BRAZIL

Federative Republic of Brazil
República Federativa do Brasil (Portuguese)

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Ordem e Progresso"
(Portuguese)
"Order and Progress"
Anthem: Hino Nacional Brasileiro
(Portuguese)
"Brazilian National Anthem"
National seal
Selo Nacional do Brasil
(Portuguese)
"National Seal of Brazil"

Capital Brasília
15°45′S 47°57′W
Largest city São Paulo
Official language(s) Portuguese[1]
Ethnic groups (2008
[2] ) 48.43% White
43.80% Brown (Multiracial)
6.84% Black
0.58% Asian
0.28% Amerindian
Demonym Brazilian
Government Federal presidential constitutional republic
- President Dilma Rousseff (PT)
- Vice President Michel Temer (PMDB)
- President of the Chamber of Deputies Marco Maia (PT)
- President of the Senate José Sarney (PMDB)
- Chief Justice Cezar Peluso
Legislature National Congress
- Upper House Federal Senate
- Lower House Chamber of Deputies
Independence from United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
- Declared 7 September 1822
- Recognized 29 August 1825
- Republic 15 November 1889
- Current constitution 5 October 1988
Area
- Total 8,514,877 km2 (5th)
3,287,597 sq mi
- Water (%) 0.65
Population
- 2011 census 192 376 496 [3] (5th)
- Density 22/km2 (182nd)
57/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2011 estimate
- Total $2.309 trillion[4] (7th)
- Per capita $11,485[4] (75th)
GDP (nominal) 2011 estimate
- Total $2.517 trillion[4] (6th)
- Per capita $12,916[4] (54th)
Gini (2010) ▼49.3[5] (high) (0.449)
HDI (2011) 0.718[6] (high) (84th)
Currency Real (R$) (BRL)
Time zone BRT[7] (UTC-2 to -4[7])
- Summer (DST) BRST (UTC-2 to -4)
Date formats dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Drives on the right
ISO 3166 code BR
Internet TLD .br
Calling code +55
Brazil i/brəˈzɪl/ (Portuguese: Brasil, IPA: [bɾaˈziw]), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil[8][9] (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil, listen (help·info)), is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people.[10][11] It is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas and the largest lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country in the world.[10]
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi).[10] It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas region of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos form part of Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz.[10] It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile.
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until 1815, when it was elevated to the rank of kingdom and the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was formed. The colonial bond was in fact broken in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese colonial Empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal.[12] The independence from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was achieved in 1822. Initially independent as the Empire of Brazil, period when it was a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, the country has been a presidential republic since 1889, after a military coup d'état proclaimed the Republic, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified.[12] Its current Constitution, formulated in 1988, defines Brazil as a Federal Republic.[13] The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.[13][14]
The Brazilian economy is the world's seventh largest economy by nominal GDP[4] and the eighth largest by purchasing power parity.[4] Brazil is one of the world's fastest growing major economies[citation needed].[15] Economic reforms have given the country new international recognition.[16] Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, CPLP, Latin Union, the Organization of Ibero-American States, Mercosul and the Union of South American Nations, and is one of the BRIC countries. Brazil is also home to a diversity of wildlife, natural environments, and extensive natural resources in a variety of protected habitats.[10]
Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Portuguese colonization
2.2 Independence and Empire
2.3 Early republic
2.4 Contemporary era
3 Geography
3.1 Climate
3.2 Biodiversity
3.3 Environment
4 Politics
4.1 Law
4.2 Foreign relations
4.3 Military
4.4 Administrative divisions
5 Economy
5.1 Components and energy
5.2 Science and technology
5.3 Transport
6 Demographics
6.1 Religion
6.2 Urbanization
6.3 Language
7 Culture
7.1 Music
7.2 Literature
7.3 Cuisine
7.4 Sports
8 See also
9 References
9.1 Bibliographic
10 Further reading
11 External links
Etymology

Main article: Name of Brazil
The etymology of Brazil remains unclear. Traditionally, the word "Brazil" comes from brazilwood, a timber tree that many sailors traded from Brazilian regions to Europe in the 16th century.[17] In Portuguese brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology "red like an ember", formed from Latin brasa ("ember") and the suffix -il (from -iculum or -ilium).[18][19][20] This theory is taught as official in schools of Brazil and Portugal.
However, the Brazilian scholar José Adelino da Silva Azevedo has postulated that the word is much older, either of Celtic or Phoenician origin. The Phoenicians traded a red dye extracted from a mineral mined in Celtic lands, from Iberia to Ireland.[21] In Irish mythology there is a Western island called Hy-Brazil, and this is seen by some, including the writer and philologist J.R.R. Tolkien,[22] as one of the most likely etymological sources for the name "Brazil". The same theory was also advanced by 16th century scholars.[17]
In the Guarani language, an official language of Paraguay, Brazil is called "Pindorama". This was the name the natives gave to the region, meaning "land of the palm trees".
History

Main article: History of Brazil
Portuguese colonization
Main article: Colonial Brazil
See also: Indigenous peoples in Brazil and Slavery in Brazil
The land now called Brazil was claimed by Portugal in April 1500, on the arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral.[23] The Portuguese encountered stone age natives divided into several tribes, most of whom spoke languages of the Tupi–Guarani family, and fought among themselves.[24]
Though the first settlement was founded in 1532, colonization was effectively begun in 1534, when Dom João III divided the territory into twelve hereditary captaincies,[25][26] but this arrangement proved problematic and in 1549 the king assigned a Governor-General to administer the entire colony.[26][27] The Portuguese assimilated some of the native tribes[28] while others were enslaved or exterminated in long wars or by European diseases to which they had no immunity.[29][30] By the mid-16th century, sugar had become Brazil's most important export[24][31] and the Portuguese imported African slaves[32][33] to cope with the increasing international demand.[29][34]


The first Christian mass in Brazil, 1500.
Through wars against the French, the Portuguese slowly expanded their territory to the southeast, taking Rio de Janeiro in 1567, and to the northwest, taking São Luís in 1615.[35] They sent military expeditions to the Amazon rainforest and conquered British and Dutch strongholds,[36] founding villages and forts from 1669.[37] In 1680 they reached the far south and founded Sacramento on the bank of the Rio de la Plata, in the Eastern Strip region (present-day Uruguay).[38]
At the end of the 17th century, sugar exports started to decline[39] but beginning in the 1690s, the discovery of gold by explorers in the region that would later be called Minas Gerais (General Mines) in current Mato Grosso and Goiás, saved the colony from imminent collapse.[40] From all over Brazil, as well as from Portugal, thousands of immigrants came to the mines.[41]
The Spanish tried to prevent Portuguese expansion into the territory that belonged to them according to the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, and succeeded in conquering the Eastern Strip in 1777. However, this was in vain as the Treaty of San Ildefonso, signed in the same year, confirmed Portuguese sovereignty over all lands proceeding from its territorial expansion, thus creating most of the current Brazilian borders.[42]
In 1808, the Portuguese royal family and the majority of the Portuguese nobility, fleeing the troops of the French Emperor Napoleon I that were invading Portugal and most of Central Europe, established themselves in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which thus became the seat of the entire Portuguese Empire.[43] In 1815 Dom João VI, then regent on behalf of his incapacitated mother, elevated Brazil from colony to sovereign Kingdom united with Portugal.[43] In 1809 the Portuguese invaded French Guiana (which was returned to France in 1817)[44] and in 1816 the Eastern Strip, subsequently renamed Cisplatina.[45]


The public flogging of a slave in Rio de Janeiro. From Jean-Baptiste Debret, Voyage Pittoresque et Historique au Bresil (1834–1839).
Independence and Empire
Main articles: Brazilian Independence and Empire of Brazil
King João VI returned to Europe on 26 April 1821, leaving his elder son Prince Pedro de Alcântara as regent to rule Brazil.[46] The Portuguese government attempted to turn Brazil into a colony once again, thus depriving it of its achievements since 1808.[47] The Brazilians refused to yield and Prince Pedro stood by them declaring the country's independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822.[48] On 12 October 1822, Pedro was declared the first Emperor of Brazil and crowned Dom Pedro I on 1 December 1822.[49]


Declaration of the Brazilian independence by Emperor Pedro I on 7 September 1822.
At that time most Brazilians were in favour of a monarchy and republicanism had little support.[50][51] The subsequent Brazilian War of Independence spread through almost the entire territory, with battles in the northern, northeastern, and southern regions.[52] The last Portuguese soldiers surrendered on 8 March 1824[53] and independence was recognized by Portugal on 29 August 1825.[54]
The first Brazilian constitution was promulgated on 25 March 1824, after its acceptance by the municipal councils across the country.[55][56][57][58] Pedro I abdicated on 7 April 1831 and went to Europe to reclaim his daughter’s crown, leaving behind his five year old son and heir, who was to become Dom Pedro II.[59] As the new emperor could not exert his constitutional prerogatives until he reached maturity, a regency was created.[60]
Disputes between political factions led to rebellions and an unstable, almost anarchical, regency.[61] It is estimated that from 30 to 40% of the population of the Province of Grão-Pará died during the Cabanagem revolt.[62] The rebellious factions, however, were not in revolt against the monarchy,[63][64] even though some declared the secession of the provinces as independent republics, but only so long as Pedro II was a minor.[65] Because of this, Pedro II was prematurely declared of age and "Brazil was to enjoy nearly half a century of internal peace and rapid material progress."[66]


