Brazil's relative location is an eastern country in South America that is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and to the west it borders multiple countries. From the northwestern point to the southwestern part of the country Brazil borders every South American country except Ecuador and Chile. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, to put it in terms of perspective with other western hemisphere countries, Brazil is almost four times as big as Mexico. Brazil in terms of surface area, covers 3,286,426 square miles and in terms of miles from the northern part to the southern part is 2,800 miles and the coastline covers approximately 4,600 miles. (Brazil : A Global Studies Handbook pg. 3)
Brazil due to its size has an abundance of different natural resources. It is one of the few countries in the world that has all the minerals except coal and petroleum that are used for the industrialized economy. ( Brazil : A Global Studies Handbook pg. 3) It's landscapes range from white sandy beaches in the east to lush rainforest in the northwestern part of the country. In addition, Brazil has the largest jungle in the world, enormous waterfalls and in some parts of the country grasslands which are called pampas, and lastly sand dunes. Brazil is also home to plains and plateaus that make it have a beautiful physical environment. The large size of the country makes it perfect for having different landscapes and landforms. (Lonely Planet Brazil)
Brazil has five different climates: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical and subtropical. It is estimated that ninety percent of the country is in the tropical zone. Brazil due to its location doesn't have to deal with hurricanes or earthquakes. One of the catastrophes that are common in Brazil are floods due to the high rain density and droughts. ( Brazil : A Global Studies Handbook pg. 5) The global climate change has affected Brazil especially the Amazon greatly with harsh floods and droughts. From December to February is the perfect time to go to the beaches because of the heat. From April to May along the coastal areas there is drier weather. (Lonely Planet Brazil)
The population for Brazil according to the PRB for 2019 is 209.3 million people. Brazil makes up for almost half of the population of South America. The entire population of South America was estimated at 425.2 million people. This statistic shows that Brazil is a major player in South America. The population of Brazil is estimated to continue to grow. While other countries around the world are worrying about their population declining, Brazil is estimated to have a population of 229.2 million people by 2035. The population density of Brazil is fairly low because of the size of the country but that figure is misleading because eighty-six percent of the Brazilian population live in urban areas. That means that population density for those urban areas is high. According to the PRB twenty-two percent of the population was under the age of fifteen in 2019. Nine percent of the population was over the age of sixty-five, meaning that sixty-nine percent of the population is between fifteen and sixty-four. The average life expectancy of males at birth is lower than that of women. Women have an average life expectancy at birth of seventy-nine years and males is seventy-two.
The language that is spoken in Brazil is Portuguese and it’s the only country out of the latin countries to speak Portuguese. The reason that Brazil speaks Portuguese is because of the Treaty of Tordesillas which stated that Spain had lands west of the line of demarcation and Portugal got territories east of the line of demarcation. There are various different kinds of religions in Brazil, ranging from Judeo established religion to forms of African religion. At some point in history Roman Catholicism was forced onto the African slaves that were in Brazil but due to the language they were able to keep some of their religious practices intact. Some of the religions that remained were the Orixas and Vuduns. These religions came from the African countries of Nigeria and Benin. These religions are known for feasts and practicing animal sacrifices. In addition to the religions that were named above, there are other religions across the country of Brazil that have African descendants. Candomble is a religion that originated in northern Brazil. Many of these religions have included Catholic elements into their religions. (Latin American Religion in Motion pg. 266)
Brazil is a country that is full of different kinds of ethnic groups from all over the world that came together with the same understanding of national identity. Japanese are one of those ethnic groups that found a home in Brazil. They created an identity that blended both countries into one to create Japanese-Brazilian identities. Arabs have also found a home in Brazil. While it was a struggle for them to incorporate themselves into the national identity of Brazil, they have slowly morphed themselves into an enthic group that is prevalent in Brazil.( Negotiating National Identity : Immigrants, Minorities, and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil pg. 43) Another ethnic group that made a home in Brazil were Germans that fled during or after WWII, long before the African slaves were taken to Brazil where the Africans had made a huge impact in the Brazilian identity. Along with them many ethnic groups from all over the world have made their home in Brazil. Brazil is a country that shares cultures that help produce social and economic opportunities. Cultures from different parts of the world have proceeded into acculturation to morph themselves into one culture. ( Negotiating National Identity : Immigrants, Minorities, and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil pg. 4)
Brazil's economy relies on various aspects of economic activities. The northern part has always been a place that has attracted investors into economic opportunities but the region does not allow for the kind of operations that investors were trying to have. Henry Ford was one of the investors that wanted to grow rubber but due to the difficulties navigating around the Amazon that plan was dissolved. The southeastern part of the country is where most of the economic activity is at because of the ports that are there. Much of the economic industrialization also has to do with the export of coffee which a state in the southeastern part of Brazil is known for. (Brazil : A Global Studies Handbook pg.8) The Brazilian economy is one of the top ten best economies in the world. In 2005 Brazil's economy reached 605 billion dollars which was the largest output in Latin America. Due to the locations of where the highest levels of economic activity are at, Brazil is one of the countries that has the highest numbers of uneven income distribution which makes the regions in the north of Brazil a lot poorer than the south and southeastern part of the country. Brazil : A Global Studies Handbook pg. 79)
Stated previously, Brazil is a country that is rich in natural minerals, because of that Brazil exports large quantities of iron and manganese materials to the rest of the world. The domestic steel production is crucial to the Brazilian economy because it is produced in high quantities and then exported to the rest of the world. Brazil exports materials to places like the United States, Europe, China and Argentina. They also receive imports from the same countries stated above. This wasn't always the case for Brazil's economy, it used to be run as a closed economy that did not participate in trade as much because of their desire to trade domestically, but they have started to trade more and become a leader in trade. (Brazil : A Global Studies Handbook pg. 82)
In 2017 according to the PRB the Gross National Product per capita was $15,820. Which is a little less than the average for South America which was 16,059. GNP per capita means the country's economic output is divided by the number of people living in the country. To find the GNP of what a person should do is take the number of people and multiply them to the population and we get a GNP of about 3.3 trillion dollars. Brazil's economy is important to the world's economy and it provides exports for the rest of the world and now is an important player in the global trade.
Lonely Planet Brazil
Submitted by (Josue Ayala) on (April 17, 2020).