Federative Republic of Brazil

National name: República Federativa do Brasil

President: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003)

Land area: 3,265,059 sq mi (8,456,511 sq km); total area: 3,286,488 sq mi (8,511,965 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 188,078,227 (growth rate: 1.0%); birth rate: 16.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 28.6/1000; life expectancy: 72.0; density per sq mi: 58

Capital (2003 est.): Brasília, 2,160,100

Largest cities: São Paulo, 18,333,000 (metro. area), 10,927,985 (city proper); Rio de Janeiro, 11,469,000 (metro. area), 6,094,183 (city proper); Salvador, 2,590,400; Belo Horizonte, 2,347,500; Recife, 1,485,500; Porto Alegre, 1,372,700

Monetary unit: Real

Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Ethnicity/race: white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2000)

Religion: Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 15%, Spiritualist 1%, none 7% (2000)

Literacy rate: 80% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $1.568 trillion; per capita $8,400. Real growth rate: 2.4%. Inflation: 5.7%. Unemployment: 9.9%. Arable land: 7%. Agriculture: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef. Labor force: 90.41 million; agriculture 20%, industry 14%, services 66% (2003 est.). Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment. Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber. Exports: $115.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos. Imports: $78.02 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil. Major trading partners: U.S., Argentina, Netherlands, China, Germany, Mexico, Nigeria, Japan (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 38.81 million (2002); mobile cellular: 46,373,300 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999). Television broadcast stations: 138 (1997). Internet hosts: 3,163,349 (2003). Internet users: 14.3 million (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 29,412 km (1,567 km electrified) (2004). Highways: total: 1,724,929 km; paved: 94,871 km; unpaved: 1,630,058 km (2000). Waterways: 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2004). Ports and harbors: Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria. Airports: 4,136 (2004 est.).

International disputes: 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 UNCLOS to extend its maritime continental margin.


 

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