Country Report on Brazil - Essay Example

 COUNTRY REPORT ON BRAZIL Introduction Brazil is situated in the continent of South America and occupies a very large area. It occupies almost half of South America and is the fifth most populous region in the world. Brazil is lapped by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and is surrounded by Venezuela, Suriname, and Guyana in the north. In the northwest it is bordered by Columbia, and also shares borders with Bolivia and Peru on the west. In the southwest it has Argentina and there is Peru in the south. Brazil holds a political and economical leadership in Latin America. The country is aiming to strengthen ties with its neighbors. The Brazilian constitution seeks economical, political and social closeness among the nations of Latin America. Brazil was under Portuguese rule for more than three centuries. It gained peaceful independence in 1822. It abolished slavery in 1888. There was monarchical rule between 1822 and 1888. The country was ruled by powerful coffee exporters until 1930 when Getulio Vargas rose to power. In 1985 the military rulers ceded power peacefully to civilian rulers (The World Factbook). The Portuguese explorers who descended on Brazil in early 16th century intermarried with the Indian and the African slaves. The Africans and Indians also mix married. This has brought about a combination in the Brazilian culture which is unique and notable (History). Traveling to Brazil A valid passport and visa are required to travel to Brazil for any purpose. All Brazilian visas must be used within 90 days of issuance or will be treated as invalid. It is not possible to travel within Brazil without proper documentation for outsiders. It is necessary to show an inoculation card indicating the immigrant had yellow fever inoculation. The immigration process is strictly controlled and one may be fined, depending upon his/her income, if there is any contravention of law (Country Specific Information). Environmental Geography Brazil falls in the southern hemisphere. The equator cuts into the country in the north and the tropic of Capricorn cuts it in the south. The climate is temperate and cool. Most of the country’s cities are to be found in the coast or around the great rivers that traverse across it. Brazil has hills, mountains, plains, highlands and scrublands. The northwestern part of the plateau has broad, rolling terrain and low, round hills. The northern region covers over 45% of the land area in Brazil. The population is lowest in this region. This place for the most part comprises rain forests and has indigenous tribes. The northeast region has about 30% of Brazil’s population. The population is mixed comprising people of American Indian origin, and Afro-Brazilian descent. This is Brazil’s poorest region and suffers from long, dry climatic conditions. The central region going westwards has low population density due to marshy landscape. This region is mainly agricultural. The southeast region is densely populated. It is the riches region in Brazil. The region has major business centers. The southern region is the wealthiest and the coldest region in Brazil. Most of the people here are of Italian, German and Portuguese ancestry. The rain forests of the Amazon basis occupy almost all of north Brazil. These forests were cut down heavily in the 70s and 80s due to industrialization, farming and grazing purposes. In the 90s, due to international movements and government policies there was some reduction in deforestation. However, it proved to be rather short-lived. Deforestation was taking place again in the mid-90s. The Amazon region covers the states of Amazonas, Para, Acre, Amapa, Roraima, and Rondonia. The Amazon region produces timber, rubber and other products such as Brazil nut and pharmaceutical plants. Gold mining, ecotourism and fishing also are important industries in this region. Belem, the chief port of North Brazil is situated at the mouth of the Amazon. The states of Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, and the northern part of Bahai comprise the northeast region of Brazil. They dominated the great sugar culture scene for centuries in Brazil. Now these regions are subject to reclamation by the government. The chief cities in the northeast are Recife in Pernambuco and Salvador in Bahai. There are fine harbors in the south. There is Vitoria in Espirito Santa, Rio de Janeiro, Santos in Sao Paulo, and Port Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul. The state of Rio de Janeiro has a steel centre in Volta Redonda. There are gold and diamond mines in the state of Minas Gerais. Minas also has some of the finest iron reserves in the world. The Itaipu dam built in the 1970s through 1990s provides power for most of southern Brazil. The capital of the nation is Brasilia (Brazil News). People Brazil has a large population and is the fifth most populous nation in the world after China, India, the Unites States of America and Indonesia. More than half of the population is of the European heritage. The official language is Portuguese. English is taught as second language. There are about 150,000 people of the Tupi or Guarani tribes. They live in the rain forests of the Amazon basin. Three-fourths of the nation is Roman Catholic. Protestants form about 15% of the population. Climate The country has warm to hot climate for most part of the year. There is heavy rainfall in most