA' DA SILVA restated his commitment to fiscal responsibility by maintaining the country's primary surplus during the 2006 election. Following his second inauguration 'LULA' DA SILVA announced a package of further economic reforms to reduce taxes and increase investment in infrastructure. The government's goal of achieving strong growth while reducing the debt burden is likely to create inflationary pressures.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $1.849 trillion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.4% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $9,500 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5.5%
Industry: 28.7%
Services: 65.8% (2007 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: 4.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 99.23 million (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 20%
By occupation industry: 14%
By occupation services: 66% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9.3% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 0.9%
Highest 10: 44.8% (2004)

Distribution of family income gini index: 56.7 (2005)

Budget
Revenues: $244 billion
Expenditures: $219.9 billion (FY07)

Public debt: 45.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.6% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 17.85% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 43.72% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: $1.377 trillion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $711.1 billion (2006)

Current account balance: $1.712 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $160.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: transport equipment iron ore soybeans footwear coffee autos
Partners: US 16.1% Argentina 9.2% China 6.8% Netherlands 5.6% Germany 4.6% (2007)

Imports: $120.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery electrical and transport equipment chemical products oil automotive parts electronics
Partners: US 15.7% China 10.5% Argentina 8.6% Germany 7.2% Nigeria 4.4% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $180.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Debt external: $229.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $248.9 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $107.1 billion (2007 est.)

Exchange rates: reals (BRL) per US dollar - 1.85 (2007 est.) 2.1761 (2006) 2.4344 (2005) 2.9251 (2004) 3.0771 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 437.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 402.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Exports: 2.034 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 40.47 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 9.8 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 19.8 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 10 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 347.7 billion m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 39.4 million (2007)
Mobile cellular: 120.98 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: good working system; fixed-line connections have remained relatively stable in recent years and stand at about 20 per 100 persons; less expensive mobile cellular technology is a major driver in expanding telephone service to the low-income segment of the population with mobile-cellular telephone density reaching nearly 65 per 100 persons
Domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations; mobile-cellular usage has more than tripled in the past 5 years
International: country code - 55; landing point for a number of submarine cables that provide direct links to South and Central America, the Caribbean, the US, Africa, and Europe; 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 (2007)

Internet
Country code: .br
Hosts: 9.573 million (2008)
Users: 50 million (2007)

Military expenditures: 2.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 9 to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are 'long-service' volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2001)

Airports: 4,263 (2007)
With paved runways total: 718
With paved runways over 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 25
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 167
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 467
With paved runways under 914 m: 52 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 3,545
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 83
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1,555
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1,907 (2007)

Heliports: 16 (2007)

Pipelines: condensate/gas 244 km; gas 12,070 km; liquid petroleum gas 351 km; oil 5,214 km; refined products 4,410 km (2007)

Railways
Total: 29,295 km
Broad gauge: 4,932 km 1.600-m gauge (939 km electrified)
Standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 23,773 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)
Dual gauge: 396 km 1.000 m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 1,751,868 km
Paved: 96,353 km
Unpaved: 1,655,515 km (2004)

Waterways: 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2007)

Merchant marine
Total: 136
By type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 22, carrier 1, chemical tanker 7, container 11, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 45, roll on/roll off 7
Foreign owned: 25 (Chile 1, Denmark 2, Germany 6, Greece 1, Mexico 1, Norway 5, Spain 9)
Registered in other countries: 8 (Argentina 1, Bahamas 2, Ghana 1, Liberia 3, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Guaiba Ilha Grande Paranagua Rio Grande Santos Sao Sebastiao Tubarao

Disputes international: unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering smuggling arms and illegal narcotics trafficking and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested boundary dispute with Uruguay over Isla Brasilera at the confluence of the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada rivers that form a tripoint with Argentina; the Itaipú Dam reservoir covers over a once contested section of Brazil-Paraguay boundary west of Guaira Falls on the Rio Parana; an accord placed the long-disputed Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim a fluvial island on the Río Mamoré under Bolivian administration in 1958 but sovereignty remains in dispute

Illicit drugs: second-largest consumer of cocaine in the world; illicit producer of cannabis; trace amounts of coca cultivation in the Amazon region used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian Colombian and Peruvian cocaine headed for 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