Brazilian diaspora

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Brazilian diaspora refers to the migration of Brazilians to other countries, a fairly recent phenomenon that has been driven mainly by economic problems that have afflicted Brazil since the 1980s.

1 Demographics
2 Paraguay
3 Famous Brazilians
4 Organizations
5 News and articles
6 References

[edit] Demographics

There are an estimated 2 million Brazilians living abroad^[1], mainly in the U.S. (350,000) [2], Paraguay (350,000), Japan (250,000), United Kingdom (200,000), Portugal (65,000), Italy (65,000), Switzerland (45,000), and another 500,000 are living in other European countries. Nowadays, emigration from Brazil is slowing down, due to the country's greater economic growth.

[edit] United States

In 2006, there were around 350,000 Brazilians living in the United States [3]. Major concentrations are in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida and California.

West 46th Street has historically been a commercial center for Brazilians living or visiting New York City. In 1995 the city officially recognized it as "Little Brazil Street."

In Massachusetts, there is a very significant concentration of Brazilian immigrants in the town of Framingham, which in recent years has spilled out into the neighboring towns of Marlborough and Hudson, among others. The Brazilian communities in these towns are vibrant, having contributed much to the local cuisine and culture, but Brazilians immigrants often feel discriminated against and are often thought to be illegal immigrants by their non-Brazilian neighbors.^[2]

A disproportional number of Brazilians who have emigrated to the US came from the town of Governador Valadares, in the state of Minas Gerais.

[edit] Canada

There are an estimated 20,000 Brazilians living in Canada^{[citation needed]}. Major concentrations are in Toronto, ON, Montreal, QC, Vancouver, BC, and Calgary, AB, but there are Brazilians living in all the Provinces and Territories, including Nunavut. See List of Canadians by Ethnicity

[edit] Japan

The majority of Brazilians living in Japan are of Japanese descent, and they have been migrating there since the 1980s. They are estimated in 300,000 as of 2007.

[edit] United Kingdom

See: Latin American British and Brazilian British

The United Kingdom has Europe's biggest Brazilian population and the largest outside Brazil, USA and Japan. The majority of Brazilians living in the UK are a mixture of businesspeople, young families and students. The numbers have increased a lot since students were allowed to work 20 hours a week. The actual Brazilian British population is strongly debated, but according to the most recent estimates, it is around 200,000.^[3]

There are Brazilian communities all over the UK including Peterborough, Wisbech, King's Lynn, Norfolk and Great Yarmouth.

There are two main London areas in which Brazilian are visibly present: Bayswater, in City of Westminster and Council of Brent, specially in the area of Harlesden, Kensal Green and Willesden Green (west London). According to Brent administration, Portuguese is the second major language used in the area, due mostly to the many Brazilian and Portuguese restaurants, hairdressers, pubs, markets, estate agents and churches.

Since Brazilians are known for their skills at football, there are some Brazilian organized teams playing in official English leagues: Brazilian Football Club [www.brazilianfc.com] (London), Brazilians United Football Club (Bournemouth). Kickers is also a Brazilian team competing for the FutSal top league.