Country (long form) - Federative Republic of Brazil
Capital - Brasilia Total Area -  total: 8,511,965 sq km  Land: 8,456,510 sq km  Water: 55,455 sq km
Population - 186,112,794

Note: Brazil took a count 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 under enumeration 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 2005 est.)

 

View Larger Map  

Estimated Population in 2050 - 206,751,477
Languages - Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write, total population: 86.4%, male: 86.1%, female: 86.6% (2003 est.) 
Religions - Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spriritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census)

Life Expectancy - total population: 71.69 years, male: 67.74 years, female: 75.85 years (2005 est.)
Government Type - federative republic
Currency - real (BRL)
GDP (per capita) - purchasing power parity - $8,100 (2004 est.)
Labour Force - 89 million (2004 est.)  

Industry - textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment

Agriculture - coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef
Arable Land - 5%
Exports - $95 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.), Imports -61 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Natural Resources - bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Telephones (main lines in use) - 38.81 million (2002) 
Telephones (mobile cellular) - 46,373,300 (2003) 
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Internet hosts: 3,163,349 (2003),  Internet users: 14.3 million (2002)

Brazil is one of the biggest countries in the world. Officially known as Brasil or Republica Federtiva do Brasil, it is also the most populous countries in Latin America. Here are some more facts about Brazil.

The main land characteristics of Brazil is the extensive Amazon Rainforest in the north and the hilly and low mountainous region in the south. The south of Brazil resides most of the agricultural population of Brazil, as well as the agricultural base.

Brazil is the largest country in Latin America. It is the fifth largest country in the world, in terms of area as well as population. Brazil is the eastern most country of the Americas. It has a total territory of about 8,514,876.599 square kilometers. The coastline of the country is about seven thousand three hundred and sixty seven (7367) km to the east. Other than these, many archipelagos - cluster of islands - come under the territory of Brazil. Chief among these are Penedosde Sao Pedro e Sa Paulo, Trindade e Martim Vaz, Atoldas Rocas and Fernando de Noronha.

The motto of Brazil is Order and Progress.Brazil consists of twenty six states and one federal districts. The Government of a state is headed by a Governor who is elected by popular vote. Each state has municipalities with a legislative council and a mayor in place.

The territory of Brazil falls between central South America and the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela and the departement of French Guiana to the north.

The highest peak is Pico da Neblina, at nine thousand seven hundred and thirty five feet (9735) ft in Guiana's highlands. The entire Atlantic coast is home to several mountain ranges, some reaching upto nine thousand five hundred (9500) feet in height.

The chief rivers in Brazil are the Amazon, Parana, Igacu and the Negro, Xingu, Madeira, Tapajos and Sao Franciso rivers.To the south, it is bordered by Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. It is bound by Peru and Bolivia to the west. It is bound by Colombia to the northwest.Ecuador and Chile are the only South American countries which do not share their boundaries with France.

Brazil has been a Colony, an Empire, a Republic and has been under the Military rule. It is today a democratic nation.

The capital of Brazil is Brasilia. It is a presidential representative democratic republic according to the constitution of 1988. The north of Brazil is about forty five percent of the total surface of Brazil. However, it is the region with the least population and is basically a under developed and un industrialised zone. The areas of Manaus and Belem are developed places here and house a tax free industrial zone and is the biggest metropolitan area in the region respectively. The North East area has about one third of Brazil's total population. This region is the poorest region in Brazil. The important cities in the Northeast area are the Salvador, Fortaleza and Recife.

The most rich regions in Brazil are the Southeast areas. These areas are also more populated than any in Brazil. This area has more inhabitants than any country in South America. It is home to one of the largest megapolis in the entire world. The biggest cities in this area are Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paolo. Sao Paolo is the business center of this area. Rio De Janeiro is famous for its beaches and the Espirito Santo coast.

Brazilian Law is based on the ancient Germanic-Roman traditions. Therefore, Brazil follows the civil law concept. The fundamental law of Brazil is the Federal Constitution. It was promulgated on the 5th of October 1988.

General Outlook of the PeopleBrazilians are friendly, warm, and happy people. Above all they are free-spirited and resent being told what to do. Brazilians are gregarious, outgoing, and love to be around people. The hot climate allows them to spend a great deal of time outdoors, often just chatting with friends or watching people. Women should be aware that it is common for Brazilian men to stare at them or make comments as they walk by; women should not respond in any way to such actions. Brazilians can be very opinionated, and the vigor with which they argue for their convictions often leads foreigners to believe that they are angry. Visitors should not be offended by such behavior. Brazilians tend to view time more as a sequence of events rather than hours, minutes, and seconds. For this reason they may appear to have an extremely casual attitude about time.