Brazil

Brazil,officially theFederative Republic of Brazil,is the largest and easternmost country inSouth America. It is the world'sfifth-largest country by areaand theseventh largest by population, with over 212 million people. The country is afederationcomposed of 26statesand aFederal District, which hosts the capital,Brasília.Its most populous cityisSão Paulo, followed byRio de Janeiro. Brazil has the mostPortuguese speakersin the world and is the only country in theAmericaswherePortugueseis anofficial language.
Bounded by theAtlantic Oceanon the east, Brazil has acoastlineof 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi).Covering roughly half of South America's land area, itborders all other countries and territorieson the continent exceptEcuadorandChile.Brazil encompasses a wide range of tropical and subtropical landscapes, as well aswetlands,savannas, plateaus, and low mountains. It contains most of theAmazon basin, including theworld’s largest river systemand most extensivevirgintropical forest. Brazil has a diversewildlife, a variety ofecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerousprotected habitats.The country ranks first among 17megadiverse countries, with its natural heritage being the subject of significant global interest, asenvironmental degradation(through processes such asdeforestation) directly affect global issues such asclimate changeandbiodiversity loss.
Brazil was inhabited byvarious indigenous peoplesprior to thelandingof Portuguese explorerPedro Álvares Cabralin 1500. It was claimed and settled byPortugal, which forcibly importedenslaved Africansto work onplantations. Brazil remained acolonyuntil 1815, when it was elevated to the rank ofkingdomupon the formation of theUnited Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarvesafter thetransfer of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro. PrincePedro of Braganzadeclared the country'sindependencein 1822, establishing theEmpire of Brazil, aunitary stategoverned under aparliamentaryconstitutional monarchy. Brazil'sfirst constitution in 1824established a bicameral legislature, now called theNational Congress, and enshrined principles such as freedom of religion and the press, but retained slavery, which wasgradually abolishedthroughout the 19th century until itsfinal abolition in 1888. Brazil became apresidential republicfollowing amilitary coup d'étatin 1889. An authoritarianmilitary dictatorshipemergedin 1964and ruled until 1985, after which civilian governance resumed. Brazil's currentconstitution, enacted in 1988, defines it as ademocraticfederal republic.
Brazil is aregionalandmiddle powerandrising global power.It is anemerging,upper-middle incomeeconomy andnewly industrialized country,withone of the 10 largest economiesin the world in both nominal andPPPterms,the largest economy inLatin Americaand theSouthern Hemisphere, and thelargest share of wealthin South America. With acomplexand highly diversified economy, Brazil is one of the world's major or primary exporters of variousagricultural goods,mineral resources, andmanufactured products.Due to its rich culture and history, the country ranksthirteenth in the worldby number ofUNESCOWorld Heritage Sites.Brazil is a founding member of theUnited Nations, theG20,BRICS,G4,Mercosur,Organization of American States,Organization of Ibero-American States, and theCommunity of Portuguese Language Countries; it is also an observer state of theArab Leagueand amajor non-NATO allyof theUnited States.
The wordBrazilprobably comes from the Portuguese word forbrazilwood, a tree that once grew plentifully along the Brazilian coast.In Portuguese, brazilwood is calledpau-brasil, with the wordbrasilcommonly given the etymology "red like anember", formed frombrasa('ember') and the suffix-il(from-iculumor-ilium).It has alternatively been suggested that this is a folk etymology for a word for the plant related to an Arabic or Asian word for a red plant.Asbrazilwoodproduces a deep red dye, it was highly valued by the European textile industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil.Throughout the 16th century, massive amounts of brazilwood were harvested byindigenous peoples(mostlyTupi) along the Brazilian coast, who sold the timber to European traders (mostly Portuguese, but also French) in return for assorted European consumer goods.
The official Portuguese name of the land, in original Portuguese records, was the "Land of the Holy Cross" (Terra da Santa Cruz),but European sailors and merchants commonly called it the "Land of Brazil" (Terra do Brasil) because of the brazilwood trade.The popular appellation eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official Portuguese name. Some early sailors called it the "Land of Parrots".
In theGuaraní language, an official language ofParaguay, Brazil is called "Pindorama", meaning 'land of the palm trees'.
Some of the earliest human remains found in theAmericas,Luzia Woman, were found in the area ofPedro Leopoldo,Minas Geraisand provide evidence of human habitation going back at least 11,000 years.The earliestpotteryever found in the Western Hemisphere was excavated in theAmazon basinof Brazil andradiocarbon datedto over 8,000 years ago (6000 BC). The pottery was found nearSantarémand provides evidence that the region supported a complex prehistoric culture.TheMarajoara cultureflourished onMarajóin the Amazon delta from AD 400 to 1400, developing sophisticated pottery,social stratification, large populations,mound building, and complex social formations such aschiefdoms.
Around the time of the Portuguese arrival, the territory of current day Brazil had an estimated indigenous population of 7 million people,mostly semi-nomadic, who subsisted on hunting, fishing, gathering, and migrant agriculture. The population comprised several large indigenous ethnic groups (e.g., theTupis,Guaranis,Gês, andArawaks). The Tupi people were subdivided into theTupiniquinsandTupinambás.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the boundaries between these groups and their subgroups were marked by wars that arose from differences in culture, language and moral beliefs.These wars also involved large-scale military actions on land and water, withcannibalisticrituals onprisoners of war.While heredity had some weight, leadership was a status more won over time than assigned in succession ceremonies and conventions.Slaveryamong the indigenous groups had a different meaning than it had for Europeans, since it originated from a diverse socioeconomic organization, in which asymmetries were translated intokinshiprelations.
Following the 1494Treaty of Tordesillas, the land now called Brazil was claimed for thePortuguese Empireon 22 April 1500, withthe arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral.The Portuguese encountered indigenous peoples divided into several ethnic societies, most of whom spoke languages of theTupi–Guaranifamily and fought among themselves.Though the first settlement was founded in 1532,colonizationeffectively began in 1534, when KingJohn III of Portugaldivided the territory into the fifteen private and autonomouscaptaincies.
However, the decentralized and unorganized tendencies of the captaincies proved problematic, and in 1549 the Portuguese king restructured them into theGovernorate General of Brazilin the city ofSalvador, which became the capital of a single and centralized Portuguese colony in South America.In the first two centuries of colonization, Indigenous and European groups lived in constant war, establishing opportunistic alliances in order to gain advantages against each other.
By the mid-16th century,cane sugarhad become Brazil's most important export,while slaves purchased inSub-Saharan Africain theslave market of Western Africa(not only those from Portuguese allies of their colonies inAngolaandMozambique), had become its largest import,to cope withsugarcane plantations, due to increasing international demand for Brazilian sugar.Brazil received more than 2.8 million slaves from Africa between the years 1500 and 1800.
By the end of the 17th century, sugarcane exports began to declineand the discovery of gold bybandeirantesin the 1690s would become the new backbone of the colony's economy, fostering agold rushwhich attracted thousands of newsettlersto Brazil from Portugal and all Portuguese colonies around the world.This increased level of immigration in turn causedsome conflictsbetween newcomers and old settlers.
Portuguese expeditions known asbandeirasgraduallyexpanded Brazil's original colonial frontiersin South America to its approximately current borders.In this era, other European powers tried to colonize parts of Brazil, in incursions that the Portuguese had to fight, notably the Frenchin Rio during the 1560s,in Maranhão during the 1610s, and theDutch in Bahia and Pernambuco, during theDutch–Portuguese War, after the end ofIberian Union.
The Portuguese colonial administration in Brazil had two objectives that would ensure colonial order and themonopolyof Portugal's wealthiest and largest colony: to keep under control and eradicate all forms ofslave rebellionand resistance, such as theQuilombo of Palmares,and to repress all movements for autonomy orindependence, such as theMinas Gerais Conspiracy.
In late 1807, Spanish and Napoleonic forces threatened the security ofcontinental Portugal, causingPrince Regent John, in the name ofQueen Maria I, tomove the royal courtfromLisbontoRio de Janeiro.There they established some of Brazil's first financial institutions, such as its localstock exchangesand itsNational Bank, additionally ending the Portuguese monopoly on Brazilian trade and opening Brazil's ports to other nations. In 1809, in retaliation for being forced into exile, the Prince Regent ordered theconquest of French Guiana.
