Brazil
Federative Republic of BrazilRepublica Federativa do Brasil
federal republicIndependence 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
Brazil as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 87 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
15 fieldsLand useshare of 8,511,965 sq km
International disputes
- short section of the boundary with Paraguay, just west of Salto das Sete Quedas (Guaira Falls) on the Rio Parana, is in dispute;
- two short sections of boundary with Uruguay are in dispute - Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada) area of the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay River
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
- lowest point:
- Atlantic Ocean 0 m
- highest point:
- Pico da Neblina 3,014 m
Natural resources
bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Environment
- current issues:
- deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers the existence of a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area;
- 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
- natural hazards:
- recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south
- international agreements:
- party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling;
- signed, but not ratified - Desertification
Geographic note
largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Male · female(1996 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 31% (male 25,286,278; female 24,422,897)
- 15-64 years:
- 65% (male 52,232,435; female 53,094,724)
- 65 years and over:
- 4% (male 3,072,720; female 4,552,160) (July 1996 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.98 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.68 male(s)/female
- all ages:
- 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Government
Federal republic
23 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Name of country
- conventional long form:
- Federative Republic of Brazil
- conventional short form:
- Brazil
- local long form:
- Republica Federativa do Brasil
- local short form:
- Brasil
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
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 and head of government:
- President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995) was elected for a four-year term by popular vote;
- election last held 3 October 1994;
- (next to be held October 1998);
- results - Fernando Henrique CARDOSO 53%, Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 26%, Eneas CARNEIRO 7%, Orestes QUERCIA 4%, Leonel BRIZOLA 3%, Espiridiao AMIN 3%;
- note - second direct presidential election since 1960;
- Vice President Marco MARCIEL (since NA)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet was appointed by the president
Federal Senate (Senado Federal)
- election last held 3 October 1994 for two-thirds of Senate (next to be held October 1996 for one-third of the Senate);
- results - PMBD 28%, PFL 22%, PSDB 12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT 6%, PTB 6%, other 12%;
- seats - (81 total) seats by party NA
Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados)
- election last held 3 October 1994 (next to be held October 1998);
- results - PMDB 21%, PFL 18%, PDT 7%, PSDB 12%, PPR 10%, PTB 6%, PT 10%, other 16%;
- seats - (517 total) seats by party NA
note: party totals since Fall 1994 have changed considerably due to extensive party-switching
Political parties and leaders
- National Reconstruction Party (PRN), Daniel TOURINHO, president;
- Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Paes DE ANDRADE, president;
- Liberal Front Party (PFL), Jorge BORNHAUSEN, president;
- Workers' Party (PT), Jose DIRCEU, president;
- Brazilian Workers' Party (PTB), Rodrigues PALMA, president;
- Democratic Labor Party (PDT), Leonel BRIZOLA, president;
- Brazilian Progressive Party (PPB), Espiridiao AMIN, president;
- Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Artur DA TAVOLA, president;
- Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Roberto FREIRE, president;
- Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao AMAZONAS, chairman;
- Liberal Party (PL), Alvaro VALLE, president
Other political or pressure groups
left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftist Workers' Party are critical of government's social and economic policies
International organization participation
AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MTCR, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA
- chancery:
- 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 745-2700
FAX
[1] (202) 745-2827
- consulate(s) general:
- Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco
- consulate(s):
- Houston
US diplomatic representation
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY
- embassy:
- Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal
- mailing address:
- Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
- telephone:
- [55] (61) 321-7272
FAX
[55] (61) 225-9136
- consulate(s) general:
- Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
- consulate(s):
- Porto Alegre, Recife
Flag
- 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
With its large and well-developed agricultural, | mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil has South | America's largest GDP by far and has the potential to become a major | player in the world economy.
21 fieldsGDP composition by sector(1994)
Installed generating capacity, 55,130,000 kW
Economic overview
With its large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil has South America's largest GDP by far and has the potential to become a major player in the world economy. Prior to the institution of a stabilization plan in mid-1994, stratospheric inflation rates had devastated the economy and discouraged foreign investment.
Since then, tight monetary policy has apparently brought inflation under control - consumer prices increased by 23% in 1995 compared to more than 1,000% in 1994. At the same time, GDP growth slowed from 5.7% to 4.2% as credit was tightened and the steadily appreciating real encouraged imports while depressing export growth.
The increased stability of the Brazilian economy allowed it to weather the fallout from the Mexican peso crisis relatively well, with foreign funds flowing in during the second half of 1995 to swell official foreign exchange reserves past the $50 billion mark. Stock market indices in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, however, ended 26% lower in 1995.
President CARDOSO remains committed to further reducing inflation in 1996 while boosting growth, but he faces key challenges. Servicing domestic debt has become dramatically more burdensome for both public and private sector entities because of very high real interest rates which are contributing to growing budget deficits and a surge in bankruptcies.
Fiscal reforms, many of which require constitutional amendments, are proceeding at a slow pace through the Brazilian legislature; in their absence, the government is maintaining its strict monetary policy. Brazil's natural resources remain a major, long-run economic strength.
Industries
textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment
Illicit drugs
- illicit producer of cannabis, coca cultivation in the Amazon region has diminished in recent years because of its low alkaloid content, mostly for domestic consumption;
- government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis;
- important transshipment country for Bolivian and Colombian cocaine headed for the US and Europe
Exports
$46.5 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
- commodities:
- iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice, footwear, coffee, motor vehicle parts
- partners:
- EU 27.6%, Latin America 21.8%, US 17.4%, Japan 6.3% (1993)
Imports
$49.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
- commodities:
- crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs, coal
- partners:
- US 23.3%, EU 22.5%, Middle East 13.0%, Latin America 11.8%, Japan 6.5% (1993)
Exchange rates
R$ per US$1 - 0.975 (January 1996), 0.918 (1995), 0.639 (1994); CR$ per US$1 - 390.845 (January 1994), 88.449 (1993), 4.513 (1992), 0.407 (1991) note: on 1 August 1993 the cruzeiro real (CR$), equal to 1,000 cruzeiros, was introduced; another new currency, the real (R$) was introduced on 1 July 1994, equal to 2,750 cruzeiro reals
Transportation
7 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 2,950 in all
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 27,418 km (1,750 km electrified)
- broad gauge:
- 5,730 km 1.600-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 194 km 1.440-m gauge
- narrow gauge:
- 20,958 km 1.000-m gauge; 13 km 0.760-m gauge
- dual gauge:
- 523 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges
Ports
Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, Vitoria
Merchant marine
- total:
- 207 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,108,543 GRT/8,477,760 DWT
- ships by type:
- bulk 48, cargo 29, chemical tanker 11, combination ore/oil 12, container 14, liquefied gas tanker 11, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 64, passenger-cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11 (1995 est.)
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
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)
Television broadcast stations
112 note: Brazil has the world's fourth largest television broadcasting system
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Brazil.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/brazil/1996.