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Brazil Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Federative Republic of Brazil
Capital Brasília
Area 8,514,877 sq km
3,287,612 sq mi
Brazil: Flag and Anthem
Brazil: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 198,739,270 (2009 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.20 percent (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 231,886,946 (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 260,692,493 (2009 estimate)
Population density 24 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)
61 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 84 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 16 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
São Paulo 10,886,518 (2007 estimate)
Rio de Janeiro 6,093,472 (2007 estimate)
Salvador 2,892,625 (2007 estimate)
Fortaleza 2,431,415 (2007 estimate)
Belo Horizonte 2,412,937 (2007 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Caucasian (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, and Polish) 55 percent
Mixed Caucasian and African 38 percent
African 6 percent
Other (including Japanese and Arab) 1 percent
Languages
Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Religious affiliations
Roman Catholic (nominal) 90 percent
Spiritists and African Brazilian religions, such as Candombl, Macumba, and Umbanda 4 percent
Nonreligious 2 percent
Other 4 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 72 years (2009 estimate)
Female 75.7 years (2009 estimate)
Male 68.4 years (2009 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 23 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 90.5 percent (2007 estimate)
Female 90.9 percent (2007 estimate)
Male 90.1 percent (2007 estimate)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $1,313.4 billion (2007)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $6,854.70 (2007)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 5.5 percent (2007)
Industry 28.7 percent (2007)
Services 65.8 percent (2007)
Monetary unit
1 real (R$), consisting of 100 centavos
Agriculture
Soybeans, coffee, tobacco, sugarcane, cacao beans, beef and poultry
Mining
Iron ore, tin, gold, oil, phosphates, platinum, bauxite, uranium, manganese, copper, coal
Manufacturing
Machinery and transportation equipment, food products, textiles and clothing, chemicals
Major exports
Road vehicles and parts, coffee and coffee substitutes, metals, feeding-stuff for animals
Major imports
Petroleum, road vehicles and parts, electrical machinery, organic chemicals, industrial machinery and parts
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Netherlands, Germany, China, Mexico
Major trade partners for imports
United States, Argentina, Germany, Japan, Italy
Sources
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).
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 statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2009 Microsoft