With the end of thePeninsular Warin 1814, the courts of Europe demanded that Queen Maria I and Prince Regent John return to Portugal, deeming it unfit for the head of an ancient European monarchy to reside in acolony. In 1815, to justify continuing to live in Brazil, where the royal court had thrived for six years, the Crown established theUnited Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, thus creating apluricontinentaltransatlantic monarchic state.However, the leadership in Portugal, resentful of the new status of its larger colony, continued to demand the return of the court to Lisbon (seeLiberal Revolution of 1820). In 1821, acceding to the demands of revolutionaries who had taken the city ofPorto,John VI departed for Lisbon. There he swore an oath to the new constitution, leaving his son,Prince Pedro de Alcântara, as Regent of theKingdom of Brazil.
Tensions between Portuguese and Brazilians increased and thePortuguese Cortes, guided by the new political regime imposed by theLiberal Revolution, tried to re-establish Brazil as a colony.The Brazilians refused to yield, and Prince Pedro decided to stand with them,declaring the country's independence from Portugalon 7 September 1822.A month later, Prince Pedro was declared the firstEmperor of Brazil, with the royal title of DomPedro I, resulting in the founding of theEmpire of Brazil.
TheBrazilian War of Independence, which had already begun along this process, spread through the northern, northeastern regions and in theCisplatinaprovince.The last Portuguese soldiers surrendered on 8 March 1824;Portugalofficially recognizedBrazilian independence on 29 August 1825.
On 7 April 1831, worn down by years of administrative turmoil and political dissent with both liberal and conservative sides of politics, including an attempt ofrepublican secessionand unreconciled to the way that absolutists in Portugal had given in the succession of King John VI, Pedro I departed for Portugal toreclaim his daughter's crownafterabdicating the Brazilian thronein favor of his five-year-old son and heir (DomPedro II).
As the new Emperor could not exert his constitutional powers until he came of age, aregencywas set up by the National Assembly.In the absence of a charismatic figure who could represent a moderate face of power, during this period a series of localized rebellions took place, such as theCabanageminGrão-Pará, theMalê Revoltin Salvador, theBalaiada(Maranhão), theSabinada(Bahia), and theRagamuffin War, which began inRio Grande do Suland was supported byGiuseppe Garibaldi. These emerged from the provinces' dissatisfaction with the central power, coupled with old and latent social tensions peculiar to a vast, slaveholding and newly independentnation state.This period of internal political and social upheaval, which included thePraieira revoltinPernambuco, was overcome only at the end of the 1840s, years after the end of the regency, which occurred with thepremature coronation of Pedro IIin 1841.
During the last phase of the monarchy, internal political debate centered on the issue of slavery. TheAtlantic slave tradewas abandoned in 1850,as a result of theBritishAberdeen Actand theEusébio de Queirós Law, but only in May 1888, after a long process of internal mobilization and debate for an ethical and legal dismantling ofslavery in the country, was the institution formally abolished with the approval of theGolden Law.
The foreign-affairs policies of the monarchy dealt with issues with the countries of theSouthern Conewith whom Brazil had borders. Long after theCisplatine Warthat resulted in the independence ofUruguay,Brazil won three international wars during the 58-year reign of Pedro II: thePlatine War, theUruguayan Warand the devastatingParaguayan War, the largestwar effortin Brazilian history.
Although there was no desire among the majority of Brazilians to change the country'sform of government,on 15 November 1889, in disagreement with the majority of theImperial Armyofficers, as well as with rural and financial elites (for different reasons), the monarchy was overthrown by a military coup.A few days later, thenational flagwas replaced with a new design that included the national motto "Ordem e Progresso", influenced bypositivism. 15 November is nowRepublic Day, a national holiday.
The early republican government was a military dictatorship, with the army dominating affairs both in Rio de Janeiro and in the states. Freedom of the press disappeared and elections were controlled by those in power.Not until 1894, following aneconomic crisisanda military one, did civilians take power, remaining there until October 1930.
In relation to its foreign policy, the country in this first republican period maintained a relative balance characterized by a success in resolving border disputes with neighboring countries,only broken by theAcre War(1899–1902) andits involvementinWorld War I(1914–1918),followed by a failed attempt to exert a prominent role in theLeague of Nations;Internally, from the crisis ofEncilhamentoand theNavy Revolts,a prolonged cycle of financial, political and social instability began until the 1920s, keeping the country besieged by various rebellions, both civilianand military.
Little by little,a cycle of general instabilitysparked by these crises undermined the regime to such an extent that in the wake of the murder of his running mate, the defeated opposition presidential candidateGetúlio Vargas, supported by most of the military, successfully led theRevolution of 1930.Vargas and the military were supposed to assume power temporarily, but instead closed down Congress, extinguished the Constitution, ruled with emergency powers and replaced the states' governors with his own supporters.
In the 1930s, three attempts to remove Vargas and his supporters from power failed. The first was theConstitutionalist Revolutionin 1932, led by São Paulo'soligarchy. The second was aCommunist uprisingin November 1935, and the last one aputschattempt bylocal fascistsin May 1938.The 1935 uprising created a security crisis in which Congress transferred more power to the executive branch. The1937coup d'étatresulted in the cancellation of the 1938 election and formalized Vargas as dictator, beginning theEstado Novoera. During this period, government brutality and censorship of the press increased.
DuringWorld War II, Brazil remained neutral until August 1942, when the country sufferedretaliationbyNazi GermanyandFascist Italyin a strategic dispute over the South Atlantic, and, therefore,entered the waron theallied side.In addition toits participation in the battle of the Atlantic, Brazil also sent anexpeditionary forceto fight in theItalian campaign.
With the Allied victory in 1945 and the end of the fascist regimes in Europe, Vargas's position became unsustainable, and he wasswiftly overthrownin another military coup, with democracy "reinstated" by the same army that had ended it 15 years earlier.Vargas committed suicide in August 1954 amid a political crisis, after having returned to power by election in 1950.
Several brief interim governments followed Vargas's suicide.Juscelino Kubitschekbecame president in 1956 and assumed a conciliatory posture towards thepolitical oppositionthat allowed him to govern without major crises.The economy and industrial sector grew remarkably,but his greatest achievement was the construction of the new capital city ofBrasília, inaugurated in 1960.Kubitschek's successor,Jânio Quadros, resigned in 1961 less than a year after taking office.His vice-president,João Goulart, assumed the presidency, but aroused strong political oppositionand wasdeposed in April 1964by a coup that resulted in amilitary dictatorship.
The new regime was intended to be transitorybut gradually closed in on itself and became a full dictatorship with the promulgation of theFifth Institutional Actin 1968.Oppression was not limited to those who resorted to guerrilla tactics to fight the regime, but also reached institutional opponents, artists, journalists and other members of civil society,inside and outside the country through the infamous "Operation Condor".Like other brutalauthoritarian regimes, due to an economic boom, known as the "economic miracle", the regime reached a peak in popularity in the early 1970s.
Slowly, however, the wear and tear of years of dictatorial power had not slowed the repression, even after the defeat of the leftist guerrillas.The inability to deal with the economic crises of the period and popular pressure made an opening policy inevitable, which from the regime side was led by GeneralsErnesto GeiselandGolbery do Couto e Silva.With the enactment of theAmnesty Lawin 1979, Brazil began a slowreturn to democracy, which was completed during the 1980s.
Civilians returned to power in 1985 whenJosé Sarneyassumed the presidency. He became unpopular during his tenure through failure to control the economic crisis andhyperinflationhe inherited from the military regime.Sarney's unsuccessful government led to theelection in 1989of the almost-unknownFernando Collor, who was subsequently impeached by the National Congress in 1992.Collor was succeeded by his vice-president,Itamar Franco, who appointedFernando Henrique CardosoMinister of Finance. In 1994, Cardoso produced a highly successfulPlano Real,that, after decades of failed economic plans made by previous governments attempting to curb hyperinflation, finally stabilized the Brazilian economy.Cardoso won the1994 election, andagain in 1998.
