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Map of Brazil (capital Rio de Janero)
Country Comparisons:
2010: see chart
2010: debt and reserves chart
World Factbook: "Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries [not in per capita GDP] and Brazil is expanding its presence in world markets.
Oil production and consumption:
2009: chart
Brazil has a vast amount of land not suited for food crops but that can grow crops for automobile fuel.
In 2003, 20% of population is involved in agriculture -- high compared to the more highly industrialized countries, which are typically between 2 and 3 percent. Industry takes 14% and services take 66%
Brazil for 2010 has a per capita GDP ($10,900, in 2010 U.S. dollars) less than one-fourth that of the United States, and less than that of Mexico but greater than China's. It has health figures, a birth rate and corruption figure typical of countries with its level of per capital GDP.
Unemployment rate
2010 7%
2009: 7.4%
2008: 7.9%
Distribution of Wealth
Brazil has one of the more unequal distributions of wealth. The wealthiest
10 percent do 48 percent worth of the nation's consumer shopping, and the lowest
0.7 percent (1998 figures). The wealthiest 10 % in the United States do
30.5 % worth of shopping and the lowest 1.8 %. These figures for
Sweden are 20.1 % and 3.7%.
Land in Brazil is said to be largely in the hands of a few wealthy families.
In the two largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, a third of the people, it is said, live in slums.
Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP
2006: 2.6%
Living in an urban area
2010: 87%
population estimate:
July 2011: 202.4 million (ranks 5th) compared to 313.2 million for the United States (ranks 3rd).
Migration
2010: More leaving than arriving. A net loss of 0.09 persons per 1,000 population
Ethnicity and Religion
Whites are 55% of the population. Mixed black and white are 38%,
black 6% and India 1%. The country is 80% Roman Catholic.
South America. Brazil is 8,456,510 square kilometers of land compared to 9,161,923 square kilometers for the United States.
Brazil is divided into states and has a federal Congress divided between the Chamber of Deputies and Senate. Capital: Brasilia.
In the 1970s, Brazil invested in the production of alcohol to replace gasoline.
Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, elected in 2002∫, is a former shoeshine boy and metal worker. He is commonly described as a man of the Left.
Investment in its economy estimated for 2004 is 18% of GDP compared to 15.2% for the United States. Sweden's is 15.7%.
With help from its alternative fuel production, Brazil expects to be energy sufficient In 2006. Many of its cars use alternative fuels and many of its gas stations have two sets of pumps: one for "alcohol" the other for gasoline. Brazilians and Japanese are engaged in a joint venture for Brazil exporting ethanol (alcohol) to Japan.
In Brazil are desperate people and others willing and able to take advantage of them. The result: slavery. People have been told they could have good jobs in Amazonia. Transported there they are then forced to pay for their transportation, food, tools and housing. According to a report at Antislavery.org, "some 18,000 people have been released from forced labor in Brazil since 1995," and in 2006 "thousands of Brazilians continue to be trafficked from impoverished parts of the country."
Police Corruption and Tourists, July 27, 2007: UPI reports two San Francisco policemen in Brazil during the Pan American Games were stopped by "two uniformed police officers" and searched for drugs. Although no drugs were found the Brazilian cops told the two tourists they would have to pay a bribe or be arrested. The Brazilian cops left the tourists' with $2,200 of their money and an MP3 player.
2007: Brazil has a vast tropical forest area where Indian peoples live. According to the World Factbook, deforestation is destroying the habitat and endangering "a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area," and "there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade."
Copyright © 2009-2011 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.