1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Administrative divisions
23 states, 3 territories, 1 federal district
Boundary disputes
Paraguay (Rio Parana area), Uruguay; claims a Zone of Interest in Antarctica
Branches
strong executive with very broad powers; bicameral legislature (National Congress) with growing powers, comprised of Senate and Chamber of Deputies that will combine to form a Constituent Assembly in 1987 to draft a new constitution; 11-man Supreme Court
Capital
Brasilia
Climate
mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Coastline
7,491 km
Communists
about 30,000
Comparative area
larger than conterminous US
Continental shelf
200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Elections
Tancredo Neves indirectly elected by an electoral college composed of members of congress and delegates from the state legislatures, ending 20 years of military rule; died before assuming office; municipal elections held November 1985; congressional and gubernatorial elections held November 1986; constitutional convention February 1987 Political parties and leaders: Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Ulysses Guimaraes, president; Liberal Front Party of President Sarney's government coalition, Mauricio Campos, president; other parties — Workers Party (PT), Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), Democratic Workers Party (PDT), and Social Democratic Party (PDS); Communist parties legalized in March 1985 — Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) and Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB)
Environment
recurrent droughts in northeast; floods and frost in south; deforestation in Amazon basin
Government leader
Jose SARNEY Costa, President (since April 1985)
Land boundaries
13,076 km total
Land use
7% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 67% forest and woodland; 6% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Legal system
based on Latin codes; dual system of courts, state and federal; constitution adopted in 1967 and extensively amended in 1969; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB — Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 7 September
Other political or pressure groups
left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftist Worker's Party are critical of military government's social and economic policies
Special notes
largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
Suffrage
compulsory over age 18
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Territorial sea
200 nm
Total area
8,511,970 km2; land area: 8,456,510 km2
Type
federal republic; democratically elected president since March 1985
Voting strength
(November 1986 Congressional elections) 77% government coalition (PMDB and PFL), 7% PDS, 10% leftist opposition parties (PT, PDT, PCB)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, black, Amerindian; 55% white, 38% mixed, 6% black, 1% other
Infant mortality rate
70/1,000 (1986)
Labor force
50 million in 1984; 40% services, 35% agriculture, 25% industry
Language
Portuguese (official), English
Life expectancy
62.8
Literacy
76%
Nationality
noun — Brazilian(s); adjective— Brazilian
Organized labor
about 25 million (1986)
Population
147,094,739 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.45%
Religion
(1980) 89% Roman Catholic (nominal)
Government
Official name
Federative Republic of
Economy
Agriculture
main products — coffee, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, soybeans, cotton, manioc, oranges; nearly self-sufficient except for wheat; an illegal producer of coca and cannabis for the international drug trade British Indian Ocean Territory
Budget
public sector — revenues, 92,529 million cruzados; current expenditures, 75,541 million cruzados; capital expenditures, 35,070 million cruzados (1984)
Crude steel
20.0 million metric tons capacity; 17.5 million metric tons produced (1985); 125 kg per capita
Electric power
42,945,000 kW capacity; 1,680,000 million kWh produced, 1,170 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$25.1 billion (f.o.b., 1985); soybeans, coffee, transport equipment, iron ore, steel products, chemicals, machinery, orange juice, shoes, sugar
Fiscal year
calendar year
Fishing
catch 958,908 metric tons (1984); exports, $174 million (f.o.b., 1984); imports, $36 million (f.o.b., 1984)
GNP
$250 billion, $1,740 per capita (1986 est); 83% consumption, 16% gross investment, 2% net foreign balance (1984 est.); real growth rate 8.3% (1985); inflation rate about 70% (1986)
Imports
$12.7 billion (f.o.b., 1985); petroleum, machinery, chemicals, fertilizers, wheat, copper
Major industries
textiles and other consumer goods, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, steel, motor vehicles, other metalworking industries, capital goods, tin
Major trade partners
exports — 27% US, 27% EC, 9% Latin America, 5% Japan, 32% other (1985); imports— 35% Middle East and Africa, 20% US, 12% Latin America, 15% EC, 4% Japan, 14% other (1985)
Monetary conversion rate
14.11 cruzados=US$l (November 1986)
Natural resources
iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, tin, gemstones, hydroelectric power
Communications
Airfields
4,470 total, 3,615 usable; 332 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 23 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 489 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Branches
Brazilian Army, Navy of Brazil, Brazilian Air Force
Civil air
176 major transport aircraft
Highways
1,498,000 km total; 48,000 km paved, 1,400,000 km gravel or earth
Inland waterways
50,000 km navigable
Military budget
estimated for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $4.3 billion; 7.2% of central government budget 75km ' ' Salomon Islands Peros Banhos' Chagos Archipelago 'Eagle Islands ' " Egmont Islands
Military manpower
males 15-49, 37,002,000; 25,022,000 fit for military service; 1,579,000 reach military age (18) annually
Pipelines
crude oil, 2,000 km; refined products, 465 km; natural gas, 257 km
Ports
8 major, 23 significant minor
Railroads
29,781 km total; 25,155 km 1.000-meter gauge, 4,339 km 1.600-meter gauge, 200 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 87 km 0.760-meter gauge; 1,915 km electrified
Telecommunications
good telecom system; extensive radio-relay facilities; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT stations with total of 3 antennas; 64 domestic satellite stations; 9.86 million telephones (7.3 per 100 popl.); 1,141 AM, 171 shortwave, 200 TV stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables Defense Forces