The wordBrazil probably comes from the Portuguese word forbrazilwood, a tree that once grew plentifully along the Brazilian coast.[31] In Portuguese, brazilwood is calledpau-brasil, with the wordbrasil commonly given the etymology 'red like anember', formed frombrasa ('ember') and the suffix-il (from-iculum or-ilium).[32] It has alternatively been suggested that this is a folk etymology for a word for the plant related to an Arabic or Asian word for a red plant.[33] As brazilwood produces a deep red dye, it was highly valued by the European textile industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil.[34] Throughout the 16th century, massive amounts of brazilwood were harvested byindigenous peoples (mostlyTupi) along the Brazilian coast, who sold the timber to European traders in return for assorted European consumer goods.[35]
The official Portuguese name of the land, in original Portuguese records, was the 'Land of the Holy Cross' (Terra da Santa Cruz),[36] but European sailors and merchants commonly called it the 'Land of Brazil' (Terra do Brasil) because of the brazilwood trade.[37] Popular usage eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official Portuguese name. Some early sailors called it the 'Land of Parrots'.[38] In theGuarani language, Brazil is calledPindorama, meaning 'land of the palm trees'.[39]
Some of the earliest human remains found in the Americas,Luzia Woman, were found in the area ofPedro Leopoldo,Minas Gerais, and provide evidence of human habitation going back at least 11,000 years.[41] The earliest pottery ever found in the Western Hemisphere was excavated in the Amazon basin of Brazil andradiocarbon dated to over 8,000 years ago (6000 BC). The pottery was found nearSantarém and provides evidence that the region supported a complex prehistoric culture.[42] TheMarajoara culture flourished onMarajó in the Amazon delta from AD 400 to 1400, developing sophisticated pottery,social stratification, large populations,mound building, and complex social formations such aschiefdoms.[43]
Around the time of the Portuguese arrival, the territory of present day Brazil had an estimated indigenous population of 7 million people,[44] mostly semi-nomadic, who subsisted on hunting, fishing, gathering, and migrant agriculture. The population comprised several large indigenous ethnic groups (e.g., the Tupis,Guaranis,Gês, andArawaks). The Tupi people were subdivided into theTupiniquins andTupinambás.[45]
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the boundaries between these groups and their subgroups were marked by wars that arose from differences in culture, language and moral beliefs.[46] These wars also involved large-scale military actions on land and water, withcannibalistic rituals on prisoners of war.[47][48] While heredity had some weight, leadership was a status more won over time than assigned in succession ceremonies and conventions.[46] Slavery among the indigenous groups had a different meaning than it had for Europeans, since it originated from a diverse socioeconomic organization, in which asymmetries were translated intokinship relations.[49]
However, the decentralized and unorganized captaincy system proved problematic, and in 1549 the Portuguese king restructured them into theGovernorate General of Brazil in the city ofSalvador, which became the capital of a single and centralized Portuguese colony in South America.[54][55] In the first two centuries of colonization, Indigenous and European groups lived in constant war, establishing opportunistic alliances in order to gain advantages against each other.[56][57][58][59]
By the end of the 17th century, sugar exports began to decline[67] and the discovery of gold bybandeirantes in the 1690s would become the new backbone of the colony's economy, fostering agold rush[68] which attracted thousands of new settlers to Brazil from Portugal and all Portuguese colonies around the world.[69] This increased level of immigration in turn causedsome conflicts between newcomers and old settlers.[70]
The Portuguese colonial administration in Brazil had two objectives that would ensure colonial order and the monopoly of Portugal's wealthiest and largest colony: to keep under control and eradicate all forms of slave rebellion and resistance, such as theQuilombo of Palmares,[74] and to repress all movements for autonomy or independence, such as theMinas Gerais Conspiracy.[75]
With the end of thePeninsular War in 1814, the courts of Europe demanded that Queen Maria I and Prince Regent John return to Portugal, deeming it unfit for the head of an ancient European monarchy to reside in a colony. In 1815, to justify continuing to live in Brazil, where the royal court had thrived for six years, the Crown established theUnited Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, thus creating apluricontinental transatlantic monarchic state.[79] However, the leadership in Portugal, resentful of the new status of its larger colony, continued to demand the return of the court to Lisbon (seeLiberal Revolution of 1820). In 1821, acceding to the demands of revolutionaries who had taken the city ofPorto,[80] John VI departed for Lisbon. There he swore an oath to the new constitution, leaving his son,Prince Pedro de Alcântara, as Regent of theKingdom of Brazil.[81]
Declaration of the Brazilian independence by Pedro I on7 September 1822
Tensions between Portuguese and Brazilians increased and thePortuguese Cortes, guided by the new political regime imposed by the Liberal Revolution, tried to re-establish Brazil as a colony.[82] The Brazilians refused to yield, and Prince Pedro decided to side with them,declaring the country's independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822.[83] A month later, Prince Pedro was proclaimed the firstEmperor of Brazil, with the royal title of DomPedro I, resulting in the founding of theEmpire of Brazil.[84]
TheBrazilian War of Independence, which had already begun along this process, spread through the northern, northeastern regions and in theCisplatina province.[85] The last Portuguese soldiers surrendered on 8 March 1824;[86] Portugalofficially recognized Brazilian independence on 29 August 1825.[87]
On 7 April 1831, worn down by years of administrative turmoil and political dissent with both liberals and conservatives, including an attempt ofrepublican secession[88] and unreconciled to the way that absolutists in Portugal had given in the succession of King John VI, Pedro I departed for Portugal toreclaim his daughter's crown afterabdicating the Brazilian throne in favor of his five-year-old son and heir (DomPedro II).[89]
As the new Emperor could not exert his constitutional powers until he came of age, aregency was set up by theGeneral Assembly.[90] In the absence of a charismatic figure who could represent a moderate face of power, a series of localized rebellions took place, such as theCabanagem inGrão-Pará, theMalê Revolt in Salvador, theBalaiada (Maranhão), theSabinada (Bahia), and theRagamuffin War, which began inRio Grande do Sul and was supported byGiuseppe Garibaldi. These emerged from the provinces' dissatisfaction with the central power, coupled with old and latent social tensions peculiar to a vast, slaveholding and newly independent nation state.[91] This period of internal political and social upheaval, which included thePraieira revolt inPernambuco, was overcome only at the end of the 1840s, years after the end of the regency, which occurred with thepremature coronation of Pedro II in 1841.[92]
The foreign-affairs policies of the monarchy dealt with issues pertaining Brazil's neighboring countries in theSouthern Cone. Long after theCisplatine War that resulted in the independence ofUruguay,[95] Brazil won three international wars during the 58-year reign of Pedro II: thePlatine War, theUruguayan War and the devastatingParaguayan War, the largest war effort in Brazilian history.[96][97]
Although there was no desire among the majority of Brazilians to change the country's form of government,[98] on 15 November 1889, in disagreement with the majority of theImperial Army officers, as well as with rural and financial elites, the monarchy was overthrown by amilitary coup.[99] A few days later, thenational flag was replaced with a new design that included the national motto "Ordem e Progresso", influenced bypositivism. 15 November is nowRepublic Day, a national holiday.[100]
Theearly republican government was a military dictatorship, with the army dominating affairs both in Rio de Janeiro and in the states. Freedom of the press disappeared and elections were controlled by those in power.[101] Not until 1894, following aneconomic crisis anda military one, did civilians take power, remaining there until October 1930.[102][103][104]