Thepeaceful transition of powerfrom Cardoso to his main opposition leader,Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva(elected in 2002andre-elected in 2006), was seen as proof that Brazil had achieved a long-sought political stability.However, sparked by indignation and frustrations accumulated over decades from corruption,police brutality, inefficiencies of the politicalestablishmentandpublic service,numerous peaceful protestserupted in Brazil in the middle of the first term ofDilma Rousseff, who had succeeded Lula after winning electionin 2010and againin 2014by narrow margins.
Rousseffwas impeachedby theBrazilian Congressin 2016, halfway into her second term,and replaced by her Vice-presidentMichel Temer, who assumed full presidential powers after Rousseff's impeachment was accepted on 31 August. Large streetprotests for and against hertook place during the impeachment process.The charges against her were fueled by political and economic crises along with evidence of involvement with politicians from all the primary political parties. In 2017, the Supreme Court requested the investigation of 71 Brazilian lawmakers and nine ministers of PresidentMichel Temer's cabinet who were allegedly linked to thePetrobras corruption scandal.President Temer himself was also accused ofcorruption.According to a 2018 poll, 62% of the population said that corruption was Brazil's biggest problem.
In the fiercely disputed2018 elections, the controversial conservative candidateJair Bolsonaroof theSocial Liberal Party(PSL) was elected president, winning in the second round againstFernando Haddad, of theWorkers Party(PT), with the support of 55.13% of the valid votes.In the early 2020s, Brazil becameone of the hardest hit countriesduring theCOVID-19 pandemic, receiving the second-highest death toll worldwide after the United States.In May 2021,Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvastated that he would run for a third term in the2022 Brazilian general electionagainst Bolsonaro.In October 2022, Lula was in first place in the first round, with 48.43% of the support from the electorate, and received 50.90% of the votes in the second round.On 8 January 2023, a week after Lula's inauguration, a mob of Bolsonaro's supportersattacked Brazil's federal government buildingsin the capital,Brasília, after several weeks of unrest.
Brazil occupies a large area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent's interior,sharing land borders withUruguayto the south;ArgentinaandParaguayto the southwest;BoliviaandPeruto the west;Colombiato the northwest; andVenezuela,Guyana,Surinameand France (French overseas region ofFrench Guiana) to the north. It shares a border with every South American country exceptEcuadorandChile.
The Brazilian territory also encompasses a number of oceanicarchipelagos, such asFernando de Noronha,Rocas Atoll,Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, and the islands ofTrindade and Martim Vaz.Its size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse.Including itsAtlanticislands, Brazil lies between latitudes6°Nand34°S, and longitudes28°and74°W.
Brazil is thefifth largestcountry in the world, and third largest in the Americas, with a total area of 8,515,767.049 km(3,287,956 sq mi),including 55,455 km(21,411 sq mi) of water. North to South, Brazil is also the longest country in the world, spanning 4,395 km (2,731 mi) from north to south,and the only country in the world that has theequatorand theTropic of Capricornrunning through it.It spans fourtime zones; fromUTC−5comprising the state ofAcreand the westernmost portion ofAmazonas, toUTC−4in the western states, toUTC−3in the eastern states (thenational time) andUTC−2in theAtlantic islands.
The climate of Brazil comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a large area and varied topography, but most of the country is tropical.According to theKöppen system, Brazil hosts six major climatic subtypes:desert,equatorial,tropical,semiarid,oceanicandsubtropical. The different climatic conditions produce environments ranging fromequatorial rainforestsin the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, totemperate coniferous forestsin the south andtropical savannasin central Brazil.
In Brazil,forest coveris around 59% of the total land area, equivalent to 496,619,600 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 588,898,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 485,396,000 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 11,223,600 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest, 44% was reported to beprimary forest(consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 30% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For 2015, 56.% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownershipand 44%private ownership.
Many regions have starkly differentmicroclimates.An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no realdry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when most rain falls.Temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F),with more significant temperature variation between night and day than between seasons.Over central Brazil, rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate.This region is as extensive as the Amazon basin but has a very different climate as it lies farther south at a higher altitude.In the interior northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme.South of Bahia, near the coasts, and more southerly most of the state of São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, with rain falling throughout the year.The south enjoys subtropical conditions, with cool winters and average annual temperatures not exceeding 18 °C (64.4 °F);winter frosts andsnowfallare not rare in the highest areas.
The semiarid climatic region generally receives less than 800 millimeters (31.5 in) of rain,most of which generally falls in a period of three to five months of the yearand occasionally less than this, creating long periods of drought.Brazil's 1877–78Grande Seca(Great Drought), the worst in Brazil's history,caused approximately half a million deaths.A similarly devastating drought occurred in 1915.In 2024, for the first time, "a drought has covered all the way from the North to the country’s Southeast". It is the strongest drought in Brazil since the beginning of measurement in the 1950s, covering almost 60% of the country's territory. The drought is linked to deforestation and climate change.
Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between 200 meters (660 ft) and 800 meters (2,600 ft) in elevation.The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country.The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills.
The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to 1,200 meters (3,900 ft).These ranges include theMantiqueiraandEspinhaçomountains and theSerra do Mar.In the north, theGuiana Highlandsform a major drainage divide, separating rivers that flow south into theAmazon Basinfrom rivers that empty into theOrinocoRiver system, in Venezuela, to the north. The highest point in Brazil is thePico da Neblinaat 2,994 meters (9,823 ft), and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean.
Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic.Major rivers include theAmazon(the world's second-longest river and the largest in terms of volume of water), theParanáand its major tributary theIguaçu(which includes theIguazu Falls), theNegro,São Francisco,Xingu,MadeiraandTapajósrivers.
Thewildlife of Brazilcomprises all naturally occurringanimals,plants, andfungiin theSouth Americancountry. Home to 60% of theAmazon rainforest, which accounts for approximately one-tenth of allspeciesin the world,Brazil is considered to have the greatestbiodiversityof any country on the planet, containing over 70% of all animal and plant species catalogued.Brazil has the most known species ofplants(55,000), freshwaterfish(3,000) andmammals(over 689).It also ranks third on the list of countries with the mostbirdspecies (1,832) and second with the mostreptilespecies (744).The number of fungal species is unknown but is large.Brazil is second only toIndonesiaas the country with the mostendemicspecies.
Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest, recognized as having the greatestbiological diversityin the world,with theAtlantic Forestand theCerradosustaining the greatest biodiversity.In the south, theAraucaria moist forestsgrow under temperate conditions.The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats. Scientists estimate that the total number ofplantandanimal speciesin Brazil could approach four million, mostly invertebrates.Larger mammals include carnivorespumas,jaguars,ocelots, rarebush dogs, andfoxes, and herbivorespeccaries,tapirs,anteaters,sloths,opossumsandarmadillos.Deerare plentiful in the south, and many species ofNew World monkeysare found in the northernrain forests.
More than one-fifth of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has been completely destroyed, and more than 70 mammals are endangered.The threat of extinction comes from several sources, includingdeforestationandpoaching. Extinction is even more problematic in theAtlantic Forest, where nearly 93% of the forest has been cleared.Of the 202 endangered animals in Brazil, 171 are in the Atlantic Forest.The Amazon rainforest has been under direct threat of deforestation since the 1970s because of rapideconomicanddemographicexpansion. Extensive legal andillegalloggingdestroyforeststhe size of a small country per year, and with it a diverse series of species throughhabitat destructionandhabitat fragmentation.Since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (230,000 sq mi) of the Amazon rainforest have been cleared by logging.
In 2017, preserved native vegetation occupied 61% of the Brazilian territory. Agriculture occupied only 8% of the national territory and pastures 19.7%.For comparison, in 2019, although 43% of the entire European continent has forests, only 3% of the total forest area in Europe is of native forest.Brazil has a strong interest in conservation, as its agriculture sector directly depends on its forests.In 2020, the government of Brazil pledged to reduce its annualgreenhouse gasemissions by 43% by 2030. It also sets an indicative target of reachingcarbon neutralityby 2060 if the country gets 10 billion dollars per year.
The form of government is ademocraticfederativerepublic, with apresidential system.The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term,with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. The current president isLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva.The President appoints theMinisters of State, who assist in government.
Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of law in Brazil. TheNational Congressis the Federation's bicameral legislature, consisting of theChamber of Deputiesand theFederal Senate. Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively. In 2021, theEconomist Intelligence Unit'sDemocracy Indexcategorized Brazil as a "flawed democracy", ranking 46th in the report,andFreedom Houseclassified it as afree countryatFreedom in the Worldreport.
The political-administrative organization of the Federative Republic of Brazil comprises the Union, the states, the Federal District, and the municipalities.The Union, the states, the Federal District, and the municipalities, are the "spheres of government". The federation is set on five fundamental principles: sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of human beings, the social values of labor and freedom of enterprise, and politicalpluralism.
The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial under a checks and balances system) are formally established by the Constitution.The executive and legislative are organizedindependently in all three spheres of government, while the judiciary is organized only at the federal and state and Federal District spheres. All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected.
For most of its democratic history, Brazil has had amulti-party system, withproportional representation. Voting iscompulsoryfor the literate between 18 and 70 years old and optional for illiterates and those between 16 and 18 or beyond 70.The country has around30 registered political parties. Twenty political parties are represented in Congress. It is common for politicians to switch parties, and thus the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly.
Brazilian law is based on thecivil lawlegal systemandcivil lawconcepts prevail over common law practice. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are seldom binding on other specific cases. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases. Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams.
The legal system is based on theFederal Constitution, promulgated on 5 October 1988, and the fundamental law of Brazil. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules.As of July 2022, there have been 124 amendments.The highest court is theSupreme Federal Court. States have their own constitutions, which must not contradict the Federal Constitution.Municipalities and the Federal District have "organic laws" (leis orgânicas), which act in a similar way to constitutions.Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary and executive bodies may enact legal norms.Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare situations theFederal Constitutionallows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments.There are also specialized military, labor and electoral courts.
The armed forces of Brazil are thelargestin Latin America by active personnel and the largest in terms of military equipment.The country was considered the 9th largest military power on the planet in 2021.It consists of theBrazilian Army(including theArmy Aviation Command), theBrazilian Navy(including theMarine CorpsandNaval Aviation) and theBrazilian Air Force. Brazil'sconscriptionpolicy gives it one of the world's largest military forces, estimated at more than 1.6 millionreservistsannually.The Air Force is the largest in Latin America and has about 700 crewed aircraft in service and effective about 67,000 personnel.
Numbering close to 236,000 active personnel,the Brazilian Army has the largest number of armored vehicles in South America, including armored transports andtanks.The states'Military Policeand theMilitary Firefighters Corpsare described as an ancillary forces of the Army by the constitution, but are under the control of each state's governor.
Brazil's navy once operated some of the most powerful warships in the world with the twoMinas Geraes-classdreadnoughts, sparking anaval arms race between Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.Today, it is agreen waterforce and has a group of specialized elite in retaking ships and naval facilities,GRUMEC, unit specially trained to protect Brazilian oil platforms along its coast.As of 2022, it is the only navy in Latin America that operates ahelicopter carrier,NAMAtlânticoand one of twelve navies in the world to operate or have one under construction.
Brazil's international relations are based on Article 4 of theFederal Constitution, which establishesnon-intervention,self-determination,international cooperationand thepeaceful settlement of conflictsas the guiding principles of Brazil's relationship with other countries and multilateral organizations.According to the Constitution, thePresidenthas ultimate authority over foreign policy, while theCongressis tasked with reviewing and considering all diplomatic nominations andinternational treaties, as well as legislation relating to Brazilian foreign policy.
Brazil's foreign policy is a by-product of the country's position as aregional powerinLatin America, a leader amongdeveloping countries, and an emergingworld power.Brazilian foreign policy has generally been based on the principles ofmultilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, andnon-interventionin the affairs of other countries.Brazil is a founding member state of theCommunity of Portuguese Language Countries(CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth, an international organization and political association ofLusophonenations.
An increasingly well-developed tool of Brazil's foreign policy is providing aid as a donor to other developing countries.Brazil does not just use its growing economic strength to provide financial aid, but it also provides high levels of expertise and most importantly of all, a quiet non-confrontational diplomacy to improve governance levels.Total aid is estimated to be around $1 billion per year, which includes.In addition, Brazil already managed apeacekeeping mission in Haiti($350 million) and makes in-kind contributions to theWorld Food Programme($300 million).The scale of this aid places it on par with China and India.The BrazilianSouth-Southaid has been described as a "global model in waiting".
In Brazil, theConstitutionestablishes six different police agencies for law enforcement:Federal Police Department,Federal Highway Police,Federal Railroad Police, Federal, District and State Penal Police (included by the Constitutional Amendment No. 104, of 2019),Military PoliceandCivil Police. Of these, the first three are affiliated with federal authorities, the last two are subordinate to state governments and the Penal Police can be subordinated to the federal or state/district government. All police forces are overseen by the executive branch of the federal or state government.TheNational Public Security Forcealso can act in public disorder situations arising anywhere in the country.
The country has high levels of violent crime, such as gun violence and homicides. In 2012, theWorld Health Organization(WHO) estimated the number of 32 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, one of thehighest rates of homicide of the world.The number considered acceptable by the WHO is about 10 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.In 2018, Brazil had a record 63,880 murders.However, there are differences between the crime rates in theBrazilian states. While inSão Paulothe homicide rate registered in 2013 was 10.8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, inAlagoasit was 64.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
Brazil also has high levels of incarceration. It had the third largest prison population in the world of approximately 700,000 prisoners as of June 2014, which put it only behind the United States (2,228,424) and China (1,701,344).The high number of prisoners eventually overloaded the Brazilian prison system, leading to a shortfall of about 200,000 accommodations.
Same-sex couples in Brazil have held nationwidemarriage rightssince May 2013.
Brazil is a federation composed of 26states, onefederal district, and the 5,571municipalities.States have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Federal government. They have a governor and a unicameral legislative body elected directly by their voters. They also have independentCourts of Lawfor common justice. Despite this, states have much less autonomy to create their own laws than in other federal states such as the United States. For example, criminal and civil laws can be voted by only the federal bicameral Congress and are uniform throughout the country.
Municipalities, as the states, have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the federal and state government.Each has an elected mayor and legislative body, but no separate Court of Law. Indeed, a Court of Law organized by the state can encompass many municipalities in a single justice administrative division calledcomarca(county).
Brazil's constitution also provides for the creation offederal territories, which are administrative divisions directly controlled by the federal government. However, there are currently no federal territories in the country, as the 1988 Constitution abolished the last three: Amapá and Roraima (which gained statehood status) and Fernando de Noronha, which became a state district of Pernambuco.
Brazil is adeveloping countrywith anupper-middle incomemixedmarket economythat is rich in natural resources.It has the largest national economy inLatin America, theeighth largest economyin the world by nominal GDP, and theeighth largestbyPPP. After rapid growth in preceding decades, Brazilentered an ongoing recession in 2014amid a political corruption scandal and nationwide protests; in 2024, the economy began showing consistent significant growth.Brazil has alabor forceof roughly 100 million,which is the world'sfifth largest, albeit with a high unemployment rate of 14.4% as of 2021.Itsforeign exchange reservesare thetenth-highestin the world.TheB3in São Paulo is thelargest stock exchange of Latin America by market capitalization. Roughly one-fifth of Brazilians live in poverty: about 1.9% of the total population lives at $2.15 a day,while about 19% live at $6.85 a day.Brazil's economy suffers fromendemic corruptionandhigh income inequality.TheBrazilian realis the national currency.
Brazil's diversified economy includes agriculture, industry and a wide range of services.The large service sector accounts for about 72.7% of total GDP, followed by the industrial sector (20.7%), while theagriculture sectoris by far the smallest, making up 6.6% of total GDP.
Brazil is one of thelargest producers of various agricultural commodities,and also has a largecooperativesector that provides 50% of the food in the country.It has been the world's largestproducer of coffeefor the last 150 yearsand is the world's largest producer ofsugarcane,soy,coffeeandorange; is one of the top fve producers ofmaize,cotton,lemon,tobacco,pineapple,banana,beans,coconut,watermelonandpapaya; and is one of the top 10 world producers ofcocoa,cashew,mango,rice,tomato,sorghum,tangerine,avocado,persimmon, andguava, among others. Regarding livestock, it is one of the five largest producers ofchicken meat,beef,porkandcow's milkin the world.In themining sector, Brazil is among the largest producers ofiron ore, copper, gold,bauxite,manganese,tin,niobium,andnickel.  In terms of precious stones, Brazil is the world's largest producer ofamethyst,topaz,agateand one of the main producers oftourmaline,emerald,aquamarine,garnetandopal.The country is a major exporter of soy, iron ore, pulp (cellulose), maize, beef, chicken meat, soybean meal, sugar, coffee, tobacco, cotton, orange juice, footwear, airplanes, cars, vehicle parts, gold, ethanol and semi-finished iron, among other products.
