Brazil

{{short description|Country in South America}} {{About|the country|other uses of Brazil or Brasil|Brazil (disambiguation)}} {{redirect|Brazilian Republic|other uses|Brazilian Republic (disambiguation)}} {{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} {{Use American English|date=January 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Federative Republic of Brazil | common_name = Brazil | native_name = {{Lang|pt|República Federativa do Brasil}} | image_flag = Flag of Brazil.svg | alt_flag = | image_coat = Coat of arms of Brazil (dark blue).svg | alt_coat = | symbol_type = Coat of arms<ref>[https://www.acervoraroleiloes.com.br/peca.asp?ID=17396774 BRASIL / REPÚBLICA VELHA - Outorga de Medalha Militar p] Documento expedido por João Justino de Proença em 1903. Governo do Brasil/João Justino de Proença - Evidence for a new alternative</ref> | coa_size = 90px | other_symbol = {{vunblist |{{lang|pt|Selo Nacional do Brasil}} National Seal of Brazil 100px|link=National Seal of Brazil}} | other_symbol_type = National Seal | national_motto = {{lang|pt|Ordem e Progresso}} "Order and Progress" | national_anthem = {{lang|pt|Hino Nacional Brasileiro}} "Brazilian National Anthem" <div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">File:Hino-Nacional-Brasil-instrumental-mec.ogg</div> | flag_anthem = {{lang|pt|Hino à Bandeira Nacional}}<ref name="HinoBandeira">{{Cite web |last=Exército Brasileiro |title=Hino à Bandeira Nacional |url=http://www.eb.mil.br/web/midia-eletronica/hino-a-bandeira-nacional |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222123948/http://www.eb.mil.br/web/midia-eletronica/hino-a-bandeira-nacional |archive-date=22 February 2014 |access-date=29 January 2014 |language=pt}}</ref> "National Flag Anthem" <div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">File:Brazilian Flag Anthem (Ministry of Education).ogg</div> | image_map = File:BRA orthographic.svg | map_width = 220px | alt_map = | capital = Brasília | coordinates = {{Coord|15|47|S|47|52|W|type:city}} | largest_city = São Paulo {{coord|23|33|S|46|38|W|display=inline}} | languages_type = Official language {{nobold|and national language}} | languages = Portuguese{{efn|name=brazil|According to [http://web.archive.org/web/20251228004513/https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/ConstituicaoCompilado.htm Article 13 of the Constitution]: ''A língua portuguesa é o idioma oficial da República Federativa do Brasil'' ("The Portuguese language is the official language of the Federative Republic of Brazil"). Brazilian Sign Language is also officially recognized and protected.<ref>[https://pt.wikisource.org/wiki/Lei_Federal_do_Brasil_10436_de_2002 Lei Federal do Brasil 10436 de 2002]</ref> 95 municipalities and 3 Brazilian states also have co-official languages, with 61 co-officialized languages.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20251201194402/http://direitolinguistico.com.br/repositorio/s/rbll/page/home Repositório Brasileiro de Legislações Linguísticas] (Brazilian Repository of Linguistic Legislation)</ref> The list can be seen at ''Languages of Brazil''.}} | languages2_type = Recognized regional languages | languages2 = See regional official languages | ethnic_groups = {{Tree list}} *45.3% Pardo *43.5% White *10.2% Black *0.6% Indigenous *0.4% East Asian{{efn|The Brazilian census uses the term ''amarela'' (or ''yellow'' in English) as a racial category to describe people of East Asian background. This category therefore excludes those of other Asian origins, such as West Asians/Arabs and South Asians.}} {{Tree list/end}} | ethnic_groups_year = 2022 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="census2022">{{cite web | url=https://g1.globo.com/economia/censo/noticia/2023/12/22/censo-2022-cor-ou-raca.ghtml | title=Censo 2022: Pela 1ª vez, Brasil se declara mais pardo que branco; populações preta e indígena também crescem | date=22 December 2023 | access-date=22 December 2023 | archive-date=22 December 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222234415/https://g1.globo.com/google/amp/economia/censo/noticia/2023/12/22/censo-2022-cor-ou-raca.ghtml | url-status=live }}</ref> | demonym = Brazilian | government_type = Federal presidential republic | leader_title1 = President | leader_name1 = Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva | leader_title2 = Vice President | leader_name2 = Geraldo Alckmin | leader_title3 = {{nowrap|President of the Chamber of Deputies}} | leader_name3 = Hugo Motta | leader_title4 = President of the Federal Senate | leader_name4 = {{nowrap|Davi Alcolumbre}} | leader_title5 = {{nowrap|President of the Supreme Federal Court}} | leader_name5 = Edson Fachin | legislature = {{nowrap|National Congress}} | upper_house = {{nowrap|Federal Senate}} | lower_house = {{nowrap|Chamber of Deputies}} | sovereignty_type = Independence | sovereignty_note = from Portugal | established_event1 = Declaration | established_date1 = 7 September 1822 | established_event2 = Recognition | established_date2 = 29 August 1825 | established_event3 = Republic | established_date3 = 15 November 1889 | established_event4 = Current constitution | established_date4 = 5 October 1988 | area_km2 = 8510346 | area_label = Total | area_rank = 5th | area_sq_mi = 3285862 | percent_water = 0.65 | population_estimate = {{increase neutral}} 213,421,037<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 August 2025 |title=População estimada do país chega a 213,4 milhões de habitantes, divulga IBGE {{!}} Agência de Notícias |url=https://www.gov.br/secom/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/2025/08/populacao-do-brasil-alcanca-marca-de-213-4-milhoes-de-habitantes-divulga-ibge#:~:text=A%20popula%C3%A7%C3%A3o%20brasileira%20era%20de,Geografia%20e%20Estat%C3%ADstica%20(IBGE). |access-date=16 April 2026 |website=Agência de Notícias - IBGE |language=pt-BR}}</ref> | population_census = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 203,080,756<ref>{{Cite news |last=Araujo |first=Gabriel |editor1-last=Grattan |editor1-first=Steven |editor2-last=Rumney |editor2-first=Emma |date=28 June 2023 |title=Brazil census shows population growth at its slowest since 1872 |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-census-shows-population-growth-its-slowest-since-1872-2023-06-28/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628154840/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-census-shows-population-growth-its-slowest-since-1872-2023-06-28/ |archive-date=28 June 2023}}</ref> | population_census_year = 2022 | population_estimate_year = 2025 | population_estimate_rank = 7th | population_census_rank = 7th | population_density_km2 = 23.8<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2023 |title=País tem 90 milhões de domicílios, 34% a mais que em 2010 {{!}} Agência de Notícias |url=https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/agencia-noticias/2012-agencia-de-noticias/noticias/37238-pais-tem-90-milhoes-de-domicilios-34-a-mais-que-em-2010 |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Agência de Notícias – IBGE |language=pt-BR |archive-date=5 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705200605/https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/agencia-noticias/2012-agencia-de-noticias/noticias/37238-pais-tem-90-milhoes-de-domicilios-34-a-mais-que-em-2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> | population_density_sq_mi = 64 | population_density_rank = 193rd | GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $5.230 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.BR">{{cite web |url=https://data.imf.org/en/Data-Explorer?datasetUrn=IMF.RES:WEO(9.0.0) |title=World Economic Outlook Database (April 2026 Edition) |publisher=International Monetary Fund |website=www.imf.org |date=14 April 2026 |access-date=18 April 2026}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2026 | GDP_PPP_rank = 8th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $24,428<ref name="IMFWEO.BR" /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 82nd | GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $2.636 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.BR" /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2026 | GDP_nominal_rank = 10th | GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $12,313<ref name="IMFWEO.BR" /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 84th | Gini = 50.3  | Gini_year = 2024 | Gini_change = decrease  | Gini_ref = <ref name="WBgini">{{Cite web |title=Gini index - Brazil |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=BR |access-date=7 June 2025 |website=World Bank Open Data}}</ref> | HDI = 0.805 | HDI_year = 2024 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref>{{cite news |url=https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2026/05/26/pela-primeira-vez-brasil-ingressa-no-grupo-de-paises-com-muito-alto-desenvolvimento-humano-avancos-foram-desiguais.ghtml |title=Pela primeira vez, Brasil ingressa no grupo de países com muito alto desenvolvimento humano |publisher=G1 |date=26 May 2026 |access-date=26 May 2026}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 66th | currency = Real (R$) | currency_code = BRL | time_zone = BT | utc_offset = −02:00 to −05:00 | date_format = dd/mm/yyyy (CE) | calling_code = +55 | iso3166code = | cctld = .br | religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space; |{{Tree list}} *83.60% Christianity **56.75% Catholicism **26.85% Protestantism {{Tree list/end}} |9.28% no religion |1.84% Spiritism |1.05% Afro-Brazilian religions |4.07% other |0.17% not stated}} | religion_ref = <ref name="2022 religion">{{cite web |url=https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/agencia-noticias/2012-agencia-de-noticias/noticias/43593-censo-2022-catolicos-seguem-em-queda-evangelicos-e-sem-religiao-crescem-no-pais|title=Censo 2022: católicos seguem em queda; evangélicos e sem religião crescem no país |date=6 June 2025 |publisher=IBGE|access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref> | religion_year = 2022 }} '''Brazil''',{{efn|{{langx|pt|Brasil}}, {{IPA|pt-BR|bɾaˈziw|pron|Pt-br-brasil.ogg}}.}} officially the '''Federative Republic of Brazil''',{{efn|{{langx|pt|República Federativa do Brasil|links=no}},<ref name="Bello1966v">{{Cite book |last=José María Bello |url= |title=A History of Modern Brazil: 1889–1964 |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1966 |isbn=978-0-8047-0238-6 |page=56}}</ref> {{IPA|pt-BR|ʁeˈpublikɐ fedeɾaˈtʃivɐ du bɾaˈziw|pron|Pt-br-República Federativa do Brasil.ogg}}.}} is the largest country in South America. It is also the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 213 million people. Brazil is a federation composed of 26 states and a Federal District, which hosts the capital, Brasília. Its most populous city is São Paulo, followed by Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has the most Portuguese speakers in the world and is the only country in the Americas where Portuguese is an official language.<ref name="Philander2012">{{Cite book |last=Philander |first=S. George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B8VE92tDqEEC&pg=PA148 |title=Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change, Second Edition |publisher=Princeton University |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4129-9261-9 |edition=Second |volume=1 |location=Los Angeles |page=148 |oclc=970592418 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025210536/https://books.google.com/books?id=B8VE92tDqEEC&pg=PA148#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CrocittiVallance2011">{{Cite book |last=Vallance |first=Monique M. |title=Brazil Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic |publisher=ABC-CLIO |others=Contributing editor Monique M. Vallance |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-313-34672-9 |editor-last=Crocitti |editor-first=John J. |page=xxiii |chapter=Preface and Observations on Contemporary Brazil |oclc=787850982 |ref={{harvid|Crocitti|Vallance|2012}} |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vP9jHaoL_s4C&pg=PR23 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025210603/https://books.google.com/books?id=vP9jHaoL_s4C&pg=PR23 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of {{convert|7491|km|mi|0|sp=us}},<ref name="CIA Geo" /> among the longest in the world. Covering roughly half of South America's land area, it borders all other countries and territories on the continent except Ecuador and Chile.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |date= |title=Brazil – Land |url=http://www.un.int/brazil/brasil/brazil-land.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023154830/http://www.un.int/brazil/brasil/brazil-land.htm |archive-date=23 October 2014 |access-date= |website=Permanent Missions |publisher=United Nations |at=Geography}}</ref> Brazil encompasses a wide range of tropical and subtropical landscapes, as well as wetlands, savannas, plateaus, and low mountains. It contains most of the Amazon basin, including the world's largest river system and most extensive virgin tropical forest. Brazil has diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats.<ref name="CIA Geo">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Brazil|section=geography|access-date=4 May 2018|year=2018}}</ref> It ranks first among 17 megadiverse countries, with its natural heritage being the subject of significant global interest, as environmental degradation (through processes such as deforestation) directly affect global issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

Brazil was inhabited by various indigenous peoples prior to the landing of Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500. The territory was subsequently claimed and settled by Portugal, which founded the country's first city, São Vicente, in 1532 and imported enslaved Africans to work on plantations. Brazil remained a colony until 1815, when it was elevated to a united kingdom with Portugal after the transfer of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro. Prince Pedro of Braganza declared Brazilian independence in 1822 and, after waging a war against Portugal, established the Empire of Brazil. The country's first constitution in 1824 established a bicameral legislature and enshrined principles such as freedom of religion and the press; slavery was gradually abolished until its final abolition in 1888. Brazil became a presidential republic following a military coup d'état in 1889. An armed revolution in 1930 ended the First Republic and brought Getúlio Vargas to power. Vargas' self-coup in 1937 ushered the authoritarian Estado Novo, in which he oversaw Brazil's involvement in World War II. Democracy was restored after Vargas' ousting in 1945. An authoritarian military dictatorship emerged in 1964 with support from the United States and ruled until 1985, after which civilian governance resumed. Brazil's current constitution, enacted in 1988, defines it as a democratic federal republic.<ref name="Constituição">{{Cite web |year=1988 |title=Brazilian Federal Constitution |url=http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/Constituicao/Constituiçao.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213194044/http://www.planalto.gov.br/CCIVIL_03/Constituicao/Constitui%C3%A7ao.htm |archive-date=13 December 2007 |access-date=3 June 2008 |publisher=Presidency of the Republic |language=pt}} {{cite web |title=Brazilian Federal Constitution |publisher=v-brazil.com |year=2007 |url=http://www.v-brazil.com/government/laws/titleI.html |quote=Unofficial translate |access-date=3 June 2008 |archive-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928070506/http://www.v-brazil.com/government/laws/titleI.html}}</ref>

Brazil is a regional and middle power,<ref name="SchaeferPoffenbarger2014">{{Cite book |last1=M. Schaefer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yXdaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT32 |title=The Formation of the BRICS and its Implication for the United States: Emerging Together |last2=J. Poffenbarger |date=2014 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-38794-3 |page=32 |access-date=17 November 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183440/https://books.google.com/books?id=yXdaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT32#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Burges2016">{{Cite book |last=Sean W. Burges |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tolwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114 |title=Latin America and the Shifting Sands of Globalization |publisher=Routledge |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-317-69658-2 |pages=114–15 |access-date=2 May 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183445/https://books.google.com/books?id=tolwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gina">{{Cite journal |last=Gardini |first=Gian Luca |year=2016 |title=Brazil: What Rise of What Power? |journal=Bulletin of Latin American Research |volume=35 |pages=5–19 |doi=10.1111/blar.12417 |doi-access=free |issn=0261-3050}}</ref> and has been described as a rising global power.<ref name="FRIDE">{{Cite web |last=Gratius |first=Susanne |date=April 2008 |title=The international arena and emerging powers: stabilising or destabilising forces? |url=http://fride.org/descarga/com_emerging_powers_eng_abr08.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615194931/http://fride.org/descarga/com_emerging_powers_eng_abr08.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2016 |website=FRIDE}}</ref><ref name="Collecott">{{Cite web |last=Peter Collecott |date=29 October 2011 |title=Brazil's Quest for Superpower Status |url=http://www.diplomaticourier.com/2011/10/29/brazil-s-quest-for-superpower-status/ |access-date=10 August 2014 |publisher=The Diplomatic Courier |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402030604/https://www.diplomaticourier.com/2011/10/29/brazil-s-quest-for-superpower-status/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Clendenning |first=Alan |date=17 April 2008 |title=Booming Brazil could be world power soon |page=2 |work=USA Today |agency=The Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-04-17-310212789_x.htm |access-date=12 December 2008 |archive-date=20 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820003302/http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-04-17-310212789_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="DominguezKim2013">{{Cite book |last1=Jorge Dominguez |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c0I_4JmjFbwC&pg=PA98 |title=Between Compliance and Conflict: East Asia Latin America and the New Pax Americana |last2=Byung Kook Kim |publisher=Center for International Affairs, Harvard University |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-136-76983-2 |pages=98–99}}</ref> It is an emerging,<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2018 |title=FTSE Country Classification |url=https://www.ftse.com/products/downloads/FTSE-Country-Classification-Update-2018.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121072632/https://www.ftse.com/products/downloads/FTSE-Country-Classification-Update-2018.pdf |archive-date=21 November 2018 |access-date=20 November 2018 |publisher=FTSE Group}}</ref><ref name="wb-upper-middle">{{Cite web |title=Country and Lending Groups |url=http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups#Upper_middle_income |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318125456/http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups |archive-date=18 March 2011 |access-date=5 March 2011 |publisher=World Bank |quote=Uppermiddle Income defined as a per capita income between $3,976 – $12,275}}</ref> upper-middle income economy and newly industrialized country,<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019 |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weoselco.aspx?g=2200&sg=All+countries+%2f+Emerging+market+and+developing+economies |access-date=29 September 2019 |website=IMF.org |publisher=International Monetary Fund |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617091704/https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weoselco.aspx?g=2200&sg=All+countries+%2f+Emerging+market+and+developing+economies |archive-date=17 June 2019 }}</ref> with one of the 10 largest economies in the world in both nominal and PPP terms,<ref name="IMFWEO.BR" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=CIA – The World Factbook – Country Comparisons – GDP (purchasing power parity) |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604195034/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html |archive-date=4 June 2011 |access-date=25 January 2011 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref> the largest economy in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, and the largest share of wealth in South America. With a complex and highly diversified economy, Brazil is one of the world's major or primary exporters of various agricultural goods, mineral resources, and manufactured products.<ref name="Neilson102" /> The country ranks thirteenth in the world by number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO World Heritage Centre — World Heritage List |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314170923/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list |archive-date=14 March 2021 |access-date=25 May 2012 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref> Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, G4, Mercosur, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries; it is also an observer state of the Arab League and a major non-NATO ally of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vandiver |first=John |date=9 May 2019 |title=Trump bumps up Brazil to 'major non-NATO' ally |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/trump-bumps-up-brazil-to-major-non-nato-ally-1.580256 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013035014/https://www.stripes.com/news/trump-bumps-up-brazil-to-major-non-nato-ally-1.580256 |archive-date=13 October 2019 |access-date=2 April 2023 |website=Stars and Stripes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 August 2019 |title=Brazil must be a 'facilitator' in the Middle East, says VP |url=https://anba.com.br/en/brazil-must-be-a-facilitator-in-the-middle-east-says-vp/ |access-date=26 May 2023 |archive-date=26 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526041219/https://anba.com.br/en/brazil-must-be-a-facilitator-in-the-middle-east-says-vp/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Etymology == {{Main|Name of Brazil}}

