Brazil

Brazil is located at south America.It is the 5th largest country of the world and the largest country of south America. .The capital city Brasilia is located at 15 47 S, 47 55 W.The large country is surrounded by Atlantic ocean.Brazil shares its neighbourhood with every country of South America except Ecuador and Chile.It shares its border with Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the department of French Guiana to the north, Colombia to the northwest, Bolivia and Peru to the west, Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest, and Uruguay to the south.Some islands are also form a part of Brazilian republic-such as Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha, Trindade and Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas.

Portuguese rule was ended in 1822.Brazil had become republic in 1889.
Independence Day of Brazil,7th September is celebrated as the national holiday.

The country has become South America’s leading country in economy for the huge natural resources.In spite of the fact that the country is in the world’s ten largest economies, some critical problems still exist-such as unequal income distribution and crime.

HISTORY:-Portuguese reigned the country for three centuries.After getting freedom from Portuguese empire in 7th 1822,Dom Pedro was crowned as the 1st emperor of Brazil on 1st December,1822.Portugal freed Brazil in 1825. Pedro II took over in 23rd july,1840.Pardo II was defeated by a Republican military troop led by general Deodoro da Fonseca in 15th novenber,1889. Fonseca became the 1st de facto President.The country became Republic of the United States of Brazil.The military troop reigned until 1985.The conflict between the regime and the Brazilian elites resulted in the downfall of the military troop in 1967.
The name of the country was swapped to Federative Republic of Brazil.

CULTURE:-Brazilian culture is mostly influenced by the Portuguese cult,followed by European and Asian culture,and much later by the Native South Americans and African slaves.

Football is the most popular game in Brazil.Brazil National football team is ranked 2nd By FIFA.Brazil is five times world champion in World Cup Cricket(1958, 1962,1970,1994,2002).

Basketball, volleyball, auto racing, and martial arts are some of the popular games in Brazil.Brazil has brought the Formula 1 world championship cup eight times(1972,1974,1981,1983,1987,1988,1990,1991)

Brazilian music is derived form Africa.The famous music genres are samba, bossa nova, forró, frevo , pagoda etc.The annual Brazilian carnival is popular worldwide.

GEOGRAPHY:- The biggest country of South America is spanned around 8,511,965 sq km(land 8,456,510 sq km,water is 55,455 sq km). Geographically Brazil is located at 10 00 S, 55 00 W.The country can be divided into two zones- Brazilian Highlands(plateau)in the south and the Amazon River Basin in the north.Amazon is the main river.Northern part is woodland, northeast part is semiarid,and the southwest region consists of mountains,and rolling plains while coastal area is formed of lowland..One third of the nation is drained by Amazon and its tributaries.The coastline is long(7491 km).The lowest point is Atlantic Ocean (0 m) and the highest point is (Pico da Neblina,3014 m).


CLIMATE:-Brazil can be devided into five climatic zones:-equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, and subtropical.Mostly tropical climate is seen all over but in the south semitropical cool weather reigns.

GOVERNMENT:-Brazil is a Presidential Federal republic.The government is composed of three autonomous political bodies- the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District.The three branches are-Executive(consists of the President).Lagislative(formed of senate(81 members)and Chamber of deputies (513 members),Judicial(Supreme Federal Tribunal).

Some prominent political parties are Workers' Party , Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, Brazilian Social Democratic Party, Liberal Front Party , Social Democratic Party , Democratic Workers Party , Brazilian Labor Party , Liberal Party, Brazilian Socialist Party , Communist Party of Brazil etc.

Voting rights are compulsory for the age group of 18 to 70,except military conscripts,who do not vote.

President(head of state and government) Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Vice President José Alencar Gomes da Silva
President of the Chamber of Deputies:Arlindo Chinaglia
President of the Senate:Garibaldi Alves Filho
Chief Justice:Gilmar Ferreira Mendes

STATES: - Federative Republic of Brazil is composed of 26 states.

FEDERAL DISTRICT:- The Federal District the capital of Brazil,apart from Brasília is located in Planalto Central.The Distrito Federal is divided into 19 administrative parts.

POPULATION:- The country the 5th most populous country,and the 4th most populous democracy in the world with a population of 190,010,647.
Capital city Brasilia is populated by 2.3 million.Other populated cities are Sao Paulo (10.8 million), Rio de Janeiro (6.1 million), Belo Horizonte (2.4 million), Salvador (2.6 million), Fortaleza (2.3 million), Recife (1.5 million), Porto Alegre (1.4 million), Curitiba (1.7 million). Literacy rate is 88.6%.

HEALTH STATISTICS:-
Life expectancy (years) 2004 67 74 70
Under-5 mortality (per 1 000 live births) 2004 38 31 34
Adult mortality (per 1 000) 2004 237 127
Maternal mortality (per 100 000 live births) 2000 260
HIV/AIDS – deaths:5,000 (2003 est.)
Growth rate: 1.0%
Girth rate: 16.3/1000
Density per sq mi: 58
Disease:Malaria ,Tuberculosis,HIV,TB

UNICEF:- 1,179 municipalities and 23,000 health-care workers work for UNICEF in Brazil to protect children and adolescent rights.UNICEF has arranged Kits to spread awareness in nutrition, hygiene, protection and early childhood development in Brazilian families.After an epidemic form of diarrhea,UNICEF handled the situation by distributing Clean water and mega-doses of vitamin A.UNICEF is continuously fights against AIDS to wipe out mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS by the end of 2007.Apart from these,they are campaigning on the right to birth registration, child-friendly courts,child education and against child labour.

ECONOMY:-Brazil is leading in South American countries and top 10 economies in the world.
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2006 est.): $1.616 trillion; per capita $8,600.
Real growth rate: 2.8%.
Inflation: 3%.
Unemployment: 9.6%.
Arable land: 7%.
Agriculture: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef.
Labor force: 96.34 million; agriculture 20%, industry 14%, services 66%
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment.
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber.
Exports: $137.5 billion
Imports: $91.4 billion
Major trading partners: U.S., Argentina, China, Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, Nigeria, Japan
Monetary unit: Real

TRANSPORTATION:Railways: total: 29,252 km
Highways: total: 1,751,868 km
Waterways: 50,000
Ports and harbors: Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao etc.
Airports: 4,276

CITIES:-Capital city is Brasília.

Other largest cities are São Paulo, Rio de JaneiroSalvador,Belo Horizonte,Recife, 1Porto Alegre.

LANGUAGE:- Portuguese is official language.Other languages are Spanish, English, French.

ETHNICITY:- white 53.7%,
mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%,
black 6.2%,
other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%,
unspecified 0.7% (2000)

RILIGION: - Roman Catholic 74%,
Protestant 15%,
Spiritualist 1%,
none 7% (2000)