NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Federative Republic of Brazil
Republica Federativa do Brasil
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil has overcome more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of the interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, Brazil is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean |
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Geographic coordinates:
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10 00 S, 55 00 W |
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Map references:
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South America |
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Area:
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total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq km note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo water: 55,455 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than the US |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 14,691 km
border countries: 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 |
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Coastline:
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7,491 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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mostly tropical, but temperate in south |
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Terrain:
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mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m |
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Natural resources:
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bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber |
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Land use:
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arable land: 6.3%
permanent crops: 1.42% other: 92.28% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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26,560 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade; 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; wetland degradation; severe oil spills |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
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largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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176,029,560
note: Brazil took an intercensal count in August 1996 which reported a population of 157,079,573; that figure was about 5% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau, which is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 28% (male 25,140,954; female 24,199,276)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 57,424,151; female 59,409,928) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 3,992,017; female 5,863,234) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.87% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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9.32 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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35.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 63.55 years
female: 67.91 years (2002 est.) male: 59.4 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.05 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.57% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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540,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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18,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian |
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Ethnic groups:
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white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic (nominal) 80% |
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Languages:
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Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.3% male: 83.3% female: 83.2% (1995 est.) |