Little by little,a cycle of general instability sparked by these crises undermined the regime to such an extent that in the wake of the murder of his running mate, the defeated opposition presidential candidateGetúlio Vargas, supported by most of the military, successfully led theRevolution of 1930.[120][121] Vargas and the military were supposed to assume power temporarily, but instead closed down Congress, extinguished the Constitution, ruled with emergency powers and replaced the states' governors with his own supporters.[122][123]
In the 1930s, three attempts to remove Vargas and his supporters from power failed. The first was theConstitutionalist Revolution in 1932, led by São Paulo's oligarchy. The second was aCommunist uprising in November 1935, and the last one aputsch attempt bylocal fascists in May 1938.[124][125][126] The 1935 uprising created a security crisis in which Congress transferred more power to the executive branch. The1937coup d'état resulted in the cancellation of the 1938 election and formalized Vargas as dictator, beginning theEstado Novo era. During this period, government brutality and censorship of the press increased.[127]
With the Allied victory in 1945 and the end of the fascist regimes in Europe, Vargas' position became untenable, and he wasswiftly overthrown in another military coup, with democracy reinstated by the same army that had ended it 15 years earlier.[132] Vargas committed suicide in August 1954 amid a political crisis, after having returned to power by election in 1950.[133][134]
Several brief interim governments followed Vargas' suicide.[135]Juscelino Kubitschek became president in 1956 and assumed a conciliatory stance towards the political opposition that allowed him to govern without major crises.[136] The economy and industrial sector grew remarkably,[137] but his greatest achievement was the construction of the new capital city ofBrasília, inaugurated in 1960.[138] Kubitschek's successor,Jânio Quadros, resigned in 1961 less than a year after taking office.[139] His vice-president,João Goulart, assumed the presidency, but aroused strong political opposition[140] and wasdeposed in April 1964 by a coup that resulted in amilitary dictatorship.[141]
The new regime was intended to be transitory,[142] but gradually closed in on itself and became a full dictatorship with the promulgation of theFifth Institutional Act in 1968.[143] Oppression was not limited to those who resorted toguerrilla tactics to fight the regime, but also reached institutional opponents, artists, journalists and other members of civil society,[144][145] inside and outside the country through "Operation Condor".[146][147] Like otherauthoritarian regimes, due to an economic boom, known as the "economic miracle", the Brazilian military dictatorship reached a peak in popularity in the early 1970s.[148]
Slowly, however, the wear and tear of years of dictatorial power had not slowed the repression, even after the defeat of the leftist guerrillas.[149] The inability to deal with the economic crises of the period and popular pressure made a redemocratization policy inevitable, which from the regime side was led by GeneralsErnesto Geisel andGolbery do Couto e Silva.[150] With the enactment of theAmnesty Law in 1979, Brazil began a slowreturn to democracy, which was completed during the 1980s.[92]
Rousseffwas impeached by theBrazilian Congress in 2016, halfway into her second term,[161][162] and replaced by her vice-presidentMichel Temer, who assumed full presidential powers after Rousseff's impeachment was accepted on 31 August. Large streetprotests for and against her took place during the impeachment process.[163] The charges against her were fueled by political and economic crises along with evidence of involvement with politicians from all the primary political parties. In 2017, the Supreme Court requested the investigation of 71 Brazilian lawmakers and nine ministers of PresidentMichel Temer's cabinet who were allegedly linked to thePetrobras corruption scandal.[164] President Temer himself was also accused ofcorruption.[165]
Brazil occupies a large area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent's interior,[173] sharing land borders withUruguay to the south;Argentina andParaguay to the southwest;Bolivia andPeru to the west;Colombia to the northwest; andVenezuela,Guyana,Suriname and France (French overseas region ofFrench Guiana) to the north. It shares a border with every South American country exceptEcuador andChile.[13]
Brazil is thefifth largest country in the world, and third largest in the Americas, with a total area of 8,515,767.049 km2 (3,287,956 sq mi),[174] including 55,455 km2 (21,411 sq mi) of water. Brazil is the only country in the world that has theequator and theTropic of Capricorn running through it.[13] It spans fourtime zones; fromUTC−5 comprising the state ofAcre and the westernmost portion ofAmazonas, toUTC−4 in the western states, toUTC−3 in the eastern states (thenational time) andUTC−2 in theAtlantic islands.[175]
In Brazil,forest cover is around 59% of the total land area, equivalent to 496,619,600 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 588,898,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 485,396,000 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 11,223,600 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest, 44% was reported to beprimary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 30% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For 2015, 56% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership and 44%private ownership.[177][178]
Many regions have starkly differentmicroclimates.[179][180] An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no realdry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when most rain falls.[176] Temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F),[180] with more significant temperature variation between night and day than between seasons.[179] Over central Brazil, rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate.[179] This region is as extensive as the Amazon basin but has a very different climate as it lies farther south at a higher altitude.[176] In the interior northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme.[181] South of Bahia, near the coasts, and more southerly most of the state of São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, with rain falling throughout the year.[176] The south enjoys subtropical conditions, with cool winters and average annual temperatures not exceeding 18 °C (64.4 °F);[180] winter frosts andsnowfall are not rare in the highest areas.[176][179]
The semiarid climatic region generally receives less than 800 millimeters (31.5 in) of rain,[181] most of which generally falls in a period of three to five months of the year[182] and occasionally less than this, creating long periods of drought.[179] Brazil's 1877–78Grande Seca (Great Drought), the worst in Brazil's history,[183] caused approximately half a million deaths.[184] A similarly devastating drought occurred in 1915.[185] In 2024, for the first time, "a drought has covered all the way from the North to the country's Southeast". It is the strongest drought in Brazil since the beginning of measurement in the 1950s, covering almost 60% of the country's territory. The drought is linked to deforestation and climate change.[186][187][188]
Since 1850, the Brazil has cumulatively contributed an amount of CO2 placing it among the top emitters in the world, mainly due to its land use and forestry practices.[189]
Climate change in Brazil is causing higher temperatures and longer-lasting heatwaves, changing precipitation patterns, more intense wildfires and heightened fire risk.[190] Brazil's hydropower, agriculture and urban water supplies will be affected.[191] Brazil's rainforests, and the Amazon, are particularly at risk to climate change. At worst, large areas of the Amazon River basin could turn into savannah, with severe consequences for global climate and local livelihoods.[192]Extreme weather events like droughts and flash floods are causing annual losses of around R$13 billion (US$2.6 billion), equivalent to 0.1% of the country's 2022 GDP. Climate impacts could exacerbate poverty.[191]
Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between 200 meters (660 ft) and 800 meters (2,600 ft) in elevation.[197] The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country.[197] The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills.[197]
The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to 1,200 meters (3,900 ft).[197] These ranges include theMantiqueira andEspinhaço mountains and theSerra do Mar.[197] In the north, theGuiana Highlands form a major drainage divide, separating rivers that flow south into the Amazon Basin from rivers that empty into theOrinoco River system, in Venezuela, to the north. The highest point in Brazil is thePico da Neblina at 2,994 meters (9,823 ft), and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean.[13]
Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic.[198] Major rivers include theAmazon (the world's largest in terms of water volume), theParaná and its major tributary theIguaçu (which includes theIguazu Falls), theNegro,São Francisco,Xingu,Madeira andTapajós rivers.[198]
Thewildlife of Brazil comprises all naturally occurring animals, plants, and fungi in the South American country. Home to 60% of the Amazon rainforest, which accounts for approximately one-tenth of all species in the world,[199] Brazil is considered to have the greatestbiodiversity of any country on the planet, containing over 70% of all animal and plant species catalogued.[200] Brazil has the most known species of plants (55,000), freshwater fish (3,000) and mammals (over 689).[201] It also ranks third on the list of countries with the most bird species (1,832) and second with the most reptile species (744).[201] The number of fungal species is unknown but is large.[202] Brazil is second only toIndonesia as the country with the mostendemic species.[203]
Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest, recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world,[204] with theAtlantic Forest and theCerrado sustaining the greatest biodiversity.[205] In the south, theAraucaria moist forests grow under temperate conditions.[205] The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats. Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach four million, mostly invertebrates.[205] Larger mammals include carnivorespumas,jaguars,ocelots, rarebush dogs, andfoxes, and herbivorespeccaries,tapirs,anteaters,sloths,opossums andarmadillos.Deer are plentiful in the south, and many species ofNew World monkeys are found in the northern rainforests.[205][206]
Cumulatively, Brazil has the highest percentage of deforested and highly degraded rainforest of any Amazonia nation.[207]
More than one-fifth of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has been completely destroyed, and more than 70 mammals are endangered.[201] The threat of extinction comes from several sources, includingdeforestation andpoaching. Extinction is even more problematic in the Atlantic Forest, where nearly 93% of the forest has been cleared.[208] Of the 202 endangered animals in Brazil, 171 are in the Atlantic Forest.[209] The Amazon rainforest has been under direct threat of deforestation since the 1970s because of rapid economic and demographic expansion. Extensive legal and illegal logging destroy forests the size of a small country per year, and with it a diverse series of species throughhabitat destruction andhabitat fragmentation.[210] Since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (230,000 sq mi) of the Amazon rainforest have been cleared by logging.[211]
In 2017, preserved native vegetation occupied 61% of the Brazilian territory. Agriculture occupied only 8% of the national territory and pastures 19.7%.[212] For comparison, in 2019, although 43% of the entire European continent has forests, only 3% of the total forest area in Europe is of native forest.[213] Brazil has a strong interest in conservation, as its agriculture sector directly depends on its forests.[214]
Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of law in Brazil. TheNational Congress is the federation's bicameral legislature, consisting of theChamber of Deputies and theFederal Senate. The Senate represents the26 states and theFederal District. Each state and the Federal District has a representation of three senators, who are elected by popular ballot for a term of eight years.[216][217] The Chamber of Deputies represents the people of each state, and its members are elected for a four-year term by a system ofproportional representation.[218] Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively.
The political-administrative organization of the Federative Republic of Brazil comprises the Union, the states, the Federal District, and the municipalities.[15] The Union, the states, the Federal District, and the municipalities, are the "spheres of government". The federation is set on five fundamental principles: sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of human beings, the social values of labor and freedom of enterprise, and politicalpluralism.[15]
The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial under a checks and balances system) are formally established by the Constitution.[15] The executive and legislative are organizedindependently in all three spheres of government, while the judiciary is organized only at the federal and state and Federal District spheres. All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected.[223][224][225]
For most of its democratic history, Brazil has had amulti-party system, withproportional representation. Voting iscompulsory for the literate between 18 and 70 years old and optional for illiterates and those between 16 and 18 or beyond 70.[15] The country has around30 registered political parties. Twenty political parties are represented in Congress. It is common for politicians to switch parties, and thus the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly.[226]
The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil serves primarily as the Constitutional Court of the country
Brazilian law is based on thecivil law legal system[227] andcivil law concepts prevail over common law practice. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are seldom binding on other specific cases. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases. Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams.[223]
The legal system is based on theFederal Constitution, promulgated on 5 October 1988, and the fundamental law of Brazil. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules.[228] As of July 2022[update], there have been 124 amendments.[229] The highest court is theSupreme Federal Court. States have their own constitutions, which must not contradict the Federal Constitution.[230] Municipalities and the Federal District have "organic laws" (leis orgânicas), which act in a similar way to constitutions.[231] Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary and executive bodies may enact legal norms.[15] Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare situations the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments.[15] There are also specialized military, labor andelectoral courts.[15]
Brazil is a federation composed of 26states, onefederal district, and the 5,571municipalities.[15] States have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Federal government. They have a governor and a unicameral legislative body elected directly by their voters. They also have independentCourts of Law for common justice. Despite this, states have much less autonomy to create their own laws than in other federal states such as the United States. Criminal and civil laws can be voted by only the federal bicameral Congress and are uniform throughout the country.[15]
Municipalities, as the states, have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the federal and state government.[15] Each has an elected mayor and legislative body, but no separate Court of Law. Indeed, a Court of Law organized by the state can encompass many municipalities in a single justice administrative division calledcomarca.[15]
Brazil's constitution also provides for the creation offederal territories, which are administrative divisions directly controlled by the federal government. However, there are currently no federal territories in the country, as the 1988 Constitution abolished the last three: Amapá and Roraima (which gained statehood) and Fernando de Noronha, which became a state district ofPernambuco.[232][233]
Brazil's international relations are based on Article 4 of the Federal Constitution, which establishesnon-intervention,self-determination,international cooperation and thepeaceful settlement of conflicts as the guiding principles of Brazil's relationship with other countries and multilateral organizations.[234] According to the Constitution, thePresident has ultimate authority over foreign policy, whileCongress is tasked with reviewing and considering all diplomatic nominations andinternational treaties, as well as legislation relating to Brazilian foreign policy.[235]
Brazil's foreign policy is a by-product of the country's position as aregional power in Latin America, a leader amongdeveloping countries, and an emergingworld power.[236] Brazilian foreign policy has generally been based on the principles ofmultilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and non-intervention in the affairs of other countries.[237] Brazil is a founding member state of theCommunity of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth, an international organization and political association ofLusophone nations.
