The Federative Republic of Brazil is a sovereign country located in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. 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

Democracy

Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...

. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7491 kilometres (4,654.7 mi). It is bordered on the north by Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, Suriname

Suriname

Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...

, Guyana

Guyana

Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...

 and the overseas department of French Guiana

French Guiana

French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...

; on the northwest by Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

; on the west by Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

 and Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

; on the southwest by Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 and Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

 and on the south by Uruguay

Uruguay

Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

. Numerous archipelago

Archipelago

An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...

s are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha

Fernando de Noronha

Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, offshore from the Brazilian coast. The main island has an area of and had a population of 3,012 in the year 2010...

, Rocas Atoll

Rocas Atoll

The Rocas Atoll is an atoll in the Atlantic Ocean, belonging to the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Norte. It is located approximately northeast of Natal and west of the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. The atoll is of volcanic origin and coralline formation.-Description:The oval atoll is ...

, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks

Saint Peter and Paul Rocks

The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago is a group of 15 small islets and rocks in the central equatorial Atlantic Ocean. It lies in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a region of severe storms...

, and Trindade and Martim Vaz

Trindade and Martim Vaz

Trindade and Martim Vaz is an archipelago located about 1,200 kilometers east of Vitória in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, belonging to the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The archipelago has a total area of 10.4 km² and a population of 32...

.

Brazil was a colony of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral

Pedro Álvares Cabral

Pedro Álvares Cabral was a Portuguese noble, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the discoverer of Brazil. Cabral conducted the first substantial exploration of the northeast coast of South America and claimed it for Portugal. While details of Cabral's early life are sketchy, it...

 in 1500 until its independence in 1822. Initially independent as the Brazilian Empire

Brazilian Empire

The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pedro I and his son Dom Pedro II, both members of the House of Braganza—a...

, the country has been a republic

Republic

A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...

 since 1889, although the bicameral legislature; now called Congress

National Congress of Brazil

The National Congress of Brazil is the legislative body of Brazil's federal government.Unlike regional legislative bodies – Legislative Assemblies and City Councils -, the Congress is bicameral, composed of the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies .The Senate represents the 26 states and...

, dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified. Its current Constitution

Constitution of Brazil

During its independent political history, Brazil has had seven constitutions. The most recent was ratified on October 5, 1988.-Imperial Constitution :Background...

 defines Brazil as a Federal Republic

Federal republic

A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...

. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

.

Because Portuguese is the official language of the country, Brazil is the only Lusophone

Lusophone

A Lusophone is someone who speaks the Portuguese language, either as a native, as an additional language, or as a learner. As an adjective, it means "Portuguese-speaking"...

nation in the Americas, making their culture and national identity quite different from their Hispanic

Hispanic

Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

neighbors.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Brazil:

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  : bɹəˈzɪl
  • bɾaˈziw
• Common English country name: Brazil
  Brazil
  Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
  
  
• Official English country name: The Federative Republic of Brazil
• Common endonym: Brasil
• Official endonym: República Federativa do Brasil
• Adjectival and denomynic: Brazilian
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Brazil
• International rankings of Brazil
  International rankings of Brazil
  The following are international rankings of :-Economy:* The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation: Index of Economic Freedom 2006, ranked 81 out of 157 countries...
  
  
• ISO country codes: BR, BRA, 076
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:BR
  ISO 3166-2:BR
  ISO 3166-2:BR is the entry for Brazil in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Brazil, ISO 3166-2 codes are...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .br
  .br
  .br is the Internet country code top-level domain for Brazil. It was administered by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee until 2005 when it started being administered by Brazilian Network Information Center . A local contact is required for any registration...
  
  

Geography of Brazil

• Brazil is: a country
• Location:
  • Western Hemisphere
    Western Hemisphere
    The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
    
    , on the Equator
    Equator
    An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
    
    
    • South America
      South America
      South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
      
      
  • Time zones
    Time in Brazil
    Brazil has three time zones. Daylight saving time is also observed by the Southern, Southeast and Central-Western Brazilian states. A proposal to switch the entire country to a single UTC offset is under consideration....
    
    :
    • UTC-02: Fernando de Noronha
      Fernando de Noronha
      Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, offshore from the Brazilian coast. The main island has an area of and had a population of 3,012 in the year 2010...
      
      , Trindade, Martin Vaz, Atol das Rocas, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks
      Saint Peter and Paul Rocks
      The Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago is a group of 15 small islets and rocks in the central equatorial Atlantic Ocean. It lies in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a region of severe storms...
      
      
    • UTC-03, October–February UTC-02: Distrito Federal
      Brazilian Federal District
      The Federal District is set apart for Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Located in a region called Planalto Central, or Central Plateau, the Federal District is divided in 29 administrative regions. Brasilia - place where the three branches of the Federal Government are located - is the main...
      
      , Espirito Santo
      Espírito Santo
      Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
      
      , Goiás
      Goiás
      Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
      
      , Minas Gerais
      Minas Gerais
      Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
      
      , Paraná
      Paraná (state)
      Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
      
      , Rio de Janeiro
      Rio de Janeiro (state)
      Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
      
      , Rio Grande do Sul
      Rio Grande do Sul
      Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
      
      , Santa Catarina
      Santa Catarina (state)
      Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
      
      , São Paulo
      São Paulo (state)
      São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
      
      
    • UTC-03: Alagoas
      Alagoas
      Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...
      
      , Amapá
      Amapá
      Amapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once...
      
      , Bahia
      Bahia
      Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
      
      , Ceará
      Ceará
      Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
      
      , Maranhão
      Maranhão
      Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
      
      , Pará
      Pará
      Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
      
      , Paraíba
      Paraíba
      Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...
      
      , Pernambuco
      Pernambuco
      Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
      
      , Piauí
      Piauí
      Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
      
      , Rio Grande do Norte
      Rio Grande do Norte
      Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...
      
      , Sergipe
      Sergipe
      Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...
      
      , Tocantins
      Tocantins (state)
      Tocantins is one of the states of Brazil. . The state was formed in 1988 out of the northern part of Goiás, and construction began on the capital, Palmas, in 1989, in contrast to most of the other cities in the state which date back to the Portuguese colonial period...
      
      
    • UTC-04, October–February UTC-03: Mato Grosso
      Mato Grosso
      Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
      
      , Mato Grosso do Sul
      Mato Grosso do Sul
      Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising...
      
      
    • UTC-04: Acre
      Acre (state)
      Acre is one of the 27 states of Brazil. It is situated in the southwest of the Northern Region, bordering Amazonas to the north, Rondônia to the east, Bolivia to the southeast and the Ucayali Region of Peru to the south and west. It occupies an area of 152,581.4 km2, being slightly smaller...
      
      , Amazonas, Rondônia
      Rondônia
      Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon...
      
      , Roraima
      Roraima
      Roraima is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of Venezuela and Guyana. The population is 400,000 and the capital is Boa Vista...
      
      
  • Extreme points of Brazil
    • High: Pico da Neblina
      Pico da Neblina
      Pico da Neblina is the highest mountain in Brazil, above sea level, in the Serra do Imeri, a section of the Guiana Highlands on the Brazil–Venezuela border. As determined by a border survey expedition in 1962, its summit lies just within Brazilian territory, at a horizontal distance of only from...
      
       2994 m (9,823 ft)
    • Low: Atlantic Ocean
      Atlantic Ocean
      The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
      
       0 m
  • Land boundaries: 16,885 km

 Bolivia 3,423 km

 Peru 2,995 km

 Venezuela 2,200 km

 Colombia 1,644 km

 Guyana 1,606 km

 Paraguay 1,365 km

 Argentina 1,261 km

 Uruguay 1,068 km

 French Guiana 730 km

 Suriname 593 km

• Coastline: 7,491 km
• Population of Brazil: 187,393,918(2008) - 5th most populous country
• Area of Brazil: 8514877 square kilometres (3,287,612.4 sq mi) - 5th largest country
• Atlas of Brazil

Environment of Brazil

• Climate of Brazil
  Climate of Brazil
  The climate of Brazil varies considerably mostly from tropical North to temperate zones below the Tropic of Capricorn , which crosses the country at the latitude of the city of São Paulo...
  
  
• Ecoregions in Brazil
• Environmental issues in Brazil
  Environmental issues in Brazil
  Brazil has a number of environmental issues.-Issues:Deforestation in Brazil is a major issue and was once the highest rate in the world...
  
  
• Geology of Brazil
• Protected areas of Brazil
  Protected areas of Brazil
  This is a list of protected areas of Brazil according to the National System of Conservation Units , a formal, unified system for federal, state and municipal parks created in 2000.-Biological Reserves:* Poço das Antas Biological Reserve...
  
  
  • Biosphere reserves in Brazil
  • National parks of Brazil
• Renewable energy in Brazil
• Wildlife of Brazil
  • Flora of Brazil
  • Fauna of Brazil
    • Birds of Brazil
    • Mammals of Brazil

Natural geographic features of Brazil

• Fjords of Brazil
• Glaciers of Brazil
• Islands of Brazil
• Lakes of Brazil
• Mountains of Brazil
  • Volcanoes in Brazil
• Rivers of Brazil
  • Waterfalls of Brazil
• Valleys of Brazil
• World Heritage Sites in Brazil

Statistical regions

• North Region
  North Region, Brazil
  The North Region of Brazil is the largest Region of Brazil, corresponding to 45.27% of the national territory. It is the least inhabited of the country, and contributes with a minor percentage in the national GDP and population...
  
  
• Northeast Region
  Northeast Region, Brazil
  The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....
  
  
• Central-West Region
• Southeast Region
  Southeast Region, Brazil
  The Southeast Region of Brazil is composed by the states of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 60% of the Brazilian GDP. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais are three richest states of Brazil,...
  
  
• Southern Region
  Southern Region, Brazil
  The South Region of Brazil is one of the five regions of Brazil. It includes the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul and covers 576,409.6 km ², being the smallest portion of the country...
  
  

Socio-geographic divisions

• Amazônia Legal
  Amazônia Legal
  Amazônia Legal is the largest socio-geographic division of the South American nation of Brazil, which contains all of its territory in the Amazon Basin...
  
  
• Centro-Sul
  Centro-Sul
  Centro-Sul is the name given to the Southeastern, Southern and Central-West regions of Brazil , excluding the north of Minas Gerais and most of Mato Grosso and along with some of Tocantins....
  
  
• Nordeste
  Nordeste (Socio-Geographic Division)
  The socio-geographic division of Nordeste is the oldest populated by Europeans and currently the second most populous area of Brazil...
  
  

Ecoregions of Brazil

Main article: Ecoregions in Brazil

Administrative divisions of Brazil

Main article: Administrative divisions of Brazil

• States of Brazil
  • Municipalities of Brazil

States of Brazil

Flag Flags of Brazilian states -National Flags:- Government flags :- State flags :This gallery of flags of Brazilian states shows the flags of the 26 Brazilian States and the federal district.-See also:*Flag of Brazil*Coats of arms of Brazilian states...	State	Abbreviation ISO 3166-2:BR ISO 3166-2:BR is the entry for Brazil in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Brazil, ISO 3166-2 codes are...	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 Acre (state) Acre is one of the 27 states of Brazil. It is situated in the southwest of the Northern Region, bordering Amazonas to the north, Rondônia to the east, Bolivia to the southeast and the Ucayali Region of Peru to the south and west. It occupies an area of 152,581.4 km2, being slightly smaller...	AC	Rio Branco Rio Branco Rio Branco is a Brazilian city, capital of Acre. Located in the Valley of Acre in northern Brazil, it is the most populous county in the state, with 305,954 inhabitants, according to a 2009 estimate - almost half the state population....		707,125		3,242,123 (%)	5,143		84%	‰
	Alagoas Alagoas Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...	AL	Maceió Maceió Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...		3,093,994		11,556,013 (%)	3,877		70%	‰
	Amapá Amapá Amapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once...	AP	Macapá Macapá Macapá is a Brazilian city, capital of Amapá state. Located in the North Region, it is the only state capital that has no highway connections with other capitals...		648,553		3,720,013 (%)	6,796		91%	‰
	Amazonas	AM	Manaus Manaus Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....		3,393,369		35,889,111 (%)	11,434		94%	‰
	Bahia Bahia Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...	BA	Salvador		14,637,364		86,882,488 (%)	6,350		79%	‰
	Ceará Ceará Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...	CE	Fortaleza Fortaleza Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...		8,547,809		33,261,175 (%)	4,170		78%	‰
	Distrito Federal Brazilian Federal District The Federal District is set apart for Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Located in a region called Planalto Central, or Central Plateau, the Federal District is divided in 29 administrative regions. Brasilia - place where the three branches of the Federal Government are located - is the main...	DF	Brasília Brasília Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...		2,606,885		43,522,926 (%)	19,071		96%	‰
	Espírito Santo Espírito Santo Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...	ES	Vitória		3,487,199		34,488,268 (%)	10,289		90%	‰
	Goiás Goiás Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...	GO	Goiânia Goiânia -Climate:The city has a tropical wet and dry climate with an average temperature of . There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. Annual rainfall is around 1,520 mm....		5,926,300		41,316,658 (%)	7,501		90%	‰
	Maranhão Maranhão Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...	MA	São Luís São Luís, Maranhão São Luís is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Maranhão. The city is located on Ilha de São Luís in the Baía de São Marcos , an extension of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the estuary of Pindaré, Mearim, Itapecuru and other rivers. Its coordinates are 2.53° south, 44.30° west...		6,103,327		16,547,977 (%)	2,748		77%	‰
	Mato Grosso Mato Grosso Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...	MT	Cuiabá Cuiabá Under the Koppen climate classification, Cuiaba features a tropical wet and dry climate. Cuiabá is famous for its searing heat, although temperatures in winter can arrive sporadically at 10 degrees, indeed atypical, caused by cold fronts coming from the south, and that may only last one or two...		2,803,274		27,935,132 (%)	10,162		90%	‰
	Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising...	MS	Campo Grande Campo Grande -Climate:Campo Grande has a highland tropical climate, semi-humid, hot, and notably seasonal, with a dry winter season from May through September or October. Under the Koppen climate classification Campo Grande features a tropical wet and dry climate, albeit a noticeably cooler version of the...		2,264,468		19,954,505 (%)	8,945		91%	‰
	Minas Gerais Minas Gerais Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...	MG	Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...		19,237,450		166,564,882 (%)	8,771		89%	‰
	Pará Pará Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...	PA	Belém Belém Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...		6,970,586		34,196,694 (%)	4,992		90%	‰
	Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...	PB	João Pessoa João Pessoa João Pessoa , is the capital city of the state of Paraíba, was founded in 1585 and sometimes called the city where the sun rises first, is a Brazilian city and the easternmost city in the Americas at 34º47'38"W, 7º9'28"S. Local residents call its easternmost point Ponta do Seixas. It is also...		3,595,886		14,863,913 (%)	4,165		75%	‰
	Paraná Paraná (state) Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...	PR	Curitiba Curitiba Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...		10,686,247		108,699,740 (%)	10,725		93%	‰
	Pernambuco Pernambuco Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...	PE	Recife Recife Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...		8,413,593		47,697,268 (%)	5,730		79%	‰
	Piauí Piauí Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...	PI	Teresina Teresina Teresina is the capital and most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of Piauí. It is located in North-central Piauí 366 km from the coast.It is therefore, the only capital in the Northeast that is not located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. With 814 439 inhabitants, it is the 19th...		3,006,885		8,611,106 (%)	2,892		72%	‰
	Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (state) Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...	RJ	Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...		16,010,429		222,564,408 (%)	14,639		96%	‰
	Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...	RN	Natal Natal, Rio Grande do Norte -History:The northeastern tip of South America, Cabo São Roque, to the north of Natal and the closest point to Europe from Latin America, was first visited by European navigators in 1501, in the 1501–1502 Portuguese expedition led by Amerigo Vespucci, who named the spot after the saint of the day...		3,003,087		15,906,902 (%)	5,370		77%	‰
	Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...	RS	Porto Alegre Porto Alegre Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...		10,845,087		142,874,611 (%)	13,320		95%	‰
	Rondônia Rondônia Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon...	RO	Porto Velho Porto Velho Porto Velho is the capital of the Brazilian state of Rondônia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is estimated to be 426,558 people...		1,534,594		9,744,908 (%)	6,238		92%	‰
	Roraima Roraima Roraima is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of Venezuela and Guyana. The population is 400,000 and the capital is Boa Vista...	RR	Boa Vista Boa Vista, Roraima Boa Vista is the capital of the Brazilian state of Roraima. Situated on the western bank of the River Branco, the city lies 220 km away from Brazil's border with Venezuela. It is the only Brazilian capital located entirely above the Equator...		391,317		1,864,318 (%)	4,881		91%	‰
	Santa Catarina Santa Catarina (state) Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...	SC	Florianópolis Florianópolis -Climate:Florianópolis experiences a warm humid subtropical climate, falling just short of a true tropical climate. The seasons of the year are distinct, with a well-defined summer and winter, and characteristic weather for autumn and spring. Frost is infrequent, but occurs occasionally in the winter...		5,866,568		70,208,541 (%)	12,159		95%	‰
	São Paulo São Paulo (state) São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...	SP	São Paulo São Paulo São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...		42,342,877		546,607,616 (%)	13,725		95%	‰
	Sergipe Sergipe Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...	SE	Aracaju Aracaju -Vegetation:Aracaju lies in tropical forest. Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall, with minimum normal annual rainfall between 2,000 mm and 1,700 mm...		1,967,761		13,121,517 (%)	6,782		90%	‰
	Tocantins Tocantins (state) Tocantins is one of the states of Brazil. . The state was formed in 1988 out of the northern part of Goiás, and construction began on the capital, Palmas, in 1989, in contrast to most of the other cities in the state which date back to the Portuguese colonial period...	TO	Palmas Palmas, Tocantins Palmas is the capital of the Brazilian state of Tocantins. According to IBGE estimates from 2011, the city had 235,315 inhabitants. It has an area of 2474.95 km²....		1,305,728		4,768,864 (%)	3,776		83%	‰

Municipalities of Brazil

• Capital of Brazil: Brasília
  Capital of Brazil
  The capital of Brazil is currently Brasília. Prior to 1960 the capital was Rio de Janeiro and Salvador .Salvador was established in 1549 by the first Governor-General of Portuguese South America shortly after colonisation began...
  
  
• Cities of Brazil

Demography of Brazil

Main article: Demographics of Brazil

Demographics of Brazil

Brazils population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. In general, Brazilians trace their origins from four sources: Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians....

For demographics data, see chart presented under "States of Brazil", above.

Government and politics of Brazil

Main article: Government of Brazil and Politics of Brazil

Politics of Brazil

The politics of Brazil take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic, where by the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  : federal
  Federation
  A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
  
   presidential
  Presidential system
  A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
  
   representative democratic
  Representative democracy
  Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
  
   republic
  Republic
  A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
  
  
• Capital of Brazil: Brasília
  Capital of Brazil
  The capital of Brazil is currently Brasília. Prior to 1960 the capital was Rio de Janeiro and Salvador .Salvador was established in 1549 by the first Governor-General of Portuguese South America shortly after colonisation began...
  
  

• Elections in Brazil
  Elections in Brazil
  Brazil elects on the national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. The president is elected to a four-year term by the people. The National Congress has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies has 513 members, elected to a four-year term by proportional...
  
  
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Brazil
• Political scandals of Brazil
• Taxation in Brazil

Executive branch of the government of Brazil

• Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
   and Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : President of Brazil
  President of Brazil
  The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
  
  , Dilma Rousseff
  Dilma Rousseff
  Dilma Vana Rousseff is the 36th and current President of Brazil. She is the first woman to hold the office. Prior to that, in 2005, she was also the first woman to become Chief of Staff of Brazil, appointed by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva....
  
  
• Cabinet of Brazil
  Cabinet of Brazil
  The Cabinet of Brazil is composed of the Ministers of State and senior advisors of the executive branch of the federal government of Brazil. Cabinet officers are appointed and dismissed by the President. There are currently twenty-four Ministries of State and fourteen other cabinet-level...
  
  

Legislative branch of the government of Brazil

• National Congress of Brazil
  National Congress of Brazil
  The National Congress of Brazil is the legislative body of Brazil's federal government.Unlike regional legislative bodies – Legislative Assemblies and City Councils -, the Congress is bicameral, composed of the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies .The Senate represents the 26 states and...
  
