BRAZIL
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BRAZIL
@Brazil:Geography
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Map references: South America
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BRAZIL - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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Sao Paulo 10,063,000 23.33S, 46.39W 55-11 GMT-3
Rio de Janeiro 5,603,000 22.53S, 43.17W 55-21 GMT-3
Belo Horizonte 2,114,000 19.55S, 43.56W 55-31 GMT-3
Salvador 1,804,000 12.58S, 38.29W 55-71 GMT-3
Fortaleza 1,584,000 3.45S, 38.35W 55-85 GMT-3
BRASILIA 1,568,000 15.45S, 47.55W 55-61 GMT-3
Nova Iguacu 1,319,000 22.45S, 43.28W 55-21 GMT-3
Recife 1,288,000 8.06S, 34.53W 55-81 GMT-3
Curitiba 1,279,000 25.25S, 49.25W 55-41 GMT-3
Porto Alegre 1,272,000 30.03S, 51.10W 55-512 GMT-3
Belem 1,117,000 1.27S, 48.29W 55-91 GMT-3
Goiania 923,000 16.40S, 49.16W 55-62 GMT-3
Campinas 841,000 22.54S, 47.05W 55-192 GMT-3
Manaus 810,000 3.08S, 60.01W 55-92 GMT-4
Sao Goncalo 728,000 22.51S, 43.04W 55-21 GMT-3
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Area:
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
Land boundaries: total 14,691 km, 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
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: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel,
phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 19%
forest and woodland: 67%
other: 6%
Irrigated land: 27,000 sq km (1989 est.)
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
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, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands,
Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Desertification
Note: largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with
every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
@Brazil:People
Population: 160,737,489 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31% (female 24,641,868; male 25,515,775)
15-64 years: 64% (female 51,966,272; male 51,254,165)
65 years and over: 5% (female 4,393,530; male 2,965,879) (July 1995
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.22% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 21.16 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 8.98 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 57.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.82 years
male: 56.57 years
female: 67.32 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.39 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian
Ethnic divisions: Caucasion (includes Portuguese, German, Italian,
Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed Caucasion and African 38%, African 6%,
other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991)
total population: 80%
male: 80%
female: 80%
Labor force: 57 million (1989 est.)
by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%
@Brazil:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
Digraph: BR
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
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 and head of government: President Fernando Henrique
CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995) election last held 3 October 1994; next
to be held October 1998); results - Fernando Henrique CARDOSO 53%,
Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 26%, Eneas CARNEIRO 7%, Orestes QUERCIA 4%,
Leonel BRIZOLA 3%, Espiridiao AMIN 3%; note - second free, direct
presidential election since 1960
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional)
Federal Senate (Senado Federal): election last held 3 October 1994 for
two-thirds of Senate (next to be held October 1996 for one-third of
the Senate); results - PMBD 28%, PFL 22%, PSDB 12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT
6%, PTB 6%, other 12%
Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados): election last held 3
October 1994 (next to be held October 1998); results - PMDB 21%, PFL
18%, PDT 7%, PSDB 12%, PPR 10%, PTB 6%, PT 10%, other 16%
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), Rui Goethe da
Costa FALCAO, president; Brazilian Workers' Party (PTB), Jose Eduardo
ANDRADE VIEIRA, president; Democratic Workers' Party (PDT), Anthony
GAROTINHO, president; Progressive Renewal Party (PPR), Espiridiao
AMIN, president; Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Artur DA
TAVOLA, president; Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Roberto FREIRE,
president; Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao AMAZONAS, secretary
general; Liberal Party (PL), Alvero VALLE, 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, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, MERCOSUR, NAM (observer), OAS,
ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA
chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 745-2700
FAX: [1] (202) 745-2827
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
San Juan (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco
consulate(s): Houston
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY
embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal
mailing address: Unit 3500; 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 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
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. 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 lost momentum. Galloping inflation - by June 1994 the monthly
rate had risen to nearly 50% - had undermined economic stability. In
response, the then finance minister, Fernando Henrique CARDOSO,
launched the third phase of his stabilization plan, known as Plano
Real, that called for a new currency, the real, which was introduced
on 1 July 1994. Inflation subsequently dropped to under 3% per month
through the end of 1994. The newly elected President CARDOSO has
called for the implementation of sweeping market-oriented reform,
including public sector and fiscal reform, privatization,
deregulation, and elimination of barriers to increased foreign
investment. Brazil's natural resources remain a major, long-term
economic strength.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $886.3 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 5.3% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $5,580 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1,094% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.9% (1993)
Budget:
revenues: $113 billion
expenditures: $109 billion, including capital expenditures of $23
billion (1992)
Exports: $43.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
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: $33.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
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: $134 billion (1994)
Industrial production: growth rate 9.5% (1993); accounts for 39% of
GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 55,130,000 kW
production: 241.4 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 1,589 kWh (1993)
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, mining (iron
ore, tin), steel making, machine building - including aircraft, motor
vehicles, motor vehicle parts and assemblies, and other machinery and
equipment
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 small-scale eradication program
to control cannabis and coca cultivation; important transshipment
country for Bolivian and Colombian cocaine headed for the US and
Europe
Economic aid:
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), $1.3 billion
Currency: 1 real (R$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: R$ per US$1 - 0.85 (January 1995); CR$ per US$1 -
390.845 (January 1994), 88.449 (1993), 4.513 (1992), 0.407 (1991),
0.068 (1990)
note: on 1 August 1993 the cruzeiro real (CR$), equal to 1,000
cruzeiros, was introduced; another new currency, the real, was
introduced on 1 July 1994, equal to 2,750 cruzeiro reals
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Brazil:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 30,612 km (1992)
broad gauge: 5,369 km 1.600-m gauge (1,108 km electrified)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
narrow gauge: 24,739 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 13 km
0.760-m gauge
dual gauge: 310 km 1.600-m/1.000-m gauge (78 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 1,670,148 km
paved: 161,503 km
unpaved: gravel/earth 1,508,645 km (1990)
Inland waterways: 50,000 km navigable
Pipelines: crude oil 2,000 km; petroleum products 3,804 km; natural
gas 1,095 km
Ports: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto
Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, Vitoria
Merchant marine:
total: 215 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,128,654 GRT/8,664,776
DWT
ships by type: bulk 52, cargo 34, chemical tanker 13, combination
ore/oil 12, container 12, liquefied gas tanker 11, oil tanker 64,
passenger-cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11
Airports:
total: 3,467
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 126
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 286
with paved runways under 914 m: 1,652
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 76
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1,303
@Brazil:Communications
Telephone system: 9.86 million telephones; telephone density -
61/1,000 persons; good working system
local: NA
intercity: extensive microwave radio relay systems and 64 domestic
satellite earth stations
international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1,223, FM 0, shortwave 151
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 112 (Brazil has the world's fourth largest
television broadcasting system)
televisions: NA
@Brazil:Defense Forces
Branches: Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes Marines), Brazilian
Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 44,301,765; males fit for
military service 29,815,576; males reach military age (18) annually
1,703,438 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $5.0 billion, 0.9% of
GDP (1994)
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