An increasingly well-developed tool of Brazil's foreign policy is providing aid as a donor to other developing countries.[238] Brazil does not just use its growing economic strength to provide financial aid, but it also provides high levels of expertise and most importantly of all, a quiet non-confrontational diplomacy to improve governance levels.[238] Total aid is estimated to be around $1 billion per year.[238] In addition, Brazil already managed apeacekeeping mission in Haiti ($350 million) and makes in-kind contributions to theWorld Food Programme ($300 million).[238] The scale of this aid places it on par with China and India.[238] The BrazilianSouth-South aid has been described as a "global model in waiting".[239]
Numbering close to 236,000 active personnel,[243] the Brazilian Army has the largest number of armored vehicles in South America, including armored transports andtanks.[244] The states'Military Police and theMilitary Firefighters Corps are designated as auxiliary forces of the Army by the constitution, but are under the control of each state's governor.[15]
Headquarters of the Federal Police of Brazil in Brasília
In Brazil, the Constitution establishes six different police agencies for law enforcement:Federal Police Department,Federal Highway Police,Federal Railroad Police, Federal, District and State Penal Police (included by the Constitutional Amendment No. 104, of 2019),Military Police andCivil Police. Of these, the first three are affiliated with federal authorities, the last two are subordinate to state governments and the Penal Police can be subordinated to the federal or state/district government. All police forces are overseen by the executive branch of the federal or state government.[15] TheNational Public Security Force also can act in public disorder situations arising anywhere in the country.[248]
The country has high levels of violent crime, such as gun violence and homicides. In 2022, theUnited Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated an intentional homicide rate of 21.1 per 100,000 inhabitants.[249] The number considered acceptable by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) is about 10 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.[250] In 2024, Brazil recorded 38,772 homicides, down from 40,768 in 2023,[251] and from a record 63,880 in 2017.[252] Homicide rates vary regionally. While inSão Paulo the homicide rate registered in 2023 was 6.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, inAmapá it was 57.4 per 100,000 inhabitants.[253] The national homicide rate for 2024 was 17.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, the lowest in over a decade.[251]
Brazil also has high levels of incarceration. It had the third largest prison population in the world of approximately 909,067 prisoners in 2024, which put it only behind the United States (1,808,100) and China (1,690,000).[254] The high number of prisoners eventually overloaded the Brazilian prison system, leading to a shortfall of about 200,000 accommodations.[255]
São Paulo is considered the main financial center of BrazilB3, the largest stock exchange of Latin America by market capitalization[260]Soybean crop inTangará da Serra,Mato Grosso[261]TheC-390, developed byEmbraer, the third largest producer of civil aircraft, afterBoeing andAirbus[262]
Brazil's diversified economy includes agriculture, industry and a wide range of services.[271] The large service sector accounts for about 72.7% of total GDP, followed by the industrial sector (20.7%), while theagriculture sector is by far the smallest, making up 6.6% of total GDP.[272]
Brazil is one of thelargest producers of various agricultural commodities,[273] and also has a largecooperative sector that provides 50% of the food in the country.[274] It has been the world's largestproducer of coffee for the last 150 years[27] and is the world's largest producer of sugarcane, soy, coffee and oranges; is one of the top five producers of maize, cotton, lemon, tobacco, pineapple, banana, beans, coconut, watermelon and papaya; and is one of the top 10 world producers of cocoa, cashew, mango, rice, tomato, sorghum, tangerine, avocado, persimmon, and guava, among others. Regarding livestock, it is one of the five largest producers of chicken meat, beef, pork and cow's milk in the world.[275]
In themining sector, Brazil is among the largest producers of iron ore, copper, gold,[276] bauxite, manganese, tin,niobium,[277] and nickel. In terms of precious stones, Brazil is the world's largest producer ofamethyst,topaz,agate and one of the main producers oftourmaline,emerald,aquamarine,garnet andopal.[278][279] The country is a major exporter of soy, iron ore, pulp (cellulose), maize, beef, chicken meat, soybean meal, sugar, coffee, tobacco, cotton, orange juice, footwear, airplanes, cars, vehicle parts, gold, ethanol and semi-finished iron, among other products.[280][281]
Brazil is the world's24th-largest exporter and26th-largest importer as of 2021[update].[282][283] China is its largest trading partner, accounting for 32% of the total trade. Other large trading partners include the United States, Argentina, the Netherlands and Canada.[284] Itsautomotive industry is theeighth-largest in the world.[285] In thefood industry, Brazil was the second-largest exporter of processed foods in the world in 2019.[286] The country was the second-largest producer ofpulp in the world and the eighth-largest producer of paper in 2016.[287] In thefootwear industry, Brazil was the fourth-largest producer in 2019.[288] It was also the ninth-largest producer of steel in the world.[289][290][291] In 2018, thechemical industry of Brazil was the eighth-largest in the world.[292][293][294] Although it was among the five largest world producers in 2013, Brazil's textile industry is very little integrated into world trade.[295]
The tertiary sector (trade and services) represented 75.8% of the country's GDP in 2018, according to the IBGE. The service sector was responsible for 60% of GDP and trade for 13%. It covers commerce, transport, education, social and health services, research and development, sports activities, etc.[296][297] Micro and small businesses represent 30% of the country's GDP. In the commercial sector they represent 53% of the GDP within the activities of the sector.[298]
Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economies of several regions of the country. The country had 6.36 million visitors in 2015, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the main destination in South America and second in Latin America after Mexico.[299] Revenues from international tourists reachedUS$6 billion in 2010, showing a recovery from the2008–2009 economic crisis.[300] Historical records of 5.4 million visitors andUS$6.8 billion in receipts were reached in 2011.[301][302] In the list of world tourist destinations, in 2018, Brazil was the 48th most visited country, with 6.6 million tourists (and revenues of 5.9 billion dollars).[303]
