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BRAZIL

Geography

Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 55 00 W

Map references: South America

Area:

total area: 8,511,965 sq km

land area: 8,456,510 sq km

comparative area: slightly smaller than the US

note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo

Land boundaries:

total: 14,691 km

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

Coastline: 7,491 km

Maritime claims:

contiguous zone: 24 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: short section of the boundary with Paraguay, just west of Salto das Sete Quedas (Guaira Falls) on the Rio Parana, is in dispute; two short sections of boundary with Uruguay are in dispute - Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada) area of the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay River

Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m

Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

Land use:

arable land: 7%

permanent crops: 1%

meadows and pastures: 19%

forest and woodland: 67%

other: 6%

Irrigated land: 27,000 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:

current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers the existence of a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities

natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south

international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Desertification

Geographic note: largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador

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People

Population: 162,661,214 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 31% (male 25,286,278; female 24,422,897)

15-64 years: 65% (male 52,232,435; female 53,094,724)

65 years and over: 4% (male 3,072,720; female 4,552,160) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.16% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 20.8 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 9.19 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 55.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 61.62 years

male: 56.67 years

female: 66.81 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.34 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Brazilian(s)

adjective: Brazilian

Ethnic divisions: white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and African 38%, African 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%

Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

total population: 83.3%

male: 83.3%

female: 83.2%

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Government

Name of country:

conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil

conventional short form: Brazil

local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil

local short form: Brasil

Data code: BR

Type of government: federal republic

Capital: Brasilia

Administrative divisions: 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins

Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Constitution: 5 October 1988

Legal system: based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age

Executive branch:

chief of state and head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995) was elected for a four-year term by popular vote; election last held 3 October 1994; (next to be held October 1998); results - Fernando Henrique CARDOSO 53%, Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 26%, Eneas CARNEIRO 7%, Orestes QUERCIA 4%, Leonel BRIZOLA 3%, Espiridiao AMIN 3%; note - second direct presidential election since 1960; Vice President Marco MARCIEL (since NA)

cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional)

Federal Senate (Senado Federal): election last held 3 October 1994 for two-thirds of Senate (next to be held October 1996 for one-third of the Senate); results - PMBD 28%, PFL 22%, PSDB 12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT 6%, PTB 6%, other 12%; seats - (81 total) seats by party NA

Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados): election last held 3 October 1994 (next to be held October 1998); results - PMDB 21%, PFL 18%, PDT 7%, PSDB 12%, PPR 10%, PTB 6%, PT 10%, other 16%; seats - (517 total) seats by party NA

note: party totals since Fall 1994 have changed considerably due to extensive party-switching

Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal, judges are appointed for life by the Senate

Political parties and leaders: National Reconstruction Party (PRN), Daniel TOURINHO, president; Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Paes DE ANDRADE, president; Liberal Front Party (PFL), Jorge BORNHAUSEN, president; Workers' Party (PT), Jose DIRCEU, president; Brazilian Workers' Party (PTB), Rodrigues PALMA, president; Democratic Labor Party (PDT), Leonel BRIZOLA, president; Brazilian Progressive Party (PPB), Espiridiao AMIN, president; Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Artur DA TAVOLA, president; Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Roberto FREIRE, president; Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao AMAZONAS, chairman; Liberal Party (PL), Alvaro VALLE, president

Other political or pressure groups: left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftist Workers' Party are critical of government's social and economic policies

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MTCR, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA

chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 745-2700

FAX: [1] (202) 745-2827

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco

consulate(s): Houston

US diplomatic representation:

chief of mission: Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY

embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal

mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030

telephone: [55] (61) 321-7272

FAX: [55] (61) 225-9136

consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

consulate(s): Porto Alegre, Recife

Flag: green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)