The word ''Brazil'' probably comes from the Portuguese word for brazilwood, a tree that once grew plentifully along the Brazilian coast.<ref name="Fausto1999">{{Cite book |last=Fausto |first=Boris |url=https://archive.org/details/concisehistoryof00faus |title=A Concise History of Brazil |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-521-56526-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/concisehistoryof00faus/page/9 9] |url-access=registration}}</ref> In Portuguese, brazilwood is called {{lang|pt|pau-brasil}}, with the word {{lang|pt|brasil}} commonly given the etymology 'red like an ember', formed from {{lang|pt|brasa}} ('ember') and the suffix {{lang|pt|-il}} (from {{lang|la|-iculum}} or {{lang|la|-ilium}}).<ref name="Vincent2003">{{Cite book |last=Jon S. Vincent. |url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof0000vinc |title=Culture and Customs of Brazil |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-313-30495-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof0000vinc/page/36 36] |url-access=registration}}</ref> It has alternatively been suggested that this is a folk etymology for a word for the plant related to an Arabic or Asian word for a red plant.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/Brazil#etymonline_v_17075 |title=Brazil | Etymology of the name Brazil by etymonline |access-date=24 March 2024 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324183937/https://www.etymonline.com/word/Brazil#etymonline_v_17075 |url-status=live }}</ref> As brazilwood produces a deep red dye, it was highly valued by the European textile industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil.<ref name="Tucker2007">{{Cite book |last=Richard P. Tucker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2V2q30BdEJ8C&pg=PA186 |title=Insatiable Appetite: The Ecological Degradation of the Tropical World |publisher=University of Michigan |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7425-5365-1 |page=186 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183601/https://books.google.com/books?id=2V2q30BdEJ8C&pg=PA186#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> Throughout the 16th century, massive amounts of brazilwood were harvested by indigenous peoples (mostly Tupi) along the Brazilian coast, who sold the timber to European traders in return for assorted European consumer goods.<ref name="Lee2011">{{Cite book |last=Wayne E. Lee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xatMrooibacC&pg=PA196 |title=Empires and Indigenes: Intercultural Alliance, Imperial Expansion, and Warfare in the Early Modern World |publisher=NYU Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-8147-6527-2 |page=196 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215221303/https://books.google.com/books?id=xatMrooibacC&pg=PA196#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref>

The official Portuguese name of the land, in original Portuguese records, was the 'Land of the Holy Cross' ({{lang|pt|Terra da Santa Cruz}}),<ref name="Corporation1880">{{Cite magazine |last=Daly |first=Charles P. |year=1880 |title=Maps and Map-making Before Mercator |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hiQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA493 |magazine=The Popular Science Monthly |publisher=Bonnier Corporation |at=473–495, see page 493 |issn=0161-7370 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215221315/https://books.google.com/books?id=hiQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA493#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> but European sailors and merchants commonly called it the 'Land of Brazil' ({{lang|pt|Terra do Brasil}}) because of the brazilwood trade.<ref name="Léry1990">{{Cite book |last=Jean de Léry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F8qqKoCSWVkC&pg=PA242 |title=History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil, Otherwise Called America |publisher=University of California Press |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-520-91380-6 |page=242 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215221327/https://books.google.com/books?id=F8qqKoCSWVkC&pg=PA242#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Popular usage eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official Portuguese name. Some early sailors called it the 'Land of Parrots'.<ref name="Sokolow2003">{{Cite book |last=Jayme A. Sokolow. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ytghV9q6v3cC&pg=PA84 |title=The Great Encounter: Native Peoples and European Settlers in the Americas, 1492–1800 |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7656-0982-3 |page=84 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215221351/https://books.google.com/books?id=ytghV9q6v3cC&pg=PA84#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> In the Guarani language, Brazil is called {{lang|gn|Pindorama}}, meaning 'land of the palm trees'.<ref name="Herrera-Sobek2012">{{Cite book |last=Maria Herrera-Sobek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lY-tY62V1FIC&pg=PA155 |title=Celebrating Latino Folklore |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-313-34340-7 |page=155 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215221353/https://books.google.com/books?id=lY-tY62V1FIC&pg=PA155 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== History == {{Main|History of Brazil}}

=== Pre-Cabraline era === {{Main|Pre-Columbian history of Brazil{{!}}Pre-Cabraline history of Brazil}}

{{See also|Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Marajoara culture}} [[File:Pinturas Rupestres - Serra da Capivara I.jpg|thumb|left|Rock art at Serra da Capivara National Park, one of the largest and oldest concentrations of prehistoric sites in the Americas<ref>{{Cite news |last=Romero |first=Simon |date=27 March 2014 |title=Discoveries Challenge Beliefs on Humans' Arrival in the Americas |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/28/world/americas/discoveries-challenge-beliefs-on-humans-arrival-in-the-americas.html |url-access=limited |access-date=31 May 2014 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/28/world/americas/discoveries-challenge-beliefs-on-humans-arrival-in-the-americas.html |archive-date=1 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref>]]

Some of the earliest human remains found in the Americas, Luzia Woman, were found in the area of Pedro Leopoldo, Minas Gerais, and provide evidence of human habitation going back at least 11,000 years.<ref name="LevineCrocitti1999">{{Cite book |last1=Robert M. Levine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R28K2JA9PM8C&pg=PA11 |title=The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, Politics |last2=John J. Crocitti |publisher=Duke University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-8223-2290-0 |pages=11– |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129182919/https://books.google.com/books?id=R28K2JA9PM8C&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The earliest pottery ever found in the Western Hemisphere was excavated in the Amazon basin of Brazil and radiocarbon dated to over 8,000 years ago (6000 BC). The pottery was found near Santarém and provides evidence that the region supported a complex prehistoric culture.<ref name="Eighth Millennium Pottery from a Prehistoric Shell Midden in the Brazilian Amazon">{{Cite journal |last1=Roosevelt |first1=Anna Curtenius |author1-link=Anna Curtenius Roosevelt |last2=Housley |first2=Rupert A. |last3=Imazio da Silveira |first3=Maura |last4=Maranca |first4=Silvia |last5=Johnson |first5=Richard Irwin |name-list-style=vanc |date=13 December 1991 |title=Eighth Millennium Pottery from a Prehistoric Shell Midden [sic] in the Brazilian Amazon |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.254.5038.1621 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=254 |issue=5038 |pages=1621–1624 |doi=10.1126/science.254.5038.1621 |pmid=17782213 |bibcode=1991Sci...254.1621R |s2cid=34969614 |issn=0036-8075 |access-date=4 July 2023 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016114734/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.254.5038.1621 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Marajoara culture flourished on Marajó in the Amazon delta from AD 400 to 1400, developing sophisticated pottery, social stratification, large populations, mound building, and complex social formations such as chiefdoms.<ref name="Mann">{{Cite book |last=Mann |first=Charles C. |url=https://archive.org/details/149100char/page/326 |title=1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus |publisher=Vintage Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-4000-3205-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/149100char/page/326 326–33] |author-link=Charles C. Mann |orig-date=2005}}</ref>

Around the time of the Portuguese arrival, the territory of present day Brazil had an estimated Indigenous population of 7 million people,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Levine |first=Robert M. |title=The History of Brazil |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-4039-6255-3 |page=32}}</ref> mostly semi-nomadic, who subsisted on hunting, fishing, gathering, and migrant agriculture. The population comprised several large Indigenous ethnic groups (e.g., the Tupis, Guaranis, and Gês. The Tupi people were subdivided into the Tupiniquins and Tupinambás.{{sfnp|Levine|2003|p=31}}

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the boundaries between these groups and their subgroups were marked by wars that arose from differences in culture, language and moral beliefs.<ref name="Fausto">{{Cite book |last=Fausto |first=Carlos |title=Os Índios antes do Brasil |year=2000 |isbn=978-85-7110-543-0 |editor-last=Zahar |editor-first=Jorge |pages=45–46, 55 |publisher=Jorge Zahar Editor |language=pt |trans-title=The Indians before Brazil}}</ref> These wars also involved large-scale military actions on land and water, with cannibalistic rituals on prisoners of war.<ref>Gomes, Mercio P. ''The Indians and Brazil'' University Press of Florida 2000 {{ISBN|0-8130-1720-3}} pp. 28–29</ref>{{sfnp|Fausto|2000|pp=78–80}} While heredity had some weight, leadership was a status more won over time than assigned in succession ceremonies and conventions.<ref name="Fausto" /> Slavery among the Indigenous groups had a different meaning than it had for Europeans, since it originated from a diverse socioeconomic organization, in which asymmetries were translated into kinship relations.{{sfnp|Fausto|2000|p=50}} === European colonization and Colonial Brazil === {{Main|Colonial Brazil|Portuguese Empire}}

{{See also|Portuguese colonization of the Americas|Dutch Brazil}}[[File:Desembarque de Pedro Álvares Cabral em Porto Seguro em 1500 by Oscar Pereira da Silva (1865–1939).jpg|thumb|Pedro Álvares Cabral landing in Porto Seguro in 1500]]Following the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, the land now called Brazil was claimed for the Portuguese Empire on 22 April 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral.<ref name="Boxer, p. 98">Boxer, p. 98.</ref> Along the coast, the Portuguese encountered various Indigenous communities, most of whom spoke languages of the Tupi–Guarani family.<ref name="Boxer, p. 100">Boxer, p. 100.</ref> Though the first settlement, São Vicente, was founded in 1532, colonization effectively began in 1534, when King John III of Portugal divided the territory into the fifteen private and autonomous captaincies.<ref>Boxer, pp. 100–101.</ref><ref name="Skidmore, p. 27">Skidmore, p. 27.</ref> [[File:Benedito_Calixto_de_Jesus_-_Fundação_de_São_Vicente,_Acervo_do_Museu_Paulista_da_USP.jpg|right|thumb|The founding of São Vicente, in what is now the state of São Paulo, marks the effective beginning of colonization in Brazil, in 1532.]] However, the decentralized and unorganized captaincy system proved unsuccessful, and in 1549 the Portuguese king restructured them into the Governorate General of Brazil in the city of Salvador, which became the capital of a single and centralized Portuguese colony in South America.<ref name="Skidmore, p. 27" /><ref>Boxer, p. 101.</ref> In the first two centuries of colonization, Indigenous and European groups lived in constant war, establishing opportunistic alliances in order to gain advantages against each other.<ref>Meuwese, Mark "Brothers in Arms, Partners in Trade: Dutch-Indigenous Alliances in the Atlantic World, 1595–1674" Koninklijke Brill NV 2012 {{ISBN|978-90-04-21083-7}} ''Chapter III''</ref><ref>Metcalf, Alida C. "Go-betweens And the Colonization of Brazil: 1500–1600" University of Texas Press 2005, pp. 70, 79, 202 [https://books.google.com/books?id=lWuNIISvBqIC&pg=PA202 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129182912/https://books.google.com/books?id=lWuNIISvBqIC&pg=PA202#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=29 November 2023 }}</ref>{{sfnp|Crocitti|Vallance|2012}}<ref>Minahan, James B. "Ethnic Groups of the Americas" ABC-CLIO 2013 {{ISBN|978-1-61069-163-5}} p. 300, [https://books.google.com/books?id=8jVig0ysnu8C&pg=PA300 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129182912/https://books.google.com/books?id=8jVig0ysnu8C&pg=PA300 |date=29 November 2023}}</ref> [[File:L'Exécution de la Punition de Fouet by Jean-Baptiste Debret.jpg|thumb|''Execution of the Punishment of the Whip'' by Jean-Baptiste Debret. Nearly 5 million enslaved Africans were imported to Brazil during the Atlantic slave trade, more than any country.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Terrence McCoy |date=17 January 2022 |title=More enslaved Africans came to the Americas through this port than anywhere else. Why have so few heard of it? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/17/brazil-slavery-valongo-wharf/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010164227/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/17/brazil-slavery-valongo-wharf/ |archive-date=10 October 2022 |access-date=3 January 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref>]]

By the mid-16th century, cane sugar had become Brazil's most important export,<ref name="Boxer, p. 100" /><ref>Skidmore, p. 36.</ref> while slaves purchased in Sub-Saharan Africa in the slave market of Western Africa<ref>Richard Middleton and Anne Lombard "Colonial America: A History to 1763" Wiley-Blackwell Publishing 1st edition 1992 {{ISBN|978-1-4443-9628-7}} Chapter 2, Section 4 (final, last page and half of previous one) [https://books.google.com/books?id=2hexv5SmqLgC&pg=PT54 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129182805/https://books.google.com/books?id=2hexv5SmqLgC&pg=PT54#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=29 November 2023}}</ref> (not only those from Portuguese allies of their colonies in Angola and Mozambique), had become its largest import,<ref>Boxer, p. 110</ref><ref>Skidmore, p. 34.</ref> to cope with sugarcane plantations, due to increasing international demand for Brazilian sugar.<ref name="Boxer, p. 102">Boxer, p. 102.</ref><ref>Skidmore, pp. 32–33.</ref> Brazil received more than 2.8 million slaves from Africa between the years 1500 and 1800.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murray |first=Stuart A. P. |title=The Library An Illustrated History |date=2009 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |isbn=978-1-60239-706-4 |location=New York |page=101}}</ref>

By the end of the 17th century, sugar exports began to decline<ref>Boxer, p. 164.</ref> and the discovery of gold by bandeirantes in the 1690s would become the new backbone of the colony's economy, fostering a gold rush<ref>Boxer, pp. 168, 170.</ref> which attracted thousands of new settlers to Brazil from Portugal and all Portuguese colonies around the world.<ref>Boxer, p. 169.</ref> This increased level of immigration in turn caused some conflicts between newcomers and old settlers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kohn |first=George C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OIzreCGlHxIC&pg=PT186 |title=Dictionary of Wars |publisher=Facts on File, Inc. |year=1986 |isbn=978-1-4381-2916-7 |edition=1st |page=174 |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183330/https://books.google.com/books?id=OIzreCGlHxIC&pg=PT186#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref>

Portuguese expeditions known as ''bandeiras'' gradually expanded Brazil's original colonial frontiers in South America to its approximately current borders.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=George Richard Potter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1BY9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA498 |title=The New Cambridge Modern History |last2=Henry Clifford Darby |last3=Harold Fullard |publisher=CUP Archive |year=1957 |edition=1st |volume=3 |page=498 |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183451/https://books.google.com/books?id=1BY9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA498#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Corrado, Jacopo "The Creole Elite and the Rise of Angolan Protonationalism" Cambria Press 2008 {{ISBN|978-1-60497-529-1}} pp. 95 (Brazil) and 145, note 5 [https://books.google.com/books?id=BKKf4PYI-IIC&q=tordesilha+bandeira+portugal+brazil+advance&pg=PA145 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502120801/https://books.google.com/books?id=BKKf4PYI-IIC&q=tordesilha+bandeira+portugal+brazil+advance&pg=PA145 |date=2 May 2023}}</ref> In this era, other European powers tried to colonize parts of Brazil, in incursions that the Portuguese had to fight, notably the French in Rio during the 1560s, in Maranhão during the 1610s, and the Dutch in Bahia and Pernambuco, during the Dutch–Portuguese War, after the end of Iberian Union.<ref>Bethell, Leslie "Colonial Brazil" Cambridge University Press 1987 pp. 19, 74, 86, 169–70</ref>

The Portuguese colonial administration in Brazil had two objectives that would ensure colonial order and the monopoly of Portugal's wealthiest and largest colony: to keep under control and eradicate all forms of slave rebellion and resistance, such as the Quilombo of Palmares,<ref>Schwartz, Stuart B. "Slaves, Peasants, and Rebels" Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois 1992 {{ISBN|0-252-06549-2}} Chapter 4 [https://books.google.com/books?id=YTnY5h0NE3sC&pg=PA103 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183446/https://books.google.com/books?id=YTnY5h0NE3sC&pg=PA103#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=29 November 2023 }}</ref> and to repress all movements for autonomy or independence, such as the {{Lang|pt-BR|Inconfidência Mineira}} (1789).<ref>MacLachlan, Colin M. "A History of Modern Brazil: The Past Against the Future"; Scholarly Resources Inc. 2003 p. 3 [https://books.google.com/books?id=8m3RcnkKwJgC&pg=PA3 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183443/https://books.google.com/books?id=8m3RcnkKwJgC&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=29 November 2023}}</ref>

=== Kingdom of Brazil === {{Main|United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves}}

{{See also|Invasion of Portugal (1807)|Transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil}} [[File:Aclamação do rei Dom João VI no Rio de Janeiro.jpg|thumb|The Acclamation of King João VI of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves in Rio de Janeiro, 6 February 1818]] In late 1807, Spanish and Napoleonic forces threatened the security of continental Portugal, causing Prince Regent John, in the name of Queen Maria I, to move the royal court from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.<ref name="Boxer, p. 213">Boxer, p. 213</ref> There they established some of Brazil's first financial institutions, such as its local stock exchanges<ref>Marta Barcellos & Simone Azevedo; ''Histórias do Mercado de Capitais no Brasil'' ("Financial Markets' Histories in Brazil") (Portuguese) Campus Elsevier 2011 {{ISBN|85-352-3994-4}} Introduction (by Ney Carvalho), Intro. p. xiv</ref> and its National Bank, additionally ending the Portuguese monopoly on Brazilian trade and opening Brazil's ports to other nations. In 1809, in retaliation for being forced into exile, the Prince Regent ordered the conquest of French Guiana.<ref>Bueno, p. 145.</ref>

With the end of the Peninsular War in 1814, the courts of Europe demanded that Queen Maria I and Prince Regent John return to Portugal, deeming it unfit for the head of an ancient European monarchy to reside in a colony. In 1815, to justify continuing to live in Brazil, where the royal court had thrived for six years, the Crown established the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, thus creating a pluricontinental transatlantic monarchic state.<ref name="Mosher2008">{{Cite book |last=Jeffrey C. Mosher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T_yszWOZUCkC&pg=PA9 |title=Political Struggle, Ideology, and State Building: Pernambuco and the Construction of Brazil, 1817–1850 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8032-3247-1 |page=9 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183447/https://books.google.com/books?id=T_yszWOZUCkC&pg=PA9#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> However, the leadership in Portugal, resentful of the new status of its larger colony, continued to demand the return of the court to Lisbon (see Liberal Revolution of 1820). In 1821, acceding to the demands of revolutionaries who had taken the city of Porto,<ref name="Adelman2006">{{Cite book |last=Jeremy Adelman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nvFpURNsBRIC&pg=PA334 |title=Sovereignty and Revolution in the Iberian Atlantic |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-691-12664-7 |pages=334– |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183956/https://books.google.com/books?id=nvFpURNsBRIC&pg=PA334#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> John VI departed for Lisbon. There he swore an oath to the new constitution, leaving his son, Prince Pedro de Alcântara, as Regent of the Kingdom of Brazil.<ref>Lustosa, pp. 109–110</ref>

=== Empire of Brazil === {{Main|Independence of Brazil|Empire of Brazil}}

[[File:Pedro Américo - Independência ou Morte - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|Declaration of the Brazilian independence by Pedro I on 7 September 1822]]

Tensions between Portuguese and Brazilians increased and the Portuguese Cortes, guided by the new political regime imposed by the Liberal Revolution, tried to re-establish Brazil as a colony.<ref>Lustosa, pp. 117–19</ref> The Brazilians refused to yield, and Prince Pedro decided to side with them, declaring the country's independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822.<ref>Lustosa, pp. 150–153</ref> A month later, Prince Pedro was proclaimed the first Emperor of Brazil, with the royal title of Dom Pedro I, resulting in the founding of the Empire of Brazil.<ref>Vianna, p. 418</ref>

The Brazilian War of Independence, which had already begun along this process, spread through the northern, northeastern regions and in the Cisplatina province.<ref>Diégues 2004, pp. 168, 164, 178</ref> The last Portuguese soldiers surrendered on 8 March 1824;<ref>Diégues 2004, pp. 179–80</ref> Portugal officially recognized Brazilian independence on 29 August 1825.<ref>Lustosa, p. 208</ref>

On 7 April 1831, worn down by years of administrative turmoil and political dissent with both liberals and conservatives, including an attempt of republican secession{{sfnp|Fausto|1999|pp=82–83}} and unreconciled to the way that absolutists in Portugal had given in the succession of King John VI, Pedro I departed for Portugal to reclaim his daughter's crown after abdicating the Brazilian throne in favor of his five-year-old son and heir (Dom Pedro II).<ref>Lyra (v. 1), p. 17</ref> [[File:Pedro Américo - D. Pedro II na abertura da Assembléia Geral.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil between 1831 and 1889]]

As the new Emperor could not exert his constitutional powers until he came of age, a regency was set up by the General Assembly.<ref>Carvalho 2007, p. 21</ref> In the absence of a charismatic figure who could represent a moderate face of power, a series of localized rebellions took place, such as the Cabanagem in Grão-Pará, the Malê Revolt in Salvador, the Balaiada (Maranhão), the Sabinada (Bahia), and the Ragamuffin War, which began in Rio Grande do Sul and was supported by Giuseppe Garibaldi. These emerged from the provinces' dissatisfaction with the central power, coupled with old and latent social tensions peculiar to a vast, slaveholding and newly independent nation state.{{sfnp|Fausto|1999|loc=Chapter 2, 2.1 to 2.3}} This period of internal political and social upheaval, which included the Praieira revolt in Pernambuco, was overcome only at the end of the 1840s, years after the end of the regency, which occurred with the premature coronation of Pedro II in 1841.{{sfnp|Fausto|1999}}

During the last phase of the monarchy, internal political debate centered on the issue of slavery. The Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in 1850,<ref>Bethell, Leslie "The Abolition of the Brazilian Slave Trade: Britain, Brazil and the Slave Trade" Cambridge University Press 1970, ''"Cambridge Latin American Studides"'', Chapters 9 to 12. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2LsNTUPI_6sC View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183843/https://books.google.com/books?id=2LsNTUPI_6sC |date=29 November 2023 }}</ref> as a result of the British Aberdeen Act and the Eusébio de Queirós Law, but only in May 1888, after a long process of internal mobilization and debate for an ethical and legal dismantling of slavery in the country, was the institution formally abolished with the approval of the Golden Law.<ref>Scott, Rebecca and others, ''The Abolition of Slavery and the Aftermath of Emancipation in Brazil'', Duke University Press 1988 {{ISBN|0-8223-0888-6}} Seymour Drescher, Chap. 2: "Brazilian Abolition in Comparative Perspective"</ref>

The foreign-affairs policies of the monarchy dealt with issues pertaining Brazil's neighboring countries in the Southern Cone. Long after the Cisplatine War that resulted in the independence of Uruguay,<ref>Levine, Robert M. "The history of Brazil" Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. 1999, p. 62, [https://books.google.com/books?id=8RpIxe2utj8C&pg=PA62 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183943/https://books.google.com/books?id=8RpIxe2utj8C&pg=PA62 |date=29 November 2023 }}</ref> Brazil won three international wars during the 58-year reign of Pedro II: the Platine War, the Uruguayan War and the devastating Paraguayan War, the largest war effort in Brazilian history.<ref>Lyra (v.1), pp. 164, 225, 272</ref>{{sfnp|Fausto|1999|loc=Chapter 2, p. 83, and 2.6 "The Paraguayan War"}}

Although there was no desire among the majority of Brazilians to change the country's form of government,{{sfn|Ermakoff|2006|p=189}} on 15 November 1889, in disagreement with the majority of the Imperial Army officers, as well as with rural and financial elites, the monarchy was overthrown by a military coup.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smallman |first=Shawn C. |title=Fear in Memory in the Brazilian Army and Society |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8078-5359-7 |pages=16–18 |chapter=The Overthrow of the Empire}}</ref> A few days later, the national flag was replaced with a new design that included the national motto "''Ordem e Progresso''", influenced by positivism. 15 November is now Republic Day, a national holiday.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 November 2017 |title=Brazil's Proclamation of the Republic through the press |language=en-US |work=The Brazilian Report |url=https://brazilian.report/opinion/2017/11/15/brazils-press-republic-day/ |access-date=13 November 2018 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413193405/https://brazilian.report/opinion/2017/11/15/brazils-press-republic-day/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Early Republic === {{Main|First Brazilian Republic|Vargas Era|Fourth Brazilian Republic}}

[[File:Proclamação da República by Benedito Calixto 1893.jpg|thumb|''Proclamation of the Republic'', 1893, oil on canvas by Benedito Calixto]]

[[File:Construção do Congresso Nacional Esplanada dos Ministérios 1959-10 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Construction of the National Congress building in Brasília, 1959, during the JK administration]]

The early republican government was a military dictatorship, with the army dominating affairs both in Rio de Janeiro and in the states. Freedom of the press disappeared and elections were controlled by those in power.{{sfnp|Smallman|2002|loc=end of Chapter 1, from p. 18 "Military rule"}} Not until 1894, following an economic crisis and a military one, did civilians take power, remaining there until October 1930.{{sfnp|Smallman|2002|pp=21–26}}<ref>Triner, Gail D. "Banking and Economic Development: Brazil, 1889–1930" Palgrave 2000, pp. 69–74 {{ISBN|0-312-23399-X}}</ref><ref>Needell, Jeffrey D. "A Tropical Belle Epoque: Elite Culture and Society in Turn-of-the-Century Rio de Janeiro" Cambridge University Press 2010, pp. 10, 12</ref>

In this first republican period, Brazil maintained a relative balance characterized by a success in resolving border disputes with neighboring countries,<ref>David R. Mares; "Violent peace: militarized interstate bargaining in Latin America" Columbia University Press 2001 Chapter 5 p. 125</ref> only broken by the Acre War (1899–1902) and its involvement in World War I (1914–1918),<ref>Bradford Burns 1993, p. 305</ref><ref>M.Sharp, I. Westwell & J.Westwood; "History of World War I, Volume 1" Marshall Cavendish Corporation 2002, p. 97</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Uma história diplomática do Brasil, 1531–1945 |pages=265–69}}</ref> followed by a failed attempt to exert a prominent role in the League of Nations;<ref>Charles Howard Ellis; "The origin, structure & working of the League of Nations" The LawBook Exchange Ltd 2003 pp. 105, 145</ref> Internally, from the crisis of ''Encilhamento''<ref>{{Citation |last=Viscount of Taunay |title=O encilhamento: scenas contemporaneas da bolsa em 1890, 1891 e 1892 |year=1893 |publisher=Melhoramentos}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Nassif |first=Luís |title=Os cabeças-de-planilha |pages=69–107 |year=2007 |publisher=Ediouro |isbn=978-85-00-02094-0}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=de Carvalho |first=Ney O. Ribeiro |title=O Encilhamento: anatomia de uma bolha brasileira |year=2004 |publisher=Bovespa |isbn=978-85-904019-1-9}}</ref> and the Navy Revolts,<ref>{{Citation |last=Martins |first=Hélio L |title=A Revolta da Armada |year=1997 |publisher=BibliEx}}</ref> a prolonged cycle of financial, political and social instability began until the 1920s, keeping the country besieged by various rebellions, both civilian<ref>{{Citation |last=Moniz |first=Edmundo |title=Canudos: a luta pela terra |year=1984 |publisher=Global}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Sevcenko |first=Nicolau |title=A Revolta da Vacina |year=2010 |publisher=Cosac Naify |isbn=978-85-7503-868-0}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=de Moura |first=Aureliano P |title=Contestado: a guerra cabocla |year=2003 |publisher=Biblioteca do Exército}}</ref> and military.<ref>{{Citation |last=Thompson |first=Arthur |title=Guerra civil do Brazil de 1893–1895 |year=1934 |publisher=Ravaro}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Roland |first=Maria Inês |title=A Revolta da Chibata |year=2000 |publisher=Saraiva |isbn=978-85-02-03095-4}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Forjaz |first=Maria CS |title=Tenentismo e politica |year=1977 |publisher=Paz e Terra}}</ref>

Little by little, a cycle of general instability sparked by these crises undermined the regime to such an extent that in the wake of the murder of his running mate, the defeated opposition presidential candidate Getúlio Vargas, supported by most of the military, successfully led the Revolution of 1930.<ref>Levine; Robert M. & Crocitti; John J. ''The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, Politics'', Duke University Press 1999, IV – The Vargas Era</ref><ref>Keen, Benjamin / Haynes, Kate ''A History of Latin America; Volume 2'', Waldsworth Cengage Learning 2004, pp. 356–57</ref> Vargas and the military were supposed to assume power temporarily, but instead closed down Congress, extinguished the Constitution, ruled with emergency powers and replaced the states' governors with his own supporters.<ref>McCann; Frank D. ''Soldiers of the Patria: A History of the Brazilian Army, 1889–1937'', Stanford University Press 2004, p. 303 {{ISBN|0-8047-3222-1}}</ref><ref>Ibidem Williams 2001</ref>

In the 1930s, three attempts to remove Vargas and his supporters from power failed. The first was the Constitutionalist Revolution in 1932, led by São Paulo's oligarchy. The second was a Communist uprising in November 1935, and the last one a ''putsch'' attempt by local fascists in May 1938.<ref>E. Bradford Burns; ''A History of Brazil'' Columbia University Press 1993 p. 352 {{ISBN|978-0-231-07955-6}}</ref><ref>Dulles, John W.F. ''Anarchists and Communists in Brazil, 1900–1935'' University of Texas Press 2012 {{ISBN|0-292-74076-X}}</ref><ref>Frank M. Colby, Allen L. Churchill, Herbert T. Wade & Frank H. Vizetelly; ''The New international year book'' Dodd, Mead & Co. 1989, p. 102 "The Fascist Revolt"</ref> The 1935 uprising created a security crisis in which Congress transferred more power to the executive branch. The 1937 ''coup d'état'' resulted in the cancellation of the 1938 election and formalized Vargas as dictator, beginning the Estado Novo era. During this period, government brutality and censorship of the press increased.<ref>Bourne, Richard ''Getulio Vargas of Brazil, 1883–1954'' C. Knight 1974, p. 77</ref>

During World War II, Brazil remained neutral until August 1942, when the country suffered retaliation by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in a strategic dispute over the South Atlantic, and, therefore, entered the war on the allied side.<ref>Scheina, Robert L. ''Latin America's Wars Vol.II: The Age of the Professional Soldier, 1900–2001''. Potomac Books, 2003 {{ISBN|1-57488-452-2}} Part 9; Ch. 17 – World War II, Brazil, and Mexico, 1942–45</ref><ref>Thomas M. Leonard & John F. Bratzel; ''Latin America during World War II'' Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. 2007 p. 150</ref><ref>Mónica Hirst & Andrew Hurrell; ''The United States and Brazil: A Long Road of Unmet Expectations'', Taylor & Francis Books 2005 {{ISBN|0-415-95066-X}} pp. 4–5</ref> In addition to its participation in the battle of the Atlantic, Brazil also sent an expeditionary force to fight in the Italian campaign.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Castro |first1=Celso |title=Nova história militar brasileira |pages=13–14 |year=2004 |publisher=Fundação Getúlio Vargas |isbn=978-85-225-0496-1 |last2=Izecksohn |first2=Vitor |last3=Kraay |first3=Hendrik}}</ref>

With the Allied victory in 1945 and the end of the fascist regimes in Europe, Vargas' position became untenable, and he was swiftly overthrown in another military coup, with democracy reinstated by the same army that had ended it 15 years earlier.<ref>McCann 2004, p. 441</ref> Vargas committed suicide in August 1954 amid a political crisis, after having returned to power by election in 1950.<ref>Roett; Riordan ''Brazil: Politics in a Patrimonial Society'', GreenWood Publishing Group 1999, pp. 106–08 {{ISBN|0-275-95899-X}}</ref><ref>Keen & Haynes 2004, pp. 361–62</ref>

Several brief interim governments followed Vargas' suicide.<ref>Skidmore, p. 201</ref> Juscelino Kubitschek became president in 1956 and assumed a conciliatory stance towards the political opposition that allowed him to govern without major crises.<ref>Skidmore, pp. 202–203</ref> The economy and industrial sector grew remarkably,<ref>Skidmore, p. 204</ref> but his greatest achievement was the construction of the new capital city of Brasília, inaugurated in 1960.<ref>Skidmore, pp. 204–205</ref> Kubitschek's successor, Jânio Quadros, resigned in 1961 less than a year after taking office.<ref>Skidmore, pp. 209–210</ref> His vice-president, João Goulart, assumed the presidency, but aroused strong political opposition<ref>Skidmore, p. 210</ref> and was deposed in April 1964 by a coup that resulted in a military dictatorship.<ref>Fausto (2005), p. 397</ref>

=== Military dictatorship === {{Main|Military dictatorship in Brazil}}

[[File:Tanques ocupam a Avenida Presidente Vargas, 1968-04-04.jpg|thumb|M41s along the Avenida Presidente Vargas, Rio de Janeiro, in April 1968, during the military dictatorship]]

The new regime was intended to be transitory,<ref>Gaspari, ''A Ditadura Envergonhada'', pp. 141–42.</ref> but gradually closed in on itself and became a full dictatorship with the promulgation of the Fifth Institutional Act in 1968.<ref name="Gaspari p.35">Gaspari, ''A Ditadura Envergonhada'', p. 35.</ref> Oppression was not limited to those who resorted to guerrilla tactics to fight the regime, but also reached institutional opponents, artists, journalists and other members of civil society,{{sfnp|Crocitti|Vallance|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VhkvhllLooUC&pg=PA395 395], last paragraph}}<ref>Richard Young, Odile Cisneros "Historical Dictionary of Latin American Literature and Theater" Scare Crow Press 2011, p. 224, 2nd § [https://books.google.com/books?id=i0ZyleoLY5UC&pg=PA224 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183956/https://books.google.com/books?id=i0ZyleoLY5UC&pg=PA224#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=29 November 2023}}</ref> inside and outside the country through "Operation Condor".<ref>Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen & Amaya Úbeda de Torres "The Inter-American Court of Human Rights: Case Law and Commentary" Oxford University Press 2011 {{ISBN|978-0-19-958878-7}} p. 299 [https://books.google.com/books?id=fQpnBsRWNlYC&pg=PA299 View on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183958/https://books.google.com/books?id=fQpnBsRWNlYC&pg=PA299 |date=29 November 2023 }}</ref>{{sfnp|Crocitti|Vallance|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VhkvhllLooUC&pg=PA396 396]}} Like other authoritarian regimes, due to an economic boom, known as the "economic miracle", the Brazilian military dictatorship reached a peak in popularity in the early 1970s.{{sfnp|Crocitti|Vallance|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VhkvhllLooUC&pg=PA395 395–97]}}

Slowly, however, the wear and tear of years of dictatorial power had not slowed the repression, even after the defeat of the leftist guerrillas.<ref>Bradford Burns 1993, p. 457</ref> The inability to deal with the economic crises of the period and popular pressure made a redemocratization policy inevitable, which from the regime side was led by Generals Ernesto Geisel and Golbery do Couto e Silva.{{sfnp|Fausto|1999|loc=Chapter 6 "The military government and the transition to democracy (1964–1984)"}} With the enactment of the Amnesty Law in 1979, Brazil began a slow return to democracy, which was completed during the 1980s.{{sfnp|Fausto|1999}}

=== Contemporary era === {{Main|History of Brazil (1985–present)}}

[[File:Ulyssesguimaraesconstituicao restored.jpg|thumb|Ulysses Guimarães holding the Constitution of 1988]]

Civilians returned to power in 1985 when José Sarney assumed the presidency. He became unpopular during his tenure through failure to control the economic crisis and hyperinflation he inherited from the military regime.<ref>Fausto (2005), pp. 464–65.</ref> Sarney's unsuccessful government led to the election in 1989 of the almost-unknown Fernando Collor, who was subsequently impeached by the National Congress in 1992.<ref>Fausto (2005), pp. 465, 475.</ref> Collor was succeeded by his vice-president, Itamar Franco, who appointed Fernando Henrique Cardoso as Minister of Finance. In 1994, Cardoso devised a highly successful Plano Real that,<ref>Skidmore, p. 311.</ref> after decades of failed economic plans made by previous governments attempting to curb hyperinflation, finally stabilized the Brazilian economy.{{sfnp|Fausto|1999|loc=Epilogue}}<ref>Fausto (2005), p. 482.</ref> Cardoso won the 1994 election, and again in 1998.<ref>Fausto (2005), p. 474.</ref>