Natural areas are its most popular tourism product, a combination ofecotourism with leisure and recreation, mainly sun and beach, and adventure travel, as well as cultural tourism. Among the most popular destinations are the Amazon Rainforest, beaches and dunes in theNortheast Region, thePantanal in theCenter-West Region, beaches atRio de Janeiro andSanta Catarina, cultural tourism inMinas Gerais and business trips toSão Paulo.[304]
In terms of the 2024Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which is a measurement of the factors that make it attractive to develop business in the travel and tourism industry of individual countries, Brazil ranked in the 26th place at the world's level, third in the Americas, after Canada and United States.[305]Domestic tourism is a key market segment for the tourism industry in Brazil. In 2005, 51 million Brazilian nationals made ten times more trips than foreign tourists and spent five times more money than their international counterparts.[306] The main destination states in 2023 wereSão Paulo,Rio de Janeiro, andRio Grande do Sul.[307][308] The main source of tourists for the entire country is São Paulo state.[309] In terms of tourism revenues, the top earners by state wereSão Paulo andBahia.[310] For 2005, the three main trip purposes were visiting friends and family (53.1%), sun and beach (40.8%), and cultural tourism (12.5%).[311]
TheBrazilian Space Agency has the most advanced space program in Latin America, with significant resources to launch vehicles, and manufacture of satellites.[315] The countrydevelops submarines and aircraft, as well as being involved in space research, having a Vehicle Launch Center Light and being the only country in the Southern Hemisphere to integrate a team building the well-knownInternational Space Station (ISS).[316]
The country is also a pioneer in the search for oil in deep water, from where it extracts 73% of its reserves. Uranium is enriched at theResende Nuclear Fuel Factory, mostly for research purposes (as Brazil obtains 88% of its electricity fromhydroelectricity)[317] and the country'sfirst nuclear submarine is expected to be launched in 2029.[318]
Brazil is one of the three countries in Latin America[319] with an operationalSynchrotron Laboratory, a research facility on physics, chemistry, material science and life sciences, and Brazil is the only Latin American country to have a semiconductor company with its ownfabrication plant, theCEITEC.[320] According to the Global Information Technology Report 2009–2010 of the World Economic Forum, Brazil is the world's 61st largest developer of information technology.[321] Brazil was ranked 50th in theGlobal Innovation Index in 2024, up from 66th in 2019.[322][323][324]
At the end of 2021 Brazil was the 2nd country in the world in terms of installedhydroelectric power (109.4 GW) andbiomass (15.8 GW), the 7th country in the world in terms of installedwind power (21.1 GW) and the 14th country in the world in terms of installedsolar power (13.0 GW)—on track to also become one of the top 10 in the world in solar energy.[338] At the end of 2024, Brazil was the 4th largest producer of wind energy in the world (107.8 TWh), behind only China, the United States and Germany, and the 5th largest producer of solar energy in the world (74.7 TWh).[339]
The main characteristic of the Brazilian energy matrix is that it is much more renewable than that of the world. While in 2019, the world matrix was only 14% made up of renewable energy, Brazil's was at 45%. Petroleum and oil products made up 34.3% of the matrix; sugar cane derivatives, 18%; hydraulic energy, 12.4%; natural gas, 12.2%; firewood and charcoal, 8.8%; varied renewable energies, 7%; mineral coal, 5.3%; nuclear, 1.4%, and other non-renewable energies, 0.6%.[340]
In the electric energy matrix, the difference between Brazil and the world is even greater: while the world only had 25% of renewable electric energy in 2019, Brazil had 83%. The Brazilian electric matrix was composed of: hydraulic energy, 64.9%; biomass, 8.4%; wind energy, 8.6%; solar energy, 1%; natural gas, 9.3%; oil products, 2%; nuclear, 2.5%; coal and derivatives, 3.3%.[340] Brazil has the largest electricity sector in Latin America. Its capacity at the end of 2021 was 181,532 MW.[341]
The Brazilian government has embarked on a program over the decades to reduce dependence on imported oil, which previously accounted for more than 70% of the country's oil needs. Brazil became self-sufficient in oil in 2006–2007. In 2021, the country closed the year as the 7th oil producer in the world, with an average of close to three million barrels per day, becoming an exporter of the product.[342][343]
Brazilian roads are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic. Theroad system totaled 1,720,000 km (1,068,758 mi) in 2019.[346] The total of paved roads increased from 35,496 km (22,056 mi) in 1967 to 215,000 km (133,595 mi) in 2018.[347]
Brazil'srailway system has been declining since 1945, when emphasis shifted to highway construction. The country's total railway track length was 30,576 km (18,999 mi) in 2015,[348] as compared with 31,848 km (19,789 mi) in 1970, making it theninth largest network in the world. Most of the railway system belonged to theFederal Railroad Network Corporation (RFFSA), which was privatized in 2007.[349] TheSão Paulo Metro began operating on 14 September 1974 as the first underground transit system in Brazil.[350]
There are about 2,500 airports in Brazil, including landing fields: the second-largest number in the world, after the United States.[351]São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, near São Paulo, is the largest and busiest airport with nearly 43 million passengers annually, while handling the vast majority of commercial traffic for the country.[352][353]
For freight transport, waterways are of importance. Theindustrial zones of Manaus can be reached only by means of the Solimões–Amazonas waterway (3,250 kilometers or 2,020 miles in length, with a minimum depth of six meters or 20 feet). The country also has 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles) of waterways.[354] Coastal shipping links widely separated parts of the country. Bolivia and Paraguay have been given free ports atSantos. Of the 36 deep-water ports,Santos,Itajaí,Rio Grande,Paranaguá,Rio de Janeiro, Sepetiba,Vitória,Suape,Manaus andSão Francisco do Sul are the most important.[355] Bulk carriers have to wait up to 18 days before being serviced; container ships take 36.3 hours on average.[356]
According to the latest official projection, Brazil's estimated population was 213,421,037 on 1 July 2025—an increase from the figure of 203 million reported by the 2022 census.[357][358] The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, was approximately 190 million[359] (22.31 inhabitants per square kilometer or 57.8/sq mi), with a ratio of men to women of 0.95:1[360] and 83.75% of the population defined as urban.[361] The population is heavily concentrated in the Southeast (89 million inhabitants) and Northeast (54.6 million inhabitants), while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North, which together make up 64.12% of Brazilian territory, have a total of only 33.8 million inhabitants.