Brazilian forces (in blue uniform) engage the Paraguayan army (some in red uniform and other shirtless) during the War of the Triple Alliance.
Despite the loss of Cisplatina in 1828 when it became an independent nation known as Uruguay,[67] Brazil won three international wars during the 58-year reign of Pedro II (the Platine War, the Uruguayan War and the Paraguayan War, which left over 300,000 dead)[68] and witnessed the consolidation of representative democracy, mainly due to successive elections and unrestricted freedom of the press.[69] Most importantly, slavery was extinguished after a slow but steady process that began with the end of the international traffic in slaves in 1850[70] and ended with the complete abolition of slavery in 1888.[71] The slave population had been in decline since Brazil's independence: in 1823, 29% of the Brazilian population were slaves but by 1887 this had fallen to 5%.[72]
When the monarchy was overthrown on 15 November 1889[73] there was little desire in Brazil to change the form of government[74] and Pedro II was at the height of his popularity among his subjects.[75][76] However, he "bore prime, perhaps sole, responsibility for his own overthrow."[77] After the death of his two sons, Pedro believed that "the imperial regime was destined to end with him."[78] He cared little for the regime's fate[79][80] and so neither did anything, nor allowed anyone else to do anything, to prevent the military coup, backed by former slave owners who resented the abolition of slavery.[81][82][83]
Early republic
Main articles: República Velha, Estado Novo (Brazil), and Brazilian Second Republic


The Brazilian coup d'état of 1930 raised Getúlio Vargas (center with military uniform but no hat) to power. He ruled the country for fifteen years.
From the beginning, the new republican government was little more than a military dictatorship,[73] and the new constitution restricted political rights, such as the right to vote,[84][85] yet provided for direct elections to be held in 1894.[86] However, as early as 1891, the nation experienced a series of setbacks, from the development of the encilhamento bubble[87][88] to the first naval revolt, and as a result, the country entered in a prolonged cycle of financial, social, and political instability, that would extend into the 1920s, as the country continued to be plagued by several rebellions, both civilian[89][90][91] and military.[92][93][94] Little by little, these events undermined the regime to such an extent, that by 1930 it was possible for a defeated presidential candidate Getúlio Vargas, to lead a coup d'état and assume the presidency,[95] simply by having the support of the majority of the military.[96]
Vargas and the military, who were supposed to assume the government temporarily to implement democratic reforms related to 1891's Constitution, closed the Congress and ruled with emergency powers, replacing the states' governors with their supporters.[97][98] Using the claim of Vargas's broken promises of change, in 1932 the oligarchy of São Paulo tried to regain the power,[99] and in 1935 the Communists followed suit, and rebelled,.[100] Both attempts were ultimately defeated, however, the communist threat served as an excuse for Vargas to preclude further elections, launching another coup d'état in 1937, creating a full dictatorship[101][102][103][104] In May 1938, there was another failed attempt to seize power by local fascists.[105][106]
In foreign policy, the success in resolving border disputes with neighboring countries[107] in the early years of this period, was followed by a failed attempt to permanently exert a prominent role in the League of Nations[108] after military involvement in World War I.[109][110][111] Notwithstanding, Brazil remained neutral at the beginning of World War II until the Pan-American Conference of January 1942 when Brazil stood alongside the U.S.A. severing diplomatic relations with the Axis powers.[112] In retaliation, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy extended their submarine warfare against Brazil, which led the country to enter the war on the allied side in August of that year.[113][114]
With the allied victory in 1945 and the end of the Nazi-fascist regimes in Europe, Vargas's position became unsustainable and he was swiftly overthrown in another military coup.[115] Democracy was reinstated and General Eurico Gaspar Dutra was elected president taking office in 1946.[116] Having returned to power democratically elected at the end of 1950, Vargas committed suicide in August 1954 amid a political crisis.[117][118]
Contemporary era
Main articles: Military dictatorship (Brazil) and History of Brazil since 1985


The transition from Fernando Henrique Cardoso to Luís Inácio Lula da Silva indicated that Brazil had finally succeeded in achieving its long-sought political stability.
Several brief interim governments succeeded after Vargas's suicide.[119] Juscelino Kubitscheck became president in 1956 and assumed a conciliatory posture towards the political opposition that allowed him to govern without major crises.[120] The economy and industrial sector grew remarkably,[121] but his greatest achievement was the construction of the new capital city of Brasília, inaugurated in 1960.[122] His successor was Jânio Quadros, who resigned in 1961 less than a year after taking office.[123] His vice-president, João Goulart, assumed the presidency, but aroused strong political opposition[124] and was deposed in April 1964 by a coup that resulted in a military regime.[125]
The new regime was intended to be transitory[126] but it gradually closed in on itself and became a full dictatorship with the promulgation of the Fifth Institutional Act in 1968.[127] The repression of the dictatorship's opponents, including urban guerrillas,[128] was harsh, but not as brutal as in other Latin American countries.[129] Due to the extraordinary economic growth, known as an "economic miracle", the regime reached its highest level of popularity in the years of repression.[130]
General Ernesto Geisel became president in 1974 and began his project of re-democratization through a process that he said would be "slow, gradual and safe."[131][132] Geisel ended the military indiscipline that had plagued the country since 1889,[133] as well as the torture of political prisoners, censorship of the press,[134] and finally, the dictatorship itself, after he extinguished the Fifth Institutional Act.[127] However, the military regime continued, under his chosen successor General João Figueiredo, to complete the transition to full democracy.[135]
The civilians fully returned to power in 1985 when José Sarney assumed the presidency[136] but, by the end of his term, he had become extremely unpopular due to the uncontrollable economic crisis and unusually high inflation.[137] Sarney's unsuccessful government allowed the election in 1989 of the almost unknown Fernando Collor, who was subsequently impeached by the National Congress in 1992.[138] Collor was succeeded by his Vice-President Itamar Franco, who appointed Fernando Henrique Cardoso as Minister of Finance.
Cardoso produced a highly successful Plano Real (Royal or Real Plan)[139] that granted stability to the Brazilian economy[140] and he was elected as president in 1994 and again in 1998.[141] The peaceful transition of power to Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, who was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, proved that Brazil had finally succeeded in achieving its long-sought political stability.[142] Lula was succeeded in 2011 by the current president, Dilma Rousseff.[143]
Geography

Main article: Geography of Brazil
See also: List of countries and outlying territories by total area


Topography map of Brazil
Brazil occupies a large area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent's interior,[144] sharing land borders with Uruguay to the south; Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest; Bolivia and Peru to the west; Colombia to the northwest; and Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the French overseas department of French Guiana to the north. It shares a border with every country in South America except for Ecuador and Chile. It also encompasses a number of oceanic archipelagos, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz.[10] Its size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse.[144] Including its Atlantic islands, Brazil lies between latitudes 6°N and 34°S, and longitudes 28° and 74°W.
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, China and the United States, and third largest in the Americas; with a total area of 8,514,876.599 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi),[145] including 55,455 km2 (21,411 sq mi) of water.[10] It spans three time zones; from UTC-4 in the western states, to UTC-3 in the eastern states (and the official time of Brazil) and UTC-2 in the Atlantic islands.[7]
Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between 200 metres (660 ft) and 800 metres (2,600 ft) in elevation.[146] The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country.[146] The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills.[146]
The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).[146] These ranges include the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço mountains and the Serra do Mar.[146] In the north, the Guiana Highlands form a major drainage divide, separating rivers that flow south into the Amazon Basin from rivers that empty into the Orinoco River system, in Venezuela, to the north. The highest point in Brazil is the Pico da Neblina at 2,994 metres (9,823 ft), and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean.[10]
Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic.[147] Major rivers include the Amazon (the world's second-longest river and the largest in terms of volume of water), the Paraná and its major tributary the Iguaçu (which includes the Iguazu Falls), the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and Tapajós rivers.[147]
Climate
Main article: Climate of Brazil

Snow in Urubici, Santa Catarina in 2010 (South) and Tropical climate in the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.
The climate of Brazil comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a large area and varied topography, but most of the country is tropical.[10] According to the Köppen system, Brazil hosts five major climatic subtypes: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, temperate, and subtropical. The different climatic conditions produce environments ranging from equatorial rainforests in the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, to temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in central Brazil.[148] Many regions have starkly different microclimates.[149][150]
An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no real dry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when most rain falls.[148] Temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F),[150] with more significant temperature variation between night and day than between seasons.[149]
Over central Brazil rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate.[149] This region is as extensive as the Amazon basin but has a very different climate as it lies farther south at a higher altitude.[148] In the interior northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme. The semiarid climatic region generally receives less than 800 millimetres (31.5 in) of rain,[151] most of which generally falls in a period of three to five months of the year[152] and occasionally less than this, creating long periods of drought.[149] Brazil's 1877–78 Grande Seca (Great Drought), the most severe ever recorded in Brazil,[153] caused approximately half a million deaths.[154] The one from 1915 was devastating too.[155]
South of Bahia, near São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, with rain falling throughout the year .[148] The south enjoys temperate conditions, with cool winters and average annual temperatures not exceeding 18 °C (64.4 °F);[150] winter frosts are quite common, with occasional snowfall in the higher areas.[148][149]
Biodiversity
Main articles: Wildlife of Brazil and Deforestation in Brazil


