Introduction to Brazil

• Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world by area. It spans both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres in the continent of South America.
• It is the sixth most populous country in the world. The capital city is Brasilia.
• The most populous city is São Paulo, with 12.3 million people.
• The major language is Portuguese and the major religion is Christianity.

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world by size. It covers an area of 8,515,800 km², which is approximately 35 times greater than the size of the UK.

Brazil spans the equator. Part of the country is in the Northern Hemisphere and part is in the Southern Hemisphere. Brazil’s climate is largely tropical, although the north-east experiences drier weather and the south experiences cooler temperatures.

Brazil has six main biomes:

• Amazon Rainforest
• Caatinga
• Cerrado
• Pampas
• Atlantic Forest
• Pantanal

Brazil is the seventh most populous country in the world, with approximately 214 million people. Life expectancy is almost 76 years. Literacy rates are around 93 per cent, meaning most Brazilian people can read and write.

Most people live in the southeast of the country, with the highest numbers found along the country’s coastline. Around 87 per cent of Brazil’s population live in cities, such as Rio de Janeiro. Migration to these cities is popular due to job opportunities. However, many find themselves having to build informal settlements known as favelas, such as Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro. This type of housing is built without permission and is therefore illegal. It has resulted in the housing being unsafe and the residents lacking local services such as schools and hospitals.

Many of Brazil’s major cities are located along the coastline, including Rio de Janeiro (6.7 million people) and São Paulo (12.33 million people). Brasilia, which became the capital city in 1960, lies further inland. This has the added benefit of being more accessible for people around the country. Fewer people live in the northwest, where the Amazon rainforest lies.

Brazil is an upper Middle-Income Country (MIC). It is neither very rich nor very poor. It is also a BRICs country, which means it is in a group of countries experiencing fast economic growth. Other BRICs countries include Russia, India, China and South Africa. Brazil is among the world's largest exporters and importers. Imports include petroleum oils and exports include soybeans, coffee and meat. Brazil is the largest exporter of beef in the world. Brazil’s main trading partners are China, the United States and the European Union.

Brazil has been developing relations with some of the world’s strongest nations, such as the US and China. This is mainly due to Brazil’s power in global trade and energy issues. Brazil is the largest exporter of beef, coffee and soybean. This is also a major factor contributing towards deforestation and therefore makes Brazil a very important country when it comes to climate change.

Brazil was selected to host two major international sporting events:

• the 2014 World Cup (with 1 million visitors)
• the 2016 Olympics (with 6.6 million visitors)

This highlighted Brazil's ability to accommodate millions of tourists.