The first census in Brazil was carried outin 1872 and recorded a population of 9,930,478.[362] From 1880 to 1930, four million Europeans arrived.[363] Brazil's population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, because of a decline in themortality rate, even though thebirth rate underwent a slight decline. In the 1940s the annual population growth rate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in the 1950s and remaining at 2.9% in the 1960s, as life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 years[364] and to 72.6 years in 2007.[365] It has been steadily falling since the 1960s, from 3.04% per year between 1950 and 1960 to 1.05% in 2008 and is expected to fall to a negative value of –0.29% by 2050[366] thus completing thedemographic transition.[367] In 2022, the illiteracy rate was roughly 7%,[368] a significant decline from 11.48% in 2008.[369] By comparison, in 1940, more than half the population (54%) was illiterate.[368]
According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) urban areas already concentrate 84.35% of the population, while the Southeast region remains the most populated one, with over 80 million inhabitants.[370]The largest urban agglomerations in Brazil areSão Paulo,Rio de Janeiro, andBelo Horizonte—all in the Southeastern Region—with 21.1, 12.3, and 5.1 million inhabitants respectively.[371][372][373] The majority of state capitals are the largest cities in their states, except forVitória, the capital ofEspírito Santo, andFlorianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina.[374]
According to the2022 Brazilian census, 45.3% of the population (92.1 million) described themselves asPardo (meaningbrown or multiracial), 43.5% (88.2 million) asWhite, 10.2% (20.7 million) asBlack, 0.6% (1.2 million) asIndigenous and 0.4% (850,000) asEast Asian (officially calledyellow oramarela).[377]
Since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, considerable genetic mixing between Amerindians, Europeans, and Africans has taken place in all regions of the country:
European ancestry being dominant according to all autosomal studies undertaken covering the population, accounting for between 60% and 65% of the average genetic makeup of the Brazilian population.[378][379][380][381]
African ancestry among the Brazilians is estimated at 20% to 25% of the average genetic makeup[380][382][383]
Indigenous ancestry is significant and present in all regions of Brazil, accounting for around 15% to 20% of the average genetic ancestry of Brazilians.[382][384][385][386][387][388][389]
From the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders toimmigration. About five million people from over 60 countries migrated to Brazil between 1808 and 1972, most of them ofPortuguese,Italian,Spanish,German,English,Ukrainian,Polish,Jewish,African,Armenian,Russian,Chinese,Japanese,Korean andArab origin.[390][391][392] Brazil has the second-largest Jewish community in both Latin America after Argentina making up 0.06% of its population.[393] Outside of theArab world, Brazil also has the largestpopulation of Arab ancestry in the world, with 15–20 million people.[394][395] According to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil is home to a Lebanese diaspora of 7 million to 10 million, surpassing the population of Lebanese individuals residing in Lebanon.[396]
Brazilian society is moremarkedly divided by social class lines, although a highincome disparity is foundbetween race groups, so racism andclassism often overlap. The brown population (officially calledpardo in Portuguese)[397][398] is a broad category that includescaboclos (assimilated Amerindians in general, and descendants of Whites and Natives),mulatos (descendants of primarily Whites and Afro-Brazilians) andcafuzos (descendants of Afro-Brazilians and Natives).[397][398][399][400][401] Higher percents of Blacks, mulattoes and tri-racials can be found in the eastern coast of the Northeastern region from Bahia to Paraíba[401][402] and also in northern Maranhão,[403][404] southern Minas Gerais[405] and eastern Rio de Janeiro.[401][405]
People of considerable Amerindian ancestry form the majority of the population in the Northern, Northeastern and Center-Western regions.[406] In 2007, theNational Indian Foundation estimated that Brazil has 67 different uncontacted tribes, up from their estimate of 40 in 2005. Brazil is believed to have the largest number ofuncontacted peoples in the world.[407]
The official language of Brazil isPortuguese (Article 13 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Brazil), which almost all of the population speaks and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.[408]
Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, mostly similar to 16th-century Central and Southern dialects of European Portuguese[409] (despite a very substantial number of Portuguese colonial settlers, andmore recent immigrants, coming fromNorthern regions, and in minor degree PortugueseMacaronesia), with a few influences from theAmerindian andAfrican languages, especiallyWest African andBantu restricted to the vocabulary only.[410] As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries (the dialects of the other countries, partly because of the more recent end of Portuguese colonialism in these regions, have a closer connection to contemporaryEuropean Portuguese). These differences are comparable to those betweenAmerican andBritish English.[410]
The 2002sign language law[411] requires government authorities and public agencies to accept and provide information inLíngua Brasileira dos Sinais or "LIBRAS", theBrazilian Sign Language, while a 2005 presidential edict[412] extends this to require teaching of the language as a part of the education andspeech and language pathology curricula. LIBRAS teachers, instructors and translators are recognized professionals. Schools and health services must provide access ("inclusion") to deaf people.[413]
Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eighty Amerindian languages are spoken in remote areas and a significant number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants.[410] In the municipality ofSão Gabriel da Cachoeira,Nheengatu (a currently endangeredcreole language that, together with its southern relativelíngua geral paulista, once was a majorlingua franca in Brazil),[414]Baniwa and Tucano languages had been granted co-official status with Portuguese.[415]
There are significant communities of German (mostly theBrazilian Hunsrückisch, a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly theTalian, aVenetian dialect) origins in the Southern and Southeastern regions, whose ancestors' native languages were carried along to Brazil, and which, still alive there, are influenced by the Portuguese language.[416][417] Talian is officially a historic heritage ofRio Grande do Sul,[418] and two German dialects possess co-official status in a few municipalities.[419] Italian is also recognized as "ethnic language" inSanta Teresa andVila Velha, in the state ofEspírito Santo.[420]
Christianity is the country's predominant faith, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. Brazil has theworld's largest Catholic population.[421][422][423] According to the 2022 demographic census (the PNAD survey does not inquire about religion), 56.75% of the population followed Catholicism; 26.85%Protestantism; 1.84% Kardecist spiritism; 5.06% other religions, undeclared or undetermined; while 9.28% had no religion.[3]
Religious diversity in Brazil developed from the meeting of the Catholic Church with the religious traditions of enslaved African peoples and indigenous peoples.[424] This confluence of faiths during the Portuguese colonization of Brazil led to the development of a diverse array of syncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella of Brazilian Catholic Church, characterized by traditional Portuguese festivities.[425]
Religious pluralism increased during the 20th century,[426] and the Protestant community had grown to include over 22% of the population by 2010—partly due to a mixture of American missionary and government influence.[427][428] The most common Protestant denominations areEvangelicalPentecostal ones. Other Protestant branches with a notable presence in the country include theBaptists,Seventh-day Adventists,Lutherans and theReformed tradition.[429] In recent decades, Protestantism, particularly in forms of Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism, has spread in Brazil, while the proportion of Catholics had dropped significantly during the 2010s.[430] As they have spread throughout Brazil, many have even been deeply involved in Brazilian and international politics,[431][432] and Evangelical Protestant influence has been implicated in the2022 Brazilian coup plot.[433] Since 2022, Evangelicals and Catholics have begun reconsidering religion as a political factor.[434]
