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Geography
The Amazon rainforest is the most complex ecosystem on the planet, and is under threat. Government agencies charges with protecting the Amazon are underfunded, understaffed and accused of corruption. HistoryThe earliest-known human traces in Brazil date from around 50,000 years ago, probably descendents of immigrants from Siberia via North America. Brazilian Indians never developed an advanced, centralized civilization like the Inca or Maya; instead, the tribes were highly diverse and mobile hunter-gatherers. Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, several million Indians lived in what is now Brazil; 500 years later, fewer than 200,000 remain.The Portuguese
'discovered' Brazil in 1500, and quickly realized
conditions were ideal for sugar plantations. Several million African
slaves were brought in to replace the less-hardy Brazil became an independent republic in 1889, and has experienced alternating periods of military and civilian rule ever since. PeopleBrazil's population is 166 million, fifth largest in the world. 80% live in urban areas.This population is a diverse mix of Portuguese and other European immigrants, former African slaves, and a small remnant of indigenous Indians. Portuguese is the official language, Roman Catholicism the dominant faith, and futbol (soccer) the national passion. The UN ranks Brazil in the 57th percentile in terms of quality of life, based on life expectancy, education and income; this is in the middle of the range for Latin American countries. EconomyBrazil is a middle-income economy, with a GNP per capita of $4,600 per year. The world's largest coffee producer, Brazil also has rich reserves of gold, diamonds, oil and iron ore.Income distribution is Brazil is highly-skewed, with the richest 20% enjoying incomes some 25 times greater than the poorest 20%. Tens of millions of Brazilians live in favelas (shanty towns), and nearly a third of Brazilians lack access to safe drinking water. Tourist arrivals number some 5 million per year, drawn especially by Atlantic coast beaches, the annual Mardi Gras carnival, and eco-tourism in the Amazon. Sources: World Bank (1998 data), Dorling Kindersley World Reference Atlas, UNDP Human Development Report, Lonely Planet
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Brazil is the biggest
country in South America, and the principal site of the world's largest tropical
rainforest. The Amazon basin accounts for nearly one-third of Brazil's
land area; highlands to the northeast and south make up most of the
remainder. The climate is varied: equatorial in the Amazon Basin,
dry in the northeast, and temperate in the southern highlands.
Indians, and sugar became the economic dynamo of the colony. This was
supplemented by a gold boom in the 18th century, and coffee and
rubber in the 19th.
