culture
Brazilian culture is a culture of a very diverse nature. An ethnic and cultural mixing occurred in the colonial period between Native Americans,Portuguese and Africans and formed the bulk of Brazilian culture. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Italian, German, Spanish, Arab andJapanese immigrants settled Brazil and played an important role in its culture, creating a multicultural and multiethnic society. [2]
Population in Brazil
At the turn of the century, Brazil’s population was 17,438,434. By 1950 it had grown to 51,944,397, and in 1970 it reached 93,139,037. By 1991 Brazil was the world’s sixth most populous country, with about 2.7 percent of the world’s 5.3 billion people or 147,053,940 inhabitants. In July 1996, the population was counted as being 157,079,573, but estimated in 1997 to be nearly 160 million. Projections indicate a total population of 169 million in 2000 and 211 million in 2020, and population stability at about 250 million in 2050. The population growth rate for the 1992 to 2000 period is estimated at 1.5 percent per year. As a result of the decline in mortality and continued high fertility during the 1950s and 1960s, the average growth rate was nearly 3 percent per year. Subsequent to a decrease in total fertility, the growth rate dropped to 2.5 percent in the 1970s and 1.9 percent in the 1980s.
Average population density in Brazil in 1994 was 18.5 inhabitants per square kilometer. There was a wide variation between the densely populated Southeast and South, on the one hand, and the sparse North and Center-West, on the other, with the Northeast at intermediate levels. In comparison, in 1991 the United States (including Alaska) had an average of twenty-five inhabitants per square kilometer; France, 100; the United Kingdom, 100; China, 110; and Canada, three.
According to the 1996 count, the most populous region in the country is still the Southeast (63 million inhabitants), followed by the Northeast (45 million), the South (23.1 million), the North (11.1 million), and the Center-West (10.2 million). The most inhabited states are São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraná. These states all lie along the Atlantic coast.
In some rural areas and many cities, particularly in major metropolitan areas, females outnumber males. The historical predominance of women over men in the Brazilian population has persisted. The 1996 count showed that there were ninety-seven men for every 100 women and that the total number of women exceeded the number of men by 5 million.
The average age of the Brazilian population has increased as a result of a continued decrease in mortality and fertility. Between 1980 and 1990, the proportional share of children from birth to age fourteen decreased from 38.2 to 34.7 percent, while the share for those of age fifteen to sixty-four increased from 57.8 to 61.1 percent. The proportion of elderly (age sixty-five or greater) increased from 4.0 to 4.2 percent and is projected to reach 9.0 percent by the year 2020. In all regions of the country, the count registered an increased number of people of ages fifteen to sixty-four and of older people over sixty-four years old. In the Southeast, for example, the proportion of people in the former age bracket increased from the 61.7 percent registered in 1980 to 63.6 percent in 1991, while the number of older people increased from 4.2 percent to 5.1 percent.
The demographic transition in Brazil becomes apparent as the bottom of the very wide-based pyramid, typical of developing countries with high birthrates, begins to narrow (see fig. 6). Further declines in the fertility rate, estimated at 2.44 children born per woman in 1994, eventually will lead to a pyramid that is shaped more like a bullet, with cohorts under age sixty of roughly equal size. Senior citizens will live longer, and the proportion of young people will decline. In the year 2000, young people will account for 28.3 percent of the population and senior citizens, 8 percent. Couples will have fewer children, and the fertility rate may be less than 2.2 children per woman, the replacement level.
Religion
The religion of most Brazilians is Catholicism, in fact, Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world. Many other beliefs over time have been incorporated into the Brazilian Catholic belief system such as Spiritism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Ayahuasca, and Judaism as well as religious syncretisms, such as Candomblé,Umbanda, and Macumba, that mix Catholicism with African tribal religions. Certain denominations of Christianity, such asPentecostalism, Methodism, and the Mormon church have also gained a large following.
Carnaval, as it is known in Brazil, is an annual celebration held forty days before Easter and marking the start of Lent. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is known worldwide for the elaborate parades staged by the city’s major samba schools in the Sambadrome and is one of the world’s major tourist attractions. In other regions such as Bahia and Pernambuco (and throughout Brazil), Carnival takes on a unique regional flavor. Carnival celebrations in Brazil feature locally-originating traditions and music (such as axé and frevo).
