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Brazil

Origin

With its estimated 186 million inhabitants, Brazil has the largest population in Latin America and ranks fifth in the world. The majority of people live in the south-central area, which includes the industrial cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte. Urban growth has been rapid; by 2005, 81% of the total population was living in urban areas. This growth has aided economic development but also has created serious social, security, environmental, and political problems for major cities. Six major groups make up the Brazilian population: the Portuguese, who colonized Brazil in the 16th century; Africans brought to Brazil as slaves; various other European, Middle Eastern, and Asian immigrant groups who have settled in Brazil since the mid-19th century; and indigenous peoples of Tupi and Guarani language stock. Intermarriage between the Portuguese and indigenous people or slaves was common. Although the major European ethnic stock of Brazil was originally Portuguese, subsequent waves of immigration have contributed to a diverse ethnic and cultural heritage. From 1875 until 1960, about 5 million Europeans immigrated to Brazil, settling mainly in the four southern states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. Immigrants have come mainly from Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, Poland, and the Middle East. The largest Japanese community outside Japan is in Sao Paulo. Despite class distinctions, national identity is strong, and racial friction is a relatively new phenomenon. Indigenous full-blooded Indians, located mainly in the northern and western border regions and in the upper Amazon Basin, constitute less than 1% of the population. Their numbers are declining as contact with the outside world and commercial expansion into the interior increase. Brazilian Government programs to establish reservations and to provide other forms of assistance have existed for years but are controversial and often ineffective. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. About three quarters of all Brazilians belong to the Roman Catholic Church; most others are Protestant or follow practices derived from African religions.


Constitution

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Brazil was enacted aimed at putting together a Democratic Staten that could secure social and individual rights, civil liberties, welfare, development, progress, equality and justice as supreme values in a fraternal, pluralist and unbiased society, founded in social harmony and committed to the peaceful resolution of both domestic and international conflicts.Type: Federative republic. Independence: September 7, 1822. Constitution: Promulgated October 5, 1988. Branches: Executive--president (chief of state and head of government popularly elected to no more than two 4-year terms). Legislative--Senate (81 members popularly elected to 8-year terms), Chamber of Deputies (513 members popularly elected to 4-year terms). Judicial--Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 lifetime positions appointed by the president). Political parties: Workers' Party (PT), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB), Liberal Front Party (PFL), Social Democratic Party (PSD), Democratic Workers Party (PDT), Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Liberal Party (PL), Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), Communist Party of Brazil (PC do B), Brazilian Progressive Party (PP). Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Green Party (PV), the Social Liberal Party (PSL), the National Mobilization Party (PMN), National Workers Party (PTN), Humanistic Solidarity Party (PHS), and the Party of the Reedification of the National Order (PRONA).


Government

A multi-partisan federal republic with a two-chamber legislative body: a senate and a house of representatives


General History

The Federal Republic of Brazil is politically and geographically divided in five different regions. The limits of each and every region -North, Northeast, Southeast, South and Midwestern- always coincide with the frontiers of the 26 states and the Federal District. This is no doubt a country of contrasts. Its racial, ethnical and cultural reality stem from almost five centuries of incoming migrants from different walks of life and origins (Europeans, Africans and Asians) plus the nation's local residents. If you're looking for adventures in tourism, the northern region offers the Amazons, the world's largest biological reserve, as a peerless site of natural resources. This region embraces the largest chunk of the Brazilian territory. Brazil's history commenced in the country's northeastern region with the African heritage. This is the place where the Portuguese first landed and settled down in. The states comprised in this particular region have witnessed and starred the greatest deeds and the country's wealthiest cultural manifestations. Its weather is mild and its beaches are charming, let alone some sightseeing locations like the Atoll das Rocas and the Atlantic island of Fernando de Noroña, Salvador's baroque architecture, Capoeira, its gourmet and its carnival rhythms. The Southeastern region is marked by the huge Brazilian cities of Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro, Espiritu Santo and the state of Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte). Rio is outfitted with beaches, a top-notch hotel infrastructure, natural landscapes and the Redeeming Christ, that alongside the carnival, stand for the country's two major symbols of national identity abroad. The South is the most intimate of all regions featuring breathtaking natural landscapes like the Iguazu Waterfalls, the mountains of Rio Grande do Sul, the gorgeous beach of Florianopolis in Santa Catarina, the Vila Velha Park of Geological Curiosities or the city of Gramado with its picture-perfect Germanic architecture. The Midwestern region sports Brasilia, the nation's capital and the world's newest city, declared Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO. The region equally embraces the Swamplands -one of the richest and most original ecological sanctuaries inhabited by a considerable wildlife.