10/18/05

Some generally Brazilian information from Kate.

GEOGRAPHY
Area:
total area 8,511,965 sq km
land area 8,456,510 sq km
comparative area slightly smaller than the US note includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo

Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt

Natural resources: iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, phosphates, tin, hydropower, gold, platinum, petroleum, timber

Land use:
arable land 7%
permanent crops 1%
meadows and pastures 19%
forest and woodland 67%
other 6%

ECONOMY
Industries: textiles and other consumer goods, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, steel, motor vehicles and auto parts, metalworking, capital goods, tin

Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GDP; world's largest producer and exporter of coffee and orange juice concentrate and second-largest exporter of soybeans; other products - rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, beef; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca, mostly for domestic consumption; government has a modest eradication program to control cannabis and coca cultivation; important transshipment country for Bolivian and Colombian cocaine headed for the US and Europe Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment Labor force: total: 57 million (1989 est.) by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27% Unemployment rate: 7% (1997 est.)

The People

Population: 158,739,257 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.28% (1994 est.)
Birth rate: 21.48 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate: 8.63 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate: 59.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population 62.25 years male 57.41 years female 67.32 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, Amerindian, black 6%,
white 55%,
mixed 38%,
other 1% Religions:
Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population 81%
male 82%
female 80%
Labor force: 57 million (1989 est.)
by occupation services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%

General Outlook of the People
Brazilians are friendly, warm, and happy people. Above all they are free-spirited and resent being told what to do. Brazilians are gregarious, outgoing, and love to be around people. The hot climate allows them to spend a great deal of time outdoors, often just chatting with friends or watching people. Women should be aware that it is common for Brazilian men to stare at them or make comments as they walk by; women should not respond in any way to such actions. Brazilians can be very opinionated, and the vigor with which they argue for their convictions often leads foreigners to believe that they are angry. Visitors should not be offended by such behavior. Brazilians tend to view time more as a sequence of events rather than hours, minutes, and seconds. For this reason they may appear to have an extremely casual attitude about time.
Excerpt adapted from Jaime Sichman