Brazil is the world's24th-largest exporterand26th-largest importeras of 2021.Chinais its largest trading partner, accounting for 32% of the total trade. Other large trading partners include theUnited States,Argentina, theNetherlandsandCanada.Itsautomotive industryis theeighth-largestin the world.In thefood industry, Brazil was the second-largest exporter of processed foods in the world in 2019.The country was the second-largest producer ofpulpin the world and the eighth-largest producer of paper in 2016.In thefootwear industry, Brazil was the fourth-largest producer in 2019.It was also the ninth-largest producer of steel in the world.In 2018, thechemical industryof Brazil was the eighth-largest in the world.Although it was among the five largest world producers in 2013, Brazil's textile industry is very little integrated into world trade.
The tertiary sector (trade and services) represented 75.8% of the country's GDP in 2018, according to the IBGE. The service sector was responsible for 60% of GDP and trade for 13%. It covers commerce, transport, education, social and health services, research and development, sports activities, etc.Micro and small businesses represent 30% of the country's GDP. In the commercial sector, for example, they represent 53% of the GDP within the activities of the sector.
Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economies of several regions of the country. The country had 6.36 million visitors in 2015, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the main destination in South America and second inLatin Americaafter Mexico.Revenues from international tourists reachedUS$6billion in 2010, showing a recovery from the2008–2009 economic crisis.Historical records of 5.4 million visitors andUS$6.8billion in receipts were reached in 2011.In the list of world tourist destinations, in 2018, Brazil was the 48th most visited country, with 6.6 million tourists (and revenues of 5.9 billion dollars).
Natural areas are its most popular tourism product, a combination ofecotourismwith leisure and recreation, mainly sun and beach, and adventure travel, as well as cultural tourism. Among the most popular destinations are theAmazon Rainforest, beaches and dunes in theNortheast Region, thePantanalin theCenter-West Region, beaches atRio de JaneiroandSanta Catarina, cultural tourism inMinas Geraisand business trips toSão Paulo.
In terms of the 2015Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index(TTCI), which is a measurement of the factors that make it attractive to develop business in the travel and tourism industry of individual countries, Brazil ranked in the 28th place at the world's level, third in theAmericas, after Canada and United States.Domestic tourismis a key market segment for the tourism industry in Brazil. In 2005, 51 million Brazilian nationals made ten times more trips than foreign tourists and spent five times more money than their international counterparts.The main destination states in 2023 wereSão Paulo,Rio de Janeiro, andRio Grande do Sul.The main source of tourists for the entire country is São Paulo state.In terms of tourism revenues, the top earners by state wereSão PauloandBahia.For 2005, the three main trip purposes were visiting friends and family (53.1%), sun and beach (40.8%), and cultural tourism (12.5%).
Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities and research institutes, with the majority of funding for basic research coming from various government agencies.Brazil's most esteemed technological hubs are theOswaldo Cruz Institute, theButantan Institute, the Air Force'sAerospace Technical Center, theBrazilian Agricultural Research Corporationand theNational Institute for Space Research.
TheBrazilian Space Agencyhas the most advanced space program in Latin America, with significant resources to launch vehicles, and manufacture ofsatellites.The country developssubmarinesand aircraft, as well as being involved in space research, having a Vehicle Launch Center Light and being the only country in theSouthern Hemisphereto integrate a team building the well-knownInternational Space Station(ISS).
The country is also a pioneer in the search for oil in deep water, from where it extracts 73% of its reserves.Uraniumis enriched at theResende Nuclear Fuel Factory, mostly for research purposes (as Brazil obtains 88% of its electricity fromhydroelectricity) and the country'sfirst nuclear submarineis expected to be launched in 2029.
Brazil is one of the three countries in Latin Americawith an operationalSynchrotronLaboratory, a research facility on physics, chemistry, material science and life sciences, and Brazil is the only Latin American country to have asemiconductorcompany with its ownfabrication plant, theCEITEC.According to the Global Information Technology Report 2009–2010 of the World Economic Forum, Brazil is the world's 61st largest developer of information technology.Brazil was ranked 50th in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024, up from 66th in 2019.
Among the most renowned Brazilian inventors are priestsBartolomeu de Gusmão,Landell de Mouraand Francisco João de Azevedo, besidesAlberto Santos-Dumont,Evaristo Conrado Engelberg,Manuel Dias de Abreu,Andreas Paveland Nélio José Nicolai.Brazilian science is represented by the likes ofCésar Lattes(BrazilianphysicistPathfinder ofPi Meson),Mário Schenberg(considered the greatest theoretical physicist of Brazil),José Leite Lopes(the only Brazilian physicist holder of theUNESCO Science Prize),Artur Avila(the first Latin American winner of theFields Medal)andFritz Müller(pioneer in factual support of the theory of evolution byCharles Darwin).
Brazil is the world'sninth-largestenergy consumer.Much of its energy comes fromrenewable sources, particularlyhydroelectricityandethanol; theItaipu Damis the world's largesthydroelectric plantby energy generation,and the country has other large plants such asBelo MonteandTucuruí. The first car with an ethanol engine was produced in 1978 and the first airplane engine running on ethanol in 2005.
At the end of 2021 Brazil was the 2nd country in the world in terms of installedhydroelectric power(109.4 GW) andbiomass(15.8 GW), the 7th country in the world in terms of installedwind power(21.1 GW) and the 14th country in the world in terms of installedsolar power(13.0 GW)—on track to also become one of the top 10 in the world in solar energy.At the end of 2021, Brazil was the 4th largest producer of wind energy in the world (72 TWh), behind only China, the United States and Germany, and the 11th largest producer of solar energy in the world (16.8 TWh).
The main characteristic of the Brazilian energy matrix is that it is much more renewable than that of the world. While in 2019, the world matrix was only 14% made up of renewable energy, Brazil's was at 45%. Petroleum and oil products made up 34.3% of the matrix; sugar cane derivatives, 18%; hydraulic energy, 12.4%; natural gas, 12.2%; firewood and charcoal, 8.8%; varied renewable energies, 7%; mineral coal, 5.3%; nuclear, 1.4%, and other non-renewable energies, 0.6%.
In the electric energy matrix, the difference between Brazil and the world is even greater: while the world only had 25% of renewable electric energy in 2019, Brazil had 83%. The Brazilian electric matrix was composed of: hydraulic energy, 64.9%; biomass, 8.4%; wind energy, 8.6%; solar energy, 1%; natural gas, 9.3%; oil products, 2%; nuclear, 2.5%; coal and derivatives, 3.3%.Brazil has the largest electricity sector in Latin America. Its capacity at the end of 2021 was 181,532 MW.
As foroil, the Brazilian government has embarked on a program over the decades to reduce dependence on imported oil, which previously accounted for more than 70% of the country's oil needs. Brazil became self-sufficient in oil in 2006–2007. In 2021, the country closed the year as the 7th oil producer in the world, with an average of close to three million barrels per day, becoming an exporter of the product.
Brazilian roads are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic. Theroad systemtotaled 1,720,000 km (1,068,758 mi) in 2019.The total of paved roads increased from 35,496 km (22,056 mi) in 1967 to 215,000 km (133,595 mi) in 2018.
Brazil'srailway systemhas been declining since 1945, when emphasis shifted to highway construction. The country's total railway track length was 30,576 km (18,999 mi) in 2015,as compared with 31,848 km (19,789 mi) in 1970, making it theninth largest networkin the world. Most of the railway system belonged to theFederal Railroad Network Corporation(RFFSA), which was privatized in 2007.TheSão Paulo Metrobegan operating on 14 September 1974 as the first underground transit system in Brazil.