   (bicameral)
  • Upper house
    Upper house
    An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
    
    : Senate of Brazil
    Senate of Brazil
    The Federal Senate of Brazil is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired by the United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States...
    
    
  • Lower house
    Lower house
    A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
    
    : Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
    Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
    The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. As of 2006, the chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms...
    
    

State-level judiciary

Main article: State-level judiciary of Brazil

• Trial court
  Trial court
  A trial court or court of first instance is a court in which trials take place. Such courts are said to have original jurisdiction.- In the United States :...
  
  s
• Courts of Justice of Brazil

Federal-level judicial branch

• Supreme Federal Court

Superior courts

• Superior Court of Justice
  Superior Court of Justice (Brazil)
  The Superior Court of Justice is the highest appellate court in Brazil for non-constitutional questions of federal law. The STJ also has original jurisdiction over some cases...
  
  
• Superior Labor Court
  Superior Labor Court
  The Superior Labor Court or Tribunal Superior do Trabalho , in Portuguese, is the highest Brazilian appellate court for Labor law issues...
  
  
• Superior Electoral Court
• Superior Military Court

Second instance Courts

• Regional Labor Courts
  Regional Labor Courts
  Regional Labor Courts are Brazilian appellate courts of the Federal specialized court system for matters of labor law. There currently are 24 Regional Labor Courts, geographically defined by numbered Regions....
  
  
• Regional Electoral Courts
• Regional Federal Courts
  Regional Federal Courts
  The Regional Federal Courts are Brazilian appellate courts of the Brazil federal court system. There currently are five of these courts, geographically defined. They are commonly called TRFs....
  
  

First instance courts

• Labor Courts
• Electoral Courts
• Federal Courts
• Military Courts

Foreign relations of Brazil

• Diplomatic missions in Brazil
• Diplomatic missions of Brazil
  Diplomatic missions of Brazil
  This is a list of diplomatic missions of Brazil, excluding honorary consulates. Brazil has a large global network of diplomatic missions, with representations in over 125 countries.-Europe:** Vienna ** Baku...
  
  

International organization membership

The Federative Republic of Brazil is a member of:

• African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (nonregional member)
• Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL)
• Andean Community of Nations
  Andean Community of Nations
  The Andean Community is a customs union comprising the South American countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The trade bloc was called the Andean Pact until 1996 and came into existence with the signing of the Cartagena Agreement in 1969...
  
   (CAN) (associate)
• Bank for International Settlements
  Bank for International Settlements
  The Bank for International Settlements is an intergovernmental organization of central banks which "fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks." It is not accountable to any national government...
  
   (BIS)
• Central American Integration System
  Central American Integration System
  Central American Integration System is the economic, cultural and political organization of Central American states since February 1, 1993. It was on December 13, 1991, however, when all the countries of the ODECA signed the Protocol of Tegucigalpa which extended the earlier cooperation in search...
  
   (SICA) (observer)
• Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP)
• Food and Agriculture Organization
  Food and Agriculture Organization
  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
  
   (FAO)
• Group of 15
  Group of 15
  The Group of 15 was established at the Ninth Non-Aligned Movement Summit Meeting in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in September 1989.This informal forum was set up to foster cooperation and provide input for other international groups, such as the World Trade Organization and the Group of Eight...
  
   (G15)
• Group of 24 (G24)
• Group of 77
  Group of 77
  The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
  
   (G77)
• Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20)
• Inter-American Development Bank
  Inter-American Development Bank
  The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
  
   (IADB)
• International Atomic Energy Agency
  International Atomic Energy Agency
  The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
  
   (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
  
   (IBRD)
• International Chamber of Commerce
  International Chamber of Commerce
  The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 130 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise....
  
   (ICC)
• International Civil Aviation Organization
  International Civil Aviation Organization
  The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
  
   (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court
  International Criminal Court
  The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
  
   (ICCt)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• International Development Association
  International Development Association
  The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
  
   (IDA)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
  
   (IFRCS)
• International Finance Corporation
  International Finance Corporation
  The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
  
   (IFC)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
  International Fund for Agricultural Development
  The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
  
   (IFAD)
• International Hydrographic Organization
  International Hydrographic Organization
  The International Hydrographic Organization is the inter-governmental organisation representing the hydrographic community. It enjoys observer status at the UN and is the recognised competent authority on hydrographic surveying and nautical charting...
  
   (IHO)
• International Labour Organization
  International Labour Organization
  The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
  
   (ILO)
• International Maritime Organization
  International Maritime Organization
  The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
  
   (IMO)
• International Mobile Satellite Organization
  International Mobile Satellite Organization
  The International Mobile Satellite Organization is the intergovernmental organization that oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites...
  
   (IMSO)
• International Monetary Fund
  International Monetary Fund
  The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
  
   (IMF)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)
• International Organization for Migration
  International Organization for Migration
  The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
  
   (IOM)
• International Organization for Standardization
  International Organization for Standardization
  The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
  
   (ISO)
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
  
   (ICRM)
• International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
   (ITU)
• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
  
   (ITSO)
• International Trade Union Confederation
  International Trade Union Confederation
  The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
  
   (ITUC)
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

• Latin American Economic System
  Latin American Economic System
  The Latin American and the Caribbean Economic System, officially known as Sistema Económico Latinoamericano y del Caribe , is an organization founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation and social development between Latin American and the Caribbean countries...
  
