BRAZIL
The Unknown Giant
Luiz Amaral
Geography
Territory: 8,514,215.3 km² (3,287
357 mi²)
Coastline: 7,367 km (4,578 mi)
Population: 185,752,945
(03.04.2006)
Cities: 5,560
States: 26 + Distrito Federal
Regions: 5 (North, North-East,
Center-West, SouthEast, South)
Geography
Main cities with population in 2005:
• São Paulo – SP (10,927,985)
• Rio de Janeiro – RJ (6,094,183)
• Salvador – BA (2,673,560)
• Belo Horizonte – MG (2,375,329)
• Fortaleza – CE (2,374,944)
• Brasília – DF (2,333,108)
• Curitiba – PR (1,757,904)
• Manaus – AM (1,644,690)
• Recife – PE (1,501,008)
• Porto Alegre – RG (1,428,696)
North
• 45.27% of the Brazilian territory.
• 7 592 118 inhabitants.
• It has the lowest demographic
density of all the regions.
• Enjoying an equatorial climate, it is
washed by the great rivers of the
Amazon and Tocantins basins.
• The economy is based on vegetable
extraction (e.g. latex, palm tree,
timber and chestnut), on mineral
extraction (e.g. gold, diamonds,
cassiterite and tin) as well as largescale mineral exploration (e.g. iron
and manganese).
North-East
• 18.26% of the Brazilian territory.
• 45 924 812 inhabitants (28.9%).
• The majority of its territory consists
of vast and ancient plateau that has
been smoothed by erosion (semi-arid
climate).
• The economy of the region is based
chiefly on the agro-industry (sugar and
cocoa).
• Big tourist industry.
• Oil exploration in Bahia state.
• São Francisco is the region's largest
river and the only source of all-year
round water for those who live on its
banks.
Center-West
• 18.86% of the Brazilian territory.
• 11 048 874 inhabitants (81.3% live in
cities).
• The climate of the region is semi-humid
tropical, with frequent summer rain.
• The economy was initially based on
gold and diamond prospecting which
was gradually replaced by cattlebreeding.
• This region has been undergoing
significant changes in relation to its
vegetation with the cerrado (scrubland)
being gradually replaced by plantations
or cattle-rearing.
• Visitors from all over the world come to
see the rich fauna and flora of Pantanal.
South
• 6.75% of the Brazilian territory.
• 24 223 412 inhabitants (74.1% live in
cities).
• It has a sub-tropical climate, except in
the northern region of the state of
Paraná where a tropical climate
predominates.
• The region was colonized by German,
Italian, and Azorean immigrants.
• Initially based on cattle-rearing, the
economy of the South has developed a
significant industrial base over recent
decades.
• Agricultural production makes use of
modern cultivation techniques (wheat,
soy, rice, maize, beans and tobacco).
South-East
• 10.85% of the Brazilian territory.
• The region has the largest population:
69 174 339 inhabitants (88% live in
cities).
• Its typical landscape consists of
rounded mountain formations.
• Its economy is the most developed and
industrialized in the country.
• Biggest oil basin in Brazil (state of Rio
de Janeiro).
• Car manufacturers (Volkswagen, Ford,
Fiat, Mercedes, Chevrolet, Citroen,
Toyota, Honda).
• It is the most visited region in Brazil.
• Main international airports (Guarulhos
– SP, Galeão – RJ).
São Paulo
• Over 34 000 000 inhabitants.
• Responsible for 35% of Brazilian GDP.
• Its GDP is bigger than the GDP of any
other country in Latin America except
Mexico.
• Its GDP is twice the Argentinean GDP.
• It has the best research institutions in
Latin America (USP and UNICAMP).
• The state houses many of the largest
Brazilian and international companies
and foreign banks with head-offices in
the country.
• It is also the headquarters of the eighth
largest stock market in the world and the
second largest future market.
http://www.latinbusinesschronicle.com/
statistics/gdp/ranking.htm
History
• Brazilian History is divided into three periods:
 Colony (1500 – 1822)
 Empire (1822 – 1889)
 Republic (1889 – present)
• Brazilian Capitals
 Salvador (1549 – 1773)
 Rio de Janeiro (1773 – 1960)
 Brasília (1960 – present)
• Political Organization
 Hereditary captaincies (colony)
 States (previous provinces) with more local power
 States as part of a federative republic
Brazilian Territory
Democracy and dictatorship in modern
Brazilian History
• 1889 – 1930: Constitutional Democracy.
• 1930 – 1945: Military coup places Getúlio Vargas in
power.
– 1930 – 1937: Vargas interim presidency.
– 1937 – 1945: Estado Novo (New State).
• 1945 – 1964: Democratic period.
• 1964 – 1985: Military Dictatorship.
• 1985 – present: Modern Democracy.
Juscelino Kubitschek (JK)
(1956 – 1961)
• Fifty years in five.
• Building of Brasília.
• Era of great hope.
• Influx of international
investments.
• The economy boomed, but
at some cost.
• Inflation and devaluation of
the currency.
Jânio Quadros
(Jan 31 – Aug 25, 1961)
• Elected with no congressional
support.
• Polemic figure (prohibited
bikinis in Copacabana).
• Right-wing president who
established relations with Cuba
and Russia.
•
Resigned in an attempt to gain
political power.
• His resignation created a
political crisis.
João Goulart (Jango)
(1961 - 1964)
• Left-wing vice president.
• 1961 – 1963: Parliamentary
system.
• 1963 – 1964: Presidential system.
• Nationalist reforms to face social
problems.
• Nationalization of companies.
• Increase of organized social
groups.
• Nationalism vs Imperialism.
Brazilian Military Presidents
Castelo Branco
(1964 – 1967)
Costa e Silva
(1967 – 1969)
João Baptista Figueiredo
(1979 - 1985)
Emílio Médici
(1969 – 1974)
Ernesto Geisel
(1974 - 1979)
The Economy
• 1964 – 1967: Economic Recuperation
• Programa de Ação Econômica do Governo (PAEG)
• Reduced budget, deficit, salaries, inflation. GDP grew again.
• 1969 – 1973: The Brazilian Miracle
• GDP grew 11% a year.
• Growth was based on more debts and external dependency.
• Salaries were very low, and social benefits were lost.
• 1973 – 1979: Economic Problems
• Increase of internal and external debts.
• 1978 : Strikes in São Paulo.
• 1980’s: “The lost decade”
• Inflation soared, the debt destroyed the Brazilian economy.
• IMF imposed a painful austerity program on Brazil.
Redemocratization
• 1974: Gen. Geisel becomes president and promises
democracy.
• 1979: Gen. Figueiredo becomes president and
promises to finish Geisel’s work.
• 1979: General amnesty (including those who tortured
civilians).
• New political parties are allowed to exist.
• 1982: General elections for governors and state
representatives.
• 1984 – Diretas Já! – Direct (vote) now! A civil
movement for direct presidential elections.
Tancredo Neves
(1985)
• Minister of Justice during
Getúlio Varga’s government
(1935).
• Prime Minister of Jango
(1961).
• Jan 15, 1985: elected
president by the congress.
• Died in Mar 15, 1985.
• Tancredo was the hope for a
new country.
José Sarney
(1985 - 1990)
• Ex-member of the ARENA,
vice-president of Tancredo.
• His government faced several
economic problems: huge
foreign debt, and inflation.
• Plano Cruzado (economic
plan) did not work.
• 1986: Elections for congress.
• 1988: New constitution.
Fernando Collor de Melo
(1991-1992)
• First president democratically
elected since 1961.
• He was a good looking
candidate that promised to
end corruption and to
modernize the country.
• Involved in many scandals,
he was impeached in 1992.
• Several rallies occurred
throughout the country
against him.
Itamar Franco
(1992 - 1994)
• Vice-president of Collor; formally
took office in Dec 1992.
• Inflation reached 6000% in 1993.
• Franco managed to unite several
political parties and create a
successful economic plan (Plano
Real) in 1994 that reduced inflation
to a single digit.
• His minister of Economy was
elected president in 1994.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
(1995 - 2002)
• FHC consolidated the political
and economic stability.
• He privatized several
companies (including CSN,
and EMBRATEL).
• After some years of economic
growth, Brazil’s economy
suffered the consequences of
world economic crisis.
• FHC was reelected in 1998.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
(2003 - present)
• He had a very poor childhood. At age 12 he
worked as a shoeshine boy and street
vendor.
• In 1978, he was elected president of the
Steel Workers' Union of São Bernardo.
• In 1980, he and a group of academics,
union leaders and intellectuals founded the
Labor Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores PT).
• During the 1990’s PT shifted from a leftwing party to more center-left position.
• LULA was elected president in 2002.
• Instead of deep social changes (as
proposed in the past) his government
chose a reformist line, passing new
retirement, tributary, labor, and judicial
laws, and discussing a university reform.
Social Issues in Brazil
• The Brazilian economy had a belated
flourishing, even for Latin American
standards.
• During the 19th century Brazil was
poorer than Peru and growth was slow.
• During the 20th century the South and
South-East regions developed much
faster. This created the migration
problem.
• In the 20th century an educational
system had to be built.
• The quality of public education is still
questionable in some areas.
• Before 1950 there were no good public
hospitals, and very few public health
campaigns.
Racial Issues in Brazil
• Brazil has a multi-racial society.
 Mulatos
 Caboclos
 Cafuzos
• Brazil was the last country in the
Americas to end slavery (1888).
• Social integration of African-Brazilians
and other minorities (caboclos, cafuzos,
etc) has been a slow process.
• The first affirmative action policies were
introduced in the last ten years.
• Racial minorities still have less access
to good school, and good health
system.
• Different developing rates among
different geographic regions increased
the problem.
Improvements in Social Issues
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Infant mortality rates dropped from 41.1% in 1992 to 27.5% in 2003
(15.18% in Argentina; 5.7% in USA, but 14% among African
Americans).
97.3% of children (7 to 14) in school in 2003.
99.5% of homes have access to electricity, 89.6% receive public
clean water.
17.5% have a computer at home, 13.2% have internet access
(although Brazil represents 32% of internet access in Latin
America).
“Fome Zero” (Zero Hunger) – A social program that distributes
money to selected regions and cities whose inhabitants suffer
severe difficulties.
“Bolsa Família” (Family Aid) – the program consists primarily of
financial aid to families with incomes of less than US$40.00 per
month. It demands that the families send their children to school
and keep their vaccines up to date.
Aids program - Brazil's guarantee of access to free antiretroviral
(ARV) drugs since 1996. The government promotes public
campaigns to educate the population.
CURIOSITIES:
Orange Pipeline (Sucoduto)
• 30% of the orange produced in the world (USA – 18%).
• Brazil exports to Europe, USA, China, Japan, Russia, India
(among others).
CURIOSITIES:
How do we vote?
• 100% electronic voting.
• We vote using electronic voting machines.
• Each candidate has one number.
• We enter the candidate’s number and see
his/her picture and name on the screen.
• Official results in less than 24 hours.
• Elections in Brazil are considered the most
well organized in the continent.
www.tse.gov.br/eleicoes/urna_eletronica/simulacao_votacao/UrnaApplet2.htm
CURIOSITIES:
EMBRAER
• Embraer has become one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the
world by focusing on specific market segments with high growth
potential in commercial, defense, and executive aviation.
• Embraer was Brazil’s largest exporter from 1999 to 2001 and the
second largest in 2002, 2003 and 2004. It currently employs more
than 16,500 people, 85.5% based in Brazil.
CURIOSITIES:
BOSSA NOVA (The new beat)
• Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music
invented in the late 1950s by a group of
middle-class students and musicians living
in the Copacabana and Ipanema beachside
districts of Rio de Janeiro.
• The music derives from samba but is more
complex harmonically and less percussive.
• Perhaps the best known bossa nova
song is Antonio Carlos Jobim's “The Girl
from Ipanema”.
• Bossa Nova was popularized in the US
by Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Tom Jobim,
Frank Sinatra, and Vinicius de Moraes.
Web resources
• http://www.mre.gov.br/cdbrasil/itamaraty/web/ingles/index.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Brazil
• http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/br.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luiz_In%C3%A1cio_Lula_da_Silva
• http://www.ibge.gov.br/ (not everything is available in English)
• http://ww2.aegis.com/news/ct/2003/CT030601.html
• http://www.embraer.com.br/english/content/home/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossa_nova