There are about 2,500 airports in Brazil, including landing fields: the second-largest number in the world, after the United States.São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, near São Paulo, is the largest and busiest airport with nearly 43 million passengers annually, while handling the vast majority of commercial traffic for the country.
For freight transport,waterwaysare of importance. Theindustrial zones of Manauscan be reached only by means of the Solimões–Amazonas waterway (3,250 kilometers or 2,020 miles in length, with a minimum depth of six meters or 20 feet). The country also has 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles) of waterways.Coastal shipping links widely separated parts of the country. Bolivia and Paraguay have been given free ports atSantos. Of the 36 deep-water ports, Santos, Itajaí, Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Sepetiba, Vitória, Suape, Manaus and São Francisco do Sul are the most important.Bulk carriers have to wait up to 18 days before being serviced; container ships take 36.3 hours on average.
According to the latest official projection, it is estimated that Brazil’s population was 210,862,983 on July 1, 2022—an adjustment of 3.9% from the initial figure of 203 million reported by the 2022 census.The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, was approximately 190 million(22.31 inhabitants per square kilometer or 57.8/sq mi), with a ratio of men to women of 0.95:1and 83.75% of the population defined as urban.The population is heavily concentrated in the Southeastern (79.8 million inhabitants) and Northeastern (53.5 million inhabitants) regions, while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North, which together make up 64.12% of the Brazilian territory, have a total of only 29.1 million inhabitants.
The first census in Brazil was carried out in 1872 and recorded a population of 9,930,478.From 1880 to 1930, 4 million Europeans arrived.Brazil's population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, because of a decline in themortality rate, even though thebirth rateunderwent a slight decline. In the 1940s the annualpopulation growthrate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in the 1950s and remaining at 2.9% in the 1960s, as life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 yearsand to 72.6 years in 2007.It has been steadily falling since the 1960s, from 3.04% per year between 1950 and 1960 to 1.05% in 2008 and is expected to fall to a negative value of –0.29% by 2050thus completing thedemographic transition.
In 2008, the illiteracy rate was 11.48%.
According to the2022 Brazilian census, 45.3% of the population (92.1 million) described themselves asPardo(meaningbrownor multiracial), 43.5% (88.2 million) asWhite, 10.2% (20.7 million) asBlack, 0.6% (1.2 million) asIndigenousand 0.4% (850 thousand) asEast Asian(officially calledyelloworamarela).
Since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, considerable genetic mixing between Amerindians, Europeans, and Africans has taken place in all regions of the country:
From the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders toimmigration. About five million people from over 60 countries migrated to Brazil between 1808 and 1972, most of them ofPortuguese,Italian,Spanish,German,English,Ukrainian,Polish,Jewish,African,Armenian,Russian,Chinese,Japanese,KoreanandAraborigin.Brazil has the second-largest Jewish community in both Latin and South America after Argentina making up 0.06% of its population.Outside of theArab world, Brazil also has the largestpopulationof Arab ancestry in the world, with 15–20 million people.According to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil is home to a Lebanese diaspora of 7 million to 10 million, surpassing the population of Lebanese individuals residing in Lebanon.
Brazilian society is moremarkedly divided by social class lines, although a highincome disparityis foundbetween race groups, soracismandclassismoften overlap. The brown population (officially calledpardoin Portuguese, also colloquiallymoreno)is a broad category that includescaboclos(assimilated Amerindians in general, and descendants of Whites and Natives),mulatos(descendants of primarily Whites and Afro-Brazilians) andcafuzos(descendants of Afro-Brazilians and Natives).Higher percents of Blacks, mulattoes and tri-racials can be found in the eastern coast of the Northeastern region from Bahia to Paraíbaand also in northern Maranhão,southern Minas Geraisand eastern Rio de Janeiro.
People of considerable Amerindian ancestry form the majority of the population in the Northern, Northeastern and Center-Western regions.In 2007, theNational Indian Foundationestimated that Brazil has 67 different uncontacted tribes, up from their estimate of 40 in 2005. Brazil is believed to have the largest number ofuncontacted peoplesin the world.
Christianityis the country's predominant faith, withRoman Catholicismbeing its largest denomination. Brazil has theworld's largest Catholic population.According to the 2010 demographic census (the PNAD survey does not inquire about religion), 64.63% of the population followedRoman Catholicism; 22.2%Protestantism; 2.0% Kardecist spiritism; 3.2% other religions, undeclared or undetermined; while 8.0% had no religion.In 2019, it was estimated that 50% were Roman Catholic; 31% Protestant; 11% irreligious; 3% Spiritist; 2% practitioners of Afro-Brazilian faiths; and 0.3% Jewish.In another 2020 study by theAssociation of Religion Data Archives(ARDA), Christians made up 90.77% of the population; among Christians, 70.57% were Roman Catholic; 15.12% Protestant; 12.23% Independents, 0.12% Orthodox, and 0.09% unaffiliated Christian.Kardecist spiritism was the second-largest religion practiced in Brazil as ARDA's 2020 study, with 4.83% of the population. Of its 3.03% irreligious population, 2.59% were agnostic and 0.44% atheist.
Religion in Brazil was formed from the meeting of the Roman Catholic Church with the religious traditions of enslaved African peoples and indigenous peoples.This confluence of faiths during the Portuguese colonization of Brazil led to the development of a diverse array of syncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella of Brazilian Catholic Church, characterized by traditional Portuguese festivities.
Religious pluralism increased during the 20th century,and the Protestant community had grown to include over 22% of the population by 2010.The most common Protestant denominations areEvangelicalPentecostalones. Other Protestant branches with a notable presence in the country include theBaptists,Seventh-day Adventists,Lutheransand theReformed tradition.In recent decades,Protestantism, particularly in forms of Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism, has spread in Brazil, while the proportion of Catholics had dropped significantly during the 2010s.As they have spread throughout Brazil, many have even been deeply involved in Brazilian and international politics,and Evangelical Protestant influence has been implicated in the2022 Brazilian coup plot.
After Protestantism, individuals professing no religion are also a significant group, having exceeded 8% of the population according to the 2010 census. The cities ofBoa Vista,Salvador, andPorto Velhohave the greatest proportion ofIrreligiousresidents in Brazil.Teresina,Fortaleza, andFlorianópoliswere the most Roman Catholic in the country.Greater Rio de Janeiro, not including thecity proper, is the most irreligious and least Roman Catholic Brazilian periphery, whileGreater Porto Alegreand GreaterFortalezaare on the opposite sides of the lists, respectively.
In October 2009, the Brazilian Senate approved and enacted by the President of Brazil in February 2010, an agreement with theVatican, in which the Legal Statute of the Catholic Church in Brazil is recognized.
The Brazilianpublic healthsystem, theUnified Health System(Sistema Único de Saúde– SUS), is managed and provided by all levels of government,being the largest system of this type in the world.On the other hand, private healthcare systems play a complementary role.Public health services are universal and offered to all citizens of the country for free. However, the construction and maintenance of health centers and hospitals are financed by taxes, and the country spends about 9% of its GDP on expenditures in the area. In 2012, Brazil had 1.85 doctors and 2.3 hospital beds for every 1,000 inhabitants.
Despite all the progress made since the creation of theuniversal health caresystem in 1988, there are still several public health problems in Brazil. In 2006, the main points to be solved were the highinfant(2.51%) and maternal mortality rates (73.1 deaths per 1000 births).
The number of deaths from noncommunicable diseases, such ascardiovascular diseases(151.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) andcancer(72.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), also has a considerable impact on the health of the Brazilian population. Finally, external but preventable factors such as car accidents, violence and suicide caused 14.9% of all deaths in the country.The Brazilian health system was ranked 125th among the 191 countries evaluated by theWorld Health Organization(WHO) in 2000.
TheFederal Constitutionand the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education determine that theUnion, thestates, theFederal Districtand themunicipalitiesmust manage and organize their respective education systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as the mechanisms and funding sources. The constitution reserves 25% of the state budget and 18% of federal taxes and municipal taxes for education.
According to theIBGE, in 2019, the literacy rate of the population was 93.4%, meaning that 11.3 million (6.6% of population) people are still illiterate in the country, with some states such asRio de JaneiroandSanta Catarinareaching around 97% of literacy rate;functional illiteracy has reached 21.6% of the population.Illiteracy is higher in theNortheast, where 13.87% of the population is illiterate, while theSouth, has 3.3% of its population illiterate.
