BRAZIL
“Discovered” in 1500 by the Portuguese, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822 and a republic in 1889. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development. It is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader.c
Area: 8,511,965 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the continental US
Geography - note: shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Natural hazards: occasional droughts in northeast, floods, and frost in south
Population: 190,010,647
Nationality: 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)
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)
Language: Portuguese
Literacy: (definition: age 15 and over can read and write) total population: 88.6%
Government type: federal republic
President: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula)
Capital: Brasília
Time zones: 4
Monetary unit: Real (1 Real 2 Reais)
Administrative divisions: 26 states and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceará, Distrito Federal*, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, Rorâima, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
Suffrage: voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age
Largest cities: São Paulo 18,333,000 (metro. area), 10,927,985 (city); Rio de Janeiro 11,469,000 (metro. area), 6,094,183 (city); Salvador 2,590,400; Belo Horizonte 2,347,500; Brasília 2,160,100; Recife 1,485,500; Porto Alegre 1,372,700