The Amazon Rainforest, the largest tropical forest in the world.
Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon Rainforest, recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world,[156] with the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, sustaining the greatest biodiversity.[157] In the south, the Araucaria pine forest grows under temperate conditions.[157]
The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats. Much of it, however, remains largely undocumented, and new species are regularly found.[citation needed] Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach four million.[157]
Larger mammals include pumas, jaguars, ocelots, rare bush dogs, and foxes; peccaries, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums, and armadillos are abundant. Deer are plentiful in the south, and many species of New World monkeys are found in the northern rain forests.[157][158] Concern for the environment has grown in response to global interest in environmental issues.[159]
Environment
See also: Conservation in Brazil
Among the world's largest economies, Brazil is one of countries in which original forests (and forested area in general) are the most preserved, and is the only country in which private landowners must maintain some of the native flora untouched.[160] However, environmentalists note that the natural heritage of Brazil is threatened by cattle ranching and agriculture, logging, mining, resettlement, oil and gas extraction, over-fishing, wildlife trade, dams and infrastructure, water contamination, climate change, fire, and invasive species.[156] In many areas of the country, the natural environment is threatened by development.[161] Construction of highways has opened up previously remote areas for agriculture and settlement; dams have flooded valleys and inundated wildlife habitats; and mines have scarred and polluted the landscape.[159][162] At least 70 dams are said to be planned for the Amazon region, including controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam.[163]
Politics

Main article: Politics of Brazil


The National Congress in Brasília, the capital of Brazil.
The Brazilian Federation is the "indissoluble union" of three distinct political entities: the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District.[13] The Union, the states and the Federal District, and the municipalities, are the "spheres of government." The Federation is set on five fundamental principles:[13] sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of human beings, the social values of labour and freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism. The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial under the checks and balances system), is formally established by the Constitution.[13] The executive and legislative are organized independently in all three spheres of government, while the judiciary is organized only at the federal and state/Federal District spheres.
All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected.[164][165][166] Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams.[164] Brazil has a multi-party system for most of its history. Voting is compulsory for the literate between 18 and 70 years old and optional for illiterates and those between 16 and 18 or beyond 70.[13] Together with several smaller parties, four political parties stand out: Workers' Party (PT), Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), and Democrats (DEM). Almost all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated to the Executive.
The form of government is that of a democratic republic, with a presidential system.[13] The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term,[13] with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. The current president is Dilma Rousseff who was inaugurated on January 1, 2011.[167] The President appoints the Ministers of State, who assist in government.[13] Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of law in Brazil. The National Congress is the Federation's bicameral legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively.
Fifteen political parties are represented in Congress. It is common for politicians to switch parties, and thus the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly. The largest political parties are the Workers' Party (PT), Democrats (DEM), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB-center), Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), Progressive Party (PP), Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Liberal Party (PL), Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Democratic Labor Party (PDT), and the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB).[168]
Law
Main articles: Law of Brazil and Crime in Brazil


Supreme Federal Court building at the Praça dos Três Poderes.
Brazilian law is based on Roman-Germanic traditions[169] and civil law concepts prevail over common law practice. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are seldom binding on other specific cases. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases.
The legal system is based on the Federal Constitution, which was promulgated on 5 October 1988, and is the fundamental law of Brazil. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules.[170] As of April 2007, there have been 53 amendments. States have their own constitutions, which must not contradict the Federal Constitution.[171] Municipalities and the Federal District have "organic laws" (leis orgânicas), which act in a similar way to constitutions.[13][172] Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary and executive bodies may enact legal norms.[13] Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare situations the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments.[13] There are also specialized military, labor, and electoral courts.[13] The highest court is the Supreme Federal Court.
This system has been criticised over the last few decades for the slow pace of decision making. Lawsuits on appeal may take several years to resolve, and in some cases more than a decade elapses before definitive rulings.[173] Nevertheless, the Supreme Federal Tribunal was the first court in the world to transmit its sessions on television, and also via YouTube.[174][175] More recently, in December 2009, the Supreme Court adopted Twitter to display items on the day planner of the ministers, to inform the daily actions of the Court and the most important decisions made by them.[176]
Brazil continues to have high crime rates in a number of statistics, despite recent improvements. More than 500,000 people have been killed by firearms in Brazil between 1979 and 2003, according to a new report by the United Nations.[177] In 2010, there were 473,600 people incarcerated in Brazilian prisons and jails.[178]
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of Brazil


Itamaraty Palace, headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Brazil is a political and economic leader in Latin America.[179][180] However, social and economic problems have prevented it from becoming an effective global power.[181] Between 1945 and 1990, both democratic and military governments sought to expand Brazil's influence in the world by pursuing a state-led industrial policy and an independent foreign policy. More recently, the country has aimed to strengthen ties with other South American countries, and engage in multilateral diplomacy through the United Nations and the Organization of American States.[182]
Brazil's current foreign policy is based on the country's position as a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power.[183] In general, current Brazilian foreign policy reflects multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and nonintervention in the affairs of other countries.[184] The Brazilian Constitution also determines that the country shall seek the economic, political, social and cultural integration of the nations of Latin America.[13][185][186][187]
An increasingly well-developed tool of Brazil's foreign policy is providing aid as a donor to other developing countries.[188] Brazil does not just use its growing economic strength to provide financial aid, but it also provides high levels of expertise and most importantly of all, a quiet non-confrontational diplomacy to improve governance levels.[188] Total aid is estimated to be around $1 billion per year that includes:[188]
technical cooperation of around $480 million ($30 million in 2010 provided directly by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC))
an estimated $450 million for in-kind expertise provided by Brazilian institutions specialising in technical cooperation
In addition, Brazil manages a peacekeeping mission in Haiti ($350 million) and makes in-kind contributions to the World Food Programme ($300 million).[188] This is in addition to humanitarian assistance and contributions to multilateral development agencies. The scale of this aid places it on par with China and India and ahead of many western donors.[188] The Brazilian South-South aid has been described as a "global model in waiting."[189]
Military
Main article: Brazilian Armed Forces
The armed forces of Brazil consist of the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Navy, and the Brazilian Air Force. With a total of 371,199 active personnel,[190] they comprise the largest armed force in Latin America.[191] The Army is responsible for land-based military operations and has 235,978 active personnel.[192]
The Military Police (States' Military Police) is described as an ancillary force of the Army by the constitution, but is under the control of each state's governor.[13] The Navy is responsible for naval operations and for guarding Brazilian territorial waters. It is the oldest of the Brazilian armed forces and the only navy in Latin America to operate an aircraft carrier, the NAe São Paulo (formerly FS Foch of the French Navy).[193] The Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Brazilian armed forces, and the largest air force in Latin America, with about 700 manned aircraft in service.[194]
Administrative divisions

Atlantic
Ocean
Pacific
Ocean
North Region
Northeast Region
Central-West Region
Southeast Region
South Region
Acre
Amazonas
Pará
Roraima
Amapá
Rondônia
Tocantins
Maranhão
Bahia
Piauí
Ceará
Rio Grande
do Norte
Paraíba
Pernambuco
Alagoas
Sergipe
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
do Sul
Federal
District
Goiás
Minas Gerais
São Paulo
Rio de Janeiro
Espírito Santo
Paraná
Santa Catarina
Rio Grande
do Sul
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
French Guiana
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Main articles: States of Brazil and Municipalities of Brazil
See also: Regions of Brazil
Brazil is a federation composed of 26 States, one federal district (which contains the capital city, Brasília) and municipalities.[13] States have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Federal government. They have a governor and a unicameral legislative body elected directly by their voters. They also have independent Courts of Law for common justice. Despite this, states have much less autonomy to create their own laws than in the United States. For example, criminal and civil laws can only be voted by the federal bicameral Congress and are uniform throughout the country.[13]
The states and the federal district may be grouped into regions: Northern, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and Southern. The Brazilian regions are merely geographical, not political or administrative divisions, and they do not have any specific form of government. Although defined by law, Brazilian regions are useful mainly for statistical purposes, and also to define the application of federal funds in development projects.
Municipalities, as the states, have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Union and state government.[13] Each has a mayor and an elected legislative body, but no separate Court of Law. Indeed, a Court of Law organized by the state can encompass many municipalities in a single justice administrative division called comarca (county).
Economy

Main article: Economy of Brazil


An Embraer ERJ-135 commercial jet. Brazil is the world's third largest aircraft producer.
Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, the world's seventh largest economy at market exchange rates and the eighth largest in purchasing power parity (PPP), according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Brazil has a mixed economy with abundant natural resources. The Brazilian economy has been predicted to become one of the five largest in the world in the decades to come, the GDP per capita following and growing.[195] Its current GDP (PPP) per capita is $10,200, putting Brazil in the 64th position according to World Bank data. It has large and developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors, as well as a large labor pool.[196]
Brazilian exports are booming, creating a new generation of tycoons.[197] Major export products include aircraft, electrical equipment, automobiles, ethanol, textiles, footwear, iron ore, steel, coffee, orange juice, soybeans and corned beef.[198] The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is one of a group of four emerging economies called the BRIC countries.[199]


São Paulo is the commercial and industrial center of Brazil.
Brazil pegged its currency, the real, to the U.S. dollar in 1994. However, after the East Asian financial crisis, the Russian default in 1998[200] and the series of adverse financial events that followed it, the Central Bank of Brazil temporarily changed its monetary policy to a managed-float scheme while undergoing a currency crisis, until definitively changing the exchange regime to free-float in January 1999.[201]
Brazil received an International Monetary Fund rescue package in mid-2002 of $30.4 billion,[202] then a record sum. Brazil's central bank paid back the IMF loan in 2005, although it was not due to be repaid until 2006.[203] One of the issues the Central Bank of Brazil recently dealt with was an excess of speculative short-term capital inflows to the country, which may have contributed to a fall in the value of the U.S. dollar against the real during that period.[204] Nonetheless, foreign direct investment (FDI), related to long-term, less speculative investment in production, is estimated to be $193.8 billion for 2007.[205] Inflation monitoring and control currently plays a major part in the Central bank's role of setting out short-term interest rates as a monetary policy measure.[206]
Between 1993 and 2010, 7'012 mergers & acquisitions with a total known value of $707 billion with the involvement of Brazlian firms have been announced.[207] The year 2010 was a new record in terms of value with 115 bil. USD of transactions. The largest transaction with involvement of Brazilian companies has been: Cia Vale do Rio Doce acquired Inco in a tender offer valued at $18.9 billion USD.
The purchasing power in Brazil is eroded by the so-called Brazil cost.[208]
Components and energy
Main articles: Agriculture in Brazil, Industry in Brazil, and Energy policy of Brazil


