Brazil: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Federative Republic of Brazil

Capital

Brasília

Area

8,547,404 sq km

3,300,171 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

Acre

659,865 (2005 estimate)

Alagoas

3,015,912 (2005 estimate)

Amapá

594,587 (2005 estimate)

Amazonas

3,242,201 (2005 estimate)

Bahia

13,815,334 (2005 estimate)

Ceará

8,097,276 (2005 estimate)

Federal District

2,333,108 (2005 estimate)

Espírito Santo

3,408,365 (2005 estimate)

Goiás

5,619,917 (2005 estimate)

Maranhão

6,103,327 (2005 estimate)

Mato Grosso

2,803,274 (2005 estimate)

Mato Grosso do Sul

2,264,468 (2005 estimate)

Minas Gerais

19,237,450 (2005 estimate)

Pará

6,970,586 (2005 estimate)

Paraiba

3,595,886 (2005 estimate)

Paraná

10,261,856 (2005 estimate)

Pernambuco

8,413,593 (2005 estimate)

Piauí

3,006,885 (2005 estimate)

Rio de Janeiro

15,383,407 (2005 estimate)

Rio Grande do Norte

3,003,087 (2005 estimate)

Rio Grande do Sul

10,845,087 (2005 estimate)

Rondônia

1,534,594 (2005 estimate)

Roraima

391,317 (2005 estimate)

Santa Catarina

5,866,568 (2005 estimate)

São Paulo

40,442,795 (2005 estimate)

Sergipe

1,967,791 (2005 estimate)

Tocantins

1,305,728 (2005 estimate)

Largest cities (population)

São Paulo

10,886,518 (2007 estimate)

Rio de Janeiro

6,093,472 (2007 estimate)

Salvador

2,892,625 (2007 estimate)

Belo Horizonte

2,412,937 (2007 estimate)

Fortaleza

2,431,415 (2007 estimate)

Brasília

2,455,903 (2007 estimate)

Curitiba

1,797,408 (2007 estimate)

Manaus

1,612,475 (2007)

Recife

1,533,580 (2007 estimate)

Porto Alegre

1,420,667 (2007 estimate)

Belém

1,408,847 (2007 estimate)

Goiânia

1,244,645 (2007 estimate)

Campinas

1,039,297 (2007 estimate)

Population

191,908,600 (2008 estimate)

Population growth rate

0.98 per cent (2008 estimate)

Population density

23 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)

59 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

84 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

16 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

72.5 years (2008 estimate)

Female

76.6 years (2008 estimate)

Male

68.6 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

27 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

87.1 per cent (2005 estimate)

Female

87.5 per cent (2005 estimate)

Male

86.7 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Caucasian (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, and Polish)

53.7 per cent

Mulatto (mixed white and black)

38.5 per cent

Black

6.2 per cent

Other

1.6 per cent

Languages

Portuguese (official), Kaingáng, Kaiwá, Macushi, Terêna, Caló, Xavánte, Yanomámi, Sateré-Mawé, Mundurukú, Plautdietsch, and other languages, mainly Native American

Religions

Roman Catholic (nominal), other Christian, African Brazilian religions, such as Candomblé, Macumba, and Umbanda

Type of government

Federal republic

Independence

September 7, 1822 (from Portugal)

Constitution

October 5, 1988

Voting rights

Voluntary for ages 16, 17, over 70, and for illiterate population; compulsory for literate population between ages 18 and 70

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

1,067,472 million (2006)

GDP per capita (US$)

5,638.40 (2006)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

5.1 per cent (2006)

GDP, industry

30.9 per cent (2006)

GDP, services

64 per cent (2006)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

206,447 million (1998)

Total expenditure

190,891 million (1998)

Monetary unit

1 real (R$), consisting of 100 centavos

Exports

Iron ore, soya bean bran, orange juice, footwear, coffee, meat and meat preparations, textiles, sugar, paper, electric machinery, motor-vehicle parts

Imports

Crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs, coal, petroleum products, transport equipment

Major trading partners for exports

United States, Argentina, Netherlands, Japan, Germany

Major trading partners for imports

United States, Argentina, Germany, Japan, Italy

Industries

Textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, timber, iron ore, tin, and steel; machine building, including aircraft, motor vehicles, motor-vehicle parts and assembly, other machinery and equipment

Agriculture

Coffee, oranges, soya beans, rice, maize, sugar cane, cacao, bananas, beef

Natural resources

Bauxite, gold, iron ore, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, copper, zinc, manganese, diamonds, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.