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The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America_ it is actually larger than mainland USA. Spanning a vast area between the central South America and the Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana — every South American nation except for Ecuador and Chile. Named after brazilwood, a local tree, Brazil is home to both extensive agricultural lands and rain forests.
History Main article: History of Brazil
Brazil had been inhabited for at least 6,000 years by semi-nomadic populations when the first Portuguese explorers, led by Pedro Álvares Cabral disembarked in 1500. Over the next three centuries it was re-settled by the Portuguese and exploited mainly for brazilwood at first, and later for sugarcane agriculture. Work in the colony was based on slavery. In 1808 King João VI of Portugal, fleeing from Napoleon, relocated to Brazil with the royal family, nobles and government. Though they returned in 1821, the interlude led to the opening of commercial ports to England — at the time isolated from most European ports by Napoleon — and the "elevation" of Brazil to the status of a Kingdom united to Portugal's Crown. Then prince-regent Dom Pedro I declared independence on 7 September 1822, establishing the independent Empire of Brazil. This lasted until the next emperor, Dom Pedro II was deposed and a federal republic was established on 15 November 1889.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Brazil attracted over 5 million European and Japanese immigrants. That period also saw Brazil industrialise and further occupy its interior. Brazilian democracy was replaced by dictatorship three times — 1930–1934 and 1937–1945 under Getúlio Vargas, and 1964–1985 under a succession of generals appointed by the military.
Politics Main article: Politics of Brazil
The 1988 constitution grants broad powers to the federal government, of which the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms. The president has extensive executive powers and is both head of state and head of government and he also appoints the cabinet.
The Brazilian legislature, the bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional, consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal of 81 seats, of which three members from each state or federal district are elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year period. Beside the Senate there is the Chamber of Deputies or Câmara dos Deputados of 513 seats, whose members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms.
See also:
- Cangaço (criminal hinterland bands in the first years of the XX century)
- Café com leite (reference to Brazil's domination by the "coffee oligarchs" in the first years of the XX century)
- Coronelismo (reference to machine politics in the first years of the XX century)
- Integralismo (influential Brazilian fascist movement in the 1930s)
States
 Map of Brazil Main article: States of Brazil
Brazil consists of 26 states (estados, singular estado) and 1 federal district (distrito federal):
Brazil and its 26 states and Federal District is divided by IBGE in 5 distinctive regions: North, Northeast, Center-West, Southeast and South (Division by Regions).
See also:
Geography Main article: Geography of Brazil
Brazil is characterised by the extensive low-lying Amazon Rainforest in the north, and a more open terrain of hills and (low) mountains to the south, home to most of Brazil's population and its agricultural base. Along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean are also found several mountain ranges, amongst which the highest peak is the Pico da Neblina at 3,014 m. Major rivers include the Amazon, the largest river in the world by volume, and considered by many specialists also the longest of the world; the Paraná and its major tributary, the Iguaçu River, where the impressive Iguaçu falls are located; the Rio Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and the Tapajós rivers.
Situated along the equator, Brazil's climate is predominantly tropical, with little seasonal variation, though the subtropical south is more temperate and can occasionally experience frost and snow. Precipitation is abundant in the humid Amazon Basin, though more arid landscapes are found as well, in particular in the northeast.
Economy Main article: Economy of Brazil
Possessing large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, as well as a large labor pool, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. Major export products include coffee, soybeans, iron ore, orange juice, steel and airplanes. After crafting a fiscal adjustment program and pledging progress on structural reform, Brazil received a USD 41.5 billion IMF_led international support program in November 1998. In January 1999, the Brazilian Central Bank announced that the Real would no longer be pegged to the US dollar. This devaluation helped moderate the downturn in economic growth in 1999 that investors had expressed concerns about over the summer of 1998, and the country posted moderate GDP growth.
Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001 — to less than 2% — because of a slowdown in major markets, the hiking of interest rates by the Central Bank to combat inflationary pressures, and fears over the economic policies of the new government to be elected. Investor confidence was strong at year end 2001, in part because of the strong recovery in the trade balance. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem.
After Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came to power 2003 January 1st, fears that his party would change significantly the economic policy subsided. The economy is growing again, and is expected to do so for the forseeable future.
See also:
Demographics Main article: Demographics of Brazil
Ethnic groups The only clearly separated minority ethnic groups in Brazil are the various non-assimilated indigenous tribes, comprising less than 1% of the population, who live in officially delimited reservations and either avoid contact with "civilized" people, or have assimilated mainstream Brazilian culture to some extent but still constitute separate social and political communities. The rest of the population can be considered a single "Brazilian" ethnic group, with highly varied racial types and backgrounds, some broad regional trends, but without clear ethnic sub-divisions.
Most of the population descends from early European settlers — chiefly Portuguese, but also some Italian, French and Dutch —, African slaves (Yoruba, Ewe, Bantu, and others), and assimilated indigenous peoples (mostly Tupi and Guarani, but also of many other ethnic groups). Trans-ethnic marriages and concubinates have been common and fairly well accepted ever since the first Portuguese settlers arrived. Starting in the late 19th century Brazil received substantial immigration from several other countries, mainly Italy, Germany, Spain, Lebanon and Syria, Ukraine, Russia and Lithuania, Hungary and Armenia, Japan, China and Korea. The Japanese are the largest Asian group in Brazil, but some Chinese and Koreans also settled Brazil. Most Chinese came from mainland China, but others came from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and also from Portuguese-speaking Macau -- these Chinese from Macau could speak and understand Portuguese, and it was not hard for them to adjust to Brazilian life. Those immigrant populations and their descendants still retain some of their original ethnic identity, however they are not closed communities and are rapidly integrating into mainstream Brazilian society: for instance, very few of the third generation can understand their grandparents' languages.
Health Like most developing countries, Brazil's most problematic disease is AIDS. This has resulted in the breaking of AIDS drug patents in order to minimise the health cost to the country's economy by offering free medication. [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4059147.stm)
Religion About 74% of all Brazilians claims to be member of the Roman Catholic Church; most of the remaining 26% adhere to various Protestant faiths, Kardecism, Candomblé, Umbanda, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.
According to IBGE 2000 Census, these are the biggest religious denominations in Brazil (only listed those with more than a half million members):
- Its Charismatic Renewal branch is fast growing; the Progressive Branch (Liberation Theology) and the Conservative branch are in decline. Only 15% of its membership attends the church regularly.
- Assemblies of God (Assembléias de Deus): 8,418,140
- General Convention of the Assemblies of God: 3.6 Million. Affiliated with the American Assemblies of God, Springfield, MO
- National Convention of the Assemblies of God: 2.5 Million. A.k.a. Madureira Ministry of the Assemblies of God
- Other independent Assemblies of God: 1,9 Million, such as Bethesda Assemblies of God
- Brazilian Baptist Convention: 1,2 Million adherents. Affiliated to US Southern Baptists
- National Baptist Convention: 1 Million. Charismatics Baptists
- Independent Baptist Convention: 400,000. Scandinavian Baptists
- Other Baptists: 400,000
- These includes Kardec Spiritualist; Afro-Brazilian Sincretists, New Age, etc, but with a much larger influence than their numbers
- Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus): 2 Million. Neo-Pentecostal Movement.
- Foursquare Gospel Church: 1,318,805. Classic Pentocostals in US, but second-wave pentecostals in Brazil.
- Seventh-day Adventist Church: 900,000
- Promise Adventist Church: 150,000. Indigenous Pentecostal Adventists.
- Reform Seventh Day Adventist Church: 50,000
- Other Adventists: 100,000
- Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confission
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil
- Other Lutherans
- Presbyterian Church of Brazil: 450,000
- Independent Presbyterian Church: 300,00
- Congregationalists: 100,000
- Other Calvinists:150,000
- God is Love Pentecostal Church: 700,000. Divine Healing movement.
- Independent Catholics: 600,000
- Groups like Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church and many other small ones.
Languages Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, giving it a distinct national culture separate from its Spanish-speaking neighbors.
Portuguese is the only language with full official status in Brazil; it is virtually the only language used in schools, newspapers, radio and TV, and for all business and administrative purposes.
However, many minority languages are spoken daily throughout the vast national territory of Brazil. Some of these minority languages are spoken by indigenous peoples. Others yet are spoken by people who are for the most part bilingual (i.e. speakers of Portuguese and English, French, German, and/or Italian, etc.).
Many of the indigenous people speak languages like: Mbyá-Guaraní (or simply Guaraní), Kaingang, Nadëb, Carajá, Caribe, Tucano, Arára, Terêna, Borôro, Apalaí, Canela and many others. Not all Amerindians desire to become part of the mainstream culture of Brazil. Even though minorities are what they are, that is minorities, cultural conflicts cannot be dismissed as insignificant or unimportant based what percentage of the national population they are.
Interestingly enough some of these minority languages recently have obtained local co_official status — e.g. Nheengatu, Tukano, and Baniwa in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas (2003).
The Brazilian language Língua Geral which is now almost extinct, at one time, until the late 1800s, was the common language used by a large number of indigenous and African and African_descendent peoples throughout the coast of Brazil — in other words, it was spoken by the majority of the population in the land. It was proscribed by the Marquis of Pombal for its association with the Jesuit missions. Today, in the Amazon Basin, political campaigning is still printed in this now rare language.
