Brazil

federal republicIndependence 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

Brazil as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 130 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalBrasilia
LocationEastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
1994

Every edition of Brazil

Populationas each edition published it
158.74 million July 1994 est. · 152.51m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.28% 1994 est. · 1.35% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 27 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 62.7 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.44 children per woman 1994 est. · 3.1 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
59.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 69 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$5,000 1993 est. · $2,350 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5% 1993 · -0.2% in 1993

Geography

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

26 fields
Coastline
7,491km
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
Irrigated land
27,000sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Map references

South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200-m depth or to depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

International disputes

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

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

arable land

7%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

19%

forest and woodland

67%

other

6%

current issues

  • deforestation in Amazon Basin;
  • 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

natural hazards

recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south

international agreements

  • party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling;
  • signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Tropical Timber

Note

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

People

21 fields
Population
158,739,257
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.28% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
21.48Death
8.63Net migration
0
Labor force
57million
(1989 est.)
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

59.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

62.25 years

male

57.41 years

female

67.32 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.44 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Brazilian(s)

adjective

Brazilian

Ethnic divisions

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

Religions

Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%

Languages

Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

total population

81%

male

82%

female

80%

by occupation

services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%

Government

Federal republic

36 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

33%
percent of vote by party PMBD 33%PFL 16%PSDB 12%PDS 4%PDT 6%PT 1%other 28%

Legislature, 81 seatsone dot, one seat

(81 total as of 3 February 1991) PMDB 27PFL 15PSDB 10PTB 8PDT 5other 16

Percent of vote

PMBD 33%PFL 16%PSDB 12%PDS 4%PDT 6%PT 1%other 28%

Legislature, 503 seatsseats by party

(503 total as of 3 February 1991) PMDB 108PFL 87PDT 46PDS 43PRN 40PTB 35PT 35other 109

conventional long form

Federative Republic of Brazil

conventional short form

Brazil

local long form

Republica Federativa do Brasil

local short form

Brasil

Type

federal 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

Suffrage

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

chief of state and head of government

  • President Itamar FRANCO (since 29 December 1992);
  • election last held 15 November 1989, with runoff on 17 December 1989 (next to be held October 1994);
  • results - Fernando COLLOR de Mello 53%, Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 47%;
  • note - first free, direct presidential election since 1960;
  • Fernando COLLOR de Mello was impeached in December 1992 and succeeded by former Vice President Itamar FRANCO

cabinet

Cabinet; appointed by the president

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional)

Federal Senate (Senado Federal)

  • election last held 3 October 1990 (next to be held October 1994);
  • results - percent of vote by party PMBD 33%, PFL 16%, PSDB 12%, PDS 4%, PDT 6%, PT 1%, other 28%;
  • seats - (81 total as of 3 February 1991) PMDB 27, PFL 15, PSDB 10, PTB 8, PDT 5, other 16

Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados)

  • election last held 3 October 1990 (next to be held October 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

Judicial branch

Supreme Federal Tribunal

Political parties and leaders

  • National Reconstruction Party (PRN), Daniel TOURINHO, president;
  • Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Luiz HENRIQUE da Silveira, president;
  • Liberal Front Party (PFL), Jorge BORNHAUSEN, president;
  • Workers' Party (PT), Luis Inacio LULA da Silva, president;
  • Brazilian Workers' Party (PTB), Rodrigues PALMA, president;
  • Democratic Workers' Party (PDT), Leonel BRIZOLA, president;
  • Progressive Renewal Party (PPR), 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;
  • Liberal Party (PL), Flavio ROCHA, president

Other political or pressure groups

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

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, UNOMUR, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA

chancery

3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 745-2700

FAX

(202) 745-2827

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands), Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

consulate(s)

Houston and San Francisco

chief of mission

Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY

embassy

Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal

mailing address

APO AA 34030

telephone

[55] (61) 321-7272

FAX

[55] (61) 225-9136

consulate(s) general

Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

consulate(s)

Porto Alegre, Recife

Flag

  • 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 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

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.

27 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$5,000
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
5%
(1993)industrial production growth: growth rate 9.5% (1993); accounts for 39% of GDP

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 and by March 1994 had risen to 42% per month) continues to undermine economic stability. Itamar FRANCO, who assumed the presidency following President COLLOR'S resignation in December 1992, was out of step with COLLOR'S reform agenda;

initiatives to redress fiscal problems, privatize state enterprises, and liberalize trade and investment policies have lost momentum. Brazil's natural resources remain a major, long-term economic strength

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $785 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$113 billion

expenditures

$109 billion, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (1992)

Exports

$38.8 billion (f.o.b. 1993)

commodities

iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice, footwear, coffee, motor vehicle parts

partners

EC 27.6%, Latin America 21.8%, US 17.4%, Japan 6.3% (1993)

Imports

$25.7 billion (f.o.b. 1993)

commodities

crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs, coal

partners

US 23.3%, EC 22.5%, Middle East 13.0%, Latin America 11.8%, Japan 6.5% (1993)

External debt

$119 billion (1993)

capacity

63,765,000 kW

production

242.184 billion kWh

consumption per capita

1,531 kWh (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

recipient

  • 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 real (CR$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

CR$ per US$1 - 390.845 (January 1994), 88.449 (1993), 4.513 (1992), 0.407 (1991), 0.068 (1990), 0.003 (1989)

note

on 1 August 1993 the cruzeiro real, equal to 1,000 cruzeiros, was introduced; another new currency, the real, will be introduced on 1 July 1994

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

16 fields

Networkskm

Railroads
30,133Inland waterways
50,000
Railroads: ; 24,690 km 1.000-meter gauge, 5,120 km 1.600-meter gauge, 310 km mixed 1.600-1.000-meter gauge, 13 km 0.760-meter gauge; 2,150 km electrified

Railroads

  • 30,133 km total;
  • 24,690 km 1.000-meter gauge, 5,120 km 1.600-meter gauge, 310 km mixed 1.600-1.000-meter gauge, 13 km 0.760-meter gauge;
  • 2,150 km electrified

total

1,670,148 km

paved

161,503 km

unpaved

gravel/earth 1,508,645 km (1990)

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

220 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,139,176 GRT/8,695,682 DWT, bulk 53, cargo 40, chemical tanker 14, combination ore/oil 12, container 11, liquified gas 11, oil tanker 62, passenger-cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11

note

in addition, 1 naval tanker is sometimes used commercially

total

3,581

usable

3,024

with permanent-surface runways

436

with runways over 3,659 m

2

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

22

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

598

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

Defense Forces

Brazilian Army, Navy of Brazil (including Marines), Brazilian Air | Force, Military Police (paramilitary)

4 fields

Branches

Brazilian Army, Navy of Brazil (including Marines), Brazilian Air Force, Military Police (paramilitary)

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 43,489,704;
  • fit for military service 29,286,530;
  • reach military age (18) annually 1,674,930 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.1 billion, 3% of GDP (1990)

Affiliation

(dependent territory of the UK)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Brazil.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/brazil/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →