BRAZIL:  Country Profile

Population: 191,908,598

Languages: Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); note - less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools), German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minor Amerindian languages

Capital:  Brasilia

Brazil became an independent nation in 1822 after 300 years of Portuguese rule. 

It overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance

of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers.

Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of it’s interior.

Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution and crime remain pressing problems.

It’s economy is characterized by well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, and it by far outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets.

• Brazil - Andrea Grainger