309 lines
25 KiB
Plaintext
309 lines
25 KiB
Plaintext
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BRAZIL
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 8,511,965 km2; land area: 8,456,510 km2; includes
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Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade,
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Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than the US
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Land boundaries: 14,691 km total; Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia
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3,400 km, Colombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km,
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Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km,
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Venezuela 2,200 km
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Coastline: 7,491 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
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Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 200 nm
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Disputes: short section of the boundary with Paraguay (just west of
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Guaira Falls on the Rio Parana) is in dispute; two short
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sections of boundary with Uruguay are in dispute (Arroyo de la
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Invernada area of the Rio Quarai and the islands at the confluence of
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the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay); has noted possible Latin claims in
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Antarctica
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Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south
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Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains,
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hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
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Natural resources: iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium,
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phosphates, tin, hydropower, gold, platinum, crude oil, timber
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Land use: arable land 7%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
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19%; forest and woodland 67%; other 6%; includes irrigated NEGL%
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Environment: recurrent droughts in northeast; floods and frost in
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south; deforestation in Amazon basin; air and water pollution in Rio de
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Janeiro and Sao Paulo
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Note: largest country in South America; shares common boundaries
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with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
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PEOPLE
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Population: 155,356,073 (July 1991), growth rate 1.8% (1991)
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Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 68 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Brazilian(s); adjective--Brazilian
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Ethnic divisions: Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, black,
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Amerindian; white 55%, mixed 38%, black 6%, other 1%
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Religion: Roman Catholic (nominal) 90%
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Language: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
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Literacy: 81% (male 82%, female 80%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 57,000,000 (1989 est.); services 42%, agriculture
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31%, industry 27%
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Organized labor: 13,000,000 dues paying members (1989 est.)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Federative Republic of Brazil
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Type: federal republic
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Capital: Brasilia
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Administrative divisions: 26 states (estados, singular--estado)
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and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa,
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Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias,
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Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para,
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Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do
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Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao
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Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins; note--the former territories of Amapa and
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Roraima became states in January 1991
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Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
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Constitution: 5 October 1988
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Legal system: based on Latin codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
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Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congresso
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Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Federal Senate (Senado
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Federal) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos
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Deputados)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Fernando
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Affonso COLLOR de Mello (since 15 March 1990); Vice President
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Itamar FRANCO (since 15 March 1990)
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Political parties and leaders:
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National Reconstruction Party (PRN), Daniel TOURINHO, president;
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Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Orestes QUERCIA,
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president;
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Liberal Front Party (PFL), Hugo NAPOLEAO, president;
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Workers' Party (PT), Luis Ignacio (Lula) da SILVA, president;
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Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Luiz GONZAGA de Paiva Muniz, president;
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Democratic Labor Party (PDT), Leonel BRIZOLA, president;
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Democratic Social Party (PDS), Amaral NETTO, president;
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Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Mario COVAS, president;
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Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), Salomao MALINA, secretary general;
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Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao AMAZONAS, president;
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Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Eduardo CAMPOS, president
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Suffrage: voluntary at age 16; compulsory between ages 18 and 70;
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voluntary at age 70
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Elections:
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President--last held 15 November 1989, with runoff on 17
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December 1989 (next to be held November 1994);
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results--Fernando COLLOR de Mello 53%, Luis Inacio da SILVA 47%;
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note--first free, direct presidential election since 1960;
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Senate--last held 3 October 1990 (next to be held November 1994);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(81 total as of 3 February 1991) PMDB 27, PFL 15, PSDB 10,
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PTB 8, PDT 5, other 16;
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Chamber of Deputies--last held 3 October 1990 (next to be held
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November 1994);
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results--PMDB 21%, PFL 17%, PDT 9%, PDS 8%, PRN 7.9%, PTB 7%, PT 7%,
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other 23.1%;
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seats--(503 total as of 3 February 1991) PMDB 108, PFL 87,
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PDT 46, PDS 43, PRN 40, PTB 35, PT 35, other 109;
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Communists: about 30,000
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Other political or pressure groups: left wing of the Catholic
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Church and labor unions allied to leftist Worker's Party are critical of
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government's social and economic policies
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Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-19,
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G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
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ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
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ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM,
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UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Marcilio Marques MOREIRA;
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Chancery at 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
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(202) 745-2700; there are Brazilian Consulates General in Atlanta,
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Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, and New York, and Consulates in
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Dallas, Houston, and San Francisco;
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US--Ambassador Richard MELTON; Embassy at Avenida das Nocoes,
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Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal (mailing address is APO Miami 34030);
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telephone 55 (6) 321-7272; there are US Consulates General in Rio de
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Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and Consulates in Porto Alegre and Recife
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Flag: green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a
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blue celestial globe with 23 white five-pointed stars (one for each
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state) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the
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globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO
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(Order and Progress)
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy, with large agrarian, mining, and
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manufacturing sectors, entered the 1990s with declining real growth,
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runaway inflation, an unserviceable foreign debt of $122 billion, and
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a lack of policy direction. In addition, the economy remained highly
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regulated, inward-looking, and protected by substantial trade and
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investment barriers. Ownership of major industrial and mining facilities
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is divided among private interests--including several multinationals--and
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the government. Most large agricultural holdings are private, with the
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government channeling financing to this sector. Conflicts between large
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landholders and landless peasants have produced intermittent violence.
