Brazil

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 1,223, FM 0, shortwave 151 radios: NA

Telephone system

9.86 million telephones; telephone density - 61/1,000 persons; good working system local: NA intercity: extensive microwave radio relay systems and 64 domestic satellite earth stations international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Television

broadcast stations: 112 (Brazil has the world's fourth largest television broadcasting system) televisions: NA

Branches

Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes Marines), Brazilian Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $5.0 billion, 0.9% of GDP (1994) BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY (dependent territory of the UK)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 44,301,765; males fit for military service 29,815,576; males reach military age (18) annually 1,703,438 (1995 est.)

Agriculture

accounts for 11% of GDP; world's largest producer and exporter of coffee and orange juice concentrate and second-largest exporter of soybeans; other products - rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, beef; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat

Budget

revenues: $113 billion expenditures: $109 billion, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (1992)

Currency

1 real (R$) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $2.5 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $10.2 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $284 million; former Communist countries (1970-89), $1.3 billion

Electricity

capacity: 55,130,000 kW production: 241.4 billion kWh consumption per capita: 1,589 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

R$ per US$1 - 0.85 (January 1995); CR$ per US$1 - 390.845 (January 1994), 88.449 (1993), 4.513 (1992), 0.407 (1991), 0.068 (1990) note: on 1 August 1993 the cruzeiro real (CR$), equal to 1,000 cruzeiros, was introduced; another new currency, the real, was introduced on 1 July 1994, equal to 2,750 cruzeiro reals

Exports

$43.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice, footwear, coffee, motor vehicle parts partners: EC 27.6%, Latin America 21.8%, US 17.4%, Japan 6.3% (1993)

External debt

$134 billion (1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis and coca, mostly for domestic consumption; government has a small-scale eradication program to control cannabis and coca cultivation; important transshipment country for Bolivian and Colombian cocaine headed for the US and Europe

Imports

$33.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs, coal partners: US 23.3%, EC 22.5%, Middle East 13.0%, Latin America 11.8%, Japan 6.5% (1993)

Industrial production

growth rate 9.5% (1993); accounts for 39% of GDP

Industries

textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, mining (iron ore, tin), steel making, machine building - including aircraft, motor vehicles, motor vehicle parts and assemblies, and other machinery and equipment

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1,094% (1994 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $886.3 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$5,580 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

5.3% (1994 est.)

Overview

The economy, with large agrarian, mining, and manufacturing sectors, entered the 1990s with declining real growth, runaway inflation, an unserviceable foreign debt of $122 billion, and a lack of policy direction. In addition, the economy remained highly regulated, inward-looking, and protected by substantial trade and investment barriers. Ownership of major industrial and mining facilities is divided among private interests - including several multinationals - and the government. Most large agricultural holdings are private, with the government channeling financing to this sector. Conflicts between large landholders and landless peasants have produced intermittent violence. The COLLOR government, which assumed office in March 1990, launched an ambitious reform program that sought to modernize and reinvigorate the economy by stabilizing prices, deregulating the economy, and opening it to increased foreign competition. Itamar FRANCO, who assumed the presidency following President COLLOR's resignation in December 1992, was out of step with COLLOR's reform agenda; initiatives to redress fiscal problems, privatize state enterprises, and liberalize trade and investment policies lost momentum. Galloping inflation - by June 1994 the monthly rate had risen to nearly 50% - had undermined economic stability. In response, the then finance minister, Fernando Henrique CARDOSO, launched the third phase of his stabilization plan, known as Plano Real, that called for a new currency, the real, which was introduced on 1 July 1994. Inflation subsequently dropped to under 3% per month through the end of 1994. The newly elected President CARDOSO has called for the implementation of sweeping market-oriented reform, including public sector and fiscal reform, privatization, deregulation, and elimination of barriers to increased foreign investment. Brazil's natural resources remain a major, long-term economic strength.