parts of Brazil. The mountains, plateaus, and coastal areas are relatively cooler. The country has equatorial rainforests in the north and semi-arid deserts in the northeast. The south has temperate, coniferous forests and there is the tropical Savanna in central Brazil (Geography of Brazil). Economic and Social Development The major commercial crops are coffee, citrus fruits, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, cotton, tobacco and bananas. Brazil’s economy is diverse and it has well-developed mining, manufacturing and service centers. Brazil has immense mineral reserves. It has iron, tin, quartz, chrome, manganese, diamond, gold, nickel, bauxite, uranium and platinum. Brazil is a leader in food processing, and also has leading industries producing textile, shoes, chemicals, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and machinery. Nonetheless, there is much disparity in income distribution. That is the rich get richer, and the poor have to struggle for living. The government is trying to close the rich-poor gap through several schemes, mainly the employment and credit schemes (Economic Datal). With such large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors, Brazil is expanding its presence in the world markets. There was some financial turmoil in the early years of the 21st century. However, the country weathered this turmoil and went on to regain capital inflows. Since 2004, Brazil’s growth has seen employment and real wages improve (The World Factbook). Government Brazil is a democratic country. The Brazilian constitution was amended in 1988. The president is elected by popular vote and may serve two terms. There is bicameral legislature consisting of the upper Federal Senate having 81 senators who are elected for eight years. The lower Chamber of Deputies has 513 deputies who are elected for four years. The country has 26 states and one federal district of Brasilia. Each state is administered by its governor and legislature. The main political parties are the Brazilian Democratic Movement party, the Democratic party, the Democratic Labor party, the Brazilian Social Democracy party and the Workers party. Conclusion Like any progressive country, Brazil has its share of bouquets and brickbats. It has evolved over the centuries from indigenous tribes to a multiple culture where people of European, African and American Indian descent reside. Politically, there is peace. However, they may be some violence due to industrial unrest at times. Sources: Brazil News, http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/brazil/index.html Country Specific Information, Brazil, US Department of State, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1072.html Economic Data, 29 October 2008, www.economist.com/countries/brazil The chief cities of the Northeast are the ports of Recife in Pernambuco and Salvador in Bahia. There are a number of excellent harbors farther south: Vitória in Espírito Santo; Rio de Janeiro, the former capital, one of the most beautiful and most capacious harbors in the world; Santos, the port of São Paulo and the one of the greatest coffee ports in the world; and Pôrto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul. In the east and southeast is the heavily populated region of Brazil—the states that in the 19th and 20th cent. received the bulk of European immigrants and took hegemony away from the old Northeast. The state of Rio de Janeiro, with the great steel center of Volta Redonda, is heavily industrialized. Neighboring São Paulo state has even more industry, as well as extensive agriculture. The city of São Paulo, on the plateau, has continued the vigorous and aggressive development that marked the region in the 17th and 18th cent., when the paulistas went out in the famed bandeiras (raids), searching for slaves and gold and opening the rugged interior. They were largely responsible for the development of the gold and diamond mines of Minas Gerais state, the second most populous state in Brazil, and for the building of its old mining center of Vila Rica (Ouro Prêto), succeeded by Belo Horizonte as capital. Minas has some of the finest iron reserves in the world, as well as other mineral wealth, and has become industrialized. Settlement also spread from São Paulo southward, particularly in the 19th and early 20th cent. when coffee from São Paulo's terra roxa [purple soil] had become the basis of Brazilian wealth, and coffee growing spread to Paraná. That state, in the west, runs out to the “corner” where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet at the natural marvel of the Iguaçu Falls on the Paraná River. The huge Itaipú dam, built from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s by Paraguay and Brazil, provides power for most of southern Brazil. The more southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, developed to a large extent by German and Slavic immigrants, are primarily cattle-raising areas with increasing industrial importance. Frontier development is continuing in central Brazil. The state of Mato Grosso is still largely devoted to stock raising. The transcontinental railroad from Bolivia spans the southern part of the state. The federal district of Brasília was carved out of the neighboring plateau state of Goiás, to the east, and the national capital was transferred to the planned city of Brasília in 1960. People Geography of