The peaceful transition of power from Cardoso to his main opposition leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006), was seen as proof that Brazil had achieved a long-sought political stability.<ref>Fausto (2005), p. 502.</ref><ref>Zirin, 2014. Chapter 3</ref> However, sparked by discontent accumulated over decades from corruption, police brutality, inefficiencies of the political establishment and public service, numerous peaceful protests erupted in Brazil in the middle of the first term of Dilma Rousseff, who had succeeded Lula after winning election in 2010 and again in 2014 by narrow margins.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/22/urban-protest-changing-global-social-network "Global protest grows as citizens lose faith in politics and the State"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608173307/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/22/urban-protest-changing-global-social-network |date=8 June 2021}} article on "the Guardian"</ref><ref>Zirin, 2014. Chapter 7 & Conclusion.</ref>

Rousseff was impeached by the Brazilian Congress in 2016, halfway into her second term,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jonathan Watts & Donna Bowater |title=Dilma Rousseff impeached by Brazilian senate |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/31/dilma-rousseff-impeached-president-brazilian-senate-michel-temer |access-date=31 August 2016 |archive-date=31 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831175437/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/31/dilma-rousseff-impeached-president-brazilian-senate-michel-temer |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Taub |first=Amanda |date=1 September 2016 |title=All Impeachments Are Political. But Was Brazil's Something More Sinister? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/q01/world/americas/brazil-impeachment-coup.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250213070654/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/world/americas/brazil-impeachment-coup.html |archive-date=13 February 2025 |access-date=3 May 2025 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref> and replaced by her vice-president Michel Temer, who assumed full presidential powers after Rousseff's impeachment was accepted on 31 August. Large street protests for and against her took place during the impeachment process.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/28879ada-0499-11e6-96e5-f85cb08b0730.html#axzz46ZJ07xgT Article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624140848/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/28879ada-0499-11e6-96e5-f85cb08b0730.html#axzz46ZJ07xgT |date=24 June 2016}} in ''Financial Times'' (18 April 2016) about the political ambiance in Brazil on the day vote for the Deputies chamber decision about open an impeachment procedure against President Dilma. 2nd to 4th paragraph.</ref> The charges against her were fueled by political and economic crises along with evidence of involvement with politicians from all the primary political parties. In 2017, the Supreme Court requested the investigation of 71 Brazilian lawmakers and nine ministers of President Michel Temer's cabinet who were allegedly linked to the Petrobras corruption scandal.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-politics-probes-idUSL1N1HJ1NO? "Brazil supreme court judge orders probe into nine ministers – paper"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816074621/https://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-politics-probes-idUSL1N1HJ1NO |date=16 August 2017}}. Reuters. 11 April 2017.</ref> President Temer himself was also accused of corruption.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/world/americas/brazil-temer-corruption-charge-joesley-batista.html "President Michel Temer of Brazil Is Charged With Corruption"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414030047/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/world/americas/brazil-temer-corruption-charge-joesley-batista.html |date=14 April 2021 }}. ''The New York Times''. 26 June 2017.</ref>

In the fiercely contested 2018 elections, the controversial conservative candidate Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) was elected president, winning in the second round against Fernando Haddad, of the Workers Party (PT), with the support of 55.13% of the valid votes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jair Bolsonaro é eleito presidente do Brasil |url=https://veja.abril.com.br/politica/jair-bolsonaro-e-eleito-presidente-do-brasil/ |website=veja.abril.com.br |access-date=11 November 2020 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413193324/https://veja.abril.com.br/politica/jair-bolsonaro-e-eleito-presidente-do-brasil/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 2020s, Brazil became one of the hardest hit countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, receiving the second-highest death toll worldwide after the United States.<ref name="BBCGuerin">{{Cite news |last=Guerin |first=Orla |date=9 July 2021 |title=Covid-19 pandemic: 'Everything you should not do, Brazil has done' |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |location=Brasília |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57733540 |access-date=2 August 2021 |archive-date=3 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803062031/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57733540 |url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2021, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that he would run for a third term in the 2022 Brazilian general election against Bolsonaro.<ref name=Valor2021-05-20a>{{cite web|url=https://valorinveste.globo.com/mercados/brasil-e-politica/noticia/2021/05/20/lula-reitera-candidatura-presidencial-contra-bolsonaro-em-2022.ghtml|title=Lula reitera candidatura presidencial contra Bolsonaro em 2022|website=Valor|date=20 May 2021|access-date=5 August 2021|archive-date=5 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805163619/https://valorinveste.globo.com/mercados/brasil-e-politica/noticia/2021/05/20/lula-reitera-candidatura-presidencial-contra-bolsonaro-em-2022.ghtml|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2022, Lula was in first place in the first round, with 48.43% of the support from the electorate, and received 50.90% of the votes in the second round.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Análise das Eleições 2022: Veja Detalhes dos Resultados da Votação|url=https://noticias.uol.com.br/eleicoes/2022/analise/presidente-1-turno/ |access-date=31 October 2022|website=noticias.uol.com.br|language=pt |archive-date=30 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030225737/https://noticias.uol.com.br/eleicoes/2022/analise/presidente-1-turno/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Resultados – TSE|url=https://resultados.tse.jus.br/oficial/app/index.html#/eleicao/resultados |access-date=31 October 2022|website=resultados.tse.jus.br |archive-date=2 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102121453/https://resultados.tse.jus.br/oficial/app/index.html#/eleicao/resultados}}</ref> On 8 January 2023, a week after Lula's inauguration, a mob of Bolsonaro's supporters attacked Brazil's federal government buildings in the capital, Brasília, after several weeks of unrest.<ref>{{cite web |last=Phillips |first=Tom |date=8 January 2023 |title=Jair Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil's presidential palace and supreme court |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/08/jair-bolsonaro-supporters-storm-brazils-presidential-palace-and-supreme-court |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108191923/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/08/jair-bolsonaro-supporters-storm-brazils-presidential-palace-and-supreme-court |archive-date=8 January 2023 |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name="CNN">{{cite web |last=Rocha |first=Lucas |title=Manifestantes furam bloqueio, entram na Esplanada e invadem o Congresso Nacional |date=8 January 2023 |trans-title=Protesters break through the blockade, enter the Esplanade and invade the National Congress |url=https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/manifestantes-furam-bloqueio-e-entram-na-esplanada-em-brasilia/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108184449/https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/manifestantes-furam-bloqueio-e-entram-na-esplanada-em-brasilia/ |archive-date=8 January 2023 |access-date=8 January 2023 |publisher=CNN Brazil}}</ref>

== Geography == {{Main|Geography of Brazil}}

thumb|A topographic map of Brazil|right

Brazil occupies nearly half of the land area of South America (47.7%), including a large area along its eastern coast and much of the continent's interior.<ref name="Encarta 6">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Land and Resources |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=MSN |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342/Brazil.html |access-date=11 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028044617/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342/Brazil.html |archive-date=28 October 2009}} {{Dubious|date=January 2010}}</ref> It borders Uruguay to the south; Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest; Bolivia and Peru to the west; Colombia to the northwest; and Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and France (French overseas region of French Guiana) to the north. It shares a border with every South American country except Ecuador and Chile.<ref name="CIA Geo" />

The Brazilian territory also encompasses a number of oceanic archipelagos, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, and the islands of Trindade and Martim Vaz.<ref name="CIA Geo" /> Its size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse.<ref name="Encarta 6" /> Including its Atlantic islands, Brazil lies between latitudes 6°N and 34°S, and longitudes 28° and 74°W.<ref name="CIA Geo" />

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, and third largest in the Americas, with a total area of {{convert|8515767.049|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}},<ref name="Official Area">[http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/geociencias/cartografia/default_territ_area.shtm Official Area (In Portuguese)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106154550/http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/geociencias/cartografia/default_territ_area.shtm |date=6 January 2012 }} IBGE: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Retrieved 8 January 2010.</ref> including {{convert|55455|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} of water. Brazil is the only country in the world that has the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn running through it.<ref name="CIA Geo" /> It spans four time zones; from UTC−5 comprising the state of Acre and the westernmost portion of Amazonas, to UTC−4 in the western states, to UTC−3 in the eastern states (the national time) and UTC−2 in the Atlantic islands.<ref name="timezones">{{Cite web |title=Hora Legal Brasileira |url=http://pcdsh01.on.br/Fusbr.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722173247/http://pcdsh01.on.br/Fusbr.htm |archive-date=22 July 2011 |access-date=28 December 2014 |publisher=Observatório Nacional}}</ref>

=== Climate === {{Main|Climate of Brazil}}

[[File:Köppen climate types of Brazil.svg|thumb|Brazil map of Köppen climate classification zones|left]]

The climate of Brazil comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a large area and varied topography, but most of the country is tropical.<ref name="CIA Geo" /> According to the Köppen system, Brazil hosts six major climatic subtypes: desert, equatorial, tropical, semiarid, oceanic and subtropical. The different climatic conditions produce environments ranging from equatorial rainforests in the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, to temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in central Brazil.<ref name="BBC Weather">{{Cite web |title=Brazil |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT005220 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208034235/http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/country_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT005220 |archive-date=8 February 2011 |access-date=11 June 2008 |website=Country Guide |publisher=BBC Weather}}</ref>

In Brazil, forest cover is around 59% of the total land area, equivalent to 496,619,600 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 588,898,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 485,396,000 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 11,223,600 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest, 44% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 30% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For 2015, 56% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership and 44% private ownership.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Brazil |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/BRA/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}</ref>

Many regions have starkly different microclimates.<ref name="Encarta 9">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Natural Regions |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=MSN |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_2/Brazil.html |access-date=11 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029034943/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_2/Brazil.html |archive-date=29 October 2009 }} {{Dubious|date=January 2010}}</ref><ref name="BT">{{Cite web |title=Temperature in Brazil |url=http://www.v-brazil.com/information/geography/temperature-graphs.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612200827/http://www.v-brazil.com/information/geography/temperature-graphs.html |archive-date=12 June 2008 |access-date=11 June 2008 |publisher=Brazil Travel}}</ref> An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no real dry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when most rain falls.<ref name="BBC Weather" /> Temperatures average {{convert|25|°C}},<ref name="BT" /> with more significant temperature variation between night and day than between seasons.<ref name="Encarta 9" /> Over central Brazil, rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate.<ref name="Encarta 9" /> This region is as extensive as the Amazon basin but has a very different climate as it lies farther south at a higher altitude.<ref name="BBC Weather" /> In the interior northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme.<ref name="Rain" /> South of Bahia, near the coasts, and more southerly most of the state of São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, with rain falling throughout the year.<ref name="BBC Weather" /> The south enjoys subtropical conditions, with cool winters and average annual temperatures not exceeding {{convert|18|°C|1}};<ref name="BT" /> winter frosts and snowfall are not rare in the highest areas.<ref name="BBC Weather" /><ref name="Encarta 9" />

The semiarid climatic region generally receives less than {{convert|800|mm|1|sp=us}} of rain,<ref name="Rain">{{Cite web |last=Embrapa |author-link=Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária |title=Annual averages of Mandacaru Agro-meteorological station |url=http://www.cpatsa.embrapa.br/servicos/dadosmet/cem-anual.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820215606/http://www.cpatsa.embrapa.br/servicos/dadosmet/cem-anual.html |archive-date=20 August 2007 |access-date=21 October 2008 |language=pt}}</ref> most of which generally falls in a period of three to five months of the year<ref>{{Cite web |title=CPD: South America, Site SA19, Caatinga of North-eastern Brazil, Brazil |url=http://botany.si.edu/projects/cpd/sa/sa19.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606055642/http://botany.si.edu/projects/cpd/sa/sa19.htm |archive-date=6 June 2009 |access-date=29 October 2009 |publisher=Botany.si.edu}}</ref> and occasionally less than this, creating long periods of drought.<ref name="Encarta 9" /> Brazil's 1877–78 ''Grande Seca'' (Great Drought), the worst in Brazil's history,<ref>[http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/15/6/07-1331_article.htm "Drought, Smallpox, and Emergence of Leishmania braziliensis in Northeastern Brazil"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129144751/http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/15/6/07-1331_article.htm |date=29 November 2013 }}. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).</ref> caused approximately half a million deaths.<ref>[http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s8857.html "Ó Gráda, C.: Famine: A Short History"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112061115/http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s8857.html |date=12 January 2016}}. Princeton University Press.</ref> A similarly devastating drought occurred in 1915.<ref>[http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/W8514E/W8514E29.htm "Inland fishery enhancements"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306225557/http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/W8514E/W8514E29.htm |date=6 March 2014}}. FAO.</ref> In 2024, for the first time, "a drought has covered all the way from the North to the country's Southeast". It is the strongest drought in Brazil since the beginning of measurement in the 1950s, covering almost 60% of the country's territory. The drought is linked to deforestation and climate change.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maisonnave |first1=Fabiano |title=Brazil faces its worst drought as wildfires rage and Amazon River falls to record low |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/brazil-faces-its-worst-drought-as-wildfires-rage-and-amazon-river-falls-to-record-low |access-date=16 September 2024 |agency=PBS News |publisher=Associated Press |date=10 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McCoy |first1=Terrence |title=More than half of Brazil is racked by drought. Blame deforestation. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/12/brazil-drought/ |access-date=16 September 2024 |agency=Washington Post |date=12 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Brazil Endures Worst Drought on Record, Affecting 58% of the Country |url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/scienceandhealth/2024/09/brazil-endures-worst-drought-on-record-affecting-58-of-the-country.shtml |access-date=16 September 2024 |agency=Folha de S.Paulo |date=5 September 2024}}</ref>

[[File:20211026 Cumulative carbon dioxide CO2 emissions by country - bar chart.svg |thumb|Since 1850, Brazil has cumulatively contributed an amount of {{CO2}} placing it among the top greenhouse gas emitters in the world, mainly due to its land use and forestry practices.<ref name="CarbonBrief_20211005">{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Simon |title=Analysis: Which countries are historically responsible for climate change? / Historical responsibility for climate change is at the heart of debates over climate justice. |url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-which-countries-are-historically-responsible-for-climate-change |website=CarbonBrief.org |publisher=Carbon Brief |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026094104/https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-which-countries-are-historically-responsible-for-climate-change |archive-date=26 October 2021 |date=5 October 2021 |quote=Source: Carbon Brief analysis of figures from the Global Carbon Project, CDIAC, Our World in Data, Carbon Monitor, Houghton and Nassikas (2017) and Hansis et al (2015). |url-status=live}}</ref>]] Climate change in Brazil is causing higher temperatures and longer-lasting heatwaves, changing precipitation patterns, more intense wildfires and heightened fire risk.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 October 2021 |title=Brazil |url=https://www.g20climaterisks.org/brazil/ |access-date=26 February 2025 |website=G20 Climate Risk Atlas |language=en-US}}</ref> Brazil's hydropower, agriculture and urban water supplies will be affected.<ref name="WN">{{Cite web |title=Brazil |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/lac-green-growth-leading-the-change-we-need/brazil |access-date=26 February 2025 |website=World Bank |language=en}}</ref> Brazil's rainforests, and the Amazon, are particularly at risk to climate change. At worst, large areas of the Amazon River basin could turn into savannah, with severe consequences for global climate and local livelihoods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=UNDP Climate Change Adaptation |date=13 August 2012 |title=Brazil |url=https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/latin-america-and-caribbean/brazil |access-date=26 February 2025 |website=www.adaptation-undp.org |language=en}}</ref> Extreme weather events like droughts and flash floods are causing annual losses of around R$13 billion (US$2.6 billion), equivalent to 0.1% of the country's 2022 GDP. Climate impacts could exacerbate poverty.<ref name="WN" />

Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions per person are higher than the global average, and Brazil is among the top 10 highest emitting countries. Greenhouse gas emissions by Brazil are over 4% of the annual world total.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Jones |first1=Matthew W. |title=National contributions to climate change due to historical emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide |date=13 November 2024 |url=https://zenodo.org/records/14054503 |access-date=26 February 2025 |doi=10.5281/zenodo.14054503 |last2=Peters |first2=Glen P. |last3=Gasser |first3=Thomas |last4=Andrew |first4=Robbie M. |last5=Schwingshackl |first5=Clemens |last6=Gütschow |first6=Johannes |last7=Houghton |first7=Richard A. |last8=Friedlingstein |first8=Pierre |last9=Pongratz |first9=Julia }}</ref> In 2026 the Brazilian government has launched a National Climate Change Plan which should cut greenhouse gas emissions by 59% - 67% by 2035, and make the country carbon neutral by 2050.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brazil's climate change targets 59-67% cut in GHG emissions by 2035 from 2005 |url=https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/brazils-climate-change-targets-59-67-cut-ghg-emissions-2035-2005.html |website=Enerdata |access-date=22 March 2026}}</ref> Brazil hosted the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Information for COP 30 participants (A-Z) {{!}} UNFCCC |url=https://unfccc.int/cop30/ifp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251009221513/https://unfccc.int/cop30/ifp |archive-date=9 October 2025 |access-date=2025-11-10 |website=unfccc.int |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> in which it launched the Global carbon market coalition immediately joined by 11 countries including Brazil, China, the European Union, United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |title=Global carbon market coalition proposed by Brazil has gained membership in eleven countries |url=https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/global-carbon-market-coalition-proposed-by-brazil-has-gained-membership-in-eleven-countries |website=COP 30 Brazil Amazonia Belem 2025 |access-date=12 November 2025}}</ref> According to some calculations, a global carbon market can speed up emission reduction seven-fold.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-16 |title=Building a Climate Coalition: Aligning Carbon Pricing, Trade, and Development |url=https://salatainstitute.harvard.edu/building-a-climate-coalition-gcpp-flagship-report/ |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=The Salata Institute |language=en}}</ref>

=== Topography and hydrography === {{See also|List of rivers of Brazil}} [[File:Amazon River ESA387332.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of the Amazon Delta]]

Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between {{convert|200|m|sp=us}} and {{convert|800|m|sp=us}} in elevation.<ref name="Encarta 7">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Natural Regions |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=MSN |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342/Brazil.html |access-date=11 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028044617/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342/Brazil.html |archive-date=28 October 2009}} {{Dubious|date=January 2010}}</ref> The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country.<ref name="Encarta 7" /> The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills.<ref name="Encarta 7" />

