Facts of Brazil

The facts of Brazil include information about country's people and culture, but also include interesting information about the climate, economy, geographic location, and much more.

Brazil is a unique country in that it is a melting pot of people from several ethnic backgrounds and cultures. The result is a diverse and rich modern Brazilian culture of music, art, theatre, sports, family units, and a country full of friendly and generous people.

Fast and Fun Facts About Brazil

• Official name: Federative Republic of Brazil
  
  
• Official language: Portuguese
  
  
• Second accepted language: English, for business purposes
  
  
• Population as of 2010: 193,000,000
  
  
• Capital of Brazil: Brasilia
  
  
• Population of Brasilia: 3,099,000
  
  
• Primary religion: Roman Catholic
  
  
• GDP per Capita for country: $7,600 in U.S. currency
  
  
• Number of years expected to live: 69
  
  
• Motto of Brazil: Order and Progress

Facts of Brazil

Geographical Location, Borders, and Area

Brazil is South America's largest country boasting over 3 million square miles of land. Brazil can also boast that it has just over 21,000 square miles of water included in its geographical scope. It comes in as the world's 5th largest country in total area and total population within that area. It's the 3rd largest country within the Americas. Brazil is such a large geographical area; the country spans three time zones!

The Atlantic Ocean is on the eastern boundary of Brazil providing the country with just under 5,000 miles of gorgeous coastline. Northern boundaries include Guyana, Venezuela, French Guiana, and Suriname. Columbia is on the northwest side of Brazil. Bolivia and Peru bound Brazil on the western side and Paraguay and Argentina bound Brazil on the southwest side. Directly south is the small country of Uruguay.

Bodies of water on Brazil's borders include several archipelagos in addition to the Atlantic Ocean. They are small, but the archipelagos are considered a part of Brazil's territory.

Economy Facts of Brazil

Brazil is a country to watch economically. At the time of this writing, the country holds 8th place in the world's GDP and is running 9th in the world when it comes to how much it can potentially purchase as a country. Brazil is constantly evolving and is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing countries economically globally. Recent discoveries of oil off of Brazil's shores further increase their economic growth potential. They're definitely a country for the world to watch.

When the first people came to Brazil years ago, they developed the coastline of the country while pretty much avoiding the interior of the country. Even today, the richest areas of Brazil are found along the coastline, with the poorer people living in near poverty in the interior and rural areas of Brazil.

Major Industries and Natural Resources of Brazil

• Agriculture - corn, sugarcane, cocoa, tomatoes, orange juice, corn, coffee, soybeans, potatoes, rice, pork, beef, peanuts, wheat, cotton, beans
  
  
• Service workers
  
  
• Mining - steel, iron ore, nickel, manganese, bauxite, gold, granite, gems, uranium, platinum,
  
  
• Manufacturing - airplanes, ships, and automobiles
  
  
• International banking
  
  
• Petroleum
  
  
• Hydroelectric power
  
  
• Clay, sand, timber
  
  
• Consumer goods - footwear, plastics, fertilizers, paper products, clothing, food

Government Facts of Brazil

The federation of Brazil is split up across 26 states and one overall federal district. Municipalities exist within the states. Each state collects taxes, has a governor, and a legislative body who is elected by the people of that state. Each state also receives a percentage of tax money directly from the federal government. The states each have a court of law to try cases of common law.

Climate of Brazil

The climate of Brazil is primarily tropical, but there are other types of weather conditions across the country due to the different topography. Brazil enjoys five overall climate types including semiarid, tropical, equatorial, temperate, and highland tropical. The major climates in the country include:

• Northern Brazil - equatorial climate
  
  
• Central Brazil - seasonal, likened to a savanna climate
  
  
• South Brazil - temperate climate

Detailed Population Facts of Brazil

The population of Brazil as of the most recent count is around 193 million souls. The breakdown of the cultures and ethnicity of the people within this vast country is quite interesting.

Southern Brazil has the largest percentage of Caucasian people at roughly 79% as of the census taken in 2005. Brazil's southeastern region has the most diverse population of the country with a mix of people from black, Indian, and white backgrounds.

African-Brazilians make up 80% of the population in northeastern Brazil. Central-West Brazil, which is where the capital of the country is located, enjoys a diverse population of German, Italian, Portuguese, and Indian people. The Amerindian culture is seen throughout the Northern population of Brazil.

Age of Brazilians

The population of Brazilians consists primarily of males and females between the ages of 15 years old and 64 years old. The percentages - approximately - look like this:

• 26.7% of population - infant to 14 years old
  
  
• 66.8% of population - 15 years old to 64 years old
  
  
• 6.4% of population - 65 years old and up

Religions of Brazil

The Roman Catholic religion is the primary religion practiced in Brazil. Nearly 75% of Brazilians call themselves Catholic, which amounts to somewhere around 130 million people. There are around 28 million Protestants, 2.2 million practicing Spiritism, 1 million or so Jehovah's Witnesses, and roughly 12 million who claim to believe there is no supreme being at all. Very small pockets of the population practice Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism.

Facts of Brazil - Ethnicities

Most people are aware that Brazil is a large melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, but what ethnic groups are included in Brazil's population? Ethnic backgrounds of the Brazilian people include: Brazilian, Italian, Spanish, Arab, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese, German, Indigenous, Jewish, Black, and African.