Search this Site
Home
Contact
Feedback
Mail List
Anti-Catholicism
Catholic Apologetics
Catholic Calendar
Lent
Catholic Perspectives
Catholic Social Teaching
Christology
Church Around the
World
Church Contacts
Church Documents
Church History
Church Law
Church Teaching
Demonology
Doctors of the Church
Ecumenism
Eschatology
(Death, Heaven,
Purgatory, Hell)
Essays on Science
Evangelization
Fathers of the Church
Free Catholic Pamphlets
Heresies
and Falsehoods
Let There Be Light
Q & A on the Catholic Faith
Links
Liturgy
Mariology
Marriage & the Family
Modern Martyrs
Moral Theology
New Age
Occult
Political Issues
Prayer and Devotions
Pro-Life
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
Sacraments
Scripture
Spirituality
The
Golden Legend
Vatican
Vocation Links
& Articles
What the Cardinals believe...
World Religions
Pope John Paul II
In Memoriam
John Paul II
Beatification
Pope Benedict XVI
In Celebration
| |
Brazil
|
|
Introduction |
|
Background: |
Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil
became an independent nation in 1822. 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 |
|
Location: |
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
|
|
Geographic coordinates: |
10 00 S, 55 00 W
|
|
Map references: |
South America
|
|
Area: |
total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq km
water: 55,455 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
|
|
Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than the US
|
|
Land boundaries: |
total: 14,691 km
border countries: 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
|
|
Coastline: |
7,491 km
|
|
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental
margin
|
|
Climate: |
mostly tropical, but temperate in south
|
|
Terrain: |
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,
mountains, and narrow coastal belt
|
|
Elevation extremes: |
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
|
|
Land use: |
arable land: 6.96%
permanent crops: 0.9%
other: 92.15% (2001)
|
|
Irrigated land: |
26,560 sq km (1998 est.)
|
|
Natural hazards: |
recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in
south
|
|
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
|
|
Geography - note: |
largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with
every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
|
|
People |
|
Population: |
186,112,794
note: Brazil took a count 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
2005 est.)
|
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 24,789,495/female 23,842,715)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 62,669,392/female 63,719,631)
65 years and over: 6% (male 4,549,552/female 6,542,009)
(2005 est.)
|
|
Median age: |
total: 27.81 years
male: 27.06 years
female: 28.57 years (2005 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate: |
1.06% (2005 est.)
|
|
Birth rate: |
16.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
|
|
Death rate: |
6.15 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
|
|
Net migration rate: |
-0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate: |
total: 29.61 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 33.37 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 71.69 years
male: 67.74 years
female: 75.85 years (2005 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate: |
1.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
0.7% (2003 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with
HIV/AIDS: |
660,000 (2003 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
15,000 (2003 est.)
|
|
Nationality: |
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian
|
|
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)
|
|
Religions: |
Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spriritualist
1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4%
(2000 census)
|
|
Languages: |
Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
|
|
Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 86.1%
female: 86.6% (2003 est.)
|
|
Government |
|
Country name: |
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
|
|
Government type: |
federative republic
|
|
Capital: |
Brasilia
|
|
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
|
|
Independence: |
7
September 1822 (from Portugal)
|
|
National holiday: |
Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
|
|
Constitution: |
5
October 1988
|
|
Legal system: |
based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
|
|
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
|
|
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 government
head of government: 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 government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the
same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last
held 6 October 2002 (next to be held 1 October 2006, with a
runoff on 29 October 2006 if necessary); runoff election held 27
October 2002
election results: in runoff election 27 October 2002,
Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (PT) elected with 61.3% of the vote;
Jose SERRA (PSDB) 38.7%
|
|
Legislative branch: |
bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of
the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three 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)
elections: Federal Senate - last held 6 October 2002 for
two-thirds of the Senate (next to be held October 2006 for
one-third of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6
October 2002 (next to be held October 2006)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - PMBD 19, PFL 19, PT 14, PSDB 11,
PDT 5, PSB 4, PL 3, PTB 3, PPS 1, PSD 1, PP 1; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PT
91, PFL 84, PMDB 74, PSDB 71, PP 49, PL 26, PTB 26, PSB 22, PDT
21, PPS 15, PCdoB 12, PRONA 6, PV 5, other 11; note - many
congressmen have changed party affiliation since the most recent
election
|
|
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
|
|
Political parties and leaders: |
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy
Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Federal Deputy
Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB
[Senator Eduardo AZAREDO]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB
[Federal Deputy Miguel ARRAES]; Communist Party of Brazil or
PCdoB [Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos
LUPI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Pedro Miguel SANTANA
LOPES]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Liberal
Front Party or PFL [Senator Jorge BORNHAUSEN]; Liberal Party or
PL [Federal Deputy Valdemar COSTA Neto]; National Order
Reconstruction Party or PRONA [Federal Deputy Dr. Eneas CARNEIRO];
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]; Worker's
Party or PT [Jose GENOINO]
|
|
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
|
|
International organization
participation: |
AfDB, BIS, 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, 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, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
|
|
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 |
|
Economy - overview: |
Possessing 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 and 2004, 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 2004 surpassed the previous
year's record export level and again posted a current account
surplus. 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 2004, 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.