Unemployment rate

4.9% (1993)

Area

total area: 8,511,965 sq km land area: 8,456,510 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than the US note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo

Climate

mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Coastline

7,491 km

Environment

current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers the existence of a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification

International disputes

short section of the boundary with Paraguay, just west of Salto das Sete Quedas (Guaira Falls) on the Rio Parana, is in dispute; two short sections of boundary with Uruguay are in dispute - Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada) area of the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay River

Irrigated land

27,000 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 14,691 km, Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km

Land use

arable land: 7% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 19% forest and woodland: 67% other: 6%

Location

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

Note

largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador

Terrain

mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt

Administrative divisions

26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins

Capital

Brasilia

Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados)

election last held 3 October 1994 (next to be held October 1998); results - PMDB 21%, PFL 18%, PDT 7%, PSDB 12%, PPR 10%, PTB 6%, PT 10%, other 16%

Constitution

5 October 1988

Digraph

BR

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-2700

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995) election last held 3 October 1994; next to be held October 1998); results - Fernando Henrique CARDOSO 53%, Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 26%, Eneas CARNEIRO 7%, Orestes QUERCIA 4%, Leonel BRIZOLA 3%, Espiridiao AMIN 3%; note - second free, direct presidential election since 1960 cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president

FAX

[1] (202) 745-2827 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco consulate(s): Houston

FAX

[55] (61) 225-9136 consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo consulate(s): Porto Alegre, Recife

Federal Senate (Senado Federal)

election last held 3 October 1994 for two-thirds of Senate (next to be held October 1996 for one-third of the Senate); results - PMBD 28%, PFL 22%, PSDB 12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT 6%, PTB 6%, other 12%

Flag

green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)

Independence

7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

Judicial branch

Supreme Federal Tribunal

Legal system

based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional)

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, MERCOSUR, NAM (observer), OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil conventional short form: Brazil local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil local short form: Brasil

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Other political or pressure groups

left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftist Workers' Party are critical of government's social and economic policies

Political parties and leaders

National Reconstruction Party (PRN), Daniel TOURINHO, president; Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Luiz HENRIQUE da Silveira, president; Liberal Front Party (PFL), Jorge BORNHAUSEN, president; Workers' Party (PT), Rui Goethe da Costa FALCAO, president; Brazilian Workers' Party (PTB), Jose Eduardo ANDRADE VIEIRA, president; Democratic Workers' Party (PDT), Anthony GAROTINHO, president; Progressive Renewal Party (PPR), Espiridiao AMIN, president; Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Artur DA TAVOLA, president; Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Roberto FREIRE, president; Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao AMAZONAS, secretary general; Liberal Party (PL), Alvero VALLE, president

Suffrage

voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age

Type

federal republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal mailing address: Unit 3500; APO AA 34030 telephone: [55] (61) 321-7272

Age structure

0-14 years: 31% (female 24,641,868; male 25,515,775) 15-64 years: 64% (female 51,966,272; male 51,254,165) 65 years and over: 5% (female 4,393,530; male 2,965,879) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

21.16 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

8.98 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Caucasion (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed Caucasion and African 38%, African 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%

Infant mortality rate

57.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

57 million (1989 est.) by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%

Languages

Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 61.82 years male: 56.57 years female: 67.32 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1991) total population: 80% male: 80% female: 80%

Nationality

noun: Brazilian(s) adjective: Brazilian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

160,737,489 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

1.22% (1995 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%

Total fertility rate

2.39 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Airports

total: 3,467 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 126 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 286 with paved runways under 914 m: 1,652 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 76 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1,303

Highways

total: 1,670,148 km paved: 161,503 km unpaved: gravel/earth 1,508,645 km (1990)

Inland waterways

50,000 km navigable

Merchant marine

total: 215 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,128,654 GRT/8,664,776 DWT ships by type: bulk 52, cargo 34, chemical tanker 13, combination ore/oil 12, container 12, liquefied gas tanker 11, oil tanker 64, passenger-cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11

Pipelines

crude oil 2,000 km; petroleum products 3,804 km; natural gas 1,095 km

Ports

Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, Vitoria

Railroads

total: 30,612 km (1992) broad gauge: 5,369 km 1.600-m gauge (1,108 km electrified) standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge narrow gauge: 24,739 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 13 km 0.760-m gauge dual gauge: 310 km 1.600-m/1.000-m gauge (78 km electrified)