Music
azil’s cultural tradition extends to its music styles which include samba, bossa nova, forró, frevo, pagode and many others. Brazil has also a large contribution to the genres of classical music, which can be seen in the works of composers José Maurício Nunes Garcia(1767-1830), Antonio Carlos Gomes (1836-1896), Elias Álvares Lobo (1834-1901), Alberto Nepomuceno (1864-1920) Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959). Camargo Guarnieri(1907 – 1993), Cláudio Santoro (1919 – 1989), Osvaldo Lacerda (1927) and Eli-Eri Moura (1963), among many others. Some of the most famous Brazilian classical performers are the soprano Bidu Sayão, the pianists Nelson Freire and Guiomar Novaes and the conductors Eleazar de Carvalho and Isaac Karabtchevsky. Brazil is also the land of the São Paulo State Symphony, regarded as one of the outstanding orchestras in Latin America and in the world.
Antônio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto popularized the Bossa Nova sound, which was followed by Música Popular Brasileira (literally “Brazilian Popular Music”, often abbreviated to MPB). In the late 1960s, Tropicalismo was popularized by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.
Within the last 20 years, Brazil saw a dramatic increase in diversity in the music they express. Ever since 1985 when Brazil became democratic, popular music, such as hip hop became a widely “unprecedented fashion”[8] However, social classes developed between the poor, middle class, and wealthy. Music was influenced by race and equality facts. For example, poor people would talk about how corrupt the government is, the violent and low class life the live in, unequal wealth distribution, and drugs [9] Nevertheless, traditional music, such as samba, managed to keep the country’s music scene united as one.
The musical style know in Brazil as “Brazilian rock n’ roll” dates back to a portuguese-version cover of “Rock Around the Clock“, in 1954. In the 1960s, young singers like Roberto Carlos and the Jovem Guarda movement were very popular. The 60s also see the rise of bands such as the “tropicalistas” Os Mutantes and the experimental (mixing progressive rock, jazz and MPB), O Som Imaginário.
The 1970s saw the emergence of many Progressive rock and/or Hard rock bands such as O Terço, A Bolha, A Barca do Sol, Som Nosso de Cada Dia, Vímana and Bacamarte, some of which attained some recognition internationally; Rita Lee, in her solo career after Os Mutantes, championed the glam-rock aesthetics in Brazil; Casa das Máquinas and Patrulha do Espaço were more bona-fide Hard rock bands, and the likes of (Raul Seixas, Secos e Molhados, Novos Baianos and A Cor do Som) mixed the genre with traditional Brazilian music. In the late 1970s, the Brazilian Punk rock scene kicked off mainly in São Paulo and in Brasília, booming in the 80s, with Inocentes, Cólera, Ratos do Porão, Garotos Podres etc…
The real commercial boom of Brazilian rock was in the 1980s, with many bands and artists like Blitz, Gang 90, Barão Vermelho, Legião Urbana, Engenheiros do Hawaii, Titãs, Paralamas do Sucesso, and many others, and festivals like Rock in Rio and Hollywood Rock. The late 1980s and early 1990s also witnessed the beginnings of an electronica-inspired scene, with a lot more limited commercial potential but achieving some critical acclaim: Suba, Loop B, Harry, etc…
In the 90s, the meteoric rise of Mamonas Assassinas, which sold more than 3 million copies of its only CD (a record, by Brazilian standards) came to a tragic end when the band’s plane crashed, killing all five members of the band, the pilot and the co-pilot. Other commercially successful bands included Raimundos and Skank, while Chico Science & Nação Zumbi and the whole Mangue Bit movement received much critical attention and accolades, but very little commercial success – success that declined after the death of one of its founders, Chico Science. It was also in the 90s that the first seeds of what would grow into being the Brazilian indie scene were planted, with the creation of indie festivals such as Abril Pro Rock and, later in the decade, Porão do Rock.
In present time (2008), the Brazilian variant of Emo music is the only real commercial genre of Brazilian Rock, with groups such as Fresno, CPM22 and NX Zero topping the charts. Female singer Pittyis also very popular, as was the now defunct Los Hermanos. The indie scene has been growing exponentially since the early 2000s, with more and more festivals taking place all around the country. However, due to several factors including but not limited to the worldwide collapse of the music industry, all the agitation in the indie scene has so far failed in translating into international success, but in Brazil they developed a real, substantial cultural movement. That scene is still much of a ghetto, with bands capturing the attention of international critics one year and then playing only on Brazil the next year, due to the lack of financial and material support which would allow for careers to be developed. The notable exception is CSS, an alternative Electro Rock outfit that has launched a successful international career, performing in festivals and venues in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The record company Trama[2] tries to support some bands with structure and exposure, and can be credited with early support to CSS. Alternative Rock shares a reasonable success in Brazil, with bands like System of a Down and Snow Patrol.
The (somewhat paradoxal) differential of CSS is that it’s one of the very few Brazilian bands that play Rock music, as opposed to “Brazilian Rock” bands. The label “Brazilian Rock” has always entailed a different musical style (and approach) from the original Rock ‘n Roll, being more of a louder version of the popular Brega music of Brazil, a kind of Brega with an attitude. Since the 90s, however, there has been a growing tendency for bands to adhere strictly to the original Rock ‘n Roll aesthetics, with lyrics in English and little or no influence from the Brazilian music or cultural environment. Such stance has been criticized for being “anti-nationalist” or too “Americanized” by left-leaning critics that too often forget that Rock actually is an American musical style. And the international success ofCSS seems to lend credence to the idea that the sort of “mixed rock” traditionally played by Brazilian artists is not as competitive internationally as when Brazilians play “real” rock music. The MySpace-fueled success of singer-songwriter Mallu Magalhães, a traditional folk singer in the vein of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, seems to be signaling a new era for “Brazilian Rock”, in which it would drop the qualifier “Brazilian”, turn into simply “rock” and, for the first time, appeal to international audiences – as well as the domestic audiences, also eager for “purer” rock, as the mentioned case ofMallu Magalhães shows.
The emocore scene is also present in Brazil. Bands like NXZero, Fresno and B5 are part of the movement.
Brazilian Metal
Brazilian heavy metal was originated in the mid 80’s with three prominent scenes: Belo Horizonte, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The most famous Brazilian metal bands are Symmetrya, Sepultura, Soulfly, Angra, Krisiun, Dr. Sin, Shaaman, Aquaria and the famous Brazilian singer, ex-Angra and ex-Shaaman, Andre Matos. Sepultura is considered an influential thrash metal band, influencing the development of death metal.
1980’s famous bands include Andralls, Korzus, Sarcófago, Overdose, Dorsal Atlântica, Viper, MX, PUS, Mutilator, Chakal, Vulcano and Attomica. From 1990′ include Symbols, The Mist, Scars,Distraught, Fantoche, Torture Squad, Eterna and Silent Cry. From 2000’s include Eyes of Shiva, Tuatha de Danann, Claustrofobia, Apokalyptic Raids and Wizards.Cinema
Brazil has a long cinematic tradition, reaching back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century. In the 1950s, Cinema Novo, (literally “New Cinema”) sprang up as a movement concerned with showing realism in film, in the vein of Italian Neorealism and the French New Wave. In recent years, films like Cidade de Deus (2002 – directed by Fernando Meirelles) and Carandiru (2003 – directed by Hector Babenco) gained Brazilian cinema a new level of international acclaim.
The earliest known descriptions of music in Brazil date from 1578, when a French pastor described the dances and transcribed the music of the Tupi people. In 1587, Gabriel Soares de Sousa wrote about the music of several native Brazilian ethnic groups. Lundu was the first kind of African-influenced music to flourish in Brazil. Lundu, a style of comedic song and dance, was extremely popular.
Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1822, following the Brazilian Independence Declaration. Soon after, the African comic form ‘lundu’ spread from the poor black quarters to a broader, white but middle-class audience.