Itaipu Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric plant by energy generation and second-largest by installed capacity.
Brazil's economy is diverse,[209] encompassing agriculture, industry, and many services.[197][210][211][212] The recent economic strength has been due in part to a global boom in commodities prices with exports from beef to soybeans soaring.[211][212] Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 5.1% of the gross domestic product in 2007,[213] a performance that puts agribusiness in a position of distinction in terms of Brazil's trade balance, in spite of trade barriers and subsidizing policies adopted by the developed countries.[vague][214][215]
The industry — from automobiles, steel and petrochemicals to computers, aircraft, and consumer durables— accounted for 30.8% of the gross domestic product.[213] Industry, which is often technologically advanced, is highly concentrated in metropolitan São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas, Porto Alegre, and Belo Horizonte.[216]
Brazil is the world's tenth largest energy consumer with much of its energy coming from renewable sources, particularly hydroelectricity and ethanol; nonrenewable energy is mainly produced from oil and natural gas.[217] A global power in agriculture and natural resources, Brazil experienced tremendous economic growth over the past three decades.[218] It is expected to become a major oil producer and exporter, having recently made huge oil discoveries.[219][220][221] The governmental agencies responsible for the energy policy are the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the National Council for Energy Policy, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, and the National Agency of Electricity.[222][223]
Science and technology
Main article: Brazilian science and technology


Brazilian National Laboratory of Synchrotron Light in Campinas.
Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities and research institutes. But more than 73% of funding for basic research still comes from government sources.[224] Some of Brazil's most notable technological hubs are the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Air Force's Aerospace Technical Center, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the INPE. The Brazilian Space Agency has the most advanced space program in Latin America, with significant capabilities[vague] in launch vehicles, launch sites and satellite manufacturing.[225]
Uranium is enriched at the Resende Nuclear Fuel Factory to fuel the country's energy demands and plans are underway to build the country's first nuclear submarine.[226] Brazil is one of the three countries in Latin America[227] with an operational Synchrotron Laboratory, a research facility on physics, chemistry, material science and life sciences. And Brazil is the first and only Latin American country to have a semiconductor company with its own fab, the CEITEC.[228]
Transport
Main article: Transport in Brazil


BR-116 highway in the outskirts of Fortaleza.
Brazil has a large and diverse transport network. Roads are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic. The road system totaled 1.98 million km (1.23 million mi) in 2002. The total of paved roads increased from 35,496 km (22,056 mi) in 1967 to 184,140 km (114,425 mi) in 2002.[229]


Recife Airport
Brazil's railway system has been declining since 1945, when emphasis shifted to highway construction. The total length of railway track was 30,875 km (19,186 mi) in 2002, as compared with 31,848 km (19,789 mi) in 1970. Most of the railway system belongs to the Federal Railroad Corp., with a majority government interest. The government also privatized seven lines in 1997.[230] The São Paulo Metro was the first underground transit system in Brazil. The other metro systems are in Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Teresina, Fortaleza, and Salvador.
There are about 2,500 airports in Brazil, including landing fields: the second largest number in the world, after the United States.[231] São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, near São Paulo, is the largest and busiest airport, handling the vast majority of popular and commercial traffic of the country and connecting the city with virtually all major cities across the world.[232]
Coastal shipping links widely separated parts of the country. Bolivia and Paraguay have been given free ports at Santos. Of the 36 deep-water ports, Santos, Itajaí, Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Sepetiba, Vitória, Suape, Manaus and São Francisco do Sul are some of the most important.[vague][233]
Demographics

Main articles: Demographics of Brazil and Brazilian people
See also: Immigration to Brazil and Municipalities of Brazil
Colour/Race (2008)[234]
White 48.43%
Brown (Multiracial) 43.80%
Black 6.84%
Asian 0.58%
Amerindian 0.28%
The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, was approximately 190 million[235] (22.31 inhabitants per square kilometer), with a ratio of men to women of 0.95:1[236] and 83.75% of the population defined as urban.[237] The population is heavily concentrated in the Southeastern (79.8 million inhabitants) and Northeastern (53.5 million inhabitants) regions, while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North, which together make up 64.12% of the Brazilian territory, have a total of only 29.1 million inhabitants.
The first census in Brazil was carried out in 1872 and recorded a population of 9,930,478.[238] From 1880 to 1930, 4 million Europeans arrived.[239] Brazil's population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, due to a decline in the mortality rate, even though the birth rate underwent a slight decline. In the 1940s the annual population growth rate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in the 1950s and remaining at 2.9% in the 1960s, as life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 years[240] and to 72.6 years in 2007.[241] It has been steadily falling since the 1960s, from 3.04% per year between 1950–1960 to 1.05% in 2008 and is expected to fall to a negative value of –0.29% by 2050 [242] thus completing the demographic transition.[243]


Brazilian ethnic diversity.


Brazilians of Italian descent with former President of Brazil, in Rio Grande do Sul.
According to the National Research by Household Sample (PNAD) of 2008, 48.43% of the population (about 92 million) described themselves as White; 43.80% (about 83 million) as Brown (Multiracial), 6.84% (about 13 million) as Black; 0.58% (about 1.1 million) as Asian; and 0.28% (about 536 thousand) as Amerindian, while 0.07% (about 130 thousand) did not declare their race.[2]
In 2007, the National Indian Foundation reported the existence of 67 different uncontacted tribes, up from 40 in 2005. Brazil is believed to have the largest number of uncontacted peoples in the world.[244]
About 85% to 95% of Brazilians descend from the three main groups of the country's demographic formation, indigenous peoples, Portuguese settlers, and African slaves.[245] Many Brazilians (if not most of them) of a little or barely perceivable mixed origins include people who refer to themselves racially as White, Black or Asian, and people of those mixed origins can acknowledge it, take publicly and be accepted as belonging to the same racial group (overall, the social acceptance of miscegenation was always relatively high compared to some other Western societies, with exception of some communities and people belonging to some ideologies, and in some times influenced by sexist views, which sawed interracial relationships between a white female and a man of color as outrageous but between a white male and a woman of color as normal). Actually, it is somewhat expected among a portion of the more educated population (from all racial 'communities', but mainly from the Afro-Brazilian itself) that a person of Black African ancestry (and phenotype), even if noticeably miscegenated, should affirm itself as a Black person and not a Pardo one (since the historical stigma of being Black made many Afro-Brazilians denying their origins in the course of the history of the country, using Pardo, or Brown people, and moreno, or swarthy, as euphemisms for their own status of people of color — as well the same racial prejudices made many Brazilians with noticeable Multiracial and/or East Asian ancestry to classify themselves as White people, what may explain why the proportion of White Brazilians dropped sharply between 2000 and 2008, thanks to new perceptions of identity and self-image).


Population of Brazil, 1961–2003.
A comprehensive study presented by the Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research found that on average, 'white' Brazilians have >70% European genomic ancestry, whereas 'black' Brazilians have 37.1% European genomic ancestry. It concluded that "The high ancestral variability observed in Whites and Blacks suggests that each Brazilian has a singular and quite individual proportion of European, African and Amerindian ancestry in his/her mosaic genomes. Thus, the only possible basis to deal with genetic variation in Brazilians is not by considering them as members of colour groups, but on a person-by-person basis, as 190 million human beings, with singular genome and life histories".[246]
Since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, this considerable intermixing has taken place. The brown population (as multiracial Brazilians are officially called; pardo in Portuguese, also very colloquially moreno, or swarthy)[247][248] is a broad category that includes Caboclos (descendants of Whites and Amerindians), Mulattoes (descendants of Whites and Blacks) and Cafuzos (descendants of Blacks and Amerindians).[245][247][248][249][250][251] Caboclos form the majority of the population in the Northern, Northeastern and Central-Western regions.[252] A large Mulatto population can be found in the eastern coast of the northeastern region from Bahia to Paraíba[251][253] and also in northern Maranhão,[254][255] southern Minas Gerais[256] and in eastern Rio de Janeiro.[251][256] From the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders to immigration. About five million people from over 60 countries migrated to Brazil between 1808 and 1972, most of them from Portugal, Italy, Spain, other countries in Western, Central and Eastern Europe (especially Germany), Japan, the Middle East and the United States.[257]
In 2008, the illiteracy rate was 11.48%[258] and among the youth (ages 15–19) 1.74%. It was highest (20.30%) in the Northeast, which had a large proportion of rural poor.[259] Illiteracy was high (24.18%) among the rural population and lower (9.05%) among the urban population.[260]
Brazilian Population, by Race, from 1872 to 1991 (Census Data)[261]
Ethnic group White Black Brown Yellow (Asian) Undeclared Total
1872 3,787,289 1,954,452 4,188,737 - - 9,930,478
1940 26,171,778 6,035,869 8,744,365 242,320 41,983 41,236,315
1991 75,704,927 7,335,136 62,316,064 630,656 534,878 146,521,661
Religion
Main article: Religion in Brazil
Religion in Brazil (2000 Census)[262]
Religion Percent
Roman Catholicism
 
