Geography

Location:
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Area:
total area: 8,511,965 sq km
land area: 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
Coastline:
7,491 km
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.)



People

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Population:
160,737,489 (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.22% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
XXXXX
Death rate
8.98 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
XXXXX
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%
Language
Portugues
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%



Goverment

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)
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);
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional)
Federal Senate (Senado Federal):
Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados):
Judicial branch:
Supreme Federal Tribunal



Economy

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)
Currency:
XXXXXX
Exchange rate
US$1= XXXXX
£1=.XXXX