|
| BRAZIL : Country Profile |
 |
Brazil (Brasil, in Portuguese) was named after an ember-coloured wood, the "pau-brasil". In 1500 the Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral arrived in Brazil while trying to take a maritime route to India along the west coast of Africa. |
|
Being such a large country, Brasil has the most varied diversity of climates ranging from equatorial in the North and tropical along the north-east coast and South-East; to semi-arid in the hinterland of the North-East and subtropical in the South.
Diversity and dynamism are the basic features of the Brazilian society and culture. Its diversity is derived from the multiethnic composition of the society, the miscigenation of different ethnic groups, and therefore the syncretism among their cultures.
Brazil is not just a country. Indeed not, because in the vastness of Brazil, several lands are to be found - A land of Different People; A land of Magical Sounds; A land of Enchanting Rhythms; A land of Colours; and of course, A land of Flavours (for all tastes). Brazil is a magical land of sun, sea and sand, which will forever capture the heart. Plunge into this mosaic, unthinkable by even the most talented artist - a work of people of all
colours.
|
| BRAZIL : Vital Statistics |
| Country Name |
Federative Republic of Brazil |
| National Day |
Sept. 7th (Independence Day) |
| Area |
8,547,403.5 sq. km. |
| Population |
176.9 million (2003) |
| Currency |
Real |
| Language |
Portuguese |
| Religion |
Catholic (73.8%), Protestant (15.4%),
Spiritist (1.4%),
Afro-Brazilian (0.3%) and Eastern (0.3%) |
| Government |
Federal Presidential System |
| Head of Government |
President, Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva |
| GDP |
US $ 493.3 billion (2003) |
| GDP per capita |
US $ 2.789 (2003) |
| Annual Growth |
1.5% (2001) |
| Inflation |
9.3% |
| Major Industries |
Petroleum and Petrochemicals, Ethanol
Industry,
Power Generation, Motor Vehicles,
Aircraft Industry and Aerospace Industry |
Major Trading
Partners |
US, Argentina, Germany, Japan,
China, France and Italy |
|