|
|
GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $1.492 trillion (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
5.1% (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $8,100 (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 10.1%
industry: 38.6%
services: 51.3% (2004 est.)
|
|
Labor force: |
89 million (2004 est.)
|
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture 20%, industry 14%, services 66% (2003 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate: |
11.5% (2004 est.)
|
|
Population below poverty line: |
22% (1998 est.)
|
|
Household income or consumption
by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 48% (1998)
|
|
Distribution of family income -
Gini index: |
60.7 (1998)
|
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
7.6% (2004 est.)
|
|
Investment (gross fixed): |
19.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
|
|
Budget: |
revenues: $140.6 billion
expenditures: $172.4 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004)
|
|
Public debt: |
52% of GDP (2004 est.)
|
|
Agriculture - products: |
coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus;
beef
|
|
Industries: |
textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin,
steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and
equipment
|
|
Industrial production growth
rate: |
6% (2004 est.)
|
|
Electricity - production: |
339 billion kWh (2002)
|
|
Electricity - production by
source: |
fossil fuel: 8.3%
hydro: 82.7%
nuclear: 4.4%
other: 4.6% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption: |
351.9 billion kWh (2002)
|
|
Electricity - exports: |
7
million kWh (2002)
|
|
Electricity - imports: |
36.58 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2002)
|
|
Oil - production: |
1.788 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption: |
2.199 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
NA
|
|
Oil - imports: |
NA
|
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
13.9 billion bbl (2004 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production: |
5.95 billion cu m (2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption: |
9.59 billion cu m (2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports: |
0
cu m (2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - imports: |
3.64 billion cu m (2001 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
221.7 billion cu m (2004)
|
|
Current account balance: |
$8 billion (2004 est.)
|
|
Exports: |
$95 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities: |
transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos
|
|
Exports - partners: |
US 21.2%, China 7.8%, Argentina 6%, Germany 5.1%, Netherlands
4.8% (2004)
|
|
Imports: |
$61 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
|
|
Imports - commodities: |
machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical
products, oil
|
|
Imports - partners: |
US 22.4%, Germany 9.2%, Argentina 8.1%, China 5.5% (2004)
|
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and
gold: |
$52.94 billion (2004 est.)
|
|
Debt - external: |
$219.8 billion (2004 est.)
|
|
Currency (code): |
real (BRL)
|
|
Currency code: |
BRL
|
|
Exchange rates: |
reals per US dollar - 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003), 2.9208
(2002), 2.3577 (2001), 1.8301 (2000)
|
|
Fiscal year: |
calendar year
|
|
Communications |
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
38.81 million (2002)
|
|
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
46,373,300 (2003)
|
|
Telephone system: |
general assessment: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a
domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations
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
|
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with
AM stations) (1999)
|
|
Radios: |
71 million (1997)
|
|
Television broadcast stations: |
138 (1997)
|
|
Televisions: |
36.5 million (1997)
|
|
Internet country code: |
.br
|
|
Internet hosts: |
3,163,349 (2003)
|
|
Internet Service Providers
(ISPs): |
50 (2000)
|
|
Internet users: |
14.3 million (2002)
|
|
Transportation |
|
Railways: |
total: 29,412 km (1,567 km electrified)
broad gauge: 4,907 km 1.600-m gauge (908 km electrified)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
narrow gauge: 23,915 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km
electrified)
dual gauge: 396 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three
rails) (78 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)
|
|
Pipelines: |
condensate/gas 244 km; gas 10,739 km; liquid petroleum gas 341
km; oil 5,212 km; refined products 4,755 km (2004)
|
|
Ports and harbors: |
Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao,
Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria
|
|
Merchant marine: |
total: 150 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,961,431 GRT/4,725,267
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 28, cargo 25, chemical tanker 7,
combination ore/oil 2, container 7, liquefied gas 12,
passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 48, roll on/roll off 9
foreign-owned: 17 (Chile 2, Germany 7, Norway 1, Spain 7)
registered in other countries: 8 (2005)
|
|
Airports: |
4,136 (2004 est.)
|
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 698
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 158
914 to 1,523 m: 461
under 914 m: 49 (2004 est.)
|
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 3,438
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 78
914 to 1,523 m: 1,579
under 914 m: 1,780 (2004 est.)
|
|
Heliports: |
417 (2004 est.)
|
|
Military |
|
Military branches: |
Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines),
Brazilian Air Force (FAB)
|
|
Military manpower - military age
and obligation: |
19 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript
service obligation - 12 months; 17 years of age for voluntary
service (2001)
|
|
Military manpower - availability: |
males age 19-49: 45,586,036 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military manpower - fit for
military service: |
males age 19-49: 33,119,098 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military manpower - reaching
military age annually: |
males: 1,785,930 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military expenditures - dollar
figure: |
$11 billion (2004)
|
|
Military expenditures - percent
of GDP: |
1.8% (2004)
|
|
Transnational Issues |
|
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 UNCLOS to extend its maritime continental margin
|
|
Illicit drugs: |
illicit producer of cannabis; minor 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 and the US; 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
|
|
| |
|