Brazil 1 Geographical situation Location Eastern South America

Brazil

1. Geographical situation • • • Location: Eastern South America - largest country in South America; is home to the Amazon Rainforest Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and 10 countries. Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela Area: 8 511 965 km 2

2. Physical environment and natural resources • • • 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: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, uranium, platinum, tin, petroleum, hydropower, timber

2. Physical environment and natural resources

3. Population • • • Population: 198 739 269 Population growth rate: 1. 06% - Birth rate: 16. 83 births/ 1, 000 population (2005) - Death rate: 6. 15 deaths/ 1, 000 population (2005) Age structure: - 0 -14 years: 26. 1% - 15 -64 years: 67. 9% - 65 years and over: 6%

3. Population Religions: Roman Catholic 73. 6%, Protestant 15. 4%, Spiritualist 1. 3%, Bantu/voodoo 0. 3%, other 1. 8%, unspecified 0. 2%, none 7. 4% • • Nationality: Brazilian(s) Ethnic groups: white 48. 43%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 43. 80%, black 6. 84%, Amerindian 0. 58%, Asian 0. 28% Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French Sports: football

3. Population Urbanization: 87% of total population (2010) The largest metropolitan areas in Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte - all in the Southeastern Region

4. State organization and government • Capital: Brasilia • Government type: federative republic • • • Administrative divisions: 26 states and 1 federal district The form of government democratic republic, with a presidential system. The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union ; is elected for a 4 -year term Current president- Dilma Rousseff who was inaugurated on January 1 st 2011

5. Economy • GDP: - the largest national economy in Latin America and the world's 8 th largest economy - real growth rate: 5. 1% - composition by sector: agriculture: 10. 2%; industry: 37. 5%; services: 52. 3% * currency: Real (R$) Agriculture: 20% of the labour force - products- coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef -

5. Economy • Energy: - the world's tenth largest energy consumer with much of its energy coming from renewable sources (hydroelectricity and ethanol) - expected to be producer and exporter, having recently made huge oil discoveries • Transportation: - large and diverse transport network - roads (1. 98 million km) are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic • Tourism: - a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of the country (4. 8 million visitors per year) - business tourism (49 th place in the world's ranking; second among Latin American countries

5. Economy • Manufacturing: - textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment - technological hubs are the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Air Force's Aerospace Technical Center, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the INPE • Foreign trade: - exports: commodities: transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos - imports: commodities: machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil

6. Problems • • • Poverty- various favelas, slums in the country's metropolitan areas and remote regions that suffer with economic underdevelopment. Crime- muggings, robberies, kidnappings and gang violence are common. Police brutality and corruption are widespread. Education- school non-attendance; children from large poor families start working from the age of 10 in order to help their parents.