73.8%
Protestantism
 
15.4%
No religion
 
7.4%
Spiritism
 
1.3%
Others
 
2.1%
Roman Catholicism is the country's predominant faith. Brazil has the world's largest Catholic population.[263] According to the 2000 Demographic Census (the PNAD survey does not inquire about religion), 73.57% of the population followed Roman Catholicism; 15.41% Protestantism; 1.33% Kardecist spiritism; 1.22% other Christian denominations; 0.31% Afro-Brazilian religions; 0.13% Buddhism; 0.05% Judaism; 0.02% Islam; 0.01% Amerindian religions; 0.59% other religions, undeclared or undetermined; while 7.35% have no religion.[262]
However, in the last ten years Protestantism, particularly Pentecostal Protestantism, has risen, while the proportion of Catholics has dropped sharply.[264] 21.7% of Afro-Brazilians, 19.5% of Indigenous Brazilians, 18.2% of Brown (Multiracial) Brazilians, 15.16% of White Brazilians and 13.3% of Asian Brazilians are Protestants. Soon after Protestantism, Irreligion also have had a rise in Brazil, approximately 8% to 13% in recent researches. Boa Vista and Rio de Janeiro counts with the greatest proportional numbers of irreligiosity in Brazil as the state capital and federative unit, respectively.[citation needed] The most irreligious Brazilians according to colour/race classification in 2000 were the Asian (12.5%) and Indigenous Brazilians (11%). The least, the Brown people or Multiracials (5.6%).
Urbanization
Main article: List of largest cities in Brazil
According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) urban areas already concentrate 84.35% of the population, while the Southeast region remains the most populated one, with over 80 million inhabitants.[265] The largest metropolitan areas in Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte — all in the Southeastern Region — with 19.5, 11.5, and 5.1 million inhabitants respectively.[266] Almost all of the state capitals are the largest cities in their states, except for Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in the states of São Paulo (Campinas, Santos and the Paraíba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley), and Santa Catarina (Itajaí Valley).[267]
view · talk · editview · talk · edit Largest cities of Brazil
2011 Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics estimate[268]
Rank City Name State Pop. Rank City Name State Pop.

São Paulo

Rio de Janeiro
1 São Paulo São Paulo 11,839,570 11 Belém Pará 1,402,056
Salvador

Brasília
2 Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro 6,355,949 12 Goiânia Goiás 1,318,148
3 Salvador Bahia 2,693,605 13 Guarulhos São Paulo 1,233,426
4 Brasília Federal District 2,609,997 14 Campinas São Paulo 1,088,611
5 Fortaleza Ceará 2,476,589 15 São Luís Maranhão 1,027,429
6 Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais 2,385,639 16 São Gonçalo Rio de Janeiro 1,008,064
7 Manaus Amazonas 1,832,423 17 Maceió Alagoas 943,109
8 Curitiba Paraná 1,764,540 18 Duque de Caxias Rio de Janeiro 861,157
9 Recife Pernambuco 1,546,516 19 Teresina Piauí 822,363
10 Porto Alegre Rio Grande do Sul 1,413,094 20 Natal Rio Grande do Norte 810,780
Language
Main articles: Languages of Brazil, Portuguese language, and Brazilian Portuguese


Museum of the Portuguese Language in São Paulo, the first language museum in the world.
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese,[11] which almost all of the population speaks and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. The exception to this is in the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira where Nheengatu, a currently endangered South American creole language with mostly Indigenous Brazilian languages lexicon and Portuguese-based grammar that once was a major lingua franca in Brazil, has been granted co-official status with Portuguese.[269] Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.[270]
Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, mostly similar to 16th century Central and Southern dialects of European Portuguese (despite a very substantial number of Portuguese colonial settlers, and more recent immigrants, coming from Northern regions, and in minor degree Portuguese Macaronesia), with some influences from the Amerindian and African languages, especially West African and Bantu.[271] As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries (the dialects of the other countries, partly due to the more recent end of Portuguese colonialism in these regions, have a closer connexion to contemporary European Portuguese). These differences are comparable to those between American and British English.[271]
In 2008, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), which included representatives from all countries with Portuguese as the official language, reached an agreement on the reform of Portuguese into one international language, as opposed to two diverged dialects of the same language. All CPLP countries were given from 2009 until 2014 to adjust to the necessary changes.[272]
Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eighty Amerindian languages are spoken in remote areas and a number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants.[271] There are significant communities of German (mostly the Hunsrückisch, a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly the Talian dialect, of Venetian origin) speakers in the south of the country, both of which are influenced by the Portuguese language.[273][274] Brazil is the first country in South America to offer Esperanto to High School students.[275]
Culture

Main article: Culture of Brazil

1 x 0

Choro "1 x 0" ("Um a zero"), recorded by Pixinguinha and Benedito Lacerda. Choro is a brazilian genre of instrumental music.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
The core culture of Brazil is derived from Portuguese culture, because of its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire. Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles.[276] The culture was, however, also strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions.[277][broken citation] Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions of Italian, German and other European immigrants who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil.[278][broken citation] The indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil's language and cuisine; and the Africans influenced language, cuisine, music, dance and religion.[279]


Machado de Assis, poet and novelist whose work extends to almost all literary genres, is widely regarded as the greatest Brazilian writer.[280]
Brazilian art has developed since the 16th century into different styles that range from Baroque (the dominant style in Brazil until the early 19th century)[281][282] to Romanticism, Modernism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstractionism.
Brazilian cinema dates back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century and has gained a new level of international acclaim in recent years.[283][broken citation]
Music
Brazilian music encompasses various regional styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. It developed distinctive styles, among them samba, MPB, choro, Sertanejo, brega, forró, frevo, maracatu, bossa nova, and axé.
Literature
Brazilian literature dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such as Pêro Vaz de Caminha, filled with descriptions of fauna, flora and natives that amazed Europeans that arrived in Brazil.[284][broken citation] Brazil produced significant works in Romanticism — novelists like Joaquim Manuel de Macedo and José de Alencar wrote novels about love and pain. Alencar, in his long career, also treated Indigenous people as heroes in the Indigenist novels O Guarany, Iracema, Ubirajara.[285]
Cuisine
Main article: Brazilian cuisine


Feijoada, a dish made with black beans, pork, rice, collard greens, cassava flour and orange
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.[286] Examples are Feijoada, considered the country's national dish;[287] and regional foods such as vatapá, moqueca, polenta and acarajé.[288]
Brazil has a variety of candies such as brigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls), cocada (a coconut sweet), beijinhos (coconut truffles and clove) and romeu e julieta (cheese with a guava jam known as goiabada). Peanut is used to make paçoca, rapadura and pé-de-moleque. Local common fruits like açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, cocoa, cashew, guava, orange, passionfruit, pineapple, and hog plum are turned in juices and used to make chocolates, popsicles and ice cream.[289]
Popular snacks are pastel (a pastry), coxinha (chicken croquete), pão de queijo (cheese bread and cassava flour / tapioca), pamonha (corn and milk paste), esfirra (Lebanese pastry), kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine), empanada (pastry) and empada little salt pies filled with shrimps or hearth of palm.
But the everyday meal consist mosty of rice and beans with beef and salad.[290] Its common to mix it with cassava flour (farofa). Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and served in most typical restaurants.[291]
The national beverage is coffee and cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from sugar cane and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, Caipirinha.
Sports


Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil.[292]
The most popular sport in Brazil is football (soccer). The Brazilian national football team is ranked among the best in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings, and has won the World Cup tournament a record five times.[293] Basketball, volleyball, auto racing, and martial arts also attract large audiences. Brazil men's national volleyball team, for example, currently holds the titles of the World League, World Grand Champions Cup, World Championship and the World Cup. Others sports practiced in Brazil are tennis, team handball, swimming, and gymnastics have found a growing number of enthusiasts over the last decades. Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil: beach football,[294] futsal (indoor football)[295] and footvolley emerged in Brazil as variations of football. In martial arts, Brazilians developed Capoeira,[296] Vale tudo,[297] and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[298] In auto racing, three Brazilian drivers have won the Formula One world championship eight times.[299][300][301]
Brazil has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, including UFC 134, the 1950 FIFA World Cup[302] and has been chosen to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[303] The São Paulo circuit, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, hosts the annual Grand Prix of Brazil.[304] São Paulo organized the IV Pan American Games in 1963,[305] and Rio de Janeiro hosted the XV Pan American Games in 2007.[305] On 2 October 2009, Rio de Janeiro was selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games, the first to be held in South America[306] and second in Latin America after Mexico.
In May 2010 Brazil launched TV Brasil Internacional, an international television station, initially broadcasting to 49 countries. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former President of Brazil, described its aim as "presenting Brazil to the world."[307]
See also

