2006 Edition

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 25.8% (male 24,687,656/female 23,742,998) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 63,548,331/female 64,617,539) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 4,712,675/female 6,769,028) (2006 est.)

Area

land

8,456,510 sq km

note

includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo

total

8,511,965 sq km

water

55,455 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than the US

Background

Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822 and a republic in 1889. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem. Geography Brazil

Birth rate

16.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in February

geographic coordinates

15 47 S, 47 55 W

name

Brasilia

note

Brazil is divided into four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha islands

time difference

UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Coastline

7,491 km

Constitution

5 October 1988

Country name

conventional long form

Federative Republic of Brazil

conventional short form

Brazil

local long form

Republica Federativa do Brasil

local short form

Brasil

Death rate

6.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Pico da Neblina 3,014 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade; 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; wetland degradation; severe oil spills

Environment - international agreements

party to

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

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)

Executive branch

chief of state

President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

Geographic coordinates

10 00 S, 55 00 W

Geography - note

largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador People Brazil

Government type

federative republic

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

15,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

660,000 (2003 est.)

Independence

7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

Infant mortality rate

female

24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

32.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

28.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Irrigated land

29,200 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Argentina 1,261 km, Bolivia 3,423 km, Colombia 1,644 km, French Guiana 730.4 km, Guyana 1,606 km, Paraguay 1,365 km, Peru 2,995 km, Suriname 593 km, Uruguay 1,068 km, Venezuela 2,199 km

total

16,884.4 km

Land use

arable land

6.93%

other

92.18% (2005)

permanent crops

0.89%

Languages

Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Legal system

based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Life expectancy at birth

female

76.12 years (2006 est.)

male

68.02 years

total population

71.97 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

86.6% (2003 est.) Government Brazil

male

86.1%

total population

86.4%

Location

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

29 years (2006 est.)

male

27.5 years

total

28.2 years

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Nationality

adjective

Brazilian

noun

Brazilian(s)

Natural hazards

recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south

Natural resources

bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

Net migration rate

-0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

188,078,227

note

Brazil conducted a census 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 underenumeration 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 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

1.04% (2006 est.)

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)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

Suffrage

voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not vote

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt

Total fertility rate

1.91 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef

Airports

4,276 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 24 1,524 to 2,437 m: 164 914 to 1,523 m: 464

total

714

under 914 m

54 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

3,562 1,524 to 2,437 m: 81 914 to 1,523 m: 1,634

under 914 m

1,847 (2006)

Budget

expenditures

$172.4 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004)

revenues

$140.6 billion

Currency (code)

real (BRL)

Currency code

BRL

Current account balance

$14.19 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$188 billion (2005 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL

embassy

Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia

mailing address

Unit 3500, APO AA 34030

telephone

[55] (61) 3312-7000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Roberto P. ABDENUR

telephone

[1] (202) 238-2700

Disputes - international

unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute with Uruguay over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada boundary streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina; in 2004 Brazil submitted its claims to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to extend its maritime continental margin

Distribution of family income - Gini index

59.7 (2004)

Economic aid - recipient

$30 billion (2002)

Economy - overview

Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. From 2001-03 real wages fell and Brazil's economy grew, on average only 2.2% per year, as the country absorbed a series of domestic and international economic shocks. That Brazil absorbed these shocks without financial collapse is a tribute to the resiliency of the Brazilian economy and the economic program put in place by former President CARDOSO and strengthened by President LULA DA SILVA. In 2004, Brazil enjoyed more robust growth that yielded increases in employment and real wages. The three pillars of the economic program are a floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and tight fiscal policy, all reinforced by a series of IMF programs. The currency depreciated sharply in 2001 and 2002, which contributed to a dramatic current account adjustment; in 2003 to 2005, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains - particularly in agriculture - also contributed to the surge in exports, and Brazil in 2005 surpassed the previous year's record export level. While economic management has been good, there remain important economic vulnerabilities. The most

significant are debt-related

the government's largely domestic debt increased steadily from 1994 to 2003 - straining government finances - before falling as a percentage of GDP in 2005, while Brazil's foreign debt (a mix of private and public debt) is large in relation to Brazil's small (but growing) export base. Another challenge is maintaining economic growth over a period of time to generate employment and make the government debt burden more manageable.

Electricity - consumption

359.6 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

6 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

37.4 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2004)

Electricity - production

387.5 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

8.3%

hydro

82.7%

nuclear

4.4%

other

4.6% (2001)

Exchange rates

reals per US dollar - 2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003), 2.9208 (2002), 2.3577 (2001)

Exports

$115.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos

Exports - partners

US 19.6%, China 7.5%, Argentina 6.9%, Germany 5.3%, Mexico 4.3% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 238-2827

[55] (61) 3225-9136

consulate(s)

Recife

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

consulate(s) general

Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Brazil

Flag description

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 Brazil

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

8.4%

industry

40%

services

51.6% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$8,300 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.3% (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$619.7 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.536 trillion (2005 est.)

