Brazil

= = =//__Brazil (Federative Republic of Brazil )__//= 


 * __ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE NATION__**

Brazil is in eastern South America, border with the Atlantic Ocean. It's 8,511,965 square km.
 * Geographic Orientation**

Border with all South America countries but Chile and Ecuador.
 * Neighbouring Nations**

The population in Brazil is approximately 19 million and one third of it is unger age of 15, is growing annually at a rate of about 1%.
 * Population**

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write. It is 88.6% of total population, males are 88.4%, famales are 88.8%.
 * Literacy Rate**

Portuguese is Brazil's offical language. However, Spainish, English, German ,Italian and some local languge are also used in parts of Brazil.
 * Official Languages**

Brazil is a federal republic consisting of 26 states and one federal district(Brasillia). Now, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is head of Government. The National Congress: 81 seats Federal Senate; 513 seats Chamber of Deputies.
 * Type of Government**

Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and Brazil is expanding its presence in world markets. However, income distribution is highly unequal; inequitable land distribution, nearly half of all pravite ;and owned by 1% of population.
 * Type of Economic System**

Brazilians are warm, fun-loving andfree-spirital. They enjoy visiting. Most of Brazilians live in houses or apartments built in a style similar to the states townhouse. Brazilian families are troditional large and may include extemded family. All cultures wthin Brazil have influenuced its music, dance and fetivals.
 * Races/Cultures of People**

Brazil traditionally has beeb a strong roman Catholic country. Roman Catholic(nomonal)-73.6%; Spiritic alist-1.3%; Protestant-15.4%; Bantu/Voodoo-0.3%; other-1.8; unspecified-0.2%; none-7.4%.
 * Religions**

Brail has natural resources such as oil, natural gas. Also, Brazil is the world largest producer of coffee, oranges and bananas.
 * Natural Resources**

Major exports are oil, natural gas, coffee, orange, bananas and transport equipment. Major imports are machinery, electicaland transport equipment, chemocal products.
 * Main Exports/Main Imports**

Export partners include the states-16.1%, Argentina- 9.2%, Germany-4.0%, China-6.8%, Netherland-5.6% and so on. Import partners include the states-15.7%, China-10.5%, Argentina-8.6%, Germany-7.2%, Nigeria-4.4% and so on.
 * Major Trading Partners**


 * __HISTORICAL TIMELINE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY__**
 * 1894- Brazil's first civilian president Jose de Morais Barror took office.
 * 1932- Sao Paolo rebellion results in civil war.
 * 1934- New constitution was adopted; Getulio Dorneles Vargas is elected to the presidency.
 * 1937- EstadoNovo or "New State" is established.
 * 1941- Brazil jioned WW2 with Allies side.
 * 1964- Amilitary coup puts Marshal Branxe in power.
 * 1985- The military steped down; democracy is restored.
 * 1989- The first firect presidential election,since 1960 is held.
 * 1994- The constution is revised to reduce the presidential term to four years.
 * 1998- Cardoso defeats Lula for a second term as president.
 * 1999- President Cardoso sighed the environmental crime bill making deforestation and pollution punishable crmies.

The president of Brazil is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Luiz Inácio da Silva was born on 27 October 1945 in Caetés, Pernambuco. His father was a alcoholic and died in 1978. Lula had little formal education. He did not learn to read until he was ten years old, and quit school after the fourth grade in order to work to help his family. His working life began at age 12 as a shoeshiner and street vendor. By age 14 he got his first formal job in a copper processing factory as a lathe operator. In 1978 he was elected president of the Steel Workers' Union of São Bernardo do Campo and Diadema, cities in the Greater São Paulo, home to most of Brazil's automobile manufacturing facilities and among the most industrialized in the country. On 10 February 1980, a group of academics, intellectuals, and union leaders, including Lula, founded the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) or Workers' Party, a left-wing party with progressive ideas created in the midst of the military dictatorship. In 1992 Lula joined the campaign for the impeachment of president Fernando Collor de Mello after a series of scandals involving public funds. In 2002, he became the president of Brazil. From the beginning of his political career to the present, Lula has changed some of his original ideas and moderated his positions. Instead of drastic social changes as he proposed in the past, his government chose a reformist line, passing new retirement, tax, labor and judicial legislation, and discussing university reform. Very few actual reforms have been implemented so far. Lula put social programs at the top of his agenda during his campaign and since his election. He says that one of the main problems in Brazil today is social inequality, and the mal-nourishment of certain regional populations. What a nice president.
 * __THE NATION AT PRESENT__**