Geography portal
Latin America portal
South America portal
Brazil portal
Outline of Brazil
Index of Brazil-related articles
International rankings of Brazil
List of Brazilians
South America Life Quality Rankings
South America Life Quality Rankings - Economy and Finance
South America Life Quality Rankings - Law and Justice
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^ Lyra (v.3), p. 126
^ Barman (1999), p. 361
^ Ricardo Salles, Nostalgia Imperial (Rio de Janeiro: Topbooks, 1996), p. 194 – However, the monarchist reaction after the fall of the empire and the subsequent exile of the Imperial Family "was not small and even less was its repression".
^ Lyra (v.3), p. 99
^ Schwarcz, pp. 450, 457
^ Richard W. Flournoy & Manley O. Hudson; "A Collection of nationality laws of various countries, as contained in Constitutions, Statutes and Treaties" Oxford University Press 1929 ISBN 0-8377-0544-4 Page 48
^ Mortimer Sellers & Tadeusz Tomaszewski; "The Rule of Law in Comparative Perspective" Springer Science+Business Media BV 2010 Chapter 8.3.2, pages 113–117
^ Herbert F. Wright; "The constitutions of the states at war 1914–1918" U.S. Govt. Print. Office 1919; in 1891's Brazilian constitution See article 43 § 4th and art.47
^ Gail D. Triner; "Banking and economic development: Brazil, 1889–1930" Palgrave™ 2000 ISBN 0-312-23399-X Pages 44–74
^ Levine; Robert M. ”Vale of Tears: Revisiting the Canudos' Massacre in Northeastern Brazil, 1893–1897” University of California Press 1995 ISBN 0520203437 Pages 36–37; 55(last paragraph) and 330
^ See Levine 1995, Chapter 4
^ Sevcenko; Nicolau ”A Revolta da Vacina” (Portuguese) Cosac Naify 2010 ISBN 9788575038680
^ Barman, Roderick J. ”Millenarian Vision, Capitalist Reality: Brazil's Contestado Rebellion, 1912–1916” Canadian Journal of History December 1, 1995 University of Saskatchewan Vol30 Nr3 Pg542
^ E. Bradford Burns; “A History of Brazil” Columbia University Press 1993 ISBN 9780231079556 from 2nd paragraph of p242 to p245
^ Roland, Maria Inês; “A Revolta da Chibata” (Portuguese) Saraiva 2000 ISBN 8502030957
^ Woodward; James P. ”A Place in Politics: São Paulo, Brazil, from Seigneurial Republicanism to Regionalist Revolt” Duke University Press Books 2009 ISBN 0822343290 Chapter 4
^ Skidmore, p. 154
^ Paul F. Brandwein; "The social sciences: concepts and values, Volume 6" Harcourt, Brace & World 1970 Page 389
^ Skidmore, pp. 155–156
^ Bueno, pp. 328 and 331
^ Bradford Burns 1993, Ibidem p352
^ Fausto (2005), p. 249
^ Fausto (2005), p. 267
^ Skidmore, p. 162
^ Bueno, p. 336
^ Skidmore, p. 164
^ Patricia Baum; "Dictators of Latin America" Putnam 1972 Page 74
^ Frank M. Colby, Allen L. Churchill, Herbert T. Wade & Frank H. Vizetelly; "The New international year book" Dodd, Mead & Co. 1989 Page 102 "The Fascist Revolt"
^ David R. Mares; "Violent peace: militarized interstate bargaining in Latin America" Columbia University Press 2001 Chapter 5 Page 125
^ Charles Howard Ellis; "The origin, structure & working of the League of Nations" The LawBook Exchange Ltd 2003 Pages: 105 3rd paragraph and 145 1st one
^ Scheina, Robert L. Latin America's Wars Vol.II: The Age of the Professional Soldier, 1900–2001. Potomac Books, 2003 ISBN 1574884522 Part 4; Chapter 5 – World War I and Brazil, 1917–18
^ M.Sharp, I.Westwell & J.Westwood; "History of World War I, Volume 1" Marshall Cavendish Corporation 2002 page 97
^ Barman 1999, Ibidem Page405 2nd paragraph
^ Mónica Hirst & Andrew Hurrell; "The United States and Brazil: a long road of unmet expectations" Taylor & Francis Books 2005 ISBN 0-415-95066-X Pages 4 & 5
^ See Scheina, 2003 Part 9; Chapter 17 – World War II, Brazil and Mexico, 1942–45
^ Thomas M. Leonard & John F. Bratzel; "Latin America during World War II" Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. 2007 Page 150
^ Fausto (2005), p. 281
^ Skidmore, pp. 182–183
^ Bueno, pp. 346–347
^ Skidmore, pp. 188–194
^ Skidmore, p. 201
^ Skidmore, pp. 202–203
^ Skidmore, p. 204
^ Skidmore, pp. 204–205
^ Skidmore, pp. 209–210
^ Skidmore, p. 210
^ Fausto (2005), p. 397
^ Gaspari, A Ditadura Envergonhada, pp. 141–142.
^ a b Gaspari, A Ditadura Envergonhada, p. 35.
^ Elio Gaspari, A ditadura escancarada (São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002), p. 193.
^ Skidmore, p. 239
^ Fausto (2005), p. 422
^ Bueno, p. 379.
^ Fausto (2005), p. 455.
^ Gaspari, A Ditadura Envergonhada, pp. 34–35.
^ Gaspari, A Ditadura Envergonhada, pp. 35–36.
^ Bueno, p. 382.
^ Fausto (2005), p. 460.
^ Fausto (2005), pp. 464–465.
^ Fausto (2005), pp. 465, 475.
^ The name of the current Brazilian currency came both from the Real Unity of Value (a transition currency) and from an older currency that existed until 1942. In Portuguese it is called "Real", meaning "royal", as it originated in Portugal, then a monarchy (Skidmore, p. 311).
^ Fausto (2005), p. 482.
^ Fausto (2005), p. 474.
^ Fausto (2005), p. 502.
^ "Brazil elects Dilma Rousseff, nation's first woman president". CNN. 2010-10-31. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
^ a b "Land and Resources". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-11.[dubious – discuss]
^ Official Area (In Portuguese) IBGE: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
^ a b c d e "Natural Regions". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-11.[dubious – discuss]
^ a b "Rivers and Lakes". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-11.[dubious – discuss]
^ a b c d e "Brazil". Country Guide. BBC Weather. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
^ a b c d e "Natural Regions". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-11.[dubious – discuss]
^ a b c "Temperature in Brazil". Brazil Travel. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
^ Embrapa. "Annual averages of Mandacaru Agro-meteorological station" (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
^ "CPD: South America, Site SA19, Caatinga of North-eastern Brazil, Brazil". Botany.si.edu. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
^ "Drought, Smallpox, and Emergence of Leishmania braziliensis in Northeastern Brazil." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
^ "Ó Gráda, C.: Famine: A Short History." Princeton University Press.
^ "Inland fishery enhancements." FAO.
^ a b "One fifth of the world's freshwater". Amazon. World Wide Fund for Nature. 2007-08-06. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
^ a b c d "Plant and Animal Life". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-12.[dubious – discuss]
^ "Atlantic Forest, Brazil". Map: Biodiversity hotspots (BBC News). 2004-10-01. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
^ a b "Environmental Issues". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-12.[dubious – discuss]
^ Brazil has 60% of its territory covered by forests. Data for selected countries: [1]
^ "Under threat". Greenpeace. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
^ "Amazon destruction: six football fields a minute". Greenpeace. Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
^ "Brazil grants environmental licence for Belo Monte dam." BBC News. February 2, 2010.
^ a b "Embassy of Brazil — Ottawa". Retrieved 2007-07-19. "Political Institutions — The Executive"
^ "City Mayors". Retrieved 2007-07-19. "Brazil federal, state and local government"
^ "JSTOR". JSTOR 196424). "Brazilian Politics"
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^ "Government – Brazil". Southtravels.com. 1988-10-05. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
^ "The Brazilian Legal System", Organization of American States. Accessed 17 May 2007.
^ José Afonso da Silva, Curso de Direito Constitucional Positivo (Malheiros, 2004; ISBN 85-7420-559-1), p. 46.
^ Silva, Curso de Direito Constitucional Positivo, p. 592.
^ "Government structure"[dead link] Brazilian Government. Accessed 17 May 2007.
^ Miguel Glugoski and Odete Medauar, "Nossos direitos nas suas mãos," USP Journal, 24–30 November 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
^ Diego Abreu, "Primeira Corte do mundo a ter canal de vídeo no YouTube é o STF," G1. (Portuguese) Accessed October 12, 2009.
^ "STF: Primeira corte do mundo no Youtube." ESMA-PB. (Portuguese) Accessed October 12, 2009.
^ "Página do STF no Twitter está no ar" (12/01/009). STF Official Website. (Portuguese) Consulted on December 5, 2009.
^ Kingstone, Steve (2005-06-27). "UN highlights Brazil gun crisis". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
^ Diego Abreu Do G1, em Brasília. "Number of people incarcerated in Brazil – 2010". G1.globo.com. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
^ Maria Regina Soares de Lima and Mônica Hirst, "Brazil as a regional power: Action, choice and responsibilities," International Affairs 82 (2006) 21–40. Retrieved June 22, 2007.
^ Luiz Alberto Moniz Bandeira, "Brazil as a regional power," Sage Journals Online. Retrieved June 22, 2007.
^ Raúl Zibechi, "Difficult Path" Funder's Network on Trade and Globalization. Retrieved June 22, 2007.
^ Universia Knowledge at Wharton website, "Can Brazil Play a Leadership Role in the Current Round of Global Trade Talks?" Wharton School, Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 22, 2007.
^ Clare Ribando, "US-Brazil relations[dead link]," Congressional Research Service. Retrieved on August 16, 2007.
^ Georges D. Landau, "The Decisionmaking Process in Foreign Policy: The Case of Brazil," Center for Strategic and International Studies: Washington DC: March 2003.
^ Raúl Zibechi, "Brazil and the Difficult Path to Multilateralism." IRC Americas. Retrieved on August 16, 2007.
^ Maria Regina Soares De Lima and Monica Hirst, "Brazil as an intermediate state and regional power: action, choice and responsibilities," International Affairs 82 (1), 21–40. Retrieved on August 16, 2007.
^ Luiz Alberto Moniz Bandeira, "Brazil as a Regional Power and Its Relations with the United States," University of Brasília. Retrieved on August 16, 2007.
^ a b c d e Cabral and Weinstock 2010. Brazil: an emerging aid player. London: Overseas Development Institute
^ Cabral, Lidia 2010. Brazil’s development cooperation with the South: a global model in waiting. London: Overseas Development Institute
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^ "Sala de imprensa – FAB em números" (in Portuguese). Força Aérea Brasileira. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
^ The N-11: More Than an Acronym. Goldman Sachs. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
^ "Economy of Brazil". Central Intelligence Agency. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
^ a b Phillips, Tom (2008-05-10). "The country of the future finally arrives". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "The economy of heat". The Economist. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ O'Neill, Jim. "BRICs". Goldman Sachs. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ Baig, Taimur; Goldfajn, Ilan (2000). "The Russian default and the contagion to Brazil" (PDF). IMF Working Paper. International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ Fraga, Arminio (2000). "Monetary Policy During the Transition to a Floating Exchange Rate: Brazil's Recent Experience". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ Wheatley, Jonathan (2002-09-02). "Brazil: When an IMF Bailout Is Not Enough". Business Week. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "Brazil to pay off IMF debts early". BBC News. 2005-12-14. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "Economic Quarterly" (PDF). Institute of Applied Economic Research. 2007-03-01. pp. 171. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "Capital Flows to Emerging Markets Set at Close to Record Levels" (Press release). The Institute of International Finance. 2007-05-31. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "IPCA, IPC-FIPE and IPC-BR: Methodological and Empirical Differences" (PDF). Central Bank of Brazil. 2004. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "Statistics on Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) – M&A Courses | Company Valuation Courses | Mergers & Acquisitions Courses". Imaa-institute.org. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
^ Rousseff Crisis Spurred by Lula Debts as Brazil Boom Diminishes- Bloomberg
^ "Brazil's shares at all-time high". BBC News. 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ Alves, Fabio; Caminada, Carlos (2008-04-30). "Brazilian Debt Raised to Investment Grade by S&P". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ a b Warner, Jeremy (2008-05-02). "Jeremy Warner's Outlook: Brazil secures investment grade". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ a b Colitt, Raymond (2008-05-13). "Sleeping giant Brazil wakes, but could stumble". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ a b "Field Listing – GDP – composition by sector". Central Intelligence Agency. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ "Agriculture and Cattle-raising". Brazil by Topics. Brazilian Government official website. Retrieved 2008-06-09.[dead link]
^ "Agriculture". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-09.[dubious – discuss]
^ "Manufacturing". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-09.[dubious – discuss]
^ "Energy". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-09.[dubious – discuss]
^ Moffett, Matt (2008-05-13). "Brazil Joins Front Rank Of New Economic Powers". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ "An economic superpower, and now oil too". The Economist. 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ Schneyer, Joshua (2007-11-09). "Brazil, the New Oil Superpower". Business Week. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ "More bounty". The Economist. 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ "Focus on Brazil" (PDF). World Energy Outlook. International Energy Agency. 2006. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
^ "Project Closing Report. Natural Gas Centre of Excellence Project. Narrative" (PDF). March 20, 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
^ Brazilian Government. "Skills training for growth". Retrieved 2007-08-10.[dead link]
^ "Brazil — The Space Program". country-data.com. April 1997. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
^ "Confirmed: Agreement with France Includes the Brazilian Nuclear Submarine". Nonproliferation for Global Security Foundation. 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
^ "Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität". Elsa.physik.uni-bonn.de. 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
^ "CEITEC – Portal Brasil". Brasil.gov.br. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
^ "Road system in Brazil". Nationsencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
^ "Brazil – Transportation," Encyclopedia of the Nations (nationsencyclopedia.com).[dubious – discuss]
^ "Ociosidade atinge 70% dos principais aeroportos." globo.com, 12 August 2007. (Portuguese)
^ "Aeroporto Internacional de São Paulo/Guarulhos-Governador André Franco Montoro[dead link]," infraaero.gov.br. (Portuguese)
^ "Mercado Brasileiro Terminais de Contêineres[dead link]," Santos Brasil. (Portuguese)
^ IBGE. 2008 PNAD. População residente por cor ou raça, situação e sexo.
^ 2008 PNAD, IBGE. "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade"
^ 2008 PNAD, IBGE. "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade"
^ 2008 PNAD, IBGE. "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade."
^ "Brazil population reaches 190.8 million". Brasil.gov.br.
^ "Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration". Migration Policy Institute.
^ José Alberto Magno de Carvalho, "Crescimento populacional e estrutura demográfica no Brasil[dead link]" Belo Horizonte: UFMG/Cedeplar, 2004 (PDF file), p. 5.
^ "Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística". IBGE. 1999-11-29. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
^ "Projeусo da Populaусo do Brasil". IBGE. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
^ Magno de Carvalho, "Crescimento populacional e estrutura demográfica no Brasil[dead link]," pp. 7–8.
^ "In Amazonia, Defending the Hidden Tribes," The Washington Post, 8 July 2007.
^ a b Enciclopédia Barsa vol. 4, p. 230.
^ DNA tests probe the genomic ancestry of Brazilians. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 2003.
^ a b Coelho (1996), p. 268.
^ a b Vesentini (1988), p. 117.
^ Adas, Melhem. Panorama geográfico do Brasil, 4th ed (São Paulo: Moderna, 2004), p. 268
^ Azevedo (1971), pp. 2–3.
^ a b c Moreira (1981), p. 108.
^ Enciclopédia Barsa, vol. 4, pp. 254–55, 258, 265.
^ Azevedo (1971), pp. 74–75.
^ Enciclopédia Barsa, vol. 10 (Rio de Janeiro: Encyclopaedia Britannica do Brasil, 1987), p. 355.
^ Azevedo (1971), p. 74.
^ a b Azevedo (1971), p. 161.
^ Maria Stella Ferreira-Levy, "The role of international migration in the evolution of the Brazilian population (1872 tp 1972), Revista de Saúde Pública (Journal of Public Health)[vague] Volume 8, suplemento. June 1974. ) (1974). Table 2, p. 74. (Portuguese) available on scielo.br as a PDF file.
^ PNAD 2008, IBGE. "Pessoas de 5 anos ou mais de idade por situação, sexo, alfabetização e grupos de idade e grupos de idade."
^ PNAD 2008, IBGE. "Pessoas de 5 anos ou mais de idade por situação, sexo, alfabetização e grupos de idade"
^ PNAD 2008, IBGE. "Pessoas de 5 anos ou mais de idade por situação, sexo e alfabetização."
^ http://www.ibge.gov.br/ibgeteen/povoamento/
^ a b IBGE, População residente, por sexo e situação do domicílio, segundo a religião, Censo Demográfico 2000. Acessado em 13 de dezembro de 2007
^ "Brazil". International Religious Freedom Report. U.S. Department of State. 2005-11-08. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
^ (Portuguese) Panorama of religions. Fundação Getúlio Vargas, 2003.
^ "IDBGE". IBGE. 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-08. (Portuguese)
^ 2008 PNAD, IBGE. "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade."
^ "Principal Cities". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-10.[dubious – discuss]
^ "2010 Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics estimate". Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
^ Rohter, Larry (2005-08-28). "Language Born of Colonialism Thrives Again in Amazon". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
^ "Portuguese language and the Brazilian singularity".
^ a b c "Languages of Brazil". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ Nash, Elizabeth (2008-05-02). "Portugal pays lip service to Brazil's supremacy". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
^ "O alemão lusitano do Sul do Brasil". DW-World.de.
^ "O talian".
^ "Esperanto approved by Brazilian government as optional high school subject, mandatory if justified by demand". Page F30. 2009-09-19. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
^ "15th–16th Century". History. Brazilian Government official website. Retrieved 2008-06-08.[dead link]
^ "People and Society". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-10.[dubious – discuss]
^ "Population". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-10.[dubious – discuss]
^ Freyre, Gilberto (1986). "The Afro-Brazilian experiment: African influence on Brazilian culture". UNESCO. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
^ Candido; Antonio. (1970) Vários escritos. São Paulo: Duas Cidades. p.18
^ Leandro Karnal, Teatro da fé: Formas de representação religiosa no Brasil e no México do século XVI, São Paulo, Editora Hucitec, 1998; available on fflch.usp.br
^ "The Brazilian Baroque," Encyclopaedia Itaú Cultural
^ "Theater and Film". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-08.[dubious – discuss]
^ "Literature". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
^ "Brazilian Literature: An Introduction." Embassy of Brasil – Ottawa. Visited on November 2, 2009.
^ "Way of Life". Encarta. MSN. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
^ Roger, "Feijoada: The Brazilian national dish" braziltravelguide.com.
^ Cascudo, Luis da Câmara. História da Alimentação no Brasil. São Paulo/Belo Horizonte: Editora USP/Itatiaia, l983.
^ Freyre, Gilberto. Açúcar. Uma Sociologia do Doce, com Receitas de Bolos e Doces do Nordeste do Brasil. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 1997.
^ Barbosa, Lívia. Feijão com arroz e arroz com feijão: o Brasil no prato dos brasileiros. Horiz. antropol. [online]. 2007, vol.13, n.28 [cited 2011-03-09], pp. 87–116 . Available from: scielo.br ISSN 0104-7183. doi: 10.1590/S0104-71832007000200005.
^ Ferraccioli, Patrícia; Silveira, Eliane Augusta da.(2010) Cultural feeding influence on palative memories in the usual brazilian cuisine. Rev. enferm. UERJ;18(2):198–203, abr.-jun. 2010. [2]
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^ "Football in Brazil". Goal Programme. International Federation of Association Football. 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "Beach Soccer". International Federation of Association Football. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "Futsal". International Federation of Association Football. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "The art of capoeira". BBC. 2006-09-20. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "Brazilian Vale Tudo". I.V.C. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Official Website". International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
^ Donaldson, Gerald. "Emerson Fittipaldi". Hall of Fame. The Official Formula 1 Website. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
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Bibliographic
Azevedo, Aroldo. O Brasil e suas regiões. São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 1971. (Portuguese)
Barman, Roderick J. Citizen Emperor: Pedro II and the Making of Brazil, 1825–1891. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8047-3510-7 (English)
Boxer, Charles R.. O império marítimo português 1415–1825. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002. ISBN 8535902929 (Portuguese)
Bueno, Eduardo. Brasil: uma História. São Paulo: Ática, 2003. (Portuguese) ISBN 8508082134
Calmon, Pedro. História da Civilização Brasileira. Brasília: Senado Federal, 2002. (Portuguese)
Carvalho, José Murilo de. D. Pedro II. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2007. (Portuguese)
Coelho, Marcos Amorim. Geografia do Brasil. 4th ed. São Paulo: Moderna, 1996. (Portuguese)
Diégues, Fernando. A revolução brasílica. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2004. (Portuguese)
Enciclopédia Barsa. Volume 4: Batráquio – Camarão, Filipe. Rio de Janeiro: Encyclopædia Britannica do Brasil, 1987. (Portuguese)
Fausto, Boris and Devoto, Fernando J. Brasil e Argentina: Um ensaio de história comparada (1850–2002), 2nd ed. São Paulo: Editoria 34, 2005. ISBN 8573263083(Portuguese)
Gaspari, Elio. A ditadura envergonhada. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002. ISBN 8535902775 (Portuguese)
Janotti, Aldo. O Marquês de Paraná: inícios de uma carreira política num momento crítico da história da nacionalidade. Belo Horizonte: Itatiaia, 1990. (Portuguese)
Lyra, Heitor. História de Dom Pedro II (1825–1891): Ascenção (1825–1870). v.1. Belo Horizonte: Itatiaia, 1977. (Portuguese)
Lyra, Heitor. História de Dom Pedro II (1825–1891): Declínio (1880–1891). v.3. Belo Horizonte: Itatiaia, 1977. (Portuguese)
Lustosa, Isabel. D. Pedro I: um herói sem nenhum caráter. São Paulo: Companhia das letras, 2006. ISBN 8535908072 (Portuguese)
Moreira, Igor A. G. O Espaço Geográfico, geografia geral e do Brasil. 18. Ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1981. (Portuguese)
Munro, Dana Gardner. The Latin American Republics; A History. New York: D. Appleton, 1942. (English)
Schwarcz, Lilia Moritz. As barbas do Imperador: D. Pedro II, um monarca nos trópicos. 2nd ed. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1998. ISBN 8571648379 (Portuguese)
Skidmore, Thomas E. Uma História do Brasil. 4th ed. São Paulo: Paz e Terra, 2003. (Portuguese) ISBN 8521903138
Souza, Adriana Barreto de. Duque de Caxias: o homem por trás do monumento. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira, 2008. (Portuguese) ISBN 9788520008645
Vainfas, Ronaldo. Dicionário do Brasil Imperial. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2002. ISBN 8573024410 (Portuguese)
Vesentini, José William. Brasil, sociedade e espaço – Geografia do Brasil. 7th Ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1988. (Portuguese)
Vianna, Hélio. História do Brasil: período colonial, monarquia e república, 15th ed. São Paulo: Melhoramentos, 1994. (Portuguese)
Further reading

