BRAZIL
OFFICIAL NAME: Federative Republic
of Brazil
CAPITAL CITY: Brasilia, population:
1.51 million
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the
Atlantic Ocean
Area:
total area: 8,511,965 sq km
land area: 8,456,510 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than the US
note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha,
Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos
de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo
Land boundaries: total 14,691 km, Argentina
1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673
km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname
597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km - Note: largest
country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South
American country except Chile and Ecuador
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore,
manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum,
hydropower, timber
Coastline: Brazil 's shoreline is 4,577 miles
(7,367 Km) long - or 5,281 miles (8,500) long if you consider all
kinds of coastal features such as bays, gulfs etc. As a general
rule, the Brazilian coast faces the South Atlantic Ocean , as only
a small part of its shore (in the far north of the country) is
bathed by the Caribbean Sea . The Brazilian coast's coordinates
range from 04º30'N down
to 33º44'S, located therefore for the most part in the inter-tropical zone.
Beaches: Indeed, Brazil has beaches with either calm or rough
water, either warm or cold, located in small villages or dazzling
big cities, appropriate for sports or for rest. As a general rule,
the water in the northeastern region is usually calmer and warmer,
whereas in the south and southeast the water is comparatively colder
and rougher. All around the country, the visitor can find beaches
suited for diving, surfing, fishing and sailing. Summer in Brazil
goes from December to March. Nevertheless, the majority of our
beaches offers a pleasant climate throughout the year.
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POPULATION
Population: 160,737,489
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31% (female 24,641,868; male 25,515,775)
15-64 years: 64% (female 51,966,272; male 51,254,165)
65 years and over: 5% (female 4,393,530; male 2,965,879)
(July 1995 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Caucasian (includes Portuguese,
German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed Caucasian and African
38%, African 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%
Languages: Portuguese (official), English
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TRANSPORTATION
Railroads:
total: 30,612 km (1992)
broad gauge: 5,369 km 1.600-m gauge (1,108 km electrified)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
narrow gauge: 24,739 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified);
13 km 0.760-m gauge
dual gauge: 310 km 1.600-m/1.000-m gauge (78 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 1,670,148 km
paved: 161,503 km
unpaved: gravel/earth 1,508,645 km (1990)
Inland waterways: 50,000 km navigable
Ports: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus,
Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador,
Santos, Vitoria
Airports:
total: 3,467
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 126
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 286
with paved runways under 914 m: 1,652
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 76
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1,303
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COMMUNICATIONS
Telephone system: 9.86 million telephones; telephone
density - 61/1,000 persons; good working system
local: NA
intercity: extensive microwave radio relay systems and 64 domestic
satellite earth stations
international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1,223, FM 0, shortwave 151
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 112 (Brazil has the world's fourth
largest television broadcasting system)
televisions: NA
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HISTORY
The original inhabitants of what is now Brazil were seminomadic
Native Americans. Europeans first landed in 1500. The first Portuguese
colonial government was established in 1549. Large numbers of African
slaves were brought in to provide labor. The founding of São
Paulo occurred in 1554, of Rio de Janeiro in 1567. Portugal and
Brazil with it, was ruled by Spain from 1580 to 1640.
The return of Portuguese sovereignty was followed by expansion
into the interior, leading to a gold rush in 1693. Development
of the lucrative coffee- and sugar-growing industries began in
the 1700s. Prosperity brought settlers who were encouraged by the
government in Portugal. The government also freed Native American
slaves.
In 1807 Rio de Janeiro became the seat of the royal government
of Portugal, which had been driven from Lisbon by French emperor
Napoleon I. King John VI returned to Portugal in 1821, making his
son, Dom Pedro, later Pedro I, the regent of Brazil. When the Portuguese
legislature tried to return Brazil to colonial status against the
will of most Brazilians, Dom Pedro sided with the Brazilian nationalists,
proclaimed the country's independence, and become emperor of Brazil
in 1822. Dom Pedro's regime soon became unpopular, however. After
losing a war with Argentina in 1827, he abdicated in 1831 in favor
of Pedro II, who was then five years old. Pedro II became monarch
in 1840.