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The government is seeking an IMF standby loan despite several failed
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agreements over the past decade. Relations with foreign commercial
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banks remain strained because of mounting interest arrears on Brazil's
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long-term debt. The Collor government, which assumed office in March
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1990, is embarked on an ambitious reform program that seeks to
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modernize and reinvigorate the economy by stabilizing prices,
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deregulating the economy, and opening it to increased foreign
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competition. A major long-run strength is Brazil's vast natural
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resources.
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GDP: $388 billion, per capita $2,540; real growth rate - 4.6%
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(1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1,795% (December 1990)
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Unemployment rate: 4.4% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $36.5 billion; expenditures $48.2 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $4.6 billion (1988)
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Exports: $31.4 billion (1990);
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commodities--iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice, footwear,
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coffee
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partners--EC 29%, US 23%, Latin America 10%, Japan 7% (1989)
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Imports: $20.4 billion (1990);
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commodities--crude oil, capital goods, chemical products,
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foodstuffs, coal;
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partners--US 21%, Middle East and Africa 20%, EC 20%, Latin
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America 18%, Japan 7% (1989)
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External debt: $122 billion (December 1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 8.9% (1990); accounts
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for 35% of GDP
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Electricity: 55,773,000 kW capacity; 214,116 million kWh produced,
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1,400 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: textiles and other consumer goods, shoes, chemicals,
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cement, lumber, iron ore, steel, motor vehicles and auto parts,
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metalworking, capital goods, tin
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Agriculture: accounts for 12% of GDP; world's largest producer and
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exporter of coffee and orange juice concentrate and second-largest
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exporter of soybeans; other products--rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, beef;
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self-sufficient in food, except for wheat
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Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca, mostly for
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domestic consumption; government has a modest eradication program
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to control cannabis and coca cultivation
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $2.5
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billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $9.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $284 million;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $1.3 billion
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Currency: cruzeiro (plural--cruzeiros); 1 cruzeiro (Cr$) = 100
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centavos
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Exchange rates: cruzeiros (Cr$) per US$1--193.189 (January 1991),
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68.300 (1990), 2.834 (1989), 0.26238 (1988), 0.03923 (1987), 0.01366
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(1986), 0.00620 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 29,694 km total; 25,268 km 1.000-meter gauge, 4,339 km
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1.600-meter gauge, 74 km mixed 1.600-1.000-meter gauge,
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13 km 0.760-meter gauge; 2,308 km electrified
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Highways: 1,448,000 km total; 48,000 km paved, 1,400,000 km gravel
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or earth
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Inland waterways: 50,000 km navigable
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Pipelines: crude oil, 2,000 km; refined products, 3,804 km; natural
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gas, 1,095 km
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Ports: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto
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Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos
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Merchant marine: 263 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,898,838
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GRT/9,975,272 DWT; includes 2 passenger-cargo, 59 cargo, 1 refrigerated
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cargo, 13 container, 7 roll-on/roll-off, 60 petroleum, oils, and
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lubricants (POL) tanker, 15 chemical tanker, 11 liquefied gas, 14
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combination ore/oil, 79 bulk, 2 combination bulk; additionally, 2 naval
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tanker and 4 military transport are sometimes used commercially
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Civil air: 176 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 3,751 total, 3,078 usable; 401 with permanent-surface
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runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 22 with runways 2,240-3,659 m; 533
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with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: good system; extensive radio relay facilities;
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9.86 million telephones; stations--1,223 AM, no FM, 112 TV, 151
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shortwave; 3 coaxial submarine cables 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
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stations with total of 3 antennas; 64 domestic satellite stations
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Brazilian Army, Navy of Brazil (including Marines),
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Brazilian Air Force, Federal Police Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 40,559,052; 27,364,392 fit for
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military service; 1,637,434 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 2.6% of GDP (1990)
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