Search |
Brazil
![]()
FactsBackground: Following more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889. Brazilian coffee exporters politically dominated the country until populist leader Getulio VARGAS rose to power in 1930. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil underwent more than half a century of populist and military government until 1985, when the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader, one of the first in the area to begin an economic recovery. Highly unequal income distribution and crime remain pressing problems. In January 2010, Brazil assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term. note: data are in 2010 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate): $2.024 trillion (2010 est.); GDP - real growth rate: 7.5% (2010 est.); -0.2% (2009 est.); 5.1% (2008 est.); GDP - per capita (PPP): $10,900 (2010 est.); $10,300 (2009 est.); $10,400 (2008 est.); note: data are in 2010 US dollars GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6.1%; industry: 26.4%; services: 67.5% (2010 est.); Population below poverty line: 26% (2008); Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1%; highest 10%: 43% (2007); Labor force: 103.6 million (2010 est.); Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 20%; industry: 14%; services: 66% (2003 est.); Unemployment rate: 7% (2010 est.); 8.1% (2009 est.); Budget: revenues: $464.4 billion; expenditures: $552.6 billion (2010 est.); Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment; Industrial production growth rate: 11.5% (2010 est.); Electricity - production: 438.8 billion kWh (2007 est.); Electricity - consumption: 404.3 billion kWh (2007 est.); Electricity - exports: 2.034 billion kWh (2007 est.); Electricity - imports: 42.06 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2008 est.); Statistics: CIA World Factbook. PressDisplaying 1 to 7 of 23 items. Caras(weekly celebrity magazine), São Paulo Caros Amigos(left-wing monthly), Carta Capital(Left-wing magazine), São Paulo Ciencia Hoje(Science monthly), São Paulo Correio Braziliense(Semi-official), Brasília Correio da Cidadania(Socialist), Correio do Povo(Centrist), Porto Alegre Brazil in the NewsDisplaying 1 to 4 of 47 items. Latin America's Expanding Wealth GapBy 2022, the top 1 percent in Latin America will have more wealth than the remaining 99 percent, and social policies are needed to reverse this trend. United States and Brazil: Reaping What You SowA half-century since the U.S.-backed coup, Washington continues to interfere in Brazil's domestic politics, operating mostly in shadow. Student Movements in BrazilUniversity students in São Paulo have organized a series of demonstrations and been met with fierce resistance from the establishment. Decline of Inequality and Poverty in Latin AmericaSocial spending policies that have helped reduce inequality and poverty in Latin America for the past decade should be strengthened and regionalized. |
|