Alves, Maria Helena Moreira (1985). State and Opposition in Military Brazil. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
Amann, Edmund (1990). The Illusion of Stability: The Brazilian Economy under Cardoso. World Development (pp. 1805–1819).
"Background Note: Brazil". US Department of State. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
Bellos, Alex (2003). Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life. London: Bloomsbury Publishing plc.
Bethell, Leslie (1991). Colonial Brazil. Cambridge: CUP.
Costa, João Cruz (1964). A History of Ideas in Brazil. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
Fausto, Boris (1999). A Concise History of Brazil. Cambridge: CUP.
Furtado, Celso. The Economic Growth of Brazil: A Survey from Colonial to Modern Times. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Leal, Victor Nunes (1977). Coronelismo: The Municipality and Representative Government in Brazil. Cambridge: CUP.
Malathronas, John (2003). Brazil: Life, Blood, Soul. Chichester: Summersdale.
Martinez-Lara, Javier (1995). Building Democracy in Brazil: The Politics of Constitutional Change. Macmillan.
Prado Júnior, Caio (1967). The Colonial Background of Modern Brazil. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
Schneider, Ronald (1995). Brazil: Culture and Politics in a New Economic Powerhouse. Boulder Westview.
Skidmore, Thomas E. (1974). Black Into White: Race and Nationality in Brazilian Thought. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wagley, Charles (1963). An Introduction to Brazil. New York, New York: Columbia University Press.
The World Almanac and Book of Facts: Brazil. New York, NY: World Almanac Books. 2006.
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I am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional) Cine Fest Brasil-Montevideo.