Brazil's private institutions tend to be more exclusive and offer better quality education, so many high-income families send their children there. The result is a segregated educational system that reflects extreme income disparities and reinforces social inequality. However, efforts to change this are making impacts.TheUniversity of São Paulois often consideredthe best in Brazil and Latin America.Of the top 20 Latin American universities, eight are Brazilian. Most of them arepublic. Attending an institution of higher education is required by Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education.Kindergarten,elementaryand medium education are required of all students.
The official language of Brazil isPortuguese(Article 13 of theConstitution of the Federal Republic of Brazil), which almost all of the population speaks and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.
Brazilian Portuguesehas had its own development, mostly similar to 16th-century Central and Southern dialects of European Portuguese(despite a very substantial number of Portuguese colonial settlers, andmore recent immigrants, coming fromNorthern regions, and in minor degree PortugueseMacaronesia), with a few influences from theAmerindianandAfrican languages, especiallyWest AfricanandBanturestricted to the vocabulary only.As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and otherPortuguese-speaking countries(the dialects of the other countries, partly because of the more recent end ofPortuguese colonialismin these regions, have a closer connection to contemporaryEuropean Portuguese). These differences are comparable to those betweenAmericanandBritish English.
The 2002sign language lawrequires government authorities and public agencies to accept and provide information inLíngua Brasileira dos Sinaisor "LIBRAS", theBrazilian Sign Language, while a 2005 presidential edictextends this to require teaching of the language as a part of theeducationandspeech and language pathologycurricula. LIBRAS teachers, instructors and translators are recognized professionals. Schools and health services must provide access ("inclusion") todeaf people.
Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eightyAmerindian languagesare spoken in remote areas and a significant number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants.In the municipality ofSão Gabriel da Cachoeira,Nheengatu(a currently endangeredcreole languagewithTupilexicon and Portuguese-based grammar that, together with its southern relativelíngua geral paulista, once was a majorlingua francain Brazil),Baniwaand Tucano languages had been granted co-official status with Portuguese.
There are significant communities of German (mostly theBrazilian Hunsrückisch, a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly theTalian, aVenetiandialect) origins in the Southern and Southeastern regions, whose ancestors' native languages were carried along to Brazil, and which, still alive there, are influenced by the Portuguese language.Talian is officially a historic patrimony ofRio Grande do Sul,and two German dialects possess co-official status in a few municipalities.Italian is also recognized asethnic languageinSanta TeresaandVila Velha, in the state ofEspírito Santo, and is taught as mandatory second language at school.
According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) urban areas already concentrate 84.35% of the population, while the Southeast region remains the most populated one, with over 80 million inhabitants.The largest urban agglomerations in Brazil areSão Paulo,Rio de Janeiro, andBelo Horizonte—all in the Southeastern Region—with 21.1, 12.3, and 5.1 million inhabitants respectively.The majority of state capitals are the largest cities in their states, except forVitória, the capital ofEspírito Santo, andFlorianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina.
The core culture of Brazil is derived fromPortuguese culture, because of its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese Empire.Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced thePortuguese language,Roman Catholicismandcolonial architectural styles. The culture was also strongly influenced byAfrican,indigenousand non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions.
Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions ofItalian,Germanand other European as well asJapanese,JewishandArabimmigrants who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil during the 19th and 20th centuries.The indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil's language andcuisine; and the Africans influenced language, cuisine,music, dance and religion.
Brazilian arthas developed since the 16th century into different styles that range fromBaroque(the dominant style in Brazil until the early 19th century)toRomanticism,Modernism,Expressionism,Cubism,SurrealismandAbstractionism.Brazilian cinemadates back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century and has gained a new level of international acclaim since the 1960s.
The architecture of Brazil is influenced by Europe, especially Portugal. It has a history that goes back 500 years to the time, whenPedro Álvares Cabrallanded in Brazil in 1500.Portuguese colonial architecturewas the first wave of architecture to go to Brazil.It is the basis for all Brazilian architecture of later centuries.In the 19th century, during the time of theEmpire of Brazil, the country followed European trends and adoptedNeoclassicalandGothic Revival architecture. Then, in the 20th century, especially in Brasília, Brazil experimented withmodernist architecture.
The colonial architecture of Brazil dates to the early 16th century, when Brazil was first explored, conquered and settled by the Portuguese. The Portuguese built architecture familiar to them in Europe in their aim to colonize Brazil. They built Portuguese colonial architecture, which included churches and civic architecture, including houses and forts, in Brazilian cities and the countryside.
During the 19th century, Brazilian architecture saw the introduction of more European styles to Brazil, such as Neoclassical and Gothic Revival architecture. This was usually mixed with Brazilian influences from their own heritage.In the 1950smodernist architecturewas introduced whenBrasíliawas built as a new federal capital in the interior of Brazil to help develop the interior. The architectOscar Niemeyeridealized and built government buildings, churches and civic buildings in the modernist style.
The music of Brazil was formed mainly from the fusion of European, Native Indigenous, and African elements.Until the nineteenth century, Portugal was the gateway to most of the influences that built Brazilian music, although many of these elements were not of Portuguese origin, but generally European. The first wasJosé Maurício Nunes Garcia, author of sacred pieces with an influence of Viennese classicism.The major contribution of the African element was the rhythmic diversity and some dances and instruments.
Popular music since the late eighteenth century,sambawas considered the most typical and on the UNESCO cultural heritage list.Samba-reggae,Maracatu,FrevoandAfoxêare four music traditions that have been popularized by their appearance in the annualBrazilian Carnivals.Capoeirais usually played with its own music referred to ascapoeira music, which is usually considered to be a call-and-response type of folk music.Forróis a type of folk music prominent during theFesta Juninainnortheastern Brazil.Jack A. Draper III, a professor of Portuguese at theUniversity of Missouri,argues that Forró was used as a way to subdue feelings of nostalgia for a rural lifestyle.
Chorois a popular musical instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th-century Rio de Janeiro. The style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by subtlemodulationsand full ofsyncopationandcounterpoint.Bossa novais also a well-known style of Brazilian music developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s.The phrase "bossa nova" means literally 'new trend'.A lyrical fusion of samba andjazz, bossa nova acquired a large following starting in the 1960s.Some international Brazilian music artists are, for example:Villa-Lobos,Tom Jobim,João Gilberto,Sergio Mendes,Eumir Deodato,Kaoma,Sepultura,OlodumandCSS.
Brazilian literaturedates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such asPero Vaz de Caminha, filled with descriptions offauna,floraand commentary about the indigenous population that fascinated European readers.
Brazil produced significant works inRomanticism—novelists such asJoaquim Manuel de MacedoandJosé de Alencarwrote novels about love and pain. Alencar, in his long career, also treated indigenous people as heroes in theIndigenistnovelsO Guarani,IracemaandUbirajara.Machado de Assis, one of his contemporaries, wrote in virtually all genres and continues to gain international prestige from critics worldwide.
Brazilian Modernism, evidenced by theModern Art Weekin 1922, was concerned with a nationalist avant-garde literature,whilePost-Modernismbrought a generation of distinct poets such asJoão Cabral de Melo Neto,Carlos Drummond de Andrade,Vinicius de Moraes,Cora Coralina,Graciliano Ramos,Cecília Meireles, and internationally known writers dealing with universal and regional subjects such asJorge Amado,João Guimarães Rosa,Clarice LispectorandManuel Bandeira.
Brazil's most significant literary award is theCamões Prize, which it shares with the rest of thePortuguese-speaking world. As of 2016, Brazil has eleven recipients of the prize.Brazil also holds its own literary academy, theBrazilian Academy of Letters, a non-profit cultural organization aimed at perpetuating the care of the national language and literature.
The Brazilian film industry began in the late 19th century, during the early days of theBelle Époque. While there were national film productions during the early 20th century, American films such asRio the Magnificentwere made inRio de Janeiroto promote tourism in the city.The filmsLimite(1931) andGanga Bruta(1933), the latter being produced byAdhemar Gonzagathrough the prolific studio Cinédia, were poorly received at release and failed at the box office, but are acclaimed nowadays and placed among the finest Brazilian films of all time.The 1941 unfinished filmIt's All Truewas divided into four segments, two of which were filmed in Brazil and directed byOrson Welles; it was originally produced as part of the United States'Good Neighbor Policyduring Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo government.
