| Country (long form) |
Federative Republic of Brazil |
| Capital |
Brasilia |
| Total Area |
3,286,488.06 sq mi
8,511,965.00 sq km
(slightly smaller than the US) |
| Population |
172,860,370 (July 2000 est.) |
| Estimated Population in 2050 |
206,751,477 |
| Languages |
Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French |
| Literacy |
83.3% total, 83.3% male, 83.2% female (1995 est.) |
| Religions |
Roman Catholic (nominal) 80% |
| Life Expectancy |
58.54 male, 67.56 female (2000 est.) |
| Government Type |
federative republic |
| Currency |
1 real (R$) = 100 centavos |
| GDP (per capita) |
$6,150 (1999 est.) |
| Labor Force (by occupation) |
services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27% |
| Industry |
textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore,
tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and
equipment |
| Agriculture |
coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa,
citrus; beef |
| Arable Land |
5% |
| Exports |
manufactures, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee |
| Imports |
machinery and equipment, chemical products, oil,
electricity |
| Natural Resources |
bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates,
platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber |
| Current Environmental 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
note: President CARDOSO in September 1999 signed into force an environmental
crime bill which for the first time defines pollution and deforestation as
crimes punishable by stiff fines and jail sentences |
| Telephones (main lines in use) |
19 million (1997) |
| Telephones (mobile cellular) |
4 million (1997) |
|