Brasil: The Best Country of the World!!!!

Brazil is a vibrant, culturally diverse society that evokes images of the mad passion of Carnival along with the mythic nooks of the Amazon. As the largest and most populous Latin American country, the Federative Republic of Brazil has long ignited the imagination of explorers, scholars and adventurers alike. This regional powerhouse has experienced a vast amount of changes over the last thirty years, including overcoming military governance of the country, in order to become the third largest democracy in the world. As well, tremendous industrial and agricultural development has led Brazil to become South America's leading economic power. At the dawn of the 21st century, the future of Brazil as both a regional and international leader looks bright.

BRAZIL QUICK FACTS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Official Name: República Federativa do Brasil (Federative Republic of Brazil)

Capital : Brasília

Flag : Brazil's flag was introduced after the country's independence in 1822. In 1889 the royal arms were replaced with an emblem of night sky in Rio de Janeiro on the night Brazil became a republic. The emblem also includes the national motto, Ordem e Progresso (Order and Progress).

Anthem : "Hino Nacional do Brasil" ("Brazilian National Anthem")

POPULATION
Population : 173,790,810 (2000 estimate)
Population Density: 20 persons/sq km (53 persons/sq mi, 2000 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown : 80% Urban, 20% Rural (1998 estimate)
Largest Cities : São Paulo 9,839,436
Rio de Janeiro 5,551,538
Salvador 2,211,539
Belo Horizonte 2,691,448
Fortaleza 1,965,513
Brasília 1,821,946
(1996 estimate)

Ethnic Groups : 55% European (primarily Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and German), 38% Mulatto or Mestizo, 6% Black, 1% Other (Asian, Arab, and Native American)
Official Language: Portuguese
Other Languages : Native American languages, German, Japanese, Italian
Religions : 89% Roman Catholicism, 6% Protestantism and 5% Other

ECONOMY
Gross Domestic Product : $820.4 billion (1997)
Chief Economic Products :
Agriculture
Soybeans, coffee, tobacco, sugarcane, cacao beans, beef and poultry
Fishing
Shrimp, lobsters, sardines
Mining
Iron ore, tin, gold, phosphates, platinum, bauxite, uranium, manganese, copper, coal
Manufacturing
Machinery and transportation equipment, food products, textiles and clothing, chemicals

Employment Breakdown : 53% Services, 26% Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, 20% Industry
Major Exports : Road vehicles and parts, coffee and coffee substitutes, metals, feeding-stuff for animals, transport and aeronautics equipment.
Major Imports : Petroleum, road vehicles and parts, electrical machinery, organic chemicals, industrial machinery and parts
Major Trading Partners :
Exports: United States, Argentina, Netherlands, Japan, Germany
Imports: United States, Argentina, Germany, Japan, Italy
Currency : Real

Exchange Rate : 2,40 reais = U.S.$1 (January 27th 2002)
$0,42 U.S. = 1 reais
1,5 reais = CAD $1
$0,67 CAD = 1 reais


GOVERNMENT
Form of Government : Federal republic

Head of State and Government : President (Elected by the voters to a four-year term)

Legislature : Bicameral legislature

Chamber of Deputies : 513 deputies elected to four-year terms

Senate :81 senators elected to eight-year terms

Voting Qualifications : Compulsory for literate persons aged 18-70; optional for illiterate persons, persons age 70 and older, or persons age 16 or 17

Highest Court : Supreme Federal Tribunal

Armed Services : Army, Navy, Air Force (291,000 active duty personnel; service of 12 to 18 months compulsory for men aged 18 to 45)

Political Divisions : 26 states and one federal district
EDUCATION
Major Universities and Colleges
University of Brasília (Brasília)
University of São Paulo (São Paulo)
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro)
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre)

IMPORTANT DATES

AD 1500
The Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral landed in eastern Brazil and claimed the land for Portugal.


1530s
Successful settlements developed at Recife and Salvador. Portuguese colonists used Native American and African slaves to work huge sugar plantations.

1763
The capital moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, which had become Brazil's largest city and main port.


1822
Pedro I declared Brazil's independence from Portugal.


1888
Slavery was abolished in Brazil.


1889
Pedro II was forced to abdicate, despite Brazil's many advances during his reign. Brazil became a republic.

1930
Military forces overthrew the republic and named Getúlio Vargas as president.

1937
President Vargas was granted dictatorial authority in an attempt to help Brazil out of the Great Depression.

1945
Vargas was forced from office. The next year, Brazil returned to constitutional government.

1960
The capital of Brazil moved from Rio de Janeiro to the newly built city of Brasília in the country's interior.

1964
Seeking to prevent a Communist takeover of Brazil, military forces again seized power. The military rigged elections and curbed civil rights.

1985
Brazil regained a civilian government.


1988
A new constitution providing for a directly elected president was enacted.

1992
Facing impeachment proceedings in the Senate for corruption charges, President Fernando Collor de Mello resigned.

1995
Brazil joined Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in forming the Southern Cone Common Market, a free-trade organization also known by its Spanish acronym, MERCOSUR.

1996
President Fernando Henrique Cardoso issued a controversial presidential decree allowing non-Native American individuals, regional governments, and private companies to appeal land allocation decisions made by Brazil's Indian Affairs Bureau.