The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to {{convert|1200|m|sp=us}}.<ref name="Encarta 7" /> These ranges include the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço mountains and the Serra do Mar.<ref name="Encarta 7" /> In the north, the Guiana Highlands form a major drainage divide, separating rivers that flow south into the Amazon Basin from rivers that empty into the Orinoco River system, in Venezuela, to the north. The highest point in Brazil is the Pico da Neblina at {{convert|2994|m|sp=us}}, and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="CIA Geo" />

Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic.<ref name="Encarta 8">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Rivers and Lakes |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=MSN |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342/Brazil.html |access-date=11 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028044617/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342/Brazil.html |archive-date=28 October 2009 }} {{Dubious|date=January 2010}}</ref> Major rivers include the Amazon (the world's largest in terms of water volume), the Paraná and its major tributary the Iguaçu (which includes the Iguazu Falls), the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and Tapajós rivers.<ref name="Encarta 8" />

=== Biodiversity and conservation === {{Main|Environment of Brazil|Wildlife of Brazil|Conservation in Brazil}}

{{Further|Environmental issues in Brazil|Protected areas of Brazil}} [[File:Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco) - 48153967707.jpg|thumb|The toco toucan is an animal typical of the Brazilian savannas.]] The wildlife of Brazil comprises all naturally occurring animals, plants, and fungi in the South American country. Home to 60% of the Amazon rainforest, which accounts for approximately one-tenth of all species in the world,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amazon – World's largest tropical rain forest and river basin |url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/amazon/index.html |access-date=3 June 2010 |publisher=World Wide Fund for Nature |archive-date=5 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805092911/http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/amazon/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Brazil is considered to have the greatest biodiversity of any country on the planet, containing over 70% of all animal and plant species catalogued.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brazil |url=https://iucngreenlist.org/country/brazil/ |access-date=19 November 2022 |website=IUCN Green List |language=en-US |archive-date=19 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119014359/https://iucngreenlist.org/country/brazil/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Brazil has the most known species of plants (55,000), freshwater fish (3,000) and mammals (over 689).<ref name="DannyP_2007_shoestring">{{Cite book |last=Palmerlee |first=Danny |title=South America on a Shoestring |publisher=Lonely Planet Publications |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-74104-443-0 |page=275 |oclc=76936293}}</ref> It also ranks third on the list of countries with the most bird species (1,832) and second with the most reptile species (744).<ref name="DannyP_2007_shoestring" /> The number of fungal species is unknown but is large.<ref name="Silva, M 1995">Da Silva, M. and D.W. Minter. 1995. ''Fungi from Brazil recorded by Batista and Co-workers''. Mycological Papers 169. CABI, Wallingford, UK. 585 pp.</ref> Brazil is second only to Indonesia as the country with the most endemic species.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chapman |first=A.D |date=September 2005 |title=Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World: A Report for the Department of the Environment and Heritage |work=Australian Biological Resources Study |publisher=Australian Biodiversity Information Services |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/other/species-numbers/05-comparisons.html |access-date=26 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101090709/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publications/other/species-numbers/05-comparisons.html  |archive-date=1 November 2007}}</ref>

Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest, recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world,<ref name="WWF">{{Cite web |date=6 August 2007 |title=One fifth of the world's freshwater |url=http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/amazon/about_the_amazon/ecosystems_amazon/rivers/ |access-date=12 June 2008 |website=Amazon |publisher=World Wide Fund for Nature |archive-date=1 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301055230/http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/amazon/about_the_amazon/ecosystems_amazon/rivers/ |url-status=live}}</ref> with the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado sustaining the greatest biodiversity.<ref name="Encarta 10">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Plant and Animal Life |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=MSN |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_2/Brazil.html |access-date=12 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029034943/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_2/Brazil.html |archive-date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> In the south, the Araucaria moist forests grow under temperate conditions.<ref name="Encarta 10" /> The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats. Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach four million, mostly invertebrates.<ref name="Encarta 10" /> Larger mammals include carnivores pumas, jaguars, ocelots, rare bush dogs, and foxes, and herbivores peccaries, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums and armadillos. Deer are plentiful in the south, and many species of New World monkeys are found in the northern rainforests.<ref name="Encarta 10" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=1 October 2004 |title=Atlantic Forest, Brazil |work=Map: Biodiversity hotspots |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3707888.stm#brazil |access-date=12 June 2008 |archive-date=19 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719212941/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3707888.stm#brazil |url-status=live}}</ref>

thumb|Cumulatively, Brazil has the highest percentage of deforested and highly degraded rainforest of any Amazonia nation.<ref name="AmazonWatch_202209">{{Cite web |date=September 2022 |title=Amazon Against the Clock: A Regional Assessment on Where and How to Protect 80% by 2025 |url=https://amazonwatch.org/assets/files/2022-amazonia-against-the-clock-executive-summary.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910025229/https://amazonwatch.org/assets/files/2022-amazonia-against-the-clock-executive-summary.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2022 |website=Amazon Watch |page=8 |quote=Graphic 2: Current State of the Amazon by country, by percentage / Source: RAISG (Red Amazónica de Información Socioambiental Georreferenciada) Elaborated by authors.}}</ref>

More than one-fifth of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has been completely destroyed, and more than 70 mammals are endangered.<ref name="DannyP_2007_shoestring" /> The threat of extinction comes from several sources, including deforestation and poaching. Extinction is even more problematic in the Atlantic Forest, where nearly 93% of the forest has been cleared.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2007 |title=Places We Work: The Atlantic Forest of Brazil |url=http://www.nature.org/wherewework/southamerica/brazil/work/art5080.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702223313/http://www.nature.org/wherewework/southamerica/brazil/work/art5080.html |archive-date=2 July 2010 |access-date=5 December 2007 |publisher=The Nature Conservancy}}</ref> Of the 202 endangered animals in Brazil, 171 are in the Atlantic Forest.<ref name="mre.gov">{{Cite web |last=Capobianco |first=João Paulo |title=Biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest |url=http://www.mre.gov.br/cdbrasil/itamaraty/web/ingles/meioamb/biodiv/matatlan/biodiv/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215123917/http://www.mre.gov.br/cdbrasil/itamaraty/web/ingles/meioamb/biodiv/matatlan/biodiv/index.htm |archive-date=15 December 2007 |access-date=5 December 2007 |website=Brazil on CD-ROM and Internet |publisher=Ministry of External Relations}}</ref> The Amazon rainforest has been under direct threat of deforestation since the 1970s because of rapid economic and demographic expansion. Extensive legal and illegal logging destroy forests the size of a small country per year, and with it a diverse series of species through habitat destruction and habitat fragmentation.<ref name="usda">USDA Forest Service website, [http://www.fs.fed.us/global/globe/l_amer/brazil.htm Forest Service International Programs: Brazil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406090854/https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/international-programs |date=6 April 2020}}, retrieved February 2007.</ref> Since 1970, over {{convert|600,000|km2|sqmi|sp=us}} of the Amazon rainforest have been cleared by logging.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Butler |first=Rhett A. |date=28 March 2006 |title=Brazil to Protect Amazon Rainforest |publisher=MongaBay.com |url=http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0328-amazon.html |access-date=28 November 2007 |archive-date=5 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405222718/http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0328-amazon.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2017, preserved native vegetation occupied 61% of the Brazilian territory. Agriculture occupied only 8% of the national territory and pastures 19.7%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 January 2017 |title=Preserved native vegetation occupies 61% of Brazil's area, says Embrapa |url=https://g1.globo.com/mato-grosso-do-sul/noticia/2017/01/vegetacao-nativa-preservada-ocupa-61-da-area-do-brasil-diz-embrapa.html |access-date=14 August 2021 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112015832/http://g1.globo.com/mato-grosso-do-sul/noticia/2017/01/vegetacao-nativa-preservada-ocupa-61-da-area-do-brasil-diz-embrapa.html |url-status=live}}</ref> For comparison, in 2019, although 43% of the entire European continent has forests, only 3% of the total forest area in Europe is of native forest.<ref>{{Cite news |title=How Europe has multiplied its forests and why this can be a problem |work=BBC News Brasil |url=https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-50162105 |access-date=14 August 2021 |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814031104/https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-50162105 |url-status=live }}</ref> Brazil has a strong interest in conservation, as its agriculture sector directly depends on its forests.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ruiz |first=Sarah |date=12 November 2021 |title=Climate change is pushing Brazil's farmland out of agricultural suitability range |url=https://www.woodwellclimate.org/brazils-farms-losing-agricultural-suitability/ |access-date=22 September 2022 |website=Woodwell climate research center |publisher=Nature Climate Change |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922162632/https://www.woodwellclimate.org/brazils-farms-losing-agricultural-suitability/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Government and politics == {{Main|Politics of Brazil|Federal government of Brazil|Elections in Brazil}}

{{Multiple image | direction = horizontal | align = right | caption_align = center | total_width = 300 | image1 = Foto oficial de Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (ombros) denoise.jpg | caption1 = Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva President | image2 = Alckmin 2024.jpg | caption2 = Geraldo Alckmin Vice President }}

The form of government is a democratic federative republic, with a presidential system, as decided in a 1993 referendum.<ref name="Constituição" /> The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term,<ref name="Constituição" /> with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. The current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pimentel |first=Mauro |title=Lula returns for third term as Brazil president |work=CNN |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230101-lula-returns-for-third-term-as-brazil-president |access-date=1 January 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101031904/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230101-lula-returns-for-third-term-as-brazil-president |url-status=live}}</ref> The president appoints the Ministers of State, who form the cabinet and assist in government.<ref name="Constituição" />

Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of law in Brazil. The National Congress is the federation's bicameral legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. The Senate represents the 26 states and the Federal District. Each state and the Federal District has a representation of three senators, who are elected by popular ballot for a term of eight years.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bruns |first1=Axel |last2=Enli |first2=Gunn |last3=Skogerbo |first3=Eli |last4=Larsson |first4=Anders Olof |last5=Christensen |first5=Christian |title=The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics |date=22 December 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-50656-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OK1ACwAAQBAJ&pg=PA519 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Brazil - The legislature |work=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Brazil/The-legislature |language=en}}</ref> The Chamber of Deputies represents the people of each state, and its members are elected for a four-year term by a system of proportional representation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ameringer |first1=Charles D. |title=Political Parties of the Americas, 1980s to 1990s: Canada, Latin America, and the West Indies |date=1992 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-27418-3 |page=105 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kD5qi3MyEHYC&pg=PA105 |language=en}}</ref> Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively.

According to International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices and Democracy Tracker, Brazil performs in the mid to high range on overall democratic measures, with particular strengths in inclusive suffrage, freedom of religion, and civic engagement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brazil {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/brazil |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.idea.int |language=en}}</ref> In 2021, the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index categorized Brazil as a "flawed democracy", ranking 46th in the report,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Democracy Index 2021: the China challenge |url=https://pages.eiu.com/rs/753-RIQ-438/images/eiu-democracy-index-2021.pdf?mkt_tok=NzUzLVJJUS00MzgAAAGDWhBlxfqM9cMZEewC0HoBG0xhm9PFkxb-_IqDsjlxRZgDssKgB0pHGt7yS48UFv94hU4ZW0C_jXaFfmK_5TbL23wtQarQv22nFbg8ZTnHQrrcPg |website=Economist Intelligence Unit |language=en-GB |access-date=18 December 2022 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326122737/https://pages.eiu.com/rs/753-RIQ-438/images/eiu-democracy-index-2021.pdf?mkt_tok=NzUzLVJJUS00MzgAAAGDWhBlxfqM9cMZEewC0HoBG0xhm9PFkxb-_IqDsjlxRZgDssKgB0pHGt7yS48UFv94hU4ZW0C_jXaFfmK_5TbL23wtQarQv22nFbg8ZTnHQrrcPg |url-status=live }}</ref> and Freedom House classified it as a free country at ''Freedom in the World'' report.<ref name="FITW-TG-2021">{{Cite web |date=3 March 2021 |title=Freedom in the World 2021 |url=https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/FIW2021_World_02252021_FINAL-web-upload.pdf |access-date=3 March 2021 |publisher=Freedom House |archive-date=26 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226172012/https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/FIW2021_World_02252021_FINAL-web-upload.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> According to the Regimes of the World classification Brazil was an electoral democracy in year 2024.<ref name="j496">{{cite web | title=Democracy Report 2025, 25 Years of Autocratization – Democracy Trumped? | url=https://v-dem.net/documents/54/v-dem_dr_2025_lowres_v1.pdf | access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref>

The political-administrative organization of the Federative Republic of Brazil comprises the Union, the states, the Federal District, and the municipalities.<ref name="Constituição" /> The Union, the states, the Federal District, and the municipalities, are the "spheres of government". The federation is set on five fundamental principles: sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of human beings, the social values of labor and freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism.<ref name="Constituição" />

The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial under a checks and balances system) are formally established by the constitution.<ref name="Constituição" /> The executive and legislative are organized independently in all three spheres of government, while the judiciary is organized only at the federal and state and Federal District spheres. All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected.<ref name="embassy">{{Cite web |title=Embassy of Brazil – Ottawa |url=http://www.brasembottawa.org/en/brazil_in_brief/political_institution.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725100724/http://www.brasembottawa.org/en/brazil_in_brief/political_institution.html |archive-date=25 July 2011 |access-date=19 July 2007 |quote=Political Institutions – The Executive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=City Mayors |url=http://www.citymayors.com/government/brazil_government.html |access-date=19 July 2007 |quote=Brazil federal, state and local government |archive-date=1 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001100905/http://citymayors.com/government/brazil_government.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fontaine |first=Edward |year=1872 |title=Contributions to the Physical Geography of the Mississippi River, and Its Delta |journal=Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York |volume=3 |pages=343–78 |doi=10.2307/196424 |issn=1536-0407 |jstor=196424}}</ref>

For most of its democratic history, Brazil has had a multi-party system, with proportional representation. Voting is compulsory for the literate between 18 and 70 years old and optional for illiterates and those between 16 and 18 or beyond 70.<ref name="Constituição" /> The country has around 30 registered political parties. Twenty political parties are represented in Congress. It is common for politicians to switch parties, and thus the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 October 1988 |title=Government – Brazil |url=http://www.southtravels.com/america/brazil/government.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128075345/http://www.southtravels.com/america/brazil/government.html |archive-date=28 November 2011 |access-date=17 March 2010 |publisher=Southtravels.com}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" widths="220"> File:Palácio Nereu Ramos - Brasília - 20150603172246.jpg|National Congress, seat of the legislative branch File:Fachada do Palácio do Planalto - 49727772326.jpg|Palácio do Planalto, the official workplace of the President of Brazil File:Supremo Tribunal Federal2.jpg|The Supreme Federal Court, Brazil's highest court </gallery>

=== Law === {{Main|Law of Brazil}}

Brazilian law is based on the civil law legal system<ref>[http://www.oas.org/juridico/mla/en/bra/en_bra-int-des-ordrjur.html "The Brazilian Legal System"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008001827/http://www.oas.org/juridico/mla/en/bra/en_bra-int-des-ordrjur.html |date=8 October 2009}}, Organization of American States. Retrieved 17 May 2007.</ref> and civil law concepts prevail over common law practice. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are seldom binding on other specific cases. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases. Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams.<ref name="embassy" />

The legal system is based on the Federal Constitution, promulgated on 5 October 1988, and the fundamental law of Brazil. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules.<ref>José Afonso da Silva, ''Curso de Direito Constitucional Positivo'' (Malheiros, 2004; {{ISBN|85-7420-559-1}}), p. 46.</ref> {{As of|2022|07}}, there have been 124 amendments.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amendments to the Brazilian Constitution |url=http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/Emendas/Emc/quadro_emc.htm |website=Brazilian Law Compiled |access-date=23 July 2022 |archive-date=22 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722185649/http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/emendas/emc/quadro_emc.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The highest court is the Supreme Federal Court. States have their own constitutions, which must not contradict the Federal Constitution.<ref>Silva, ''Curso de Direito Constitucional Positivo'', p. 592.</ref> Municipalities and the Federal District have "organic laws" ({{lang|pt|leis orgânicas}}), which act in a similar way to constitutions.<ref name="DeffentiBarral2011">{{Cite book |last1=Fabiano Deffenti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Ba2J5eD8wYC&pg=PA20 |title=Introduction to Brazilian Law |last2=Welber Oliveira Barral |publisher=Kluwer Law International |year=2011 |isbn=978-90-411-2506-4 |pages=20– |access-date=6 June 2013}}</ref> Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary and executive bodies may enact legal norms.<ref name="Constituição" /> Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare situations the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments.<ref name="Constituição" /> There are also specialized military, labor and electoral courts.<ref name="Constituição" />

=== Political subdivisions === {{Main|Subdivisions of Brazil}}

{{Further|Municipalities of Brazil|States of Brazil|Regions of Brazil}} Brazil is a federation composed of 26 states, one federal district, and the 5,571 municipalities.<ref name="Constituição" /> States have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Federal government. They have a governor and a unicameral legislative body elected directly by their voters. They also have independent Courts of Law for common justice. States have the ability to create their own laws and establish their own constitutions<ref name="caj.fiu.edu">{{cite url |title=Brazil |url=https://caj.fiu.edu/national-cj-systems/south-america/brazil/ |website=caj.fiu.edu |quote=The 26 federate states have powers to adopt their own Constitutions and laws; their autonomy, however, is limited by the principles established in the Federal Constitution. }}</ref><ref name="Forum of Federations">{{cite url |title=Federal Republic of Brazil |author=Celina Souza |publisher=Forum of Federations |url=https://www.forumfed.org/libdocs/Global_Dialogue/Book_1/BK1-C03-br-Souza-en.pdf |format=PDF |quote=Second, the Federal Supreme Court systematically requires the state constitutions and laws to reflect the federal Constitution, thereby imposing a hierarchical interpretation of constitutional norms even though the Constitution does not state this explicitly. }}</ref><ref name="Montgomery">{{cite web |title=Legal Systems in Brazil: Overview |url=https://www.montgomery.adv.br/en/legal-systems-in-brazil-overview/ |author=Neil Montgomery |date=2023-01-13 |publisher=montgomery.adv.br |quote=Laws are created at federal, state and municipal levels. The Federal Constitution provides for matters that must be the subject of federal laws, those which may be the subject of either federal or state laws, and those which should be regulated by municipal laws. }}</ref> but criminal and civil laws can be voted by only the federal bicameral Congress and are uniform throughout the country.<ref>{{cite url |title=Brazil 1988 (rev. 2017) |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Brazil_2017 |website=constituteproject.org |quote=The Union has exclusive power to legislate with respect to: I. civil, commercial, penal, procedural, electoral, agrarian, maritime, aeronautical, space and labor law; }}</ref><ref name="Constituição" />

