Brazil




                                 Geography


Location:
     Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Map references:
     South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
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
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
Coastline:
     7,491 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
     24 nm
continental shelf:
     200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
     200 nm
territorial sea:
     12 nm
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
Climate:
     mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Terrain:
     mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,
     mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Natural resources:
     iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, phosphates, tin,
     hydropower, gold, platinum, petroleum, timber
Land use:
arable land:
     7%
permanent crops:
     1%
meadows and pastures:
     19%
forest and woodland:
     67%




other:
     6%
Irrigated land:
     27,000 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
     deforestation in Amazon Basin; 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, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental
     Protocol, Tropical Timber
Note:
     largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every
     South American country except Chile and Ecuador


                                  People


Population:
     158,739,257 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     1.28% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     21.48 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     8.63 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     59.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     62.25 years
male:
     57.41 years
female:
     67.32 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     2.44 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Brazilian(s)
adjective:
     Brazilian
Ethnic divisions:
     Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, Amerindian, black 6%, white
     55%, mixed 38%, other 1%
Religions:
     Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%




Languages:
     Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     81%
male:
     82%
female:
     80%
Labor force:
     57 million (1989 est.)
by occupation:
     services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form:
     Brasil
Digraph:
     BR
Type:
     federal republic
Capital:
     Brasilia
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
Independence:
     7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
National holiday:
     Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
Constitution:
     5 October 1988
Legal system:
     based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
     voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over
     18 and under 70 years of age




Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
     President Itamar FRANCO (since 29 December 1992); election last held
     15 November 1989, with runoff on 17 December 1989 (next to be held
     October 1994); results - Fernando COLLOR de Mello 53%, Luis Inacio
     LULA da Silva 47%; note - first free, direct presidential election
     since 1960; Fernando COLLOR de Mello was impeached in December 1992
     and succeeded by former Vice President Itamar FRANCO
cabinet:
     Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional)
Federal Senate (Senado Federal):
     election last held 3 October 1990 (next to be held October 1994);
     results - percent of vote by party PMBD 33%, PFL 16%, PSDB 12%, PDS
     4%, PDT 6%, PT 1%, other 28%; seats - (81 total as of 3 February 1991)
     PMDB 27, PFL 15, PSDB 10, PTB 8, PDT 5, other 16
Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados):
     election last held 3 October 1990 (next to be held October 1994);
     results - PMDB 21%, PFL 17%, PDT 9%, PDS 8%, PRN 7.9%, PTB 7%, PT 7%,
     other 23.1%; seats - (503 total as of 3 February 1991) PMDB 108, PFL
     87, PDT 46, PDS 43, PRN 40, PTB 35, PT 35, other 109
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Federal Tribunal
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), Luis Inacio LULA da Silva, president; Brazilian
     Workers' Party (PTB), Rodrigues PALMA, president; Democratic Workers'
     Party (PDT), Leonel BRIZOLA, president; Progressive Renewal Party
     (PPR), Paulo MALUF, president; Brazilian Social Democracy Party
     (PSDB), Tasso JEREISSATI, president; Popular Socialist Party (PPS),
     Roberto FREIRE, president; Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao
     AMAZONAS, secretary general; Liberal Party (PL), Flavio ROCHA,
     president
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
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, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
     IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
     LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MERCOSUR, NAM (observer), OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA,
     RG, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR,
     UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA
chancery:
     3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 745-2700




FAX:
     (202) 745-2827
consulate(s) general:
     Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands),
     Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s):
     Houston and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY
embassy:
     Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal
mailing address:
     APO AA 34030
telephone:
     [55] (61) 321-7272
FAX:
     [55] (61) 225-9136
consulate(s) general:
     Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
consulate(s):
     Porto Alegre, Recife
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 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)


                                  Economy




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. The
     government also obtained an IMF standby loan in January 1992 and
     reached agreements with commercial bankers on the repayment of
     interest arrears and on the reduction of debt and debt service
     payments. Galloping inflation (the rate doubled in 1992 and by March
     1994 had risen to 42% per month) continues to undermine economic
     stability. 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 have lost momentum. Brazil's natural resources remain a
     major, long-term economic strength
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $785 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     5% (1993)
National product per capita:
     $5,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     2,709% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
     4.9% (1993)
Budget:
revenues:
     $113 billion
expenditures:
     $109 billion, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (1992)
Exports:
     $38.8 billion (f.o.b. 1993)
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)
Imports:
     $25.7 billion (f.o.b. 1993)
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)




External debt:
     $119 billion (1993)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 9.5% (1993); accounts for 39% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     63,765,000 kW
production:
     242.184 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     1,531 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     textiles and other consumer goods, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber,
     iron ore, steel, motor vehicles and auto parts, metalworking, capital
     goods, tin
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
Illicit drugs:
     illicit producer of cannabis and coca, mostly for domestic
     consumption; government has a modest eradication program to control
     cannabis and coca cultivation; important transshipment country for
     Bolivian and Colombian cocaine headed for the US and Europe
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), $1.3 billion
Currency:
     1 cruzeiro real (CR$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
     CR$ per US$1 - 390.845 (January 1994), 88.449 (1993), 4.513 (1992),
     0.407 (1991), 0.068 (1990), 0.003 (1989)
note:
     on 1 August 1993 the cruzeiro real, equal to 1,000 cruzeiros, was
     introduced; another new currency, the real, will be introduced on 1
     July 1994
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     30,133 km total; 24,690 km 1.000-meter gauge, 5,120 km 1.600-meter
     gauge, 310 km mixed 1.600-1.000-meter gauge, 13 km 0.760-meter gauge;
     2,150 km electrified
Highways:
total:
     1,670,148 km
paved:
     161,503 km




unpaved:
     gravel/earth  1,508,645 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
     50,000 km navigable
Pipelines:
     crude oil 2,000 km; petroleum products 3,804 km; natural gas 1,095 km
Ports:
     Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio
     de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos
Merchant marine:
     220 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,139,176 GRT/8,695,682 DWT,
     bulk 53, cargo 40, chemical tanker 14, combination ore/oil 12,
     container 11, liquified gas 11, oil tanker 62, passenger-cargo 5,
     refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11
note:
     in addition, 1 naval tanker is sometimes used commercially
Airports:
total:
     3,581
usable:
     3,024
with permanent-surface runways:
     436
with runways over 3,659 m:
     2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     22
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     598
Telecommunications:
     good system; extensive microwave radio relay facilities; 9.86 million
     telephones; broadcast stations - 1,223 AM, no FM, 112 TV, 151
     shortwave; 3 coaxial submarine cables, 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
     stations and 64 domestic satellite earth stations


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Brazilian Army, Navy of Brazil (including Marines), Brazilian Air
     Force, Military Police (paramilitary)
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 43,489,704; fit for military service 29,286,530; reach
     military age (18) annually 1,674,930 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $1.1 billion, 3% of GDP (1990)