After Protestantism, individuals professing no religion are also a significant group, having exceeded 8% of the population according to the 2010 census. The cities ofBoa Vista,Salvador, andPorto Velho have the greatest proportion ofIrreligious residents in Brazil.Teresina,Fortaleza, andFlorianópolis were the most Roman Catholic in the country.[435]Greater Rio de Janeiro, not including the city proper, is the most irreligious and least Roman Catholic Brazilian periphery, whileGreater Porto Alegre and GreaterFortaleza are on the opposite sides of the lists, respectively.[435]
In October 2009, the Brazilian Senate approved and enacted by the President of Brazil in February 2010, an agreement with theVatican, in which the Legal Statute of the Catholic Church in Brazil is recognized.[436][437]
The Federal Constitution and the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education determine that the Union, the states, the Federal District and the municipalities must manage and organize their respective education systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as the mechanisms and funding sources. The constitution reserves 25% of the state budget and 18% of federal taxes and municipal taxes for education.[438]
According to theIBGE, the literacy rate was 93.4% in 2019, meaning that 11.3 million (6.6% of population) people are still illiterate in the country, with some states such asRio de Janeiro andSanta Catarina reaching around 97% of literacy rate;[439] functional illiteracy has reached 21.6% of the population.[440] Illiteracy is higher in theNortheast, where 13.87% of the population is illiterate, while theSouth, has 3.3% of its population illiterate.[441][439]
Brazil's private institutions tend to be more exclusive and offer better quality education, so many high-income families send their children there. The result is a segregated educational system that reflects extreme income disparities and reinforces social inequality. However, efforts to change this are making impacts.[442] TheUniversity of São Paulo is often consideredthe best in Brazil and Latin America.[443][444] Of the top 20 Latin American universities, eight are Brazilian; most arepublic. Attending an institution of higher education is required by Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education. Kindergarten, elementary and medium education are required of all students.[445]
The Brazilianpublic health system, theUnified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde – SUS), is managed and provided by all levels of government,[446] being the largest system of this type in the world.[447] On the other hand, private healthcare systems play a complementary role.[448] Public health services are universal and offered to all citizens of the country for free. However, the construction and maintenance of health centers and hospitals are financed by taxes, and the country spends about 9% of its GDP on expenditures in the area. In 2021, Brazil had 2.1 doctors and 2.5 hospital beds for every 1,000 inhabitants.[449][450]
Despite all the progress made since the creation of theuniversal health care system in 1988, there are still several public health issues in Brazil. In 2023,infant (2.51%) and maternal mortality rates (197.3 deaths per 100,000 births) were still high.[451]
The number of deaths from noncommunicable diseases, such ascardiovascular diseases (151.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) andcancer (72.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), also has a considerable impact on the health of the Brazilian population. Finally, external but preventable factors such as car accidents, violence and suicide caused 14.9% of all deaths in the country.[451] The Brazilian health system was ranked 125th among the 191 countries evaluated by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) in 2000.[452]
The core culture of Brazil is derived fromPortuguese culture, due to its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese Empire.[454] Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles. Brazilian culture was also strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions.[455]
Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions of Italian, German and other European as well as Japanese, Jewish and Arab immigrants who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil during the 19th and 20th centuries.[456] The indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil's language andcuisine; and the Africans influenced language, cuisine,music, dance and religion.[457]
TheCathedral of Brasília, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer for the federal capital, an example of Modern architecture
The architecture of Brazil is influenced by Europe, especially Portugal. It has a history that goes back 500 years to the time, when Pedro Álvares Cabral landed in Brazil in 1500.Portuguese colonial architecture was the first wave of architecture to go to Brazil.[461] It is the basis for all Brazilian architecture of later centuries.[462] In the 19th century, during the time of the Empire of Brazil, the country followed European trends and adoptedNeoclassical andGothic Revival architecture. Then, in the 20th century, especially in Brasília, Brazil experimented withmodernist architecture.
The colonial architecture of Brazil dates to the early 16th century, when Brazil was first explored, conquered and settled by the Portuguese. The Portuguese built architecture familiar to them in Europe in their aim to colonize Brazil. They built Portuguese colonial architecture, which included churches and civic architecture, including houses and forts, in Brazilian cities and the countryside.[463]
During the 19th century, Brazilian architecture saw the introduction of more European styles to Brazil, such as Neoclassical and Gothic Revival architecture. This was usually mixed with Brazilian influences from their own heritage.[463] In the 1950s modernist architecture was introduced whenBrasília was built as a new federal capital in the interior of Brazil to help develop the interior. The architectOscar Niemeyer idealized and built government buildings, churches and civic buildings in the modernist style.[464]
TheFrench Artistic Mission arrived in Brazil in 1816 proposing the creation of an art academy modeled after the respected Académie des Beaux-Arts, with graduation courses both for artists and craftsmen for activities such as modeling, decorating, carpentry and others and bringing artists such asJean-Baptiste Debret.[467]
Upon the creation of theImperial Academy of Fine Arts, new artistic movements spread across the country during the 19th century and later the event called Modern Art Week broke with academic tradition in 1922 and started a nationalist trend which was influenced by modernist arts.[468]
The music of Brazil was formed mainly from the fusion of European, Native Indigenous, and African elements.[470] Until the nineteenth century, Portugal was the gateway to most of the influences that built Brazilian music, although many of these elements were not of Portuguese origin, but generally European. The first wasJosé Maurício Nunes Garcia, author of sacred pieces with an influence of Viennese classicism.[471] The major contribution of the African element was the rhythmic diversity and some dances and instruments.[470]
Popular music since the late eighteenth century,samba was considered the most typical and on the UNESCO cultural heritage list.[472]Samba-reggae,Axé,Maracatu,Frevo andAfoxê are four music traditions that have been popularized by their appearance in the annualBrazilian Carnivals.[473]Capoeira is usually played with its own music referred to ascapoeira music, which is usually considered to be a call-and-response type of folk music.[474]Forró is a type of folk music prominent during theFesta Junina innortheastern Brazil.[475] Jack A. Draper III, a professor of Portuguese at theUniversity of Missouri,[476] argues that Forró was used as a way to subdue feelings of nostalgia for a rural lifestyle.[477]
