Location
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, shares common boundaries with every
South American country except Chile and Ecuador
Geography
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Area
8,547,403 sq km (3,300,155 sq mi), largest country in South America;
covers almost 1/2 of the continent, fifth-largest country in world by geographical area
Capital
Brasília
Population
172 million
Government
Federative Republic of Brazil
Money
Brazilian real
Climate
mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Languages
Portuguese
History
* first indigenous peoples arrived over 8,000 years ago by crossing the Bering land bridge into Alaska and also from the North and Central Americas
* first European to discover Brazil was Portuguese Pedro Álvares Cabral on April 22, 1500
* from the 16th to the 19th centuries, Brazil was a colony of Portugal
* on September 7, 1822, Brazil declared its independence from Portugal
and became a constitutional monarchy
* was called the Empire of Brazil
* military coup in 1889 established a republican government
* Brazil has been a democratic republic ever since, except for three periods of dictatorship
(1930–1934; 1937–1945 and 1964–1985)
Economy
* Brazil has a moderate free market and export-oriented economy
* gross domestic product surpasses a trillion dollars
* eighth largest economy in the world and the second largest in the Americas, after the United States
Industry
textiles, shoes, chemicals, tin, steel, motor vehicles, vehicle parts, weapons, coal machine building; clothing, cement, fertilizers, toys, electronics, food processing, transportation equipment, telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites, real estate, brewing, tourism
Agriculture
soya beans, orange juice, coffee, sugar
Natural Resources
bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Livestock
beef, chicken
Plant Life
* Amazon rain forest has the most varied plant life on Earth,
consisting of about 50,000 different species
* only about half of them have been named and classified
* Euphorbiaceae trees which are the main source of rubber thrive in Brazil
* mangroves, cocoa trees, dwarf palms, Brazilwoods, pineapple, fig, custard
* apple, mango, banana, guava, orange
* cacti, orchids and many other tropical and desert plants
Animals
* most of the original ecosystems of the eastern highlands have been destroyed, therefore monkeys, parrots, and other formerly common wildlife are now found only in zoos etc.
* Brazilian savannas have no massive herds of wild animals like in Africa
* jaguars and ocelots once inhabited the forest edges, but they have been extensively hunted by ranchers and are now endangered
* Pantanal’s vast sloughs and watercourses support an abundance of plant and animal life, including the giant pirarucu, a fish that is herded into underwater pens until needed for food
* aquatic birds include ibis, herons, ducks, and migratory geese live there also
* numerous lizards and snakes, including deadly fer-de-lance and rattlesnakes
* armadillos and anteaters live in Brazil
* rheas (relative of the ostrich), roadrunners, and a variety of game birds, such as quail and partridge can also be found
Sports
* football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil
* Brazilian national football team (is currently ranked second in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings
* they have been victorious in the World Cup tournament a record five times
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