Towards the end of the 18th century a form of comedic dance called bumba-meu-boi became very popular. It was a musical retelling of the story of a resurrected ox. These dances are led by a chamador, who introduces the various characters. Instruments used include the pandeiro, the tamborim, theaccordion and the acoustic guitar.
During the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, the classical music in Brazil was strongly influenced by the music style practiced in Europe, particularly the Viennese classical style. The first major Brazilian composer was José Maurício Nunes Garcia, a priest who composed several sacred pieces and some secular music. He wrote the opera Le Due Gemelle (“The two twins”), the first Brazilian opera with a libretto in Portuguese: “A Noite de São João” (Saint John’s Party Night).
Near the end of the 19th century, Carlos Gomes went to Milan and produced a number of Italian-style operas, such as Il Guarany (based on a novel byJosé de Alencar). Brasílio Itiberê was another prominent classical composer, the first to use elements of Brazilian music in Western classical music, in his Sertaneja (1869).
In 1922, the Week of Modern Art revolutionized Brazilian literature, painting and music. Heitor Villa-Lobos led a new vanguard of composers who used Brazilian folk music in their compositions.
By the end of the 1930s, there were two schools of Brazilian composition. Camargo Guarnieri was the head of the Nationalist school, inspired by the writer Mário de Andrade. Other composers including Guerra Peixe, Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez, Francisco Mignone, Luciano Gallet and Radamés Gnattali. Beginning in 1939, Hans-Joachim Koellreutter, creator of the Live Music Group, founded another school, characterized by the use ofdodecaphonism and atonalism. Other composers in this school included Edino Krieger, Cláudio Santoro and Eunice Catunda.
Eduction
Education in Brazil is regulated by the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, which defines the guiding principles for the organization of educational programs. Local governments are responsible for establishing state and educational programs following the guidelines and using the funding supplied by the Federal Government. Brazilian children must attend school a minimum of 9 years, however the schooling is usually inadequate.
The 1988 Brazilian Constitution states that “education” is “a right for all, a duty of the State and of the family, and is to be promoted with the collaboration of society, with the objective of fully developing integral development of the human personality and his/her participation in the work towards common welfare;
- preparing individuals and society to master scientific and technological resources which will allow the use existing possibilities to common welfare;
- protecting, disseminating and expanding cultural heritage;
- condemning any unequal treatment resulting from philosophical, political or religious belief, as well as any social classes or racial prejudices.
Currency
The unit of money or Brazil currency, South America is Real (BRL). In 1500, the Portuguese established their colony in Brazil (then known as New World) and introduced the ‘Real’ currency . However the first official currency that was distributed everywhere bearing the ‘Real’ name was originally printed in the year 1654 by the Dutch when they occupied the Northeastern part of Brazil. Real became the official currency of Brazil in 1690 and since then its official status remained intact till 1942. Only in 1942, the currency named Cruzeiroreplaced real. The currency rate was 1000 reis = 1 cruzeiro.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Brazil went through a period of high inflation and hence this South American nation had to change its currency numerous times. Until 1986, the Brazilians dealt with Cruzeiros . In that year three zeros were removed and the currency was changed to Cruzado . After a couple of years another three zeros were removed and the ‘new cruzados’-(Cruzados Novos) were introduced to the people of Brazil. In 1990, the Cruzeiros once again were in vogue after replacing Cruzados Novos . Finally another three zeros were reduced and the currency came to be known as Cruzeiros Reais.
In 1994, with the implementation of the new financial plan, the new currency Real was launched. Thus after a long time the currency of Brazil was stabilized.
Brazil Currency (Real) consists of Bills ranging from- R$1, R$2, R$5, R$10, R$20, R$50 and R$100. Coins are also available in varied colors and sizes with value ranging from 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents and also 1 Real. Previously the Bills had images of Historical characters, but at present the images of Brazilian animals are illustrated on the bills. The female character at one side of the bill represents Brazil as a Republic.