   (LAES)
• Latin American Integration Association
  Latin American Integration Association
  The Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración is a Latin American trade integration association, based in Montevideo. Its main objective is the establishment of a common market, in pursuit of the economic and social development of the region...
  
   (LAIA)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is a member organization of the World Bank Group that offers political risk insurance. It was established to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries. MIGA was founded in 1988 with a capital base of $1 billion and is headquartered in...
  
   (MIGA)
• Nonaligned Movement (NAM) (observer)
• Nuclear Suppliers Group
  Nuclear Suppliers Group
  Nuclear Suppliers Group is a multinational body concerned with reducing nuclear proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that may be applicable to nuclear weapon development and by improving safeguards and protection on existing materials.- History :It was founded in...
  
   (NSG)
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• Organization of American States
  Organization of American States
  The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
  
   (OAS)
• Permanent Court of Arbitration
  Permanent Court of Arbitration
  The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
  
   (PCA)
• Rio Group
  Rio Group
  - List of Summit meetings :- See also :* Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, possible successor of the Rio Group* Union of South American Nations...
  
   (RG)
• Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur)
• União Latina
• Union of South American Nations (UNASUR)
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   (UN)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
  
   (UNCTAD)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
  
   (UNHCR)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization , French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria...
  
   (UNIDO)
• United Nations Institute for Training and Research
  United Nations Institute for Training and Research
  The United Nations Institute for Training and Research was established in 1965 following a "for the training of personnel, particularly from developing Member States, for administrative and operational assignments with the United Nations and the specialized agencies, both at Headquarters and in...
  
   (UNITAR)
• United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
  United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
  The United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor was established on August 25, 2006 by UN Security Council Resolution 1704. Its objectives are "to support the Government in consolidating stability, enhancing a culture of democratic governance, and facilitating political dialogue among Timorese...
  
   (UNMIT)
• United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
  United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
  MINURSO is the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara. The name is a French acronym for "Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au Sahara Occidental" — United Nations Mission for the organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara.-Purpose of the mission:MINURSO...
  
   (MINURSO)
• United Nations Mission in Liberia
  United Nations Mission in Liberia
  The United Nations Mission in Liberia is a peace-keeping force established in September 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement in Liberia following the resignation of President Charles Taylor and the conclusion of the Second Liberian Civil War....
  
   (UNMIL)
• United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad
  United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad
  The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad was a United Nations peacekeeping mission established by the United Nations Security Council on September 25, 2007 to provide a multidimensional presence of up to 350 police and military personnel to eastern Chad and north-eastern...
  
   (MINURCAT)
• United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS)
• United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire
  United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire
  The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire is a peacekeeping mission whose objective is "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003"...
  
   (UNOCI)
• United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
  United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
  The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions...
  
   (UNFICYP)
• United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
  United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
  The United Nations Stabilisation Mission In Haiti , also known as MINUSTAH, an acronym of the French translation, is a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti that has been in operation since 2004. The mission's military component is led by the Brazilian Army and the force commander is...
  
   (MINUSTAH)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• World Confederation of Labour
  World Confederation of Labour
  The World Confederation of Labour was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the end of World War II...
  
   (WCL)
• World Customs Organization
  World Customs Organization
  The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. With its worldwide membership, the WCO is recognized as the voice of the global customs community...
  
   (WCO)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Health Organization
  World Health Organization
  The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
  
   (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  World Intellectual Property Organization
  The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
  
   (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
  World Meteorological Organization
  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
  
   (WMO)
• World Tourism Organization
  World Tourism Organization
  The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
  
   (UNWTO)
• World Trade Organization
  World Trade Organization
  The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
  
   (WTO)

Law and order in Brazil

Main article: Law of Brazil

• Capital punishment in Brazil
  Capital punishment in Brazil
  Capital punishment was last used as a form of punishment in Brazil in 1876, and has not been officially used since the proclamation of the Republic in 1889...
  
  
• Constitution of Brazil
  Constitution of Brazil
  During its independent political history, Brazil has had seven constitutions. The most recent was ratified on October 5, 1988.-Imperial Constitution :Background...
  
  
• Crime in Brazil
  Crime in Brazil
  Crime in Brazil involves an elevated incidence of violent and non-violent crimes. According to most sources, Brazil possesses high rates of violent crimes, such as murders and robberies; the homicide rate has been steadily declining, but it is still above 20.0 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants,...
  
  
• Human rights in Brazil
  Human rights in Brazil
  Human rights in Brazil are legally protected by the Brazilian Constitution, statutes and laws. However, there are serious issues in regard to human rights abuses. Brazil had a remarkably poor record during the dictatorship of the 1960s, and still has many problems today...
  