During the 1960s, theCinema Novomovement rose to prominence with directors such asGlauber Rocha,Nelson Pereira dos Santos,Paulo Cesar SaraceniandArnaldo Jabor. Rocha's filmsDeus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol(1964) andTerra em Transe(1967) are considered to be some of the greatest and most influential in Brazilian film history.
During the 1990s, Brazil saw a surge of critical and commercial success with films such asO Quatrilho(Fábio Barreto, 1995),O Que É Isso, Companheiro?(Bruno Barreto, 1997) andCentral do Brasil(Walter Salles, 1998), all of which were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the latter receiving aBest Actressnomination forFernanda Montenegro. The 2002 crime filmCity of God, directed byFernando Meirelles, was critically acclaimed, scoring 90% onRotten Tomatoes,being placed inRoger Ebert's Best Films of the Decade listand receiving fourAcademy Awardnominations in 2004, includingBest Director. Notable film festivals in Brazil include theSão PauloandRio de Janeiro International Film Festivalsand theGramado Festival.
Brazilian painting emerged in the late 16th century,influenced byBaroque,Rococo,Neoclassicism,Romanticism,Realism,Modernism,Expressionism,Surrealism,CubismandAbstracionismmaking it a majorart stylecalledBrazilian academic art.
TheFrench Artistic Missionarrived in Brazil in 1816 proposing the creation of an art academy modeled after the respected Académie des Beaux-Arts, with graduation courses both for artists and craftsmen for activities such as modeling, decorating, carpentry and others and bringing artists such asJean-Baptiste Debret.
Upon the creation of theImperial Academy of Fine Arts, new artistic movements spread across the country during the 19th century and later the event calledModern Art Weekbroke with academic tradition in 1922 and started a nationalist trend which was influenced by modernist arts.
Among the best-known Brazilian painters areRicardo do PilarandManuel da Costa Ataíde(baroque and rococo),Victor Meirelles,Pedro AméricoandAlmeida Júnior(romanticism and realism),Anita Malfatti,Ismael Nery,Lasar Segall,Emiliano di Cavalcanti,Vicente do Rego Monteiro, andTarsila do Amaral(expressionism, surrealism and cubism),Aldo Bonadei,José PancettiandCândido Portinari(modernism).
The theatre in Brazil has its origins in the period ofJesuitexpansion, when theater was used for the dissemination of Catholic doctrine in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, dramatists on the scene of European derivation were for court or private performances.During the 19th century, the playwrightsAntônio Gonçalves DiasandLuís Carlos Martins Penawere known for their performance.There were also numerous operas and orchestras. The Brazilian conductorAntônio Carlos Gomesbecame internationally known with operas such asIl Guarany. At the end of the 19th century, orchestrated dramaturgias were accompanied with songs of famous artists such as the conductressChiquinha Gonzaga.
Already in the early 20th century there was the presence of theaters, entrepreneurs and actor companies. In 1940, Paschoal Carlos Magno and his student's theater, the comedians group and the Italian actorsAdolfo Celi, Ruggero Jacobbi and Aldo Calvo, founders of theTeatro Brasileiro de Comédia, renewed the Brazilian theater. From the 1960s, it was attended by a theater dedicated to social and religious issues. The most prominent authors at this stage were Jorge Andrade andAriano Suassuna.
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's varying mix of indigenous and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.Some of the most well known Brazilian foods are theFeijoada, considered the country's national dish;andChurrasco, a kind of barbecue which is often served inrodíziostyle. Other regional foods include beijú,feijão tropeiro,vatapá,moqueca,polenta(from Italian cuisine) andacarajé(from African cuisine).The national beverage iscoffee;cachaçais Brazil's nativeliquor. Cachaça is distilled fromsugar caneand is the main ingredient in the national cocktail,Caipirinha.
A typical meal consists mostly ofrice and beanswithbeef,salad,french friesand afried egg.Often, it is mixed with cassava flour (farofa). Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and served in most typical restaurants.Popular snacks arepastel(a fried pastry);coxinha(a variation of chicken croquete);pão de queijo(cheese bread and cassava flour /tapioca);pamonha(corn and milk paste);esfirra(a variation of Lebanese pastry);kibbeh(from Arabic cuisine);empanada(pastry) and empada, little salt pies filled with shrimps or heart of palm.
Brazil has a variety of desserts such asbrigadeiros(chocolate fudge balls),bolo de rolo(roll cake withgoiabada),cocada(a coconut sweet),beijinhos(coconut truffles and clove) andRomeu e Julieta(cheese with goiabada). Peanuts are used to makepaçoca,rapaduraandpé-de-moleque. Local common fruits such asaçaí,cupuaçu,mango,papaya,cocoa,cashew,guava,orange,lime,passionfruit,pineapple, andhog plumare turned injuicesand used to makechocolates,ice popsandice cream.
The Brazilian press was officially born inRio de Janeiroon 13 May 1808 with the creation of the Royal Printing National Press by thePrince RegentDom João.TheGazeta do Rio de Janeiro, the first newspaper published in the country, began to circulate on 10 September 1808.The largest newspapers nowadays areFolha de S.Paulo,Super Notícia,O GloboandO Estado de S. Paulo.
Radio broadcasting began on 7 September 1922, with a speech by then President Pessoa, and was formalized on 20 April 1923 with the creation of the "Radio Society of Rio de Janeiro".Television in Brazil began officially on 18 September 1950, with the founding ofTV TupibyAssis Chateaubriand.Since then, television has grown in the country, creating large commercial broadcast networks such asGlobo,SBT,RecordTV,BandeirantesandRedeTV. Today it is the most important factor in the popular culture of Brazilian society, as indicated by research showing that as much as 67%of the general population follow the same dailytelenovelabroadcast.
By the mid-1960s,Brazilian universitieshad installedmainframe computersfromIBMandBurroughs Large Systems. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Brazilian government restricted foreignimportsto protect the local manufacturing of computers. In the 1980s, Brazil produced half of the computers sold in the country. By 2009, themobile phoneandInternetuse in Brazil was the fifth largest in the world.
In May 2010, the Brazilian government launchedTV Brasil Internacional, an internationaltelevision station, initially broadcasting to 49 countries.Commercial television channels broadcast internationally includeGlobo Internacional,RecordTV InternacionalandBand Internacional.
The most popular sport in Brazil isfootball.TheBrazilian men's national teamis ranked among the best in the world according to theFIFA World Rankings, and has won theWorld Cuptournament a record five times.
Volleyball,basketball,auto racingandmartial artsalso has large audiences. TheBrazil men's national volleyball team, for example, currently holds the titles of theWorld League,World Grand Champions Cup,World Championshipand theWorld Cup. In auto racing, three Brazilian drivers have won theFormula Oneworld championship eight times.The country has also produced significant achievements in other sports such assailing,swimming,tennis,surfing,skateboarding,MMA,gymnastics,boxing,judo,athleticsandtable tennis.
Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil:beach football,futsal(indoor football)andfootvolleyemerged in Brazil as variations of football. In martial arts, Brazilians developedCapoeira,Vale tudoandBrazilian jiu-jitsu.
Brazil has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, such as the1950 FIFA World Cup,and recently has hosted the2014 FIFA World Cup,2019 Copa Américaand2021 Copa América.TheSão Paulocircuit,Autódromo José Carlos Pace, hosts the annualGrand Prix of Brazil.São Paulo organized theIV Pan American Gamesin 1963, and Rio de Janeiro hosted theXV Pan American Gamesin 2007.On 2 October 2009, Rio de Janeiro was selected to host the2016 Olympic Gamesand2016 Paralympic Games, making it the first South American city to host the gamesand second in Latin America, afterMexico City. Furthermore, the country hosted theFIBA Basketball World Cupsin1954and1963. At the 1963 event, theBrazil national basketball teamwon one of its two world championship titles.
Government
10°S52°W﻿ / ﻿10°S 52°W﻿ /-10; -52