Con una sofisticada representación de las dos tendencias que dominan su panorama desde hace años -el retrato de los dramas sociales y las producciones de carácter más cosmopolita- el cine brasileño es protagonista durante una semana en las salas del complejo Hoyts Alfabeta.

Parte del circuito de festivales Inffinito que se organiza también en otras siete ciudades, el Cine Fest Brasil es muestra del empuje con el que dicho país se proyecta desde hace algunos años en el plano internacional, en este caso en el campo de la cultura. Aquí, lo que parece querer demostrar es que su cine -además de la vieja línea inaugurada por los realizadores del cinema novo de los 50 y 60, de fuerte impronta social- ya se despliega por un arco temático amplio que, sin dejar de lado lo local, puede dialogar con las producciones más estandarizadas de Europa.

"El cine brasileño está abriendo su diversidad para abarcar cada vez a más público. Sólo de esa forma se crea una industria audiovisual que permite mantener la producción en todos los géneros, tanto autorales como comerciales", dice Flávia Guimarães, coordinadora del festival.

Así, la programación -13 largos precedidos por sus respectivos cortos- se reparte entre ficción y documental, drama y comedia, representaciones de las clases populares y de la pujante clase media alta. Patas arriba, de Roberto Santucci, es una comedia romántica que tiene por protagonista a una joven profesional. Elza, con dirección de Izabel Jaguaribe y Ernesto Baldan, es un documental sobre la cantante de MPB Elza Soares. Ya exhibida en marzo en el Festival de Cine de Punta del Este, Boca do lixo, de Flávio Frederico, es la adaptación de la biografía de Hiroito, personaje de clase alta que deviene líder criminal de San Pablo en los años 50. También en esa década, pero en Río de Janeiro, se ambienta La suprema felicidad, dirigida por Arnaldo Jabor, que sigue el pasar de una familia de clase media. Vips, de Toniko Melo, es la historia de un impostor que se vuelve adicto a los entornos de clase alta.

En Bróder (Jeferson De) tres amigos de la infancia se reencuentran para descubrir sus destinos divergentes (delincuente, estrella del fútbol, padre de clase media). Arreglar, de Rosane Svartman, es una "comedia romántica adolescente". Como olvidar (Malu de Martino) tiene por protagonista a una profesora de literatura inglesa que debe rehacer su vida amorosa luego de culminar una relación lésbica. Malu de bicicleta, de Flávio Ramos Tambellini (igualmente exhibida en Punta del Este), cruza un empresario mujeriego con una joven aparentemente sencilla pero inalcanzable. Un encuentro similar por lo desparejo plantea País del deseo (Paulo Caldas), pero en este caso, entre una pianista enferma y un religioso capaz de curarla. 180º (Eduardo Vaisman) presenta en forma de rompecabezas para armar la historia de tres intelectuales de Río de Janeiro. Cortina de humo, de Rodrigo MacN iven, es un documental internacional que busca esclarecer la verdadera política respecto a las drogas.

"Trabajamos con un 'menú' de lo producido durante el año en Brasil", dice Guimarães. "Algunas películas se repiten en varias ciudades", explica la productora en referencia a los festivales de Buenos Aires, Miami, Nueva York, Vancouver, Londres, Canudos y Barcelona, pero procuramos respetar las especificidades de cada lugar. Sabemos que en Nueva York gustan mucho los documentales, que en Miami prefieren las comedias, y que aquí y en Buenos Aires los dramas", dice en referencia a la selección, que en este caso tuvo en el equipo de curadores a Fernando Meirelles (director de Cidade de Deus). Además, para la edición de Montevideo se agregó Por el camino, de Charly Braun, ya estrenada en las salas uruguayas: "Llega fuera de concurso por ser una coproducción Brasil-Uruguay, países que acaban de firmar un tratado de cooperación en este plano. Tenemos que unirnos en América del Sur para producir más juntos".

En cuanto al lugar de este circuito de festivales respecto a la promoción internacional de su país, Guimarães es clara: "El objetivo de Inffinito es trabajar para divulgar Brasil y sus productos en el exterior por medio del cine. Son 15 años de realizaciones, así que estoy convencida de que vamos por el buen camino. Tenemos apoyo gubernamental mediante los subsidios que canalizan las leyes de incentivo fiscal. La edición del festival en Montevideo, así como la de Buenos Aires y Londres, tiene patrocinio del Banco Nacional de Desarrollo, el Bndes".

La programación completa del festival está en www.brazilianfilmfestival.com.>

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