  
  • LGBT rights in Brazil
  • Freedom of religion in Brazil
• Law enforcement in Brazil

Military of Brazil

Main article: Military of Brazil

Military of Brazil

The Brazilian Armed Forces is the unified military organization comprising the Brazilian Army , the Brazilian Navy and the Brazilian Air Force....

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    : President of Brazil
    President of Brazil
    The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
    
    , Dilma Roussef
    • Ministry of Defence of Brazil
      Ministry of Defence (Brazil)
      The Ministry of Defence of Brazil, is the civilian cabinet organization responsible for managing the Military of Brazil. It is headed by the Minister of Defence....
      
      
• Forces
  • Army of Brazil
  • Navy of Brazil
  • Air Force of Brazil
  • Special forces of Brazil
• Military history of Brazil
  Military history of Brazil
  The military history of Brazil comprises centuries of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Brazil, and the role of the Brazilian Armed Forces in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. For several hundreds of years, the area was the site of intertribal wars of indigenous peoples...
  
  
• Military ranks of Brazil
  Military ranks of Brazil
  This article presents the insignia and ranks of the Brazilian military. These ranks originate from those adopted upon Brazil's independence from Portugal in 1822. Nowadays they are defined by Act no. 6880 of December 9, 1980...
  
  

History of Brazil

Main article: History of Brazil

History of Brazil

The history of Brazil begins with the arrival of the first indigenous peoples, thousands of years ago by crossing the Bering land bridge into Alaska and then moving south....

 and Timeline of the history of Brazil

• Economic history of Brazil
  Economic history of Brazil
  The economic history of Brazil covers various economic events and traces the changes in the Brazilian economy over the course of the history of Brazil. Portugal, which first colonized the area in the 16th century, enforced a colonial pact with Brazil, an imperial mercantile policy, which drove...
  
  
• Military history of Brazil
  Military history of Brazil
  The military history of Brazil comprises centuries of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Brazil, and the role of the Brazilian Armed Forces in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. For several hundreds of years, the area was the site of intertribal wars of indigenous peoples...
  
  

Culture of Brazil

Main article: Culture of Brazil

Culture of Brazil

The culture of Brazil presents a very diverse nature reflecting an ethnic and cultural mixing occurred in the colonial period involving mostly Native Americans, Portuguese and Africans...

• Architecture of Brazil
• Cuisine of Brazil
  Cuisine of Brazil
  Brazilian cuisine, like Brazil itself, varies greatly by region. The natural crops available in each region add to their singularity.Brazilian cooking, while it has many similarities with that of its South American neighbors, is distinct...
  
  
• Ethnic minorities in Brazil
• Festivals in Brazil
• Humor in Brazil
• Languages of Brazil
  Languages of Brazil
  Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, and is spoken by more than 99% of the population. Minority languages include indigenous languages, and languages of more recent European and Asian immigrants. The population speaks or signs approximately 210 languages, of which 80 are...
  
  
• Media in Brazil
• National symbols of Brazil
  • Coat of arms of Brazil
    Coat of arms of Brazil
    The coat of arms of Brazil was created on November 19, 1889, four days after Brazil became a republic.The coat of arms consists of the central emblem surrounded by coffee and tobacco branches, which were important crops in Brazil at that time.In the blue circle in the center, the Southern Cross ...
    
    
  • Flag of Brazil
    Flag of Brazil
    The national flag of Brazil is a blue disc depicting a starry sky spanned by a curved band inscribed with the national motto, within a yellow rhombus, on a green field. Brazil officially adopted this design for its national flag on November 19, 1889, replacing the flag of the second Empire of Brazil...
    
    
  • National anthem of Brazil
• People of Brazil
• Prostitution in Brazil
  Prostitution in Brazil
  Prostitution itself in Brazil is legal, as there are no laws forbidding adult prostitution, but it is illegal to operate a brothel or to employ prostitutes in any other way.-Extent:...
  
  
• Public holidays in Brazil
  Public holidays in Brazil
  In Brazil, public holidays may be legislated at the federal, statewide and municipal levels. Most holidays are observed nationwide, but each state and city may have its own holidays as well....
  
  
• Records of Brazil
• Religion in Brazil
  Religion in Brazil
  Religion in Brazil has a higher adherence level compared to other Latin American countries, and is more diverse.In 1891, when the first Brazilian Republican Constitution was set forth, Brazil ceased to have an official religion. The present Constitution guarantees absolute freedom of religion...
  
  
  • Buddhism in Brazil
    Buddhism in Brazil
    With nearly 250,000 Buddhists, Brazil is home to the third largest Buddhist population in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. Buddhism in Brazil consists of practitioners from various Buddhist traditions and schools...
    
    
  • Christianity in Brazil
  • Hinduism in Brazil
  • Islam in Brazil
    Islam in Brazil
    Islam in Brazil was first practiced by African slaves. The early Brazilian Muslims led the largest slave revolt in Brazil, which then had the largest slave population of the world. The next significant migration of Muslims was by Arabs from Syria and Lebanon...
    
    
  • Judaism in Brazil
  • Sikhism in Brazil
• World Heritage Sites in Brazil

Art in Brazil

• Art in Brazil
• Cinema of Brazil
  Cinema of Brazil
  Brazilian cinema was introduced early in the 20th century but took some time to consolidate itself as a popular form of entertainment. The film industry of Brazil has gone through periods of ups and downs, a reflection of its dependency on State funding and incentives.- Early days :A couple of...
  