Municipalities, as the states, have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the federal and state government.<ref name="Constituição" /> Each has an elected mayor and legislative body, but no separate Court of Law. Indeed, a Court of Law organized by the state can encompass many municipalities in a single justice administrative division called ''comarca''.<ref name="Constituição" />

Brazil's constitution also provides for the creation of federal territories, which are administrative divisions directly controlled by the federal government. However, there are currently no federal territories in the country, as the 1988 constitution abolished the last three: Amapá and Roraima (which gained statehood) and Fernando de Noronha, which became a state district of Pernambuco.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=da Cunha Melo |first=Leopoldo |date=January 1948 |title=Conceituação de "Território Federal" como unidade política |trans-title=Conceptualization of "Federal Territory" as a political unit |url=https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/periodicos/19/bg_1948_v5_n58_jan.pdf |journal=Boletim Geográfico |language=pt-br |volume=5 |issue=58 |pages=1128–1133 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=20 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020120613/https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/periodicos/19/bg_1948_v5_n58_jan.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Porto |first=Jadson Luís Rebelo |date=March 1999 |title=Os territórios federais e a sua evolução no Brasil |trans-title=The federal territories and their evolution in Brazil |url=http://www.revistapresenca.unir.br/artigos_presenca/15jadsonluisrebeloporto_osterritoriosfederaiseasuaevolucao.pdf |journal=Revista de Educação, Cultura e meio ambiente |language=pt-br |volume=III |issue=15 |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=17 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117070657/http://www.revistapresenca.unir.br/artigos_presenca/15jadsonluisrebeloporto_osterritoriosfederaiseasuaevolucao.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Foreign relations === {{Main|Foreign relations of Brazil}}

[[File:Itamaraty (47946720843).jpg|thumb|Itamaraty Palace, the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] Brazil's international relations are based on Article 4 of the Federal Constitution, which establishes non-intervention, self-determination, international cooperation and the peaceful settlement of conflicts as the guiding principles of Brazil's relationship with other countries and multilateral organizations.<ref>[http://www.v-brazil.com/government/laws/titleI.html Article 4 of the Federal Constitution of Brazil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928070506/http://www.v-brazil.com/government/laws/titleI.html |date=28 September 2018 }} V-Brazil. Retrieved on 20 September 2011.</ref> According to the constitution, the president has ultimate authority over foreign policy, while Congress is tasked with reviewing and considering all diplomatic nominations and international treaties, as well as legislation relating to Brazilian foreign policy.<ref>[http://www.v-brazil.com/government/laws/titleIV.html Article 84 of the Federal Constitution of Brazil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919114914/http://www.v-brazil.com/government/laws/titleIV.html |date=19 September 2019 }} V-Brazil. Retrieved on 20 September 2011.</ref>

Brazil's foreign policy is a by-product of the country's position as a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090710013700/http://www.wilsoncenter.org/news/docs/RL33456.pdf U.S. Congressional Report on Brazil] United States Congress. Retrieved on 23 June 2009.</ref> Brazilian foreign policy has generally been based on the principles of multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and non-intervention in the affairs of other countries.<ref>Georges D. Landau, "The Decision-making Process in Foreign Policy: The Case of Brazil", Center for Strategic and International Studies: Washington DC: March 2003</ref> Brazil is a founding member state of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth, an international organization and political association of Lusophone nations.

An increasingly well-developed tool of Brazil's foreign policy is providing aid as a donor to other developing countries.<ref name="ODI1">Cabral and Weinstock 2010. [http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5120&title=brazil-election-emerging-donor-aid Brazil: an emerging aid player] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113185641/http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5120&title=brazil-election-emerging-donor-aid|date=13 January 2011}}). London: Overseas Development Institute</ref> Brazil does not just use its growing economic strength to provide financial aid, but it also provides high levels of expertise and most importantly of all, a quiet non-confrontational diplomacy to improve governance levels.<ref name="ODI1" /> Total aid is estimated to be around $1 billion per year.<ref name="ODI1" /> In addition, Brazil already managed a peacekeeping mission in Haiti ($350 million) and makes in-kind contributions to the World Food Programme ($300 million).<ref name="ODI1" /> The scale of this aid places it on par with China and India.<ref name="ODI1" /> The Brazilian South-South aid has been described as a "global model in waiting".<ref>Cabral, Lidia 2010. [http://blogs.odi.org.uk/blogs/main/archive/2010/07/22/brazil_south_south_cooperation.aspx Brazil's development cooperation with the South: a global model in waiting] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430190841/http://blogs.odi.org.uk/blogs/main/archive/2010/07/22/brazil_south_south_cooperation.aspx|date=30 April 2011}}). London: Overseas Development Institute</ref>

=== Military === {{Main|Brazilian Armed Forces}}

[[File:Operação "Poseidon 2021" (51475998419).jpg|thumb|Brazilian Navy's flagship PHM ''Atlântico'' and frigate ''Liberal'' (F-43) (background)]] The armed forces of Brazil are the largest in Latin America by active personnel and the largest in terms of military equipment.<ref>[http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Epoca/0,,EMI14439-15273-2,00-UMA+NOVA+AGENDA+MILITAR.html Uma Nova Agenda Militar] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325232014/http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Revista/Epoca/0%2C%2CEMI14439-15273-2%2C00-UMA%2BNOVA%2BAGENDA%2BMILITAR.html |date=25 March 2017 }} Revista Época. Retrieved on 19 February 2009.</ref> It consists of the Brazilian Army (including the Army Aviation Command), the Brazilian Navy (including the Marine Corps and Naval Aviation) and the Brazilian Air Force. Brazil's conscription policy gives it one of the world's largest military forces, estimated at more than 1.6 million reservists annually.<ref>{{Citation |title=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/brazil/ |access-date=26 March 2010 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |archive-date=12 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812124129/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/brazil/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Air Force is the largest in Latin America and has about 700 crewed aircraft in service and effective about 67,000 personnel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sala de imprensa – FAB em números |url=http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/imprensa/fab_numeros.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617153748/http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/imprensa/fab_numeros.php |archive-date=17 June 2008 |access-date=12 December 2007 |publisher=Força Aérea Brasileira |language=pt}}</ref>

Numbering close to 236,000 active personnel,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Decreto Nº 5.670 de 10 de Janeiro de 2006 |url=http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2004-2006/2006/Decreto/D5670.htm |access-date=2 October 2010 |publisher=Presidência da República |language=pt |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010151021/http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2004-2006/2006/Decreto/D5670.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> the Brazilian Army has the largest number of armored vehicles in South America, including armored transports and tanks.<ref name="militarypower1">{{Cite web |title=Military Power |url=http://www.militarypower.com.br/mundo.htm |access-date=27 June 2010 |place=Brasil |archive-date=11 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211045946/http://www.militarypower.com.br/mundo.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The states' Military Police and the Military Firefighters Corps are designated as auxiliary forces of the army by the constitution, but are under the control of each state's governor.<ref name="Constituição" />

Brazil's navy once operated some of the most powerful warships in the world with the two {{Sclass|Minas Geraes|battleship|0}} dreadnoughts, sparking a naval arms race between Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.<ref>Scheina (1987), p. 81.</ref> Today, it is a green water force and has a group of specialized elite in retaking ships and naval facilities, GRUMEC, unit specially trained to protect Brazilian oil platforms along its coast.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grupamento de Mergulhadores de Combate – GruMeC |url=http://tropaselite.t35.com/BRASIL_GRUMEC.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327162505/http://tropaselite.t35.com/BRASIL_GRUMEC.htm |archive-date=27 March 2010 |access-date=27 June 2010 |website=tropaselite.t35.com}}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, it is the only navy in Latin America that operates a helicopter carrier, NAM ''Atlântico'' and one of twelve navies in the world to operate or have one under construction.<ref name="Poder Naval">{{Cite news |date=26 November 2020 |title=Porta-Helicópteros Atlântico agora é Navio-Aeródromo Multipropósito |language=pt-br |publisher=Poder Naval |url=https://www.naval.com.br/blog/2020/11/26/porta-helicopteros-atlantico-agora-e-navio-aerodromo-multiproposito/ |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-date=26 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126180831/https://www.naval.com.br/blog/2020/11/26/porta-helicopteros-atlantico-agora-e-navio-aerodromo-multiproposito/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Law enforcement and crime === {{Main|Law enforcement in Brazil|Crime in Brazil}}

thumb|Headquarters of the Federal Police of Brazil in Brasília

In Brazil, the constitution establishes six different police agencies for law enforcement: Federal Police Department, Federal Highway Police, Federal Railroad Police, Federal, District and State Penal Police (included by the Constitutional Amendment No. 104, of 2019), Military Police and Civil Police. Of these, the former three are affiliated with federal authorities, the latter two are subordinate to state governments and the Penal Police can be subordinated to the federal or state/district government. All police forces are overseen by the executive branch of the federal or state governments.<ref name="Constituição" /> The National Public Security Force also can act in public disorder situations arising anywhere in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 April 2012 |title=Ordem pública é prioridade da Força Nacional de Segurança |url=http://www.brasil.gov.br/defesa-e-seguranca/2012/05/ordem-publica-e-prioridade-da-forca-nacional-de-seguranca |access-date=8 February 2015 |publisher=Portal Brasil |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010152940/http://www.brasil.gov.br/defesa-e-seguranca/2012/05/ordem-publica-e-prioridade-da-forca-nacional-de-seguranca |url-status=live }}</ref>

The country has high levels of violent crime, such as gun violence and homicides. In 2022, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated an intentional homicide rate of 21.1 per 100,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dataunodc.un.org/dp-intentional-homicide-victims|title=dp-intentional-homicide-victims | dataUNODC|website=dataunodc.un.org|accessdate=20 November 2025}}</ref> The number considered acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO) is about 10 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 January 2011 |title=Taxa de delito por 100 mil habitantes |url=http://www.ssp.sp.gov.br/estatistica/dados.aspx?id=E |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811121142/http://www.ssp.sp.gov.br/estatistica/dados.aspx?id=E |archive-date=11 August 2011 |access-date=14 February 2011 |publisher=Secretaria de Segurança Pública do Estado de São Paulo}}</ref> In 2025, Brazil recorded 34,086 homicides, down from 38,374 in 2024,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2026-01-22|title=Brasil tem queda de assassinatos em 2025: veja mortes por estado|url=https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2026/01/22/brasil-tem-queda-de-assassinatos-pelo-5o-ano-seguido-veja-taxa-de-mortes-por-estado.ghtml|access-date=2026-02-09|website=G1|language=pt-BR}}</ref> and from a record 63,880 in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 August 2018 |title=A Year of Violence Sees Brazil's Murder Rate Hit Record High |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/world/americas/brazil-murder-rate-record.html |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/world/americas/brazil-murder-rate-record.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |work=The New York Times}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Homicide rates vary regionally. While in São Paulo the homicide rate registered in 2025 was 5.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, in Ceará it was 32.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.<ref name=":0" /> The national homicide rate for 2025 was 16 per 100,000 inhabitants, the lowest in over a decade.<ref name=":0" />

Brazil also has high levels of incarceration. It had the third largest prison population in the world of approximately 909,067 prisoners in 2024, which put it only behind the United States (1,808,100) and China (1,690,000).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Highest to Lowest - Prison Population Total {{!}} World Prison Brief |url=https://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/prison-population-total?field_region_taxonomy_tid=All |access-date=15 June 2025 |website=www.prisonstudies.org}}</ref> The high number of prisoners eventually overloaded the Brazilian prison system, leading to a shortfall of about 200,000 accommodations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 January 2014 |title=Brasil tem hoje deficit de 200 mil vagas no sistema prisional |url=http://g1.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2014/01/brasil-tem-hoje-deficit-de-200-mil-vagas-no-sistema-prisional.html |access-date=21 March 2014 |publisher=G1 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413193044/http://g1.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2014/01/brasil-tem-hoje-deficit-de-200-mil-vagas-no-sistema-prisional.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Human rights === {{See also|Human rights in Brazil}} Human rights in Brazil include the right to life and freedom of speech; and condemnation of slavery and torture. The nation ratified the American Convention on Human Rights.<ref>{{cite web|title=Multilateral Treaties - AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS "PACT OF SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA" (B-32)|publisher=Organization of American States|access-date=11 July 2017|url=http://www.oas.org/dil/treaties_B-32_American_Convention_on_Human_Rights_sign.htm}}</ref> The 2017 Freedom in the World report by Freedom House gives Brazil a score of "2" for both political rights and civil liberties; "1" represents the most free, and "7", the least.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brazil - Freedom in the World 2017|publisher=Freedom House|url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/brazil|access-date=4 May 2021|archive-date=8 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708123231/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2017/brazil}}</ref> According to UNESCO, "Brazil promotes a vast array of actions for the advancement and defense of human rights, even though it faces enormous social and economic inequalities".<ref>{{cite web|title=Human Rights in Brazil|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/brasilia/social-and-human-sciences/human-rights|publisher=UNESCO. United Nations|access-date=11 July 2017}}</ref> Same-sex couples in Brazil have held nationwide marriage rights since May 2013.<ref name="edition.cnn.com">{{cite web |last=Brocchetto |first=Marilia |date=15 May 2013 |title=Brazilian judicial council orders notaries to recognize same-sex marriage |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/15/world/americas/brazil-same-sex-marriage/index.html?eref=edition |access-date=11 July 2017 |work=CNN}}</ref>

== Economy == {{Main|Economy of Brazil}}

{{See also|Brazilian real|Agriculture in Brazil|Mining in Brazil|Industry in Brazil}} [[File:Marginal_Pinheiros_e_Jockey_Club.jpg|thumb|São Paulo is considered the main financial center of Brazil]] thumb|B3, the largest stock exchange of Latin America by market capitalization<ref>{{Cite web |title=21 Largest Stock Exchanges in the World |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/21-largest-stock-exchanges-world-154737743.html |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=Yahoo Finance |date=27 March 2023 |archive-date=13 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230913071913/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/21-largest-stock-exchanges-world-154737743.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Soja_Tangará.jpg|thumb|Soybean crop in Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso<ref name="exportaçãoagrícola">{{Cite news |date=1 July 2015 |title=Brasil será maior exportador agrícola mundial em 2024 |language=pt |publisher=EXAME |url=https://exame.abril.com.br/economia/brasil-sera-maior-exportador-agricola-mundial-em-2024/ |access-date=9 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509220949/https://exame.abril.com.br/economia/brasil-sera-maior-exportador-agricola-mundial-em-2024/ |archive-date=9 May 2018}}</ref>]] [[File:10 03 2022 Operação Repatriação - Chegada dos Brasileiros e Estrangeiros provenientes da Ucrânia (51931465965).jpg|thumb|The C-390, developed by Embraer, the third largest producer of civil aircraft, after Boeing and Airbus<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 October 2010 |title=Embraer vê clientes mais dispostos à compra de aviões |url=http://exame.abril.com.br/negocios/empresas/noticias/embraer-ve-clientes-mais-dispostos-compra-avioes-554715 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728095448/http://exame.abril.com.br/negocios/empresas/noticias/embraer-ve-clientes-mais-dispostos-compra-avioes-554715 |archive-date=28 July 2011 |access-date=8 February 2014 |publisher=Exame Magazine}}</ref>]]

Brazil is a developing country with an upper-middle income mixed market economy that is rich in natural resources.<ref>{{Cite web |title=6. Brazil |url=https://www.fao.org/3/w7560e/W7560E06.htm |access-date=3 October 2022 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) |quote=Brazil is rich in a variety of natural resources and is the world's leading producer of tin, iron ore and phosphate. It has large deposits of diamonds, manganese, chromium, copper, bauxite and many other minerals. |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003111320/https://www.fao.org/3/w7560e/W7560E06.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> It has the largest national economy in Latin America, the tenth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and the eighth largest by PPP.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 April 2025 |title=WEO Database, April 2025. Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: World, European Union |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/April |website=IMF.org |publisher=International Monetary Fund}}</ref> After rapid growth in preceding decades, Brazil entered a recession in 2014 amid a political corruption scandal and nationwide protests; in 2024, the economy began showing consistent significant growth.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brazil-economy-expands-again-consumers-120646394.html |title=Brazil Economy Beats Forecasts Again as Consumers Spend Big |access-date=22 December 2024 |archive-date=7 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207002129/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brazil-economy-expands-again-consumers-120646394.html }}</ref> Brazil has a labor force of roughly 100 million, which is the world's fifth largest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Labor force, total – Brazil |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.IN?locations=Br |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003105226/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.IN?locations=Br |archive-date=3 October 2022 |access-date=3 October 2022 |website=World Bank}}</ref> Its foreign exchange reserves are the tenth-highest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Banco Central do Brasil – SDDS |url=https://www.bcb.gov.br/en/financialstability/internationalreserves |access-date=21 July 2022 |website=www.bcb.gov.br |publisher=Central Bank of Brazil |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721234432/https://www.bcb.gov.br/en/financialstability/internationalreserves |url-status=live }}</ref> The B3 in São Paulo is the largest stock exchange of Latin America by market capitalization. Roughly one-fifth of Brazilians live in poverty: about 3.8% of the total population lives at $3.00 a day,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poverty headcount ratio at $2.15 a day (2017 PPP) (% of population) – Brazil |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY?locations=BR |access-date=3 October 2022 |website=World Bank |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003111321/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY?locations=BR |url-status=live }}</ref> while about 23% live at $8.30 a day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poverty headcount ratio at $6.85 a day (2017 PPP) (% of population) – Brazil |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.UMIC?locations=BR |access-date=3 October 2022 |website=World Bank |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003111317/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.UMIC?locations=BR |url-status=live }}</ref> Brazil's economy suffers from endemic corruption and high income inequality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=France |first=Guilherme |date=29 January 2019 |title=Brazil: Overview of corruption and anti-corruption |url=https://knowledgehub.transparency.org/assets/uploads/helpdesk/Brazil-Country-Profile-2019_PR.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://knowledgehub.transparency.org/assets/uploads/helpdesk/Brazil-Country-Profile-2019_PR.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |access-date=3 October 2022 |publisher=Transparency International |quote=Corruption remains one of the biggest impediments to economic development in Brazil.}}</ref> The Brazilian real is the national currency.

