The Facts

Federative Republic of Brazil

National name: República Federativa do Brasil

President: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003)

Land area: 3,265,059 sq mi (8,456,511 sq km); total area: 3,286,470 sq mi (8,511,965 sq km)

Population (2008 est.): 191,908,598 (growth rate: 0.9%); birth rate: 16.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 26.6/1000; life expectancy: 72.5; density per sq mi: 22

Capital (2003 est.): Brasília, 2,160,100

Largest cities: São Paulo, 18,333,000 (metro. area), 10,927,985 (city proper); Rio de Janeiro, 11,469,000 (metro. area), 6,094,183 (city proper); Salvador, 2,590,400; Belo Horizonte, 2,347,500; Recife, 1,485,500; Porto Alegre, 1,372,700

Monetary unit: Real

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

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

National Holiday: Independence Day, September 7

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

Literacy rate: 88.6% (2006 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP(2007 est.): $1.836 trillion; per capita $9,700. 

Real growth rate: 5.4%.

Inflation: 3.6%. 

Unemployment:9.3%. 

Arable land: 7%. 

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

Labor force: 96.34 million; agriculture 20%, industry 14%, services 66% (2006 est.).

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 f.o.b. (2006 est.): transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos. 

Imports:$91.4 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil.

Major trading partners: U.S., Argentina, China, Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, Nigeria, Japan (2005).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 42.382 million (2004); mobile cellular: 86.21 million (2005).

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999). 

Television broadcast stations: 138 (1997). 

Internet hosts:3,163,349 (2003). 

Internet users: 25.9 million (2005).

Transportation: Railways: total: 29,252 km (1598 km electrified) (2005).

Highways: total: 1,751,868 km; paved: 96,353 km; unpaved: 1,655,515 km (2005). 

Waterways: 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2005). 

Ports and harbors:Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria.

Airports: 4,276 (2006 est.).

International disputes: unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute with Uruguay over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada boundary streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina; in 2004 Brazil submitted its claims to UNCLOS to extend its maritime continental margin.

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