Choro is a popular musical instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th-century Rio de Janeiro. The style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by subtlemodulations and full ofsyncopation andcounterpoint.[478]lambada andCarimbó achieved success in Latin music, originating from Pará.[479]Bossa nova is also a well-known style of Brazilian music developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s.[480] The phrase "bossa nova" means literally 'new trend'.[481] A lyrical fusion of samba andjazz, bossa nova acquired a large following starting in the 1960s.[482]
Machado de Assis, poet and novelist, founder of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Brazilian literature dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such asPero Vaz de Caminha, filled with descriptions of fauna, flora and commentary about the indigenous population that fascinated European readers.[483]
Brazil's most significant literary award is theCamões Prize, which it shares with the rest of the Portuguese-speaking world. As of 2016, Brazil has eleven recipients of the prize.[492] Brazil also holds its own literary academy, theBrazilian Academy of Letters, a non-profit cultural organization aimed at perpetuating the care of the national language and literature.[493]
The theatre in Brazil has its origins in the period ofJesuit expansion, when theater was used for the dissemination of Catholic doctrine in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, dramatists on the scene of European derivation were for court or private performances.[494] During the 19th century, the playwrightsAntônio Gonçalves Dias andLuís Carlos Martins Pena were known for their performance.[495] There were also numerous operas and orchestras. The Brazilian conductorAntônio Carlos Gomes became internationally known with operas such asIl Guarany. At the end of the 19th century, orchestrated dramaturgias were accompanied with songs of famous artists such as the conductressChiquinha Gonzaga.[496]
Already in the early 20th century there was the presence of theaters, entrepreneurs and actor companies. In 1940, Paschoal Carlos Magno and his student's theater, the comedians group and the Italian actorsAdolfo Celi, Ruggero Jacobbi and Aldo Calvo, founders of theTeatro Brasileiro de Comédia, renewed the Brazilian theater. From the 1960s, it was attended by a theater dedicated to social and religious issues. The most prominent authors at this stage were Jorge Andrade andAriano Suassuna.[495]
The Brazilian film industry began in the late 19th century, during the early days of theBelle Époque. While there were national film productions during the early 20th century, American films such asRio the Magnificent were made in Rio de Janeiro to promote tourism in the city.[497] The filmsLimite (1931) andGanga Bruta (1933), the latter being produced byAdhemar Gonzaga through the prolific studio Cinédia, were poorly received at release and failed at the box office, but are acclaimed nowadays and placed among the finest Brazilian films of all time.[498] The 1941 unfinished filmIt's All True was divided into four segments, two of which were filmed in Brazil and directed byOrson Welles; it was originally produced as part of the United States'Good Neighbor Policy during Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo.
The Brazilian press was officially born in Rio de Janeiro on 13 May 1808 with the creation of the Royal Printing National Press by the Prince Regent John.[508] TheGazeta do Rio de Janeiro, the first newspaper published in the country, began to circulate on 10 September 1808.[509] The largest newspapers nowadays areFolha de S.Paulo,O Globo, andO Estado de S. Paulo.[510]
Radio broadcasting began on 7 September 1922, with a speech by then PresidentEpitácio Pessoa, and was formalized on 20 April 1923 with the creation of the "Radio Society of Rio de Janeiro".[511] Television in Brazil began officially on 18 September 1950, with the founding ofTV Tupi byAssis Chateaubriand.[512] Since then, television has grown in the country, creating large commercial broadcast networks such asGlobo,SBT,RecordTV,Bandeirantes andRedeTV.
By the mid-1960s, Brazilian universities had installedmainframe computers fromIBM andBurroughs Large Systems. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Brazilian government restricted foreign imports to protect the local manufacturing of computers. In the 1980s, Brazil produced half of the computers sold in the country. By 2009, the mobile phone and Internet use in Brazil was the fifth largest in the world.[513]
Feijoada is the national dish of Brazilian cuisine
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's varying mix of indigenous and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.[515] Some of the most well known Brazilian foods are thefeijoada, considered the country's national dish;[516] andchurrasco, a kind of barbecue which is often served inrodízio style. Other regional foods include beijú,feijão tropeiro,vatapá,moqueca,polenta (from Italian cuisine) andacarajé (from African cuisine).[517] The national beverage iscoffee;cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from sugar cane and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail,Caipirinha.[518]
A typical meal consists mostly of rice and beans with beef, salad, french fries and a fried egg.[519] Often, it is mixed with cassava flour (farofa). Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and served in most typical restaurants.[520] Popular snacks arepastel (a fried pastry);coxinha (a variation of chicken croquete);pão de queijo (cheese bread and cassava flour /tapioca);pamonha (corn and milk paste);esfirra (a variation of Lebanese pastry);kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine); and empada (pastry), little salt pies filled with shrimps or heart of palm.
^This category is often translated to English as "brown" or "mixed".
^The Brazilian census uses the termamarela (oryellow in English) as a racial category to describe people of East Asian background. This category therefore excludes those of other Asian origins, such as West Asians/Arabs, who are included in the white category, and South Asians.
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^da Cunha Melo, Leopoldo (January 1948)."Conceituação de "Território Federal" como unidade política" [Conceptualization of "Federal Territory" as a political unit](PDF).Boletim Geográfico (in Brazilian Portuguese).5 (58):1128–1133.Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved26 October 2023.
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Calmon, Pedro.História da Civilização Brasileira. Brasília: Senado Federal, 2002
Carvalho, José Murilo de.D. Pedro II. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2007
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Diégues, Fernando.A revolução brasílica. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2004
Enciclopédia Barsa. Volume 4: Batráquio – Camarão, Filipe. Rio de Janeiro: Encyclopædia Britannica do Brasil, 1987
Ermakoff, George (2006).Rio de Janeiro – 1840–1900 – Uma crônica fotográfica (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: G. Ermakoff Casa Editorial.ISBN978-85-98815-05-3.
Fausto, Boris and Devoto, Fernando J.Brasil e Argentina: Um ensaio de história comparada (1850–2002), 2nd ed. São Paulo: Editoria 34, 2005.ISBN85-7326-308-3
Sugar Plantations in the Formation of Brazilian Society (1985)
Skidmore, Thomas E.Brazil: Five Centuries of Change (Oxford University Press, 1999)
Uma História do Brasil. 4th ed. São Paulo: Paz e Terra, 2003.ISBN85-219-0313-8
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Wright, Simon. 1992.Villa-Lobos. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-315475-7
Vainfas, Ronaldo.Dicionário do Brasil Imperial. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2002.ISBN85-7302-441-0
Vesentini, José William.Brasil, sociedade e espaço – Geografia do Brasil. 7th Ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1988
Vianna, Hélio.História do Brasil: período colonial, monarquia e república, 15th ed. São Paulo: Melhoramentos, 1994
Zirin, Dave.Brazil's Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, The Olympics, and the Fight for Democracy Haymarket Books 2014.ISBN978-1-60846-360-2
Further reading
Alencastro Felipe, Luiz Felipe de.The Trade in the Living: The Formation of Brazil in the South Atlantic, Sixteenth to Seventeenth Centuries (SUNY Press, 2019)
Alves, Maria Helena Moreira (1985).State and Opposition in Military Brazil. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
Amann, Edmund (1990).The Illusion of Stability: The Brazilian Economy under Cardoso. World Development (pp. 1805–19).
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