Pedro II was an able ruler, and the country prospered and grew
during his long reign, which continued until 1889. His government
helped overthrow neighboring dictatorships and took a series of
steps to end slavery, completing that process in 1888.
By then large sections of the population favored a republic. A
military revolt led by Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca forced Pedro II
to abdicate. Brazil was proclaimed a republic with official separation
of church and state. A constitution like that of the United States
was adopted in 1891, and Brazil officially became the United States
of Brazil. Fonseca was elected its first president but soon ruled
as a dictator, only to yield to another.
Order was restored during the administration of the first civilian
president, Prudente José de Moraes Barros, and succeeding
administrations struggled to strengthen the troubled Brazilian
economy. World War I (1914-1918) caused an increase in demand for
Brazilian products on the world market, and the Brazilian economy
improved. Brazil contributed ships and supplies to the success
of the Allied forces.
After the war, continually deepening economic crisis led to unrest,
a large-scale revolt, and martial law under President Artur da
Silva Bernardes. Continued economic trouble and an upsurge in radicalism
prompted his successor, Washington Luiz Pereira de Souza, to ban
labor strikes and repress communism.
Brought to power by military revolt in 1930, Getúlio Dornelles
Vargas ruled for the next 15 years. His government followed mixed
policies of social reform and repression, and the economy continued
to struggle. Woman suffrage and social security were established,
but by 1937 Brazil was a totalitarian state. During this period,
Brazil was friendly with the United States and other democracies
but broke ties with the Nazi Third Reich because of German political
activity in Brazil, including support of an open revolt.
Brazil sided with the Allies in World War II (1939-1945), again
using increased world demand for raw materials to expand its economy.
It contributed direct military support, access to bases, and vital
supplies to the defeat of the Axis powers.
After the war, the Vargas regime loosened its political grip.
National elections were scheduled for late 1945. Amid fears that
Vargas would retain his dictatorship, opponents ousted him by a
military coup. Elections proceeded, and former Minister of War
Eurico Gaspar Dutra won the presidency.
Vargas was elected president in 1950, and his coalition government
at once moved to balance the budget while improving the standard
of living. It did not succeed. In 1954 military leaders forced
Vargas to resign; he then committed suicide.
For the next three decades, Brazil suffered a series of unstable
governments followed by military rule. Attempts to stimulate the
economy with foreign loans foundered on sinking coffee prices.
Rigorous austerity measures were abandoned. Pressured by the military,
the legislature amended the constitution in 1961 to strip the presidency
of most powers. Two years later the legislature restored presidential
powers. Opposition parties were outlawed or refused to enter candidates
in elections. Despite repression, unrest became widespread.
During this time, the economy grew, but the plight of the poor
worsened. The Roman Catholic clergy criticized government failure
to help the disadvantaged. Economic growth also brought inflation,
high energy costs, and difficulties with loan payments.
Brazil returned to civilian rule with the election of Tancredo
Neves in 1985. However, he died before taking office, and José Sarney
became president. Faced with rising inflation and a huge foreign
debt, Sarney imposed an austerity program that included introducing
a new unit of currency. A new constitution restoring civil liberties
and providing for direct presidential elections was enacted in
1988.
Fernando Collor de Mello was elected president in 1989. His term
was marked by an anti-inflationary recession and by allegations
of financial corruption. Shortly after Brazil hosted the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as
the Earth Summit, in 1992, Collor was impeached. He resigned his
post to Vice President Itamar Franco. In 1994 a plan to restructure
and reduce Brazil's foreign debt was implemented. In the same year,
Brazil joined other Latin American and Caribbean nations by declaring
itself free of nuclear weapons.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a former finance minister responsible
for much of Brazil's economic recovery, won the 1994 presidential
elections. Soon afterward, Collor was acquitted of corruption charges.
Cardoso's administration found itself caught up in issues of land
ownership and land use. By a 1995 presidential decree, Cardoso
redistributed tracts of land from large, private estates to poor
families. In 1996 he signed a decree allowing people other than
Native Americans to appeal land allocation decisions made by Brazil's
Indian Affairs Bureau. The law was widely condemned by human rights,
Native American, and religious organizations
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