Heliports

417 (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

31.27% (2002)

lowest 10%

0.7%

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis; trace amounts of coca cultivation in the Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for Europe; also used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

Imports

$78.02 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil

Imports - partners

US 19.7%, Germany 8.7%, Argentina 8.2%, China 6.2%, Nigeria 6.1% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

3.4% (2005 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.9% (2005 est.)

International organization participation

AfDB, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Internet country code

.br

Internet hosts

6,508,431 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

50 (2000)

Internet users

25.9 million (2005) Transportation Brazil

Investment (gross fixed)

19.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70

Labor force

90.41 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

20%

industry

14%

services

66% (2003 est.)

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each state and federal district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

election results

Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PFL 1, PDT 1, PSB 1, PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; total seats following election - PFL 18, PMDB 15, PSDB 15, PT 11, PDT 5, PTB 4, PSB 3, PL 3, PCdoB 2, PRB 2, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB 65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13, PSC 9, other 17

elections

Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held October 2010 for two-thirds of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010)

Manpower available for military service

females age 19-49

45,728,704 (2005 est.)

males age 19-49

45,586,036

Manpower fit for military service

females age 19-49

38,079,722 (2005 est.)

males age 19-49

33,119,098

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 19-49

1,731,648 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

1,785,930

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 21, cargo 21, chemical tanker 8, container 8, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 47, roll on/roll off 8

foreign-owned

15 (Chile 1, Germany 7, Norway 2, Spain 4, UK 1)

registered in other countries

5 (Ghana 1, Liberia 3, Marshall Islands 1) (2006)

total

137 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,038,923 GRT/3,057,820 DWT

Military branches

Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil (MB), includes Naval Air and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB) (2006)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$9.94 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.3% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Brazil

Military service age and obligation

21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - nine to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2001)

Natural gas - consumption

21.74 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports

5.947 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production

15.79 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

240 billion cu m (2005)

Oil - consumption

1.61 million bbl/day (2004)

Oil - exports

241,700 bbl/day NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

572,600 bbl/day NA bbl/day

Oil - production

2.01 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

15.12 billion bbl (2005 est.)

Pipelines

condensate/gas 244 km; gas 11,669 km; liquid petroleum gas 341 km; oil 5,212 km; refined products 4,755 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Flavio de CASTRO MARTINEZ]; Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy Fidelix DA CRUZ]; Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Tasso JEREISSATI]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Federal Deputy Eduardo Henrique Accioly CAMPOS]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS [leader NA]; Liberal Party or PL [Federal Deputy Valdemar COSTA Neto]; National Order Reconstruction Party or PRONA [Federal Deputy Dr. Eneas Ferreira CARNEIRO]; Partido Municipalista Renovador or PMR [Natal Wellington Rodrigues FURUCHO]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Federal Deputy Roberto FREIRE]; Progressive Party or PP [Federal Deputy Pedro CORREA]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge ABDALA NOSSEIS]; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose Ribeiro BERZOINI]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions and federations; large farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical Christian churches and the Catholic Church

Population below poverty line

22% (1998 est.)

Ports and terminals

Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria Military Brazil

Public debt

51.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999)

Radios

71 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

4,877 km 1.600-m gauge (939 km electrified)

dual gauge

396 km 1.000 m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2005)

narrow gauge

23,785 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)

standard gauge

194 km 1.440-m gauge

total

29,252 km

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$53.8 billion (2005 est.)

Roadways

paved

94,871 km

total

1,724,929 km

unpaved

1,630,058 km (2000)

Telephone system

domestic

extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations

general assessment

good working system

international

country code - 55; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station

Telephones - main lines in use

42.382 million (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular

86.21 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

138 (1997)

Televisions

36.5 million (1997)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Brazil is a source and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation within Brazil and to destinations in South America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Japan, the US, and the Middle East, and for men trafficked within the country for forced agricultural labor; child sex tourism is a problem within the country, particularly in the resort areas and coastal cities of Brazil's northeast; foreign victims from Bolivia, Peru, China, and Korea are trafficked to Brazil for labor exploitation in factories

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List - Brazil has failed to show evidence of increasing efforts to fight trafficking, specifically for its failure to apply effective criminal penalties against traffickers who exploit forced labor

Unemployment rate

9.8% (2005 est.)

Waterways

50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2005)