The Federative Republic of Brazil is a sovereign country located in South America.[1] Brazil is the most extensive country in South America and the world's fifth most extensive country, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy.[1] Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi).[1] It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the overseas department of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz.[1]
Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until its independence in 1822.[1] Initially independent as the Brazilian Empire, the country has been a republic since 1889, although the bicameral legislature; now called Congress, dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified.[1] Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federal Republic.[2] The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.[2][3]
Because Portuguese is the official language of the country, Brazil is the only Lusophone nation in the Americas, making their culture and national identity quite different from their Hispanic neighbors.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Brazil:
| Flag | State | Abbreviation | Capital | Area (km²) | Population (2005) | Density (2005) | GDP (% total) (2004) | GDP per capita (US$) (2004) | HDI (2005) | Literacy (2003) | Infant Mortality (2002) | Life Expectancy (2004) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acre | AC | Rio Branco | 152,581.4 | 707,125 | 4.30 | 3,242,123 (0.2%) | 5,143 | 0.751 | 84% | 29.8‰ | 71.7 | |
| Alagoas | AL | Maceió | 27,767.7 | 3,093,994 | 108.61 | 11,556,013 (0.7%) | 3,877 | 0.677 | 70% | 48.2‰ | 66.0 | |
| Amapá | AP | Macapá | 142,814.6 | 648,553 | 4.16 | 3,720,013 (0.2%) | 6,796 | 0.780 | 91% | 22.5‰ | 69.8 | |
| Amazonas | AM | Manaus | 1,570,745.7 | 3,393,369 | 2.05 | 35,889,111 (2.1%) | 11,434 | 0.780 | 94% | 24.3‰ | 73.4 | |
| Bahia | BA | Salvador | 564,692.7 | 14,637,364 | 24.46 | 86,882,488 (4.9%) | 6,350 | 0.742 | 79% | 31.4‰ | 71.4 | |
| Ceará | CE | Fortaleza | 148,825.6 | 8,547,809 | 54.40 | 33,261,175 (1.9%) | 4,170 | 0.723 | 78% | 27.6‰ | 69.6 | |
| Distrito Federal | DF | Brasília | 5,822.1 | 2,606,885 | 400.73 | 43,522,926 (2.5%) | 19,071 | 0.874 | 96% | 15.8‰ | 74.9 | |
| Espírito Santo | ES | Vitória | 46,077.5 | 3,487,199 | 73.97 | 34,488,268 (2.0%) | 10,289 | 0.802 | 90% | 17.7‰ | 73.1 | |
| Goiás | GO | Goiânia | 340,086.7 | 5,926,300 | 16.52 | 41,316,658 (2.3%) | 7,501 | 0.800 | 90% | 18.3‰ | 72.8 | |
| Maranhão | MA | São Luís | 331,983.3 | 6,103,327 | 18.38 | 16,547,977 (0.9%) | 2,748 | 0.683 | 77% | 36.5‰ | 66.8 | |
| Mato Grosso | MT | Cuiabá | 903,357.9 | 2,803,274 | 3.10 | 27,935,132 (1.6%) | 10,162 | 0.796 | 90% | 19.2‰ | 72.6 | |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | MS | Campo Grande | 357,125.0 | 2,264,468 | 6.34 | 19,954,505 (1.1%) | 8,945 | 0.802 | 91% | 16.9‰ | 73.2 | |
| Minas Gerais | MG | Belo Horizonte | 586,528.3 | 19,237,450 | 32.79 | 166,564,882 (9.4%) | 8,771 | 0.800 | 89% | 19.1‰ | 74.1 | |
| Pará | PA | Belém | 1,247,689.5 | 6,970,586 | 5.58 | 34,196,694 (1.9%) | 4,992 | 0.755 | 90% | 23.0‰ | 71.4 | |
| Paraíba | PB | João Pessoa | 56,439.8 | 3,595,886 | 63.71 | 14,863,913 (0.9%) | 4,165 | 0.718 | 75% | 35.2‰ | 68.3 | |
| Paraná | PR | Curitiba | 199,314.9 | 10,686,247 | 51.48 | 108,699,740 (6.2%) | 10,725 | 0.820 | 93% | 17.3‰ | 73.5 | |
| Pernambuco | PE | Recife | 98,311.6 | 8,413,593 | 85.58 | 47,697,268 (2.7%) | 5,730 | 0.718 | 79% | 35.7‰ | 67.5 | |
| Piauí | PI | Teresina | 251,529.2 | 3,006,885 | 11.95 | 8,611,106 (0.5%) | 2,892 | 0.703 | 72% | 26.2‰ | 68.2 | |
| Rio de Janeiro | RJ | Rio de Janeiro | 43,696.1 | 16,010,429 | 352.05 | 222,564,408 (12.6%) | 14,639 | 0.832 | 96% | 18.3‰ | 72.4 | |
| Rio Grande do Norte | RN | Natal | 52,796.8 | 3,003,087 | 56.88 | 15,906,902 (0.9%) | 5,370 | 0.738 | 77% | 32.2‰ | 69.8 | |
| Rio Grande do Sul | RS | Porto Alegre | 281,748.5 | 10,845,087 | 38.49 | 142,874,611 (8.1%) | 13,320 | 0.832 | 95% | 12.7‰ | 74.5 | |
| Rondônia | RO | Porto Velho | 237,576.2 | 1,534,594 | 6.46 | 9,744,908 (0.6%) | 6,238 | 0.776 | 92% | 22.4‰ | 70.6 | |
| Roraima | RR | Boa Vista | 224,299.0 | 391,317 | 1.74 | 1,864,318 (0.1%) | 4,881 | 0.750 | 91% | 18.1‰ | 69.3 | |
| Santa Catarina | SC | Florianópolis | 95,346.2 | 5,866,568 | 61.53 | 70,208,541 (4.0%) | 12,159 | 0.840 | 95% | 15.0‰ | 74.8 | |
| São Paulo | SP | São Paulo | 248,209.4 | 42,342,877 | 162.93 | 546,607,616 (30.9%) | 13,725 | 0.833 | 95% | 14.5‰ | 73.7 | |
| Sergipe | SE | Aracaju | 21,910.3 | 1,967,761 | 89.81 | 13,121,517 (0.7%) | 6,782 | 0.742 | 90% | 31.4‰ | 70.3 | |
| Tocantins | TO | Palmas | 277,620.9 | 1,305,728 | 4.70 | 4,768,864 (0.3%) | 3,776 | 0.756 | 83% | 25.6‰ | 70.7 |
For demographics data, see chart presented under "States of Brazil", above.
The Federative Republic of Brazil is a member of:[1]
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