Brazil, http://geography.howstuffworks.com/south-america/geography-of-brazil.htm History, Brazil, http://www.geographia.com/brazil/brazihistory.htm The World Factbook, CIA, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html The chief cities of the Northeast are the ports of Recife in Pernambuco and Salvador in Bahia. There are a number of excellent harbors farther south: Vitória in Espírito Santo; Rio de Janeiro, the former capital, one of the most beautiful and most capacious harbors in the world; Santos, the port of São Paulo and the one of the greatest coffee ports in the world; and Pôrto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul. In the east and southeast is the heavily populated region of Brazil—the states that in the 19th and 20th cent. received the bulk of European immigrants and took hegemony away from the old Northeast. The state of Rio de Janeiro, with the great steel center of Volta Redonda, is heavily industrialized. Neighboring São Paulo state has even more industry, as well as extensive agriculture. The city of São Paulo, on the plateau, has continued the vigorous and aggressive development that marked the region in the 17th and 18th cent., when the paulistas went out in the famed bandeiras (raids), searching for slaves and gold and opening the rugged interior. They were largely responsible for the development of the gold and diamond mines of Minas Gerais state, the second most populous state in Brazil, and for the building of its old mining center of Vila Rica (Ouro Prêto), succeeded by Belo Horizonte as capital. Minas has some of the finest iron reserves in the world, as well as other mineral wealth, and has become industrialized. Settlement also spread from São Paulo southward, particularly in the 19th and early 20th cent. when coffee from São Paulo's terra roxa [purple soil] had become the basis of Brazilian wealth, and coffee growing spread to Paraná. That state, in the west, runs out to the “corner” where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet at the natural marvel of the Iguaçu Falls on the Paraná River. The huge Itaipú dam, built from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s by Paraguay and Brazil, provides power for most of southern Brazil. The more southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, developed to a large extent by German and Slavic immigrants, are primarily cattle-raising areas with increasing industrial importance. Frontier development is continuing in central Brazil. The state of Mato Grosso is still largely devoted to stock raising. The transcontinental railroad from Bolivia spans the southern part of the state. The federal district of Brasília was carved out of the neighboring plateau state of Goiás, to the east, and the national capital was transferred to the planned city of Brasília in 1960. People The chief cities of the Northeast are the ports of Recife in Pernambuco and Salvador in Bahia. There are a number of excellent harbors farther south: Vitória in Espírito Santo; Rio de Janeiro, the former capital, one of the most beautiful and most capacious harbors in the world; Santos, the port of São Paulo and the one of the greatest coffee ports in the world; and Pôrto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul. In the east and southeast is the heavily populated region of Brazil—the states that in the 19th and 20th cent. received the bulk of European immigrants and took hegemony away from the old Northeast. The state of Rio de Janeiro, with the great steel center of Volta Redonda, is heavily industrialized. Neighboring São Paulo state has even more industry, as well as extensive agriculture. The city of São Paulo, on the plateau, has continued the vigorous and aggressive development that marked the region in the 17th and 18th cent., when the paulistas went out in the famed bandeiras (raids), searching for slaves and gold and opening the rugged interior. They were largely responsible for the development of the gold and diamond mines of Minas Gerais state, the second most populous state in Brazil, and for the building of its old mining center of Vila Rica (Ouro Prêto), succeeded by Belo Horizonte as capital. Minas has some of the finest iron reserves in the world, as well as other mineral wealth, and has become industrialized. Settlement also spread from São Paulo southward, particularly in the 19th and early 20th cent. when coffee from São Paulo's terra roxa [purple soil] had become the basis of Brazilian wealth, and coffee growing spread to Paraná. That state, in the west, runs out to the “corner” where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet at the natural marvel of the Iguaçu Falls on the Paraná River. The huge Itaipú dam, built from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s by Paraguay and Brazil, provides power for most of southern Brazil. The more southern states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, developed to a large extent by German and Slavic immigrants, are primarily cattle-raising areas with increasing industrial importance. Frontier development is continuing in central Brazil. The state of Mato Grosso is still largely devoted to stock raising. The transcontinental railroad from Bolivia spans the southern part of the state. The federal district of Brasília was carved out of the neighboring plateau state of Goiás, to the east, and the national capital was transferred to the planned city of Brasília in 1960. People Read More