Brazil

Federative Republic of BrazilRepublica Federativa do Brasil

federal republicIndependence 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

Brazil as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 80 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBrasilia

Area8,511,965 km2

LocationEastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Populationas each edition published it

156.66 million July 1993 est. · 152.51m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.35% 1993 est. · 0.58% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 27 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

62.7 years 1993 est. · 76.3 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.49 children per woman 1993 est. · 3.1 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

61.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 69 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$2,350 1992 · $19,600 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

-0.2% 1992 · 3.4% in 2025

Geography

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

14 fields

Land useshare of 8,511,965 km2

arable land 7%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 19%forest and woodland 67%other 6%irrigated 27,000 km2 (1989 est.)

Area

8,511,965km2

land area: 8,456,510 km2comparative area: slightly smaller than the USnote: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo

Coastline

7,491km

contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 m depth or to depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

14,691km

total · 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

Location

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Map references

South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

International disputes

short section of the boundary with Paraguay (just west of Guaira Falls on the Rio Parana) is in dispute;
two short sections of boundary with Uruguay are in dispute - Arrio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada) area of the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the Uruguay

Climate

mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Terrain

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

Natural resources

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

Environment

recurrent droughts in northeast;
floods and frost in south;
deforestation in Amazon basin;
air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities

Note

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

People

14 fields

Population

156,664,223

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 1.35% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

21.77Death

8.3Net migration

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years62.7

58.28 · 67.33

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy81%

82% · 80%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Labor force

57million

(1989 est.)by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%

Infant mortality rate

61.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.49 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Brazilian(s)
adjective:: Brazilian

Ethnic divisions

Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, Amerindian, black 6%, white 55%, mixed 38%, other 1%

Religions

Roman Catholic (nominal) 90%

Languages

Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Government

Federal republic

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

21%

PMDB 21%PFL 17%PDT 9%PDS 8%PRN 7.9%PTB 7%PT 7%other 23.1%

Names

conventional long form:: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form:: Brazil
local long form:: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form:: Brasil

Digraph

Type

federal republic

Capital

Brasilia

Administrative divisions

26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito, federal);
Acre, 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)

Constitution

5 October 1988

Legal system

based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Political parties and leaders

National Reconstruction Party (PRN), Daniel TOURINHO, president;
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Roberto ROLLEMBERG, president;
Liberal Front Party (PFL), Jose Mucio MONTEIRO, president;
Workers' Party (PT), Luis Ignacio (Lula) da SILVA, president;
Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Luiz GONZAGA de Paiva Muniz, president;
Democratic Labor Party (PDT), Leonel BRIZOLA, president;
Democratic Social Party (PPS), Paulo MALUF, president;
Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Tasso JEREISSATI, president;
Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Roberto FREIRE, president;
Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao AMAZONAS, secretary general;
Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Siqueira CAMPOS, president

Other political or pressure groups

left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftist Worker's Party are critical of government's social and economic policies

Suffrage

voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age

Elections

Chamber of Deputies:: last held 3 October 1990 (next to be held November 1994);
results - PMDB 21%, PFL 17%, PDT 9%, PDS 8%, PRN 7.9%, PTB 7%, PT 7%, other 23.1%;
seats - (503 total as of 3 February 1991) PMDB 108, PFL 87, PDT 46, PDS 43, PRN 40, PTB 35, PT 35, other 109
Federal Senate:: last held 3 October 1990 (next to be held November 1994);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (81 total as of 3 February 1991) PMDB 27, PFL 15, PSDB 10, PTB 8, PDT 5, other 16
President:: last held 15 November 1989, with runoff on 17 December 1989 (next to be held November 1994);
results - Fernando COLLOR de Mello 53%, Luis Inacio da SILVA 47%;
note - first free, direct presidential election since 1960

Executive branch

president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Federal Senate (Senado Federal) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados)

Judicial branch

Supreme Federal Tribunal

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Itamar FRANCO (since 29 December 1992)

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MERCOSUR, NAM (observer), OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Rubens RICUPERO
chancery:: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: (202) 745-2700
consulates general:: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, and New York
consulates:: Dallas, Houston, and San Francisco

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Richard MELTON
embassy:: Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal
mailing address:: APO AA 34030
telephone:: [55] (61) 321-7272
FAX:: [55] (61) 225-9136
consulates general:: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
consulates:: Porto Alegre, Recife

Flag

green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 23 white five-pointed stars (one for each state) 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

The economy, with large agrarian, mining, and manufacturing sectors, entered | the 1990s with declining real growth, runaway inflation, an unserviceable | foreign debt of $122 billion, and a lack of policy direction.