  
• Literature of Brazil
  Literature of Brazil
  Brazilian literature is written in the Portuguese language by Brazilians or in Brazil, even if prior to Brazil's independence from Portugal, in 1822...
  
  
• Music of Brazil
  Music of Brazil
  The music of Brazil encompasses various regional music styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. After 500 years of history, Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as samba, zouk-lambada, lambada, choro, bossa nova, frevo, maracatu, MPB, sertanejo,...
  
  
• Television in Brazil
  Television in Brazil
  Television in Brazil was introduced on September 18, 1950, with the launch of the now-defunct TV Tupi by media mogul Assis Chateaubriand. Since then, it has grown significantly, becoming one of largest and most productive commercial television systems in the world...
  
  
• Theatre in Brazil

Sports in Brazil

Main article: Sports in Brazil

• Football in Brazil
  Football in Brazil
  Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazilian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup tournament a record 5 times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, and is the only team to succeed in qualifying for every World Cup competition ever held. It is among the favourites to win...
  
  
• Brazil at the Olympics
  Brazil at the Olympics
  Brazil first participated at the Olympic Games in 1920, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except for the 1928 Games...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Brazil

Main article: Economy of Brazil

Economy of Brazil

The economy of Brazil is the world's seventh largest by nominal GDP and eighth largest by purchasing power parity. Brazil has moderately free markets and an inward-oriented economy...

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 10th (tenth)

• Agriculture in Brazil
  Agriculture in Brazil
  Brazil is endowed with vast agricultural resources. There are two distinct agricultural areas. The first, composed of the southern one-half to two-thirds of the country, has a semitemperate climate and higher rainfall, the better soils, higher technology and input use, adequate infrastructure, and...
  
  
• Banking in Brazil
  • Bank of Brazil
    Banco do Brasil
    Banco do Brasil S.A. is the largest Brazilian and Latin American bank by assets, and the third by market value. The bank, headquartered in Brasília, was founded in 1808 and is the oldest active bank in Brazil — and one of the oldest financial institutions in the world.Banco do Brasil is controlled...
    
    
• Communications in Brazil
  Communications in Brazil
  Brazil has both modern technologies in the center-south portion, counting with 3G HSDPA, VDSL2+, Digital TV. Other areas of the country, particularly the north and north-west regions, lack even basic analogue land line phones...
  
  
  • Internet in Brazil
    Internet in Brazil
    The Internet was launched in Brazil in 1988, when the National Research Network , was formed by the academic communities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo...
    
    
• Companies of Brazil
• Currency of Brazil
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Real
  Brazilian real
  The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ....
  
  
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : BRL
• Economic history of Brazil
  Economic history of Brazil
  The economic history of Brazil covers various economic events and traces the changes in the Brazilian economy over the course of the history of Brazil. Portugal, which first colonized the area in the 16th century, enforced a colonial pact with Brazil, an imperial mercantile policy, which drove...
  
  
• Energy in Brazil
  • Energy policy of Brazil
    Energy policy of Brazil
    Brazil is the 10th largest energy consumer in the world and the largest in South America. At the same time, it is an important oil and gas producer in the region and the world's second largest ethanol fuel producer....
    
    
  • Oil industry in Brazil
• Health care in Brazil
• Mining in Brazil
  Mining in Brazil
  -Timeline:* Discovery of first gold rush in 1690s, gold discoveries made in streams not far from present day city of Belo Horizonte.* In 1729 diamonds were discovered in the same area...
  
  
• São Paulo Stock Exchange
• Tourism in Brazil
  Tourism in Brazil
  Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of the country. The country had 5.1 million visitors in 2010, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the second main destination in South America, and third in Latin America after Mexico and Argentina...
  
  
• Transport in Brazil
  • Airports in Brazil
  • Rail transport in Brazil
    Rail transport in Brazil
    Rail transport in Brazil began in the 19th century and there were many different railway companies. The railways were nationalised under RFFSA in 1957...
    
    
  • Roads in Brazil
• Water supply and sanitation in Brazil
  Water supply and sanitation in Brazil
  Water supply and sanitation in Brazil is characterized by both achievements and challenges. Among the achievements is an increase in access to piped water supply from 66% to 77% between 1990 and 2006; an increase in access to improved sanitation from 71% to 77% in the same period; a functioning...
  
  

See also

• Index of Brazil-related articles
• List of Brazil-related topics
• List of international rankings
• Member state of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
• Member state of the United Nations
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  
• Outline of South America

External links

Government and administration

• Brazilian Federal Government
• Chamber of Deputies Federal Senate
• Presidency of Brazil

Information and statistics

• Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics Institute of Applied Economics Research
• National Bank for Social and Economical Development
• U.S. Library of Congress

Economy and business

• Brazilian Central Bank
• Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce
• Britcham in Brazil
• São Paulo Stock Exchange

Tourism and sports

• Accommodation in Brazil Sport in Brazil
• Tourism in Brazil

Non-Governmental Organizations

• Assistance to Rio de Janeiro Favelas