Brazil doesn’t allow tourists or travelers to use foreign currency bills and traveler checks are curtailed. Travelers have to exchange the currency before payment of bills.
language
Language is one of the strongest elements of Brazil’s national unity. Portuguese is spoken by nearly 100 percent of the population. The only exceptions are some members of Amerindian groups and pockets of immigrants, primarily from Japan and South Korea, who have not yet learned Portuguese. The principal families of Indian languages are Tupí, Arawak, Carib, and Gê.
There is about as much difference between the Portuguese spoken in Brazil and that spoken in Portugal as between the English spoken in the United States and that spoken in the United Kingdom. Within Brazil, there are no dialects of Portuguese, but only moderate regional variation in accent, vocabulary, and use of personal nouns, pronouns, and verb conjugations. Variations tend to diminish as a result of mass media, especially national television networks that are viewed by the majority of Brazilians. See The Media.
The written language, which is uniform all over Brazil, follows national rules of spelling and accentuation that are revised from time to time for simplification. They are slightly different from the rules followed in Portugal. Written Brazilian Portuguese differs significantly from the spoken language and is used correctly by only a small, educated minority of the population. The rules of grammar are complex and allow more flexibility than English or Spanish. Many foreigners who speak Portuguese fluently have difficulty writing it properly.
Because of Brazil’s size, self-sufficiency, and relative isolation, foreign languages are not widely spoken. English is often studied in school and increasingly in private courses. It has replaced French as the principal second language among educated people. Because Spanish is similar to Portuguese, most Brazilians can understand it and many can communicate in it, although Spanish speakers usually have difficulty understanding spoken Portuguese.
Issues
Brazil has the ninth largest economy in the world and the largest in Latin America.[1] It is a country of extremes, with outstanding cultural, social and ecological diversity. Modern industry and commerce has flourished alongside with tremendous inequality, currently, one of the most serious challenges for the country today. Despite the rich natural resources, rapid economic development, and the overall size of Brazil’s economy, the nation has major problems with poverty, hunger, disease, and inadequate public services.
Brazilian society displays giant gaps between the city and the countryside, between regions, and between social classes. The income difference between rich and poor is among the most substantial in the world. As a result,Brazil has amongst the highest income inequality in the world, ranking 56.7 in the Gini coefficient index[2] — with the richest 10% of Brazilians receiving 50% of the nation’s income, while the poorest 10% receive less than 1%. Basic citizen rights, taken for granted in the developed world, are scarce in Brazil. Education, health, safety are deficient. However, several governments have been tackling those issues and the country is slowly improving several social related figures. Also, in the recent years, there has been a more pressure from the Brazilian society to attach more importance to social issues.
Poverty in Brazil is most visually represented by the various favelas, slums in the country’s metropolitan areas and remote upcountry regions that suffer with economic underdevelopment and below-par standards of living. An attempt to mitigate these problems is the “Fome Zero” hunger-eradication program implemented by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2003. Part of this is “Bolsa Família“,[3] a major anti-poverty program that gives money directly to impoverished families.
Lula’s government reduced 19.8% the rate of misery based on labour income during June 2002 and June 2006 according to Fundação Getúlio Vargas. In June 2006 the rate of misery is 18.57% of the population.[4]
The rate of poverty is in part attributed to the country’s economic inequality. Brazil ranks among the world’s highest nations in the Gini coefficient index of inequality assessment.
A study on the subject [5] shows that the poor segment constitutes roughly one third of the population, and the extremely poor make out 13% (2005 figures). However, the same study shows the income growth of the poorest 20% population segment to be almost in par with China, while the richest 10% are stagnating.
Brazil has serious problems with crime, especially in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Salvador, Porto Alegre and Recife with highest homicides rates by aggression in the country.[3] With roughly 23.8 homicides per 100,000 residents,[4] muggings, robberies, kidnappings[5] and gang violence[6] are common. Police brutality and corruption are widespread.[7][8] Inefficient public services,[9][10][11] especially those related to security, education and health, severely affect quality of life. Organized crime is well established in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and include some major criminal organizations like Comando Vermelho, Amigos dos Amigos and Primeiro Comando da Capital. In 2006 46,660 people were murdered in Brazil–a reduction when compared to 2005, during which 47,578 people were killed. The year of 2003 still holds the record for total number of murders in Brazil; that year alone 51,043 people were murdered.[12] Computer hacking and internet fraud have a strong presence in Brazil, with eight out of every ten of the world’s hackers from Brazil.[13]
Brasilia, the capital, was once spared the crime rates of other Brazilian cities, but now has significant crime problems.[14] Following the citywide trend of previous years, reports of residential burglaries continue to occur in the generally affluent residential sections of the city. Public transportation, hotel sectors and tourist areas are still the locations with the highest crime rates,[14] though statistics show that incidents can happen anywhere and at anytime. The majority of kidnappings in Brasilia continue to be the “quicknappings.”[14]
[Carjacking]] is common, particularly in major cities. Local citizens and visitors alike are often targeted by criminals, especially during public festivals such as the Carnaval.[15] More than 500,000 people have been killed by firearms in Brazil between 1979 and 2003, according to a new report by the United Nations.[16]
Gang-related violence is common throughout the Capital Brasilia. Most incidents have been directed at police, security officials and related facilities but gangs have also attacked official buildings, set alight public buses and robbed several banks.[17] May 2006 São Paulo violence began on the night of 12 May 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil. It was the worst outbreak of violence which has been recorded in Brazilian history and was directed against security forces and some civilian targets. By May 14 the attacks had spread to other Brazilian states including Paraná,Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and Bahia.
Express kidnappings, where individuals are abducted and forced to withdraw funds from ATM machines to secure their release, are common in major cities including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasilia,Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Salvador and Recife.[18] Petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag snatching is common. Thieves operate in outdoor markets, in hotels and on public transport.
Cases of piracy occur in some coastal areas of Brazil. Brazil has a long coast line with hundreds of bays and rivers. Most of these are believed to be without pirates. The more dangerous activities seemed to be centred around the Amazon river mouth and the region of Santos or Forteleza.[19]
Dealing with issues
The National Security Force
The National Public Security Force (NPSF) was established in June 2004 by the Ministry of Justice, to act in emergency situations. The NPSF is controlled by the National Security Bureau (Secretaria Nacional de Segurança) and brings together the best police states and the Federal Police. This group of elite police officers, similar to the American model of SWAT teams, was inspired by the peace forces of the United Nations (UN). With the setting up of troops, the federal government wanted to prevent the transmission of the Armed Forces to assist the state police in the fight against crime.
BOPE (Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais, or Special Police Operations Battalion), is the elite group of the Military Police. BOPE’s exist in Brasília, São José and in many other cities. The most famous or infamous BOPE, is the BOPE-PMRJ (PMRJ being the ‘Rio de Janeiro military police). There may be other BOPEs in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Their missions are: break barricades constructed by drug traffickers; extract police officers or civilians injured in confrontations; serve high-risk arrest warrants; hostage rescues; suppress prison rebellions; and conduct special missions in rough terrain such as swamps or mountainous areas. Other states in Brazil have different names for their special operations groups.
What is Brazil known for
The Federal Republic of Brazil (Republica Federativa do Brasil) consists of 26 states and one Federal District, making it the 5th largest country in the world both in terms of area and population. The country borders every other South American nation except for Ecuador and Chile, and has 7,491 km of Atlantic coastline. The southeast region is the most industrialized and populous with the three main Brazilian cities, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, but since the 1960s the government has instituted programs to encourage migration to the north and west-central regions. The Brazilian economy is among the 10 largest in the world. The massive agricultural sector contributes to international trade, but most of the country’s wealth comes from the service and manufacturing sectors.
On the 22nd April of 1500, the first European expedition landed on the Brazilian coast at Bahia, led by Pedro Alvares Cabral, who named the land “Terra de Vera Cruz“ and claimed it for the Portuguese crown; but only three decades later the colonization of the new lands started with the territory division into “Capitânias Hereditárias”, which constited of 15 strips of land 350 km long from the coast to the countryside. But with the resistance of the local Indians the project failed, and so the Portuguese crown installed a central government and expelled the French from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Maranhão, and later the Dutch from Pernambuco.
During the XVIII century Portugal conquered vast amounts of land from Spain and the Brazilian territory grew fast, its population reaching 70.000 inhabitants, with the most important cities being, Rio de Janeiro, Ouro Preto, Cuiabá, Belém and São Luís.