Brazil's diversified economy includes agriculture, industry and a wide range of services.<ref name="BansalPhatak2009">{{Cite book |last1=Alok Bansal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wm4IWvB4rEUC&pg=PA29 |title=Transcending Horizons Through Innovative Global Practices |last2=Yogeshwari Phatak |last3=I C Gupta |last4=Rajendra Jain |publisher=Excel Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-81-7446-708-9 |page=29 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183849/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wm4IWvB4rEUC&pg=PA29#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The large service sector accounts for about 72.7% of total GDP, followed by the industrial sector (20.7%), while the agriculture sector is by far the smallest, making up 6.6% of total GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GDP – composition, by sector of origin |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/gdp-composition-by-sector-of-origin/ |access-date=3 October 2022 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |archive-date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419042310/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/gdp-composition-by-sector-of-origin/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Brazil is one of the largest producers of various agricultural commodities,<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAOSTAT |url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC/ |website=www.fao.org |access-date=11 January 2021 |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112130804/http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and also has a large cooperative sector that provides 50% of the food in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How are agricultural co-operatives making a difference in Brazil? {{pipe}} ICA |url=https://www.ica.coop/en/media/news/how-are-agricultural-co-operatives-making-difference-brazil |website=ica.coop |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413193227/https://www.ica.coop/en/media/news/how-are-agricultural-co-operatives-making-difference-brazil |url-status=live }}</ref> It has been the world's largest producer of coffee for the last 150 years<ref name="Neilson102">{{Cite book |last1=Jeff Neilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wokuHhx1AOUC&pg=PA1834 |title=Value Chain Struggles |last2=Bill Pritchard |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4443-5544-4 |page=102 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025210521/https://books.google.com/books?id=wokuHhx1AOUC&pg=PA1834#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> and is the world's largest producer of sugarcane, soy, coffee and oranges; is one of the top five producers of maize, cotton, lemon, tobacco, pineapple, banana, beans, coconut, watermelon and papaya; and is one of the top 10 world producers of cocoa, cashew, mango, rice, tomato, sorghum, tangerine, avocado, persimmon, and guava, among others. Regarding livestock, it is one of the five largest producers of chicken meat, beef, pork and cow's milk in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Production of Brazil, by FAO |url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL/ |access-date=4 October 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112130804/http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the mining sector, Brazil is among the largest producers of iron ore, copper, gold,<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 June 2019 |title=Brasil extrai cerca de 2 gramas de ouro por habitante em 5 anos |url=https://noticias.r7.com/brasil/brasil-extrai-cerca-de-2-gramas-de-ouro-por-habitante-em-5-anos-29062019 |website=R7.com |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=12 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712095924/https://noticias.r7.com/brasil/brasil-extrai-cerca-de-2-gramas-de-ouro-por-habitante-em-5-anos-29062019 |url-status=live }}</ref> bauxite, manganese, tin, niobium,<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2019 |title=Nióbio: G1 visita em MG complexo industrial do maior produtor do mundo |url=https://g1.globo.com/economia/noticia/2019/12/12/niobio-g1-visita-em-mg-complexo-industrial-do-maior-produtor-do-mundo.ghtml |website=G1 |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=12 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212144838/https://g1.globo.com/economia/noticia/2019/12/12/niobio-g1-visita-em-mg-complexo-industrial-do-maior-produtor-do-mundo.ghtml |url-status=live }}</ref> and nickel. In terms of precious stones, Brazil is the world's largest producer of amethyst, topaz, agate and one of the main producers of tourmaline, emerald, aquamarine, garnet and opal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Serviço Geológico do Brasil |url=http://www.cprm.gov.br/publique/Redes-Institucionais/Rede-de-Bibliotecas---Rede-Ametista/Algumas-Gemas-Classicas-1104.html |website=cprm.gov.br |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=6 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906194936/http://www.cprm.gov.br/publique/Redes-Institucionais/Rede-de-Bibliotecas---Rede-Ametista/Algumas-Gemas-Classicas-1104.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rio Grande do Sul: o maior exportador de pedras preciosas do Brasil |url=https://noticias.band.uol.com.br/noticias/100000911432/rio-grande-do-sul-o-maior-exportador-de-pedras-preciosas-do-brasil.html |website=Band.com.br |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=2 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502153003/https://noticias.band.uol.com.br/noticias/100000911432/rio-grande-do-sul-o-maior-exportador-de-pedras-preciosas-do-brasil.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The country is a major exporter of soy, iron ore, pulp (cellulose), maize, beef, chicken meat, soybean meal, sugar, coffee, tobacco, cotton, orange juice, footwear, airplanes, cars, vehicle parts, gold, ethanol and semi-finished iron, among other products.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fazcomex Tecnologia para Comércio Exterior – Soluções para Comex |url=https://www.fazcomex.com.br/ |website=Fazcomex | Tecnologia para Comércio Exterior |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629234222/https://www.fazcomex.com.br/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Agronegócio tem oito entre os dez produtos líderes das exportações brasileiras em 2019 |url=https://www.aviculturaindustrial.com.br/imprensa/agronegocio-tem-oito-entre-dez-produtos-l%C3%ADderes-das-exportacoes-brasileiras/20200102-130051-c255 |website=Avicultura Industrial |date=2 January 2020 |access-date=11 January 2021 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413193049/https://www.aviculturaindustrial.com.br/imprensa/agronegocio-tem-oito-entre-dez-produtos-l%C3%ADderes-das-exportacoes-brasileiras/20200102-130051-c255 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Brazil is the world's 24th-largest exporter and 26th-largest importer {{as of|2021|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of importing markets for the product exported by Brazil in 2021 |url=https://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProductCountry.aspx?nvpm=1%7c076%7c%7c%7c%7cTOTAL%7c%7c%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c1 |access-date=3 October 2022 |publisher=International Trade Centre |archive-date=12 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412235829/https://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProductCountry.aspx?nvpm=1%7C076%7C%7C%7C%7CTOTAL%7C%7C%7C2%7C1%7C1%7C2%7C1%7C1%7C2%7C1%7C1%7C1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=List of supplying markets for the product imported by Brazil in 2021 |url=https://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProductCountry.aspx?nvpm=1%7c076%7c%7c%7c%7cTOTAL%7c%7c%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c1%7c1%7c1%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c1 |access-date=3 October 2022 |publisher=International Trade Centre |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003114043/https://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProductCountry.aspx?nvpm=1%7C076%7C%7C%7C%7CTOTAL%7C%7C%7C2%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C2%7C1%7C1%7C1 |url-status=live }}</ref> China is its largest trading partner, accounting for 32% of the total trade. Other large trading partners include the United States, Argentina, the Netherlands and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brazil Trade |url=https://wits.worldbank.org/CountrySnapshot/en/BRA |access-date=3 October 2022 |publisher=World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003114046/https://wits.worldbank.org/CountrySnapshot/en/BRA |url-status=live }}</ref> Its automotive industry is the eighth-largest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 January 2022 |title=Official History of Automobile Industry in Brazil |url=https://anfavea.com.br/site/timeline/?lang=en/ |publisher=National Association of Vehicles Industries |access-date=3 October 2022 |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003114043/https://anfavea.com.br/site/timeline/?lang=en/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the food industry, Brazil was the second-largest exporter of processed foods in the world in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alimentos Processados {{pipe}} A indústria de alimentos e bebidas na sociedade brasileira atual |url=https://alimentosprocessados.com.br/industria-na-sociedade-brasileira.php |website=alimentosprocessados.com.br |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=25 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325142658/https://alimentosprocessados.com.br/industria-na-sociedade-brasileira.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The country was the second-largest producer of pulp in the world and the eighth-largest producer of paper in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Produção nacional de celulose cai 6,6% em 2019, aponta Ibá |url=https://valor.globo.com/empresas/noticia/2020/02/21/producao-nacional-de-celulose-cai-66percent-em-2019-aponta-iba.ghtml |website=Valor Econômico |date=21 February 2020 |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=21 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221134709/https://valor.globo.com/empresas/noticia/2020/02/21/producao-nacional-de-celulose-cai-66percent-em-2019-aponta-iba.ghtml |url-status=live }}</ref> In the footwear industry, Brazil was the fourth-largest producer in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indústrias calçadistas em Franca, SP registram queda de 40% nas vagas de trabalho em 6 anos |url=https://g1.globo.com/sp/ribeirao-preto-franca/noticia/2019/07/14/industrias-calcadistas-em-franca-sp-registram-queda-de-40percent-nas-vagas-de-trabalho-em-6-anos.ghtml |website=G1 |date=14 July 2019 |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=14 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714205803/https://g1.globo.com/sp/ribeirao-preto-franca/noticia/2019/07/14/industrias-calcadistas-em-franca-sp-registram-queda-de-40percent-nas-vagas-de-trabalho-em-6-anos.ghtml |url-status=live }}</ref> It was also the ninth-largest producer of steel in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Comércio |first=Diário do |date=24 January 2020 |title=Minas Gerais produz 32,3% do aço nacional em 2019 |url=https://diariodocomercio.com.br/livre/minas-gerais-produz-323-do-aco-nacional-em-2019/ |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=14 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614182655/https://diariodocomercio.com.br/livre/minas-gerais-produz-323-do-aco-nacional-em-2019/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 March 2019 |title=O novo mapa das montadoras, que agora rumam para o interior do País |url=https://www.istoedinheiro.com.br/o-novo-mapa-das-montadoras/ |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308152711/https://www.istoedinheiro.com.br/o-novo-mapa-das-montadoras/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Indústria automobilística do Sul do Rio impulsiona superavit na economia |url=https://g1.globo.com/rj/sul-do-rio-costa-verde/noticia/industria-automobilistica-do-sul-do-rio-impulsiona-superavit-na-economia.ghtml |website=G1 |date=12 July 2017 |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=19 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719091817/https://g1.globo.com/rj/sul-do-rio-costa-verde/noticia/industria-automobilistica-do-sul-do-rio-impulsiona-superavit-na-economia.ghtml |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, the chemical industry of Brazil was the eighth-largest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indústria Química no Brasil |url=https://www.pwc.com.br/pt/publicacoes/setores-atividade/assets/quimico-petroquimico/2013/pwc-chemicals-port-13.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.pwc.com.br/pt/publicacoes/setores-atividade/assets/quimico-petroquimico/2013/pwc-chemicals-port-13.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Estudo de 2018 |url=https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/br/Documents/energy-resources/Deloitte-Abiquim-Setor-Quimico-Relatorio.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/br/Documents/energy-resources/Deloitte-Abiquim-Setor-Quimico-Relatorio.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Produção nacional da indústria de químicos cai 5,7% em 2019, diz Abiquim |url=https://economia.uol.com.br/noticias/estadao-conteudo/2020/02/03/producao-nacional-da-industria-de-quimicos-cai-57-em-2019-diz-abiquim.htm |website=economia.uol.com.br |access-date=15 August 2020 |archive-date=14 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614230629/https://economia.uol.com.br/noticias/estadao-conteudo/2020/02/03/producao-nacional-da-industria-de-quimicos-cai-57-em-2019-diz-abiquim.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Although it was among the five largest world producers in 2013, Brazil's textile industry is very little integrated into world trade.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Industria Textil no Brasil |url=https://www.bnb.gov.br/documents/80223/2509338/textil_16_2017%28V2%29.pdf/063d7521-342f-e81e-232a-e251964fa1c3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619042050/https://www.bnb.gov.br/documents/80223/2509338/textil_16_2017%28V2%29.pdf/063d7521-342f-e81e-232a-e251964fa1c3 |archive-date=19 June 2020 |access-date=15 August 2020}}</ref>

The tertiary sector (trade and services) represented 75.8% of the country's GDP in 2018, according to the IBGE. The service sector was responsible for 60% of GDP and trade for 13%. It covers commerce, transport, education, social and health services, research and development, sports activities, etc.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Setor de serviços sustenta o crescimento do PIB de 2018 |url=https://veja.abril.com.br/economia/setor-de-servicos-sustenta-o-crescimento-do-pib-de-2018/ |website=VEJA |access-date=6 January 2021 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413193256/https://veja.abril.com.br/economia/setor-de-servicos-sustenta-o-crescimento-do-pib-de-2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Produtividade e Comércio Exterior |url=https://www.gov.br/produtividade-e-comercio-exterior/pt-br/index |website=SECINT e SEPEC |access-date=1 April 2021 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413193204/https://www.gov.br/produtividade-e-comercio-exterior/pt-br/index |url-status=live }}</ref> Micro and small businesses represent 30% of the country's GDP. In the commercial sector they represent 53% of the GDP within the activities of the sector.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pequenos negócios já representam 30% do Produto Interno Bruto do país |date=7 November 2022 |url=https://revistapegn.globo.com/Negocios/noticia/2020/04/pequenos-negocios-ja-representam-30-do-produto-interno-bruto-do-pais.html |access-date=6 January 2021 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413193345/https://revistapegn.globo.com/Negocios/noticia/2020/04/pequenos-negocios-ja-representam-30-do-produto-interno-bruto-do-pais.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Tourism === {{Main|Tourism in Brazil}}

[[File:Iguazu Cataratas2.jpg|thumb| Iguaçu National Park in Paraná]]

Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economies of several regions of the country. The country had 6.36 million visitors in 2015, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the main destination in South America and second in Latin America after Mexico.<ref>{{Cite book |year=2016 |isbn=978-92-844-1814-5 |doi=10.18111/9789284418145 |title=UNWTO Tourism Highlights, 2016 Edition}}</ref> Revenues from international tourists reached {{USD|6}} billion in 2010, showing a recovery from the 2008–2009 economic crisis.<ref name="UNWTO2011">{{Cite web |date=June 2011 |title=UNWTO Tourism Highlights – 2011 Edition |url=http://mkt.unwto.org/sites/all/files/docpdf/unwtohighlights11enhr_1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105081502/http://mkt.unwto.org/sites/all/files/docpdf/unwtohighlights11enhr_1.pdf |archive-date=5 January 2012 |access-date=29 September 2011 |publisher=World Tourism Organization}}</ref> Historical records of 5.4 million visitors and {{USD|6.8}} billion in receipts were reached in 2011.<ref name="MT1_2011">{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=Estatisticas e Indicadores: Receita Cambial |url=http://www.dadosefatos.turismo.gov.br/dadosefatos/home.html |access-date=13 February 2012 |publisher=Ministério do Turismo |language=pt |archive-date=24 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924012902/http://www.dadosefatos.turismo.gov.br/dadosefatos/home.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MT2_2011">{{Cite web |last=Ministério do Turismo |date=13 January 2012 |title=Turismo Brasileiro com novo recorde em 2011 |work=No Pátio | tudo de bom acontece aqui. |url=http://www.nopatio.com.br/o-que-acontece/turismo-brasileiro-com-novo-recorde-em-2011/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822074421/http://www.nopatio.com.br/o-que-acontece/turismo-brasileiro-com-novo-recorde-em-2011/ |archive-date=22 August 2013 |access-date=13 February 2012 |publisher=No Pátio |language=pt}}</ref> In the list of world tourist destinations, in 2018, Brazil was the 48th most visited country, with 6.6 million tourists (and revenues of 5.9 billion dollars).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284421152  |year=2019 |isbn=978-92-844-2115-2 |doi=10.18111/9789284421152 |access-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20190830135934/https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284421152 |archive-date=30 August 2019 |s2cid=240665765 |title=International Tourism Highlights, 2019 Edition |publisher=World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) }}</ref>

Natural areas are its most popular tourism product, a combination of ecotourism with leisure and recreation, mainly sun and beach, and adventure travel, as well as cultural tourism. Among the most popular destinations are the Amazon Rainforest, beaches and dunes in the Northeast Region, the Pantanal in the Center-West Region, beaches at Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, cultural tourism in Minas Gerais and business trips to São Paulo.<ref name="Palhares2012">{{Cite book |last=Guilherme Lohmann Palhares |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O91SVF9nH8gC&pg=PA126 |title=Tourism in Brazil: Environment, Management and Segments |publisher=Routledge |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-415-67432-4 |page=126 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129183955/https://books.google.com/books?id=O91SVF9nH8gC&pg=PA126#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

