Brazil, overview of a country
1. What do you know about Brazil and Brazilians?
 The largest and most industrialized country in South America
 The 6th consumer market in the world and the largest economy in Latin
America
 Capital  Brasília
 Language  Portuguese, the 8th language with most speakers in the
world, 191 million (Mandarin, English, Hindustani, Spanish, Russian,
Arabic, Bengali).
 Political Regimen  Democracy
 President Luíz Inácio (Lula) da Silva
 Largest cities  São Paulo, Rio, Brasília, Recife, Salvador, Porto Alegre
 Climate  generally tropical with some variation in the South
 Population 173,790,810 (45% below 20 years of age)
 Most of the population live in the urban areas
 Currency  Real
 Money distribution  A few rich, some middle-class, lots of poor people
2. A bit of history:
 Brazil was discovered in 1500 by the Portuguese and was a colony of
Portugal till 1822.
 The name Brazil comes from the dyewood "pau brasil" (brazilwood)
 Invaded many times by the French, the Dutch and the Spanish armadas.
 Under dictatorship from 1937 to 1945 and then again from 1964 to 1985.
 Voting is mandatory for everyone over 18 and under 70 years of age.
 Main political parties: Brazil Social Democratic Party, Liberal Front
Party and the Brazilian Labor Party.
3. A typical city
4. The people in the cities:
 Ethnic complexion. The races: Whites (from European descent), Blacks
(from African descent), Native-Americans and immigrants from many
different countries.
 Relaxed attitude towards interracial relationships. Race and socioeconomic situation are closely related.
 The social importance of carnival and soccer.
 Religion: Catholicism, Espiritismo, Macumba, Candomblé
 Leisure activities: beaches, movies, soccer, bars, music, "o clube",
nightclubs, "o shopping".
 The Brazilian soap operas.
 Violence in the big cities.
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Brazilian music:
Samba
Lambada
Rock, Rap
Bossa-Nova
Main names: Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Daniella Mercury,
Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Maria Bethania, Lulu Santos.
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Family structure. How we live, study and work in the urban areas.
The family and the extended family
Apartments (in urban areas)
The phenomenon of the maid
Brazilian cuisine: the daily food, special dishes (feijoada, churrasco,
vatapá)
Public X Private education
Commuting to work
Salaries
The favelas and the "menino de rua" or "trombadinha"
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7. Brazilian economy
 Among the World Bank's Upper-Middle Income countries (others are
Mexico, South Africa, Greece and Portugal)
 High foreign debt
 Inflation in the 90s and now
 Main products: minerals, motor companies (one of the world's major
steel producers and car manufacturers), telecommunications, food
processing, textiles and chemicals.
 Member of the International Monetary Fund, the Latin American
integration Association and the Mercosur (a customs union with
Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay)
 Brazil and US economical relations
 Americans working and living in Brazil
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Challenges for the future:
Avoiding ecological disasters
Cleaning pollution from urban areas
Preserving the Amazon and, simultaneously, exploit it's natural
resources.
Saving endangered species (the Blue Macaw, monkeys, felines)
Stabilizing the economy
Fighting corruption
Solving poverty problems and economical disparities (thus curbing
violence)
Finding an alternative to petroleum (alcohol)