After decades of conflicts, on 7 September 1822 Dom Pedro I Prince of Portugal declared Brazil an independent country, and became the first King of “Reino Unido do Brasil” (United Kingdom of Brazil), which was first recognized as legitimate by England in exchange for trade advantages and later by Portugal.
By the end of the XIX century Brazil began receiving a large current of migration from Europe, which continued into the World Wars of the XX century. Today the country’s population consists mainly of immigrants from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Ukraine; Arabs most from Lebanon; Japanese (the biggest settlement outside Japan); descendents of African slaves. Indians count for only a few thousand, mainly in the northern states.
Although by the end of the XX century migration had decreased, Brazil continues to receive migrants especially from China, Korea, Argentina and Bolivia.
Brazil is known worldwide for its natural areas, with the Amazon forest and Pantanal swamps as the most important biodiversity sites in the world.
The history of high-rise construction in Brazil started with Jornal do Brasil and Sampaio Moreira and later with Edificio do Jornal A Noite andPrédio Martinelli, and during the military dictatorship the construction of cheap high-rises became common to supply the demand for houses. During the three last decades of the XX century the construction of skyscrapers increased and spread to virtually every big and medium Brazilian city. The most famous buildings in Brazil are Prédio Martinelli,Edifício Itália, Altino Arantes, all located in São Paulo, Brasil’s skyscraper capital.
Government
Brazil is a federal republic with 26 states and a federal district. The 1988 constitution grants broad powers to the federal government, made up of executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The president holds office for 4 years, with the right to re-election for an additional 4-year term, and appoints his own cabinet. There are 81 senators, three for each state and the Federal District, and 513 deputies. Senate terms are 8 years, staggered so that two-thirds of the upper house is up for election at one time and one-third 4 years later. Chamber terms are 4 years, with elections based on a complex system of proportional representation by states. Each state is eligible for a minimum of 8 seats; the largest state delegation (Sao Paulo’s) is capped at 70 seats. This system is weighted in favor of geographically large but sparsely populated states.
Fifteen political parties are represented in Congress. Since it is common for politicians to switch parties, the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly. The major political parties are:
Workers Party (PT-center-left)
Liberal Front Party (PFL-right)
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB-center)
Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB-center-left)
Progressive Party (PP-right)
Brazilian Labor Party (PTB-center-right)
Liberal Party (PL-center-right)
Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB-left)
Popular Socialist Party (PPS-left)
Democratic Labor Party (PDT-left)
Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB-left)
President Lula was elected with the support of an alliance composed of his own leftist Workers’ Party (PT), the center right Liberal Party (PL), the leftist National Mobilization Party (PMN), which currently only has two Deputies in the Chamber, the leftist Popular Socialist Party (PPS, formerly the PCB), and the leftist Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB). The PPS as well as the large PMDB party left the PT-led governing coalition in December 2004. With these withdrawals, the coalition has a small majority in the Chamber of Deputies and a minority in the Senate. Party loyalty is weak, and deputies and senators who belong to the parties comprising the government coalition do not always vote with the government, but the government may also attract support from members who are not in the governing coalition.
Because of the mandatory revenue allocation to states and municipalities provided for in the 1988 constitution, Brazilian governors and mayors have exercised considerable power since 1989. Presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial elections last took place in October 2002. President Lula won the election with 61% of the vote. His challenger in the run-off was Jose Serra of the PDSB, former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s party. The next presidential elections will be held in October 2006. Municipal elections occurred in October 2004.
Principal Government Officials
President–Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Vice President–Jose Alencar Gomes da Silva
Minister-Chief Casa Civil (Chief of Staff)–Dilma Rousseff
Ambassador to the United States–Roberto Abdenur
Ambassador to the United Nations–Ronaldo Sardenberg
Ambassador to the OAS–Osmar Vladimir Chohfi
Brazil maintains an embassy in the United States at 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-238-2700). Brazil maintains consulates general in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles; and consulates in Miami, Houston, Boston, San Francisco, and Orlando.