In terms of the 2024 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which is a measurement of the factors that make it attractive to develop business in the travel and tourism industry of individual countries, Brazil ranked in the 26th place at the world's level, third in the Americas, after Canada and United States.<ref>{{Cite web |first= |title=Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024 |url=https://www.weforum.org/publications/travel-tourism-development-index-2024/}}</ref> Domestic tourism is a key market segment for the tourism industry in Brazil. In 2005, 51 million Brazilian nationals made ten times more trips than foreign tourists and spent five times more money than their international counterparts.<ref name="FIPE007">{{cite web |author=Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas |year=2007 |title=Caracterização e Dimensionamento do Turismo Domêstico no Brasil 2002 e 2006 |url=http://200.189.169.141/site/arquivos/dados_fatos/demanda%20turistica/relatorio_executivo___turismo_domestico___2002_e_2006.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003062341/http://200.189.169.141/site/arquivos/dados_fatos/demanda%20turistica/relatorio_executivo___turismo_domestico___2002_e_2006.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2008 |access-date=21 June 2008 |publisher=Ministério do Turismo |language=pt}}</ref> The main destination states in 2023 were São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Rio Grande do Sul.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Veja ranking dos Estados brasileiros que atraem mais turistas estrangeiros |url=https://www.estadao.com.br/web-stories/economia/brasil-qual-estado-brasileiro-atrai-mais-turistas-estrangeiros-ranking-2024-quais-estados-embratur-sao-paulo-sp-rio-de-janeiro-rj-nprei/ |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Estadão |language=pt-br |archive-date=25 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625212216/https://www.estadao.com.br/web-stories/economia/brasil-qual-estado-brasileiro-atrai-mais-turistas-estrangeiros-ranking-2024-quais-estados-embratur-sao-paulo-sp-rio-de-janeiro-rj-nprei/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Redação |first=Da |date=18 January 2024 |title=Brasil recebe 5,9 milhões de estrangeiros em 2023 |url=https://www.panrotas.com.br/mercado/pesquisas-e-estatisticas/2024/01/brasil-recebe-59-milhoes-de-estrangeiros-em-2023_202520.html |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Portal PANROTAS |language=pt-br |archive-date=28 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240628014430/https://www.panrotas.com.br/mercado/pesquisas-e-estatisticas/2024/01/brasil-recebe-59-milhoes-de-estrangeiros-em-2023_202520.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The main source of tourists for the entire country is São Paulo state.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cedeño |first=Karina |date=12 June 2024 |title=Turismo é grande negócio e São Paulo seguirá investindo nele, diz Lucena |url=https://www.panrotas.com.br/mercado/destinos/2024/06/turismo-e-grande-negocio-e-sao-paulo-seguira-investindo-nele-diz-lucena_206258.html |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Portal PANROTAS |language=pt-br |archive-date=28 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240628014439/https://www.panrotas.com.br/mercado/destinos/2024/06/turismo-e-grande-negocio-e-sao-paulo-seguira-investindo-nele-diz-lucena_206258.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In terms of tourism revenues, the top earners by state were São Paulo and Bahia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Movimentação do turismo bate recorde em vários estados e aquece economia |url=https://agenciagov.ebc.com.br/noticias/202404/movimentacao-do-turismo-cresce-e-bate-recorde-em-varios-estados |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Agência Gov |language=pt-br |archive-date=19 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619181329/https://agenciagov.ebc.com.br/noticias/202404/movimentacao-do-turismo-cresce-e-bate-recorde-em-varios-estados |url-status=live}}</ref> For 2005, the three main trip purposes were visiting friends and family (53.1%), sun and beach (40.8%), and cultural tourism (12.5%).<ref name="FIPE006">{{cite web |url=http://www.braziltour.com/site/arquivos/dados_fatos/demanda%20turistica/demanda_turismo_domestico_setembro_2006.pdf |author=Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas e EMBRATUR |year=2006 |title=Caracterização e Dimensionamento do Turismo Domêstico no Brasil 2002 e 2006: Metodologia e Desenvolvimento |publisher=Ministério do Turismo |access-date=22 June 2008 |language=pt |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061130164741/http://www.braziltour.com/site/arquivos/dados_fatos/demanda%20turistica/demanda_turismo_domestico_setembro_2006.pdf |archive-date=30 November 2006}}</ref>

=== Science and technology === {{Main|Science and technology in Brazil}}

[[File:Vls1-mockup-test.jpg|thumb|VLS-1 at the Alcântara Launch Center of the Brazilian Space Agency, in Alcântara, Maranhão]] [[File:Ministro participa da inauguração do acelerador de partículas Sirius. (30970744907).jpg|thumb|Sirius, a diffraction-limited storage ring synchrotron light source at the Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron, in Campinas, São Paulo]]

Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities and research institutes, with the majority of funding for basic research coming from various government agencies.<ref name="DevelopmentStaff2006v">{{Cite book |last1=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lI8pqyWIluYC&pg=PA94 |title=OECD Economic Surveys: Brazil 2006 |last2=Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Staff |publisher=OECD Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-92-64-02999-6 |page=94}}</ref> Brazil's most esteemed technological hubs are the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Air Force's Aerospace Technical Center, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the National Institute for Space Research.<ref name="Scientific2010f">{{Cite book |last=United Nations Educational, Scientific |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ZTLCOe_fqwC&pg=PA110 |title=UNESCO Science Report 2010: The Current Status of Science Around the World |publisher=UNESCO |year=2010 |isbn=978-92-3-104132-7 |pages=110–18 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129184347/https://books.google.com/books?id=2ZTLCOe_fqwC&pg=PA110#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="HarveySmid2010">{{Cite book |last1=Brian Harvey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XD1ZaYbiWwMC&pg=PA324 |title=Emerging Space Powers: The New Space Programs of Asia, the Middle East and South-America |last2=Henk H.F. Smid |last3=Thâeo Pirard |publisher=Springer |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4419-0874-2 |page=324 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129184349/https://books.google.com/books?id=XD1ZaYbiWwMC&pg=PA324#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Brazilian Space Agency has the most developed space program in Latin America, with significant capabilities in launch vehicles, launch sites, and satellite manufacturing.{{sfnp|Crocitti|Vallance|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=vP9jHaoL_s4C&pg=PA628 628]}} Brazil is the only country in the Southern Hemisphere involved in the International Space Station (ISS).<ref name="NASA">[http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/news/releases/1996_1998/h97-233.html NASA Signs International Space Station Agreement With Brazil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127012829/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/news/releases/1996_1998/h97-233.html |date=27 November 2020 }} NASA.</ref> The country also develops submarines and is the world's third largest aircraft producer, primarily through Embraer.

The country is also a pioneer in the search for oil in deep water, from where it extracts 73% of its reserves. Uranium is enriched at the Resende Nuclear Fuel Factory, mostly for research purposes (as Brazil obtains 88% of its electricity from hydroelectricity),<ref>{{Cite web |last=O.C. Ferreira |title=O Sistema Elétrico Brasileiro |url=http://www.ecen.com/eee32/sistelet.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225014002/http://www.ecen.com/eee32/sistelet.htm |archive-date=25 February 2021 |access-date=21 March 2013}}</ref> and the country's first nuclear submarine is expected to launch in 2029.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Previsão de lançamento |language=pt |work=Marinha do Brasil |url=https://www.marinha.mil.br/programas-estrategicos/prosub |access-date=25 January 2022 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125114741/https://www.marinha.mil.br/programas-estrategicos/prosub |url-status=live}}</ref>

Brazil is one of the three countries in Latin America<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 August 2008 |title=Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität |url=http://www-elsa.physik.uni-bonn.de/accelerator_list.html |access-date=30 October 2010 |publisher=Elsa.physik.uni-bonn.de |archive-date=4 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804121907/http://www-elsa.physik.uni-bonn.de/accelerator_list.html |url-status=live}}</ref> with an operational Synchrotron Laboratory (a research facility on physics, chemistry, material science and life sciences), and the only Latin American country with a domestic fabrication plant, the CEITEC.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CEITEC |url=http://www.brasil.gov.br/sobre/science-and-technology/the-digital-electronics-industry/ceitec/br_model1?set_language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117055936/http://www.brasil.gov.br/sobre/science-and-technology/the-digital-electronics-industry/ceitec/br_model1?set_language=en |archive-date=17 November 2011 |access-date=8 August 2011 |website=Portal Brasil |publisher=Brasil.gov.br}}</ref> According to the Global Information Technology Report 2009–2010 of the World Economic Forum, Brazil is the world's 61st largest developer of information technology.<ref>{{Citation |title=Brasil cai duas posições em ranking mundial |date=26 March 2010 |url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/dinheiro/fi2603201010.htm |work=Folha de S.Paulo |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-date=26 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926123816/http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/dinheiro/fi2603201010.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Brazil ranked 52nd in the Global Innovation Index in 2025, up from 66th in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/brazil |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Innovation Index 2019 |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html |access-date=2 September 2021 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101818/https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Among the most renowned Brazilian inventors are priests Bartolomeu de Gusmão, Landell de Moura and Francisco João de Azevedo, besides Alberto Santos-Dumont,<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 October 1901 |title=M. Santos Dumont Rounds Eiffel Tower |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1901/10/20/106920457.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=29 December 2010 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1901/10/20/106920457.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022}}</ref> Evaristo Conrado Engelberg,<ref name="patentbritish">{{Cite web |year=2011 |title=Engelberg, Inc |url=http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=294 |access-date=17 July 2011 |publisher=Vintage Machinery |archive-date=21 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321054057/http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=294 |url-status=live }}</ref> Manuel Dias de Abreu,<ref>Abreu, Manuel de, pag. 17 – Grande Enciclopédia Universal – edição de 1980 – Ed.Amazonas</ref> Andreas Pavel<ref>{{Cite web |title=Portable stereo's creator got his due, eventually |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/16/news/profile.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309065937/http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/16/news/profile.php |archive-date=9 March 2009 |access-date=16 December 2015}}</ref> and Nélio José Nicolai.<ref>[http://www.cefetmg.br/noticias/2010/11/noticia0014.html Exposição destaca centenário do CEFET-MG] Sítio do Cefet-MG, acessado em 13 de novembro de 2010 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813115503/http://www.cefetmg.br/noticias/2010/11/noticia0014.html |date=13 August 2014 }}</ref> Brazilian science is represented by the likes of César Lattes (Brazilian physicist Pathfinder of ''Pi Meson''),<ref name="Lattes">{{Cite web |title=50 anos do Méson-Pi |url=http://www.cbpf.br/meson/meson.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526200502/http://www.cbpf.br/meson/meson.html |archive-date=26 May 2011 |access-date=29 December 2010}}</ref> Mário Schenberg (considered the greatest theoretical physicist of Brazil),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas – Coleção Galileo: Textos de Física |url=http://cbpfindex.cbpf.br/publication_pdfs/dh00186.2011_08_16_15_20_32.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331194248/http://cbpfindex.cbpf.br/publication_pdfs/dh00186.2011_08_16_15_20_32.pdf |archive-date=31 March 2013 |access-date=21 October 2014}}</ref> José Leite Lopes (the only Brazilian physicist holder of the ''UNESCO Science Prize''),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atta-Ur-Rahman, José Leite Lopes and Juan Martín Maldacena receive UNESCO science prizes |url=http://www.unesco.org/bpi/science/content/news/upress/99-147e.htm |access-date=21 October 2014 |publisher=UNESCOPRESS |archive-date=19 June 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020619150011/http://www.unesco.org/bpi/science/content/news/upress/99-147e.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Artur Avila (the first Latin American winner of the Fields Medal),<ref>[http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ciencia/2014/08/1499290-brasileiro-ganha-a-medalha-fields-considerada-o-nobel-da-matematica.shtml Brasileiro ganha a Medalha Fields, considerada o "Nobel da Matemática"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613202913/https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ciencia/2014/08/1499290-brasileiro-ganha-a-medalha-fields-considerada-o-nobel-da-matematica.shtml |date=13 June 2021 }}.</ref> and Fritz Müller (pioneer in factual support of the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin).<ref name="West, David A 2003">West, David A. 2003. Fritz Müller: a naturalist in Brazil. Blacksburg: Pocahontas Press</ref>

=== Energy === {{Main|Energy in Brazil}}

[[File:Itaipu geral.jpg|thumb|The Itaipu Dam on the Paraná River, the second largest of the world. Brazilian energy matrix is one of the cleanest in the world]] [[File:Energia Eolica.jpg|thumb|Wind farm in Parnaíba, Piauí. Brazil is one of the 5 largest producers of wind energy in the world]]

Brazil is the world's eleventh-largest energy consumer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=International – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |url=https://www.eia.gov/international/rankings/world?pa=44&u=2&f=A&v=none&y=01/01/2021&ev=false |access-date=23 October 2023 |website=www.eia.gov |archive-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026222938/https://www.eia.gov/international/rankings/world?pa=44&u=2&f=A&v=none&y=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Much of its energy comes from renewable sources, particularly hydroelectricity and ethanol; the Itaipu Dam is the world's largest hydroelectric plant by energy generation,<ref name="SchmidtOnyango2011">{{Cite book |last1=Michael Schmidt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=67bRqegVVcwC&pg=PA42 |title=Implementing Environmental and Resource Management |last2=Vincent Onyango |last3=Dmytro Palekhov |publisher=Springer |year=2011 |isbn=978-3-540-77568-3 |page=42 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129184349/https://books.google.com/books?id=67bRqegVVcwC&pg=PA42#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> and the country has other large plants such as Belo Monte and Tucuruí. The first car with an ethanol engine was produced in 1978 and the first airplane engine running on ethanol in 2005.<ref name="OECDDevelopment2001">{{Cite book |last1=OECD |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T6U8AUm1ef4C&pg=PA193 |title=OECD Economic Surveys: Brazil 2001 |last2=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |last3=Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Staff |publisher=OECD Publishing |year=2001 |isbn=978-92-64-19141-9 |page=193 |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129184453/https://books.google.com/books?id=T6U8AUm1ef4C&pg=PA193 |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the end of 2021, Brazil ranked second in the world by installed hydroelectric power (109.4 GW) and biomass (15.8 GW), seventh in installed wind power (21.1 GW) and 14th in installed solar power (13.0 GW)—on track to also become one of the top 10 in the world in solar energy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Renewable Capacity Statistics 2022 |url=https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2022/Apr/IRENA_RE_Capacity_Statistics_2022.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2022/Apr/IRENA_RE_Capacity_Statistics_2022.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |access-date=19 May 2022 |website=IRENA}}</ref> At the end of 2024, Brazil was the fourth largest producer of wind energy in the world (107.8 TWh), behind only China, the United States and Germany, and the world's fifth largest producer of solar energy (74.7 TWh).<ref name="ember">{{cite web |date=2024 |title=Yearly electricity data |url=https://ember-climate.org/data-catalogue/yearly-electricity-data/ |access-date=9 May 2025 |website=ember-climate.org}}</ref> Overall, Brazil ranks third globally in renewable electricity production, after China and the United States, accounting for 7% of the global total.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yearly Electricity Data |url=https://ember-energy.org/data/yearly-electricity-data |access-date=2026-04-02 |website=Ember |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Brazilian energy matrix is characterized by a higher degree of renewable energy than the global average; in 2022, the world energy matrix was only 14% renewable energy, compared to 45% in Brazil. Petroleum and oil products made up 34.3% of the country's matrix; sugar cane derivatives, 18%; hydraulic energy, 12.4%; natural gas, 12.2%; firewood and charcoal, 8.8%; varied renewable energies, 7%; mineral coal, 5.3%; nuclear, 1.4%, and other non-renewable energies, 0.6%.<ref name="Matriz Energética e Elétrica">{{Cite web |url=https://www.epe.gov.br/pt/abcdenergia/matriz-energetica-e-eletrica |title=Matriz Energética e Elétrica |language=pt |website=Empresa de Pesquisa Energética }}</ref> Similarly, the vast majority of Brazilian electricity is derived from renewable sources: 83% compared to 25% worldwide. The leading sources are hydraulic energy at 64.9%; biomass, 8.4%; wind, 8.6%; solar, 1%; natural gas, 9.3%; oil products, 2%; nuclear, 2.5%; and coal and derivatives, 3.3%.<ref name="Matriz Energética e Elétrica" /> Brazil has the largest electricity sector in Latin America; its capacity at the end of 2021 was 181,532 MW.<ref name="Ministério de Minas e Energia">[https://web.archive.org/web/20230411135506/https://antigo.aneel.gov.br/web/guest/sala-de-imprensa-exibicao-2/-/asset_publisher/zXQREz8EVlZ6/content/brasil-termina-2021-com-maior-acrescimo-em-potencia-instalada-desde-2016/656877?inheritRedirect=false&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fantigo.aneel.gov.br%2Fweb%2Fguest%2Fsala-de-imprensa-exibicao-2%3Fp_p_id%3D101_INSTANCE_zXQREz8EVlZ6&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_pos=2&p_p_col_count=3&_101_INSTANCE_zXQREz8EVlZ6_advancedSearch=false&_101_INSTANCE_zXQREz8EVlZ6_keywords=&_101_INSTANCE_zXQREz8EVlZ6_delta=15&p_r_p_564233524_resetCur=false&_101_INSTANCE_zXQREz8EVlZ6_cur=5&_101_INSTANCE_zXQREz8EVlZ6_andOperator=true] National Agency of Energy</ref>

The Brazilian government has embarked on a program over the decades to reduce dependence on imported oil, which previously accounted for more than 70% of the country's oil needs. Brazil became self-sufficient in oil in 2006–2007. By the end of 2021, the country was the seventh largest oil producer in the world, with an average of nearly three million barrels per day, and became an exporter of the product.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/economia/brasil-anuncia-aumento-da-producao-de-petroleo-em-10-para-ajudar-a-estabilizar-precos/|title=Brasil anuncia aumento da produção de petróleo em 10% para ajudar a estabilizar preços |first=Fernando |last=Nakagawa |date=23 March 2022 |website=CNN Brasil}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Produção de petróleo e gás no Brasil ultrapassa 4 milhões de boe/d pela primeira vez |url=http://www.anp.gov.br/noticias/5628-producao-de-petroleo-e-gas-no-brasil-ultrapassa-4-milhoes-de-boe-d-pela-primeira-vez |date=19 February 2020 |website=Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220091405/http://www.anp.gov.br/noticias/5628-producao-de-petroleo-e-gas-no-brasil-ultrapassa-4-milhoes-de-boe-d-pela-primeira-vez |archive-date=20 February 2020 |access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref>

=== Transportation === {{Main|Transport in Brazil}}

[[File:Sao paulo airport terminal 3.jpg|thumb|Terminal 3 of the São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, the busiest airport in Latin America]] [[File:Rodovia Dutra - panoramio.jpg|thumb|BR-116 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, the longest highway in the country,<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 March 2022 |title=Qual é a maior rodovia do Brasil? |url=https://summitmobilidade.estadao.com.br/ir-e-vir-no-mundo/qual-e-a-maior-rodovia-do-brasil/ |access-date=22 November 2022 |publisher=O Estado de S.Paulo |language=pt-br}}</ref> with {{convert|4542|km|mi|abbr=on}} of extension<ref name="Extensão">{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=BR-116 |url=http://www2.transportes.gov.br/bit/02-rodo/3-loc-rodo/loc-rodo/116.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127001608/http://www2.transportes.gov.br/bit/02-rodo/3-loc-rodo/loc-rodo/116.htm |archive-date=27 January 2013 |access-date=22 November 2022 |publisher=Banco de Informações e Mapas de Transportes/Ministry of Transport (Brazil) |language=pt-br}}</ref>]]

Brazilian roads are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic. The road system totaled {{convert|2000000|km|0|abbr=on}} in 2023,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brazilian road network in 2019 |url=https://anuariodotransporte.cnt.org.br/2021/Rodoviario/1-3-1-1-1-/Malha-rodovi%C3%A1ria-total |website=anuariodotransporte.cnt.org.br}}</ref> ranking fourth largest by size globally. The total of paved roads increased from {{convert|35496|km|0|abbr=on}} in 1967 to {{convert|215000|km|0|abbr=on}} in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anuário CNT do Transporte |url=https://anuariodotransporte.cnt.org