Brazil

In 1822, Brazil became a nation independent from Portugal. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil has overcome more than half a century of military government to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development. With an abundance of natural resources and a large labor pool, Brazil became Latin America's leading economic power by the 1970’s.

Brazil is located in Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It is slightly smaller than the U.S., with bordering countries Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia, French Guyana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It has many natural resources, including bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, and timber. The climate is tropical in the north, but temperate in the south. The terrain consists of mostly flat to rolling lowlands, with some plains, hills, mountains, and a narrow coastal belt. In recent years, environmentalists have become increasingly concerned over the future of the Amazon region, where human life has threatened the world's largest intact rain forest. Brasilia is the capital and main source of modern industry.

The total population in Brazil is 167,988,000. The population grows at a rate of 0.91%, with a life expectancy of 64 years for the total population; the female life expectancy is 67.73 years and the male is 58.96 years. The Brazilian people are very diverse. Three main ethnic groups exist in the country: Portuguese, Native American, and African. The Portuguese, Spanish and English languages are spoken throughout Brazil. However, Portuguese cultural influences remain strong, with Portuguese as the primary language and Roman Catholicism as the principal religion. The definition of literacy being those who are aged fifteen and older who can read and write, the literacy rate in Brazil is 83% for the entire population.

Before 1930, the Brazilian economy was dominated by a number of agricultural and mineral products for export. The world economic depression of the 1930s encouraged the government to diversify the economy, particularly through industrialization. Consequently, the importance of agriculture and mining has fallen significantly. A major objective of Brazil's industrialization policy was to replace imported manufactures with Brazilian-made ones. It is now able to export goods such as iron ore, soybeans, footwear, and coffee. Its imports include machinery and equipment, chemical products, oil, and electricity.

Although Brazil traditionally has been an exporter of primary agricultural and mineral products, these now make up only 40 percent of overseas trade, with manufactured goods becoming the primary export.