Brazil

§1. 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 has overcome more than half a century of military
  intervention in the governance of the country to pursue industrial and
  agricultural growth and development of the interior. Exploiting vast
  natural resources and a large labor pool, Brazil became Latin America's
  leading economic power by the 1970s. Highly unequal income distribution
  remains a pressing problem.

§2. Brazil 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 kmē
  land: 8,456,510 kmē
  water: 55,455 kmē
  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:
  contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM
  exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
  territorial sea: 12 NM

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: 5%
  permanent crops: 1%
  permanent pastures: 22%
  forests and woodland: 58%
  other: 14% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:
  28,000 kmē (1993 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 the
  existence of a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the
  area; 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
  note: President CARDOSO in September 1999 signed into force an
    environmental crime bill which for the first time defines pollution and
    deforestation as crimes punishable by stiff fines and jail sentences

Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
    Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
    Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
    Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
    Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
    Wetlands, Whaling
  signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:
  largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South
  American country except Chile and Ecuador

§3. Brazil People

Population:
  174,468,575
  note: Brazil took an intercensal count in August 1996 which reported a
    population of 157,079,573; that figure was about 5% lower than
    projections by the US Census Bureau, which 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 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 28.57% (male 25,390,039; female 24,449,902)
  15-64 years: 65.98% (male 56,603,895; female 58,507,289)
  65 years and over: 5.45% (male 3,857,564; female 5,659,886) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  0.91% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  18.45 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  9.34 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  36.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 63.24 years male: 58.96 years
  female: 67.73 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  2.09 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.57% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  540,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  18,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Brazilian(s)
  adjective: Brazilian

Ethnic groups:
  white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed
  white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian)
  1%

Religions:
  Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%

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

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 83.3%
  male: 83.3%
  female: 83.2% (1995 est.)

§4. Brazil 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

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995);
    Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995); note - the president
    is both the chief of state and head of government
  head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January
    1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995); 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 4 October 1998 (next
    to be held NA October 2002)
  election results: Fernando Henrique CARDOSO reelected president; percent of
    vote - 53%

Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal
  Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three members from each state or
  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 4 October 1998 for one-third of
    Senate (next to be held NA October 2002 for two-thirds of the Senate);
    Chamber of Deputies - last held 4 October 1998 (next to be held NA
    October 2002)
  election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
    party - PMDB 27, PFL 20, PSDB 16, PT 7, PPB 5, PSB 3, PDT 2, PPS 1;
    Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
    PFL 106, PSDB 99, PMDB 82, PPB 60, PT 58, PTB 31, PDT 25, PSB 19, PL 12,
    PCdoB 7, other 14

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed by the president and
  confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal
  Tribunals (judges are appointed for life)

Political parties and leaders:
  Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Jader BARBALHO, president];
  Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Social
  Democracy Party or PSDB [Teotonio VILELA Filno]; Brazilian Socialist Party
  or PSB [Miguel ARRAES, president]; Brazilian Progressive Party or PPB
  [Paulo Salim MALUF]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Sergio Roberto
  Gomes SOUZA, chairman]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA,
  president]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jorge BORNHAUSEN, president];
  Liberal Party or PL [Francisco Teixeira de OLIVEIRA]; Popular Socialist
  Party or PPS [Ciro GOMEZ, president]; Worker's Party or PT [Jose DIRCEU,
  president]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  left wing of the Catholic Church, Landless Worker's Movement, and labor
  unions allied to leftist Worker's Party are critical of government's social
  and economic policies

International organization participation:
  AfDB, BIS, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
  Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA,
  Mercosur, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
  WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Rubens Antonio BARBOSA chancery: 3006
    Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700
  FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827
  consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
    York, and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony S. HARRINGTON embassy: Avenida das
    Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia
  mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
  telephone: [55] (061) 321-7272
  FAX: [55] (061) 225-9136
  consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
  consulate(s): Recife

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)

§5. Brazil 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. In the
  late eighties and early nineties, high inflation hindered economic activity
  and investment. "The Real Plan", instituted in the spring of 1994, sought
  to break inflationary expectations by pegging the real to the US dollar.
  Inflation was brought down to single digit annual figures, but not fast
  enough to avoid substantial real exchange rate appreciation during the
  transition phase of the "Real Plan". This appreciation meant that Brazilian
  goods were now more expensive relative to goods from other countries, which
  contributed to large current account deficits. However, no shortage of
  foreign currency ensued because of the financial community's renewed
  interest in Brazilian markets as inflation rates stabilized and the debt
  crisis of the eighties faded from memory. The maintenance of large current
  account deficits via capital account surpluses became problematic as
  investors became more risk averse to emerging market exposure as a
  consequence of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the Russian bond
  default in August 1998. After crafting a fiscal adjustment program and
  pledging progress on structural reform, Brazil received a $41.5 billion
  IMF-led international support program in November 1998. In January 1999,
  the Brazilian Central Bank announced that the real would no longer be
  pegged to the US dollar. This devaluation helped moderate the downturn in
  economic growth in 1999 that investors had expressed concerns about over
  the summer of 1998. Brazil's debt to GDP ratio for 1999 beat the IMF target
  and helped reassure investors that Brazil will maintain tight fiscal and
  monetary policy even with a floating currency. The economy continued to
  recover in 2000, with inflation remaining in the single digits and expected
  growth for 2001 of 4.5%. Foreign direct investment set a record of more
  than $30 billion in 2000.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $1.13 trillion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  4.2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $6,500 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 9% industry: 29%
  services: 62% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  17.4% (1990 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 47.6% (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  6% (2000)

Labor force:
  79 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  services 53.2%, agriculture 23.1%, industry 23.7%

Unemployment rate:
  7.1% (2000 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $151 billion
  expenditures: $149 billion, including capital expenditures of $36 billion
    (1998)

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  6.9% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
  337.44 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 5.28% hydro: 90.66%
  nuclear: 1.12%
  other: 2.94% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  353.674 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  5 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  39.86 billion kWh note: supplied by Paraguay (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef

Exports:
  $55.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities:
  manufactures, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee

Exports - partners:
  US 23%, Argentina 11%, Germany 5%, Netherlands 5%, Japan 5% (1999)

Imports:
  $55.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment, chemical products, oil, electricity

Imports - partners:
  US 24%, Argentina 12%, Germany 10%, Japan 5%, Italy 5% (1999)

Debt - external:
  $232 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:
  NA

Currency:
  real (BRL)

Currency code:
  BRL

Exchange rates:
  reals per US dollar - 1.954 (January 2001), 1.830 (2000), 1.815 (1999),
  1.161 (1998), 1.078 (1997), 1.005 (1996)
  note: from October 1994 through 14 January 1999, the official rate was
    determined by a managed float; since 15 January 1999, the official rate
    floats independently with respect to the US dollar

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Brazil Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  17.039 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  4.4 million (1997)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: good working system domestic: extensive microwave radio
    relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations
  international: 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 Service Providers (ISPs):
  50 (2000)

Internet users:
  8.65 million (2000)

§7. Brazil Transportation

Railways:
  total: 30,539 km (2,129 km electrified); note - excludes urban rail
  broad gauge: 5,679 km 1.600-m gauge (1199 km electrified)
  standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
  narrow gauge: 24,666 km 1.000-m gauge (930 km electrified)
  dual gauge: 336 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (1999 est.)

Highways:
  total: 1.98 million km
  paved: 184,140 km
  unpaved: 1,795,860 km (1996)

Waterways:
  50,000 km

Pipelines:
  crude oil 2,980 km; petroleum products 4,762 km; natural gas 4,246 km
  (1998)

Ports and harbors:
  Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre,
  Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, Vitoria

Merchant marine:
  total: 171 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,788,999 GRT/6,067,314 DWT
  ships by type: bulk 33, cargo 26, chemical tanker 5, combination ore/oil 9,
    container 12, liquefied gas 11, multi-functional large-load carrier 1,
    passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 56, roll on/roll off 12, short-sea
    passenger 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:
  3,264 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 570 over 3,047 m: 5
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 21
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 141
  914 to 1,523 m: 370
  under 914 m: 33 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 2,694 1,524 to 2,437 m: 68
  914 to 1,523 m: 1,279
  under 914 m: 1,347 (2000 est.)

§8. Brazil Military

Military branches:
  Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes naval air and marines), Brazilian
  Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)

Military manpower - military age:
  18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 48,298,486 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 32,388,786 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 1,762,740 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $13.408 billion (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  1.9% (FY99)

§9. Brazil Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none

Illicit drugs:
  limited illicit producer of cannabis, minor coca cultivation in the Amazon
  region, mostly 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 the US and 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 Bolivian, Peruvian, and Colombian cocaine