Other languages such as German, Italian, Polish and Japanese are spoken in southern Brazil. There are whole regions in southern Brazil where people speak both Portuguese and one or more of these languages. For example, it is reported that more than 90% of the residents of the small city of Presidente Lucena, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, speak Riograndenser Hunsrückisch, a Brazilian form of the Hunsrückisch German dialect (see this website (http://www.rotaromantica.com.br/cid_presidente_lucena01.htm)).
Although they have been rapidly replaced by Portuguese in the last few decades — partly by a government decision to integrate immigrant populations —, today states like Rio Grande do Sul are trying to reverse that trend and Immigrant Languages such as German and Italian are being reintroduced into the curriculum again in communities where they originally thrived. Meanwhile, on the Argentine and Uruguayan border regions Brazilian students are being introduced (formally) to the Spanish language.
More and more people are realizing in Brazil that a person can master and carry more than one language throughout their lives. In other words, integration into mainstream society does not mean that one has to become monolingual. More and more the reasoning is that if languages are a human capital of great value to some, perhaps they should be considered valuable to one all.
Some immigrant communities in southern Brazil, chiefly the German and the Italian ones, have lasted long enough to develop distinctive dialects from their original European sources. For example, Brazilian German, Riograndenser Hunsrückisch or Hunsrückisch and Talian or Italiano Riograndense. These are not languages per se but distinct dialects (from their original European counterparts).
Other transplanted German dialects to this part of the world have not under gone the same level of changes. For example, the Austrian dialect spoken in Dreizehnlinden or Treze Tílias in the state of Santa Catarina; or the dialect of the Donauschwaben spoken in Entre Rios, in the state of Paraná; or the Pomeranian (Pommersch) dialect spoken in many different parts of southern Brazil (in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Espírito Santo, etc.). Plautdietsch is spoken by the descendants of Russian Mennonites.
A Japanese-language newspaper, the São Paulo Shinbun, is published in the city of São Paulo. There is a significant community of Japanese speakers in Paraná and Amazonas. Much smaller groups exist in Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and other parts of Brazil.
Many Chinese, especially from Macao, speak a Portuguese creole, called Macaista, aside from Portuguese, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Brazilians who hear it are surprised that it is a unique Portuguese creole.
In São Paulo, the German_Brazilian newspaper Brasil_Post has been published for over fifty years. The Livraria Alemã of Blumenau was a fixture in the city for a long time. There are many other media organizations throughout the land specializing either in church issues, music, language, etc. The German-Brazilian community in Brazil is estimated to be in the millions.
The Italian online newspaper La Rena offers Brazilian-Italian or Talian lessons.
There are many other non-Portuguese publications, bilingual web sites, radio and television programs throughout the country. For example, TV GALEGA from Blumenau shows German-language programming on their channel on a weekly basis.
The English-language daily Brazil Herald is directed mostly to tourists, foreign executives and expatriates.
Most major foreign newspapers can be obtained in larger Brazilian cities (Frankfurter Allgemeine; Le Monde; The New York Times; etc.)
Culture Main article: Culture of Brazil
Sports Main Article: Sports in Brazil Some fight sports with Brazilian origins have become popular around the world:
Miscellaneous topics Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
External links - Brasil.gov.br (http://www.brasil.gov.br) - Official governmental portal (in Portuguese)
- Presidência (http://www.presidencia.gov.br) - Official presidential site (in Portuguese)
- Câmara dos Deputados (http://www.camara.gov.br) - Official Chamber of Deputies site (in Portuguese)
- Senado Federal (http://www.senado.gov.br) - Official senatorial site (in Portuguese)
- Presidência da República (http://www.planalto.gov.br) - Official presidential site about all federal legislation for your consult (in Portuguese)
- IBGE (http://www.ibge.gov.br/english/default.php) - Maps and statistics about Brazil (in English)
- São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau (http://www.spcvb.com.br)
- Jornal do Brasil (http://jbonline.terra.com.br) Brazilian newspaper, in portuguese
- Brazilink (http://www.brazilink.org) - Selected information on Brazil
- Travelling in Brazil (http://www.thowra.com/brasil.html) - Where to go and what to expect. (in English)
- Virtual Brazil (http://www.v-brazil.com) - Information about Brazilian culture, economy and tourism (in English)
- Fortaleza City (http://www.ceara.com.br) - Ceará and Fortaleza tourism information (in Portuguese)
- Mapa Fácil (http://www.mapafacil.com.br) ("Easy Map")- Online maps of more than 5000 Brazilian cities (in Portuguese)
- Ethnologue Languages of the World (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Brazil) - Languages of Brazil
- Brasil-Post (http://www.brasilpost.com.br)
- Nheengatu e Dialeto Caipira (http://www.sosaci.org/balaio2.htm) (Article in Portuguese about the Brazilian Nheengatu Language or the Língua Geral of Brazil)
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