A Brief About Brazil

 

This page is about many aspects of "Brasil," the country that occupies about 50% of South America. Brazil is located in the central-eastern part of the continent, by far the largest portion of it lies south of the equator.

Border countries are Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The country has an almost 7,500 km long coastline at the Atlantic Ocean.

The country is vast; it is divided into 26 states and one Federal District. Out of the 26 states, only nine are landlocked. Brazil covers an area of 8,514,877 km² (3,287,597 sq mi), making it the fifth-largest country in the world and also the largest country in South America and in the Southern Hemisphere (and yes, it is larger than Australia by some 800,000 square kilometers). Compared is slightly larger than 15 times the size of France, and it is even slightly larger than the contiguous United States.

Brazil has a population of 207 million people (in 2017), it is the most populous country in South America. The national capital is Brasília, the planned city atop the Brazilian highlands. The largest city and Brazil's economic capital is Sao Paulo, the most 'famous' city is Rio de Janeiro. Spoken language is (Brazilian) Portuguese; this variety of the Portuguese language is a relict of the Portuguese colonization of the Americas.

 

Capital City: Brasilia (pop. 2.1 million)
The Federal District Government. (in Portuguese)

Other Cities:
Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Fortaleza, Recife, Porto Alegre, Curitiba

Government:
Type: Federative Republic.
Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal).

Geography:
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean.
Area: 8.5 million km² (3 290 000 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than the USA
Terrain: Dense rain forests in northern regions including the Amazon Basin; semiarid along the northeast coast; mountains, hills, and rolling plains in the southwest, including Mato Grosso; and coastal lowland.

Climate: Mostly tropical or semitropical with temperate zone in the south.

People:
Nationality: Brazilian.
Population: (in 2019) 210 million.
GNI per capita PPP: $ 16,461 (2019)
Ethnic groups: Brazil's population is derived from three main ethnic sources. To the original inhabitants (Indians) were added successive waves of Europeans (mainly Portuguese) and Africans (mostly from the sub-Saharan west coast, belonging to the Bantu and to the Sudanic (Yoruba) ethnic groups).
Religion: Roman Catholic (64%), Protestant (22%).
Language: Brazilian Portuguese.
Literacy: 92% of adult population.

Natural resources: Iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, gemstones, oil, wood, and aluminum. Brazil has 12% of the world's fresh water.

Agriculture products: Brazil is the biggest exporter of coffee, soybeans, beef, sugar cane, ethanol and frozen chickens.
Other products: wheat, rice, corn, cocoa, and citrus.

Industries: Textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment.

Exports - commodities: transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, automobiles

Exports partners: China 19%, USA 13%, Argentina 6.8%, Netherlands 5.4% (2015)

Imports - commodities: machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, electronics

Imports partners: China 17.9%, USA 15.6%, Germany 6.1%, Argentina 6%, South Korea 6.1% (2015)

Currency: Brazilian Real (BRL)