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$2,350

(1992)

Real growth rate

-0.2%

(1992)industrial production growth: growth rate -3.8% (1992); accounts for 39% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

1,174%

(1992)

Unemployment rate

5.9%

(1992)

Budget

Revenues

$164.3 billionExpenditures

$170.6 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $32.9 billion (1990)

Overview

The economy, with large agrarian, mining, and manufacturing sectors, entered the 1990s with declining real growth, runaway inflation, an unserviceable foreign debt of $122 billion, and a lack of policy direction. In addition, the economy remained highly regulated, inward-looking, and protected by substantial trade and investment barriers.

Ownership of major industrial and mining facilities is divided among private interests - including several multinationals - and the government. Most large agricultural holdings are private, with the government channeling financing to this sector. Conflicts between large landholders and landless peasants have produced intermittent violence.

The COLLOR government, which assumed office in March 1990, launched an ambitious reform program that sought to modernize and reinvigorate the economy by stabilizing prices, deregulating the economy, and opening it to increased foreign competition. The government also obtained an IMF standby loan in January 1992 and reached agreements with commercial bankers on the repayment of interest arrears and on the reduction of debt and debt service payments.

Galloping inflation - the rate doubled in 1992 - continues to undermine economic stability. Itamar FRANCO, who assumed the presidency following President COLLOR'S resignation in December 1992, has promised to support the basic premises of COLLOR'S reform program but has yet to define clearly his economic policies. Brazil's natural resources remain a major, long-term economic strength.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $369 billion (1992)

Exports

$35.0 billion (1992)

commodities:: iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice, footwear, coffee, motor vehicle parts
partners:: EC 32.3%, US 20.3%, Latin America 11.6%, Japan 9% (1991)

Imports

$20.0 billion (1992)

commodities:: crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs, coal
partners:: Middle East 12.4%, US 23.5%, EC 21.8%, Latin America 18.8%, Japan 6% (1991)

External debt

$123.3 billion (December 1992)

Electricity

63,765,000 kW capacity; 242,184 million kWh produced, 1,531 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

textiles and other consumer goods, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, steel, motor vehicles and auto parts, metalworking, capital goods, tin

Agriculture

accounts for 11% of GDP;
world's largest producer and exporter of coffee and orange juice concentrate and second- largest exporter of soybeans;
other products - rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, beef;
self-sufficient in food, except for wheat

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis and coca, mostly for domestic consumption;
government has a modest eradication program to control cannabis and coca cultivation;
important transshipment country for Bolivian and Colombian cocaine headed for the US and Europe

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $2.5 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $10.2 million;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $284 million;
former Communist countries (1970-89), $1.3 billion

Currency

1 cruzeiro (Cr$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

cruzeiros (Cr$) per US$1 - 13,827.06 (January 1993), 4,506.45 (1992), 406.61 (1991), 68.300 (1990), 2.834 (1989), 0.26238 (1988)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Networkskm

Highways

1,448,000Railroads

28,828Inland waterways

50,000

Highways: ; 48,000 km paved, 1,400,000 km gravel or earth · Railroads: ; 24,864 km 1.000-meter gauge, 3,877 km 1.600-meter gauge, 74 km mixed 1.600-1.000-meter gauge, 13 km 0.760-meter gauge; 2,360 km electrified

Railroads

28,828 km total;
24,864 km 1.000-meter gauge, 3,877 km 1.600-meter gauge, 74 km mixed 1.600-1.000-meter gauge, 13 km 0.760-meter gauge;
2,360 km electrified

Highways

1,448,000 km total; 48,000 km paved, 1,400,000 km gravel or earth

Pipelines

crude oil 2,000 km;
petroleum products 3,804 km;
natural gas 1,095 km

Ports

Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos

Merchant marine

232 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,335,234 GRT/8,986,734 DWT;
includes 5 passenger-cargo, 42 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 10 container, 11 roll-on/roll-off, 58 oil tanker, 15 chemical tanker, 12 combination ore/oil, 65 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 11 vehicle carrier;
in addition, 1 naval tanker is sometimes used commercially

Airports

total:: 3,613
usable:: 3,031
with permanent-surface runways:: 431
with runways over 3,659 m:: 2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:: 22
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:: 584

Telecommunications

good system;
extensive microwave radio relay facilities;
9.86 million telephones;
broadcast stations - 1,223 AM, no FM, 112 TV, 151 shortwave;
3 coaxial submarine cables, 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations and 64 domestic satellite earth stations