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Economy

Economic overview: With its large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil has South America's largest GDP by far and has the potential to become a major player in the world economy. Prior to the institution of a stabilization plan in mid-1994, stratospheric inflation rates had devastated the economy and discouraged foreign investment. Since then, tight monetary policy has apparently brought inflation under control - consumer prices increased by 23% in 1995 compared to more than 1,000% in 1994. At the same time, GDP growth slowed from 5.7% to 4.2% as credit was tightened and the steadily appreciating real encouraged imports while depressing export growth. The increased stability of the Brazilian economy allowed it to weather the fallout from the Mexican peso crisis relatively well, with foreign funds flowing in during the second half of 1995 to swell official foreign exchange reserves past the $50 billion mark. Stock market indices in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, however, ended 26% lower in 1995. President CARDOSO remains committed to further reducing inflation in 1996 while boosting growth, but he faces key challenges. Servicing domestic debt has become dramatically more burdensome for both public and private sector entities because of very high real interest rates which are contributing to growing budget deficits and a surge in bankruptcies. Fiscal reforms, many of which require constitutional amendments, are proceeding at a slow pace through the Brazilian legislature; in their absence, the government is maintaining its strict monetary policy. Brazil's natural resources remain a major, long-run economic strength.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $976.8 billion (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate: 4.2% (1995)

GDP per capita: $6,100 (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector:

agriculture: 16%

industry: 25%

services: 59% (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 23% (1995)

Labor force: 57 million (1989 est.)

by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%

Unemployment rate: 5% (1995 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $58.7 billion

expenditures: $54.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994)

Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment

Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (1995 est.)

Electricity:

capacity: 55,130,000 kW

production: 241.4 billion kWh

consumption per capita: 1,589 kWh (1993)

Agriculture: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, coca cultivation in the Amazon region has diminished in recent years because of its low alkaloid content, mostly for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian and Colombian cocaine headed for the US and Europe

Exports: $46.5 billion (f.o.b., 1995)

commodities: iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice, footwear, coffee, motor vehicle parts

partners: EU 27.6%, Latin America 21.8%, US 17.4%, Japan 6.3% (1993)

Imports: $49.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995)

commodities: crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs, coal

partners: US 23.3%, EU 22.5%, Middle East 13.0%, Latin America 11.8%, Japan 6.5% (1993)

External debt: $94 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid:

recipient: ODA, $107 million (1993)

Currency: 1 real (R$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates: R$ per US$1 - 0.975 (January 1996), 0.918 (1995), 0.639 (1994); CR$ per US$1 - 390.845 (January 1994), 88.449 (1993), 4.513 (1992), 0.407 (1991)

note: on 1 August 1993 the cruzeiro real (CR$), equal to 1,000 cruzeiros, was introduced; another new currency, the real (R$) was introduced on 1 July 1994, equal to 2,750 cruzeiro reals

Fiscal year: calendar year

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Transportation

Railways:

total: 27,418 km (1,750 km electrified)

broad gauge: 5,730 km 1.600-m gauge

standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge

narrow gauge: 20,958 km 1.000-m gauge; 13 km 0.760-m gauge

dual gauge: 523 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges

Highways:

total: 1,661,850 km

paved: 142,919 km

unpaved: 1,518,931 km (1992 est.)

Waterways: 50,000 km navigable

Pipelines: crude oil 2,000 km; petroleum products 3,804 km; natural gas 1,095 km

Ports: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, Vitoria

Merchant marine:

total: 207 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,108,543 GRT/8,477,760 DWT

ships by type: bulk 48, cargo 29, chemical tanker 11, combination ore/oil 12, container 14, liquefied gas tanker 11, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 64, passenger-cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11 (1995 est.)

Airports:

total: 2,950

with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5

with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19

with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 122

with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 295

with paved runways under 914 m: 1,298

with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 66

with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1,145 (1995 est.)

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Communications

Telephones: 14,426,673 (1992 est.)

Telephone system: good working system

domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations

international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean Region East)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,223, FM 0, shortwave 151

Radios: 60 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 112

note: Brazil has the world's fourth largest television broadcasting system

Televisions: 30 million (1993 est.)

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Defense

Branches: Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes Marines), Brazilian Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)

Manpower availability:

males age 15-49: 45,091,300

males fit for military service: 30,330,711

males reach military age (18) annually: 1,734,981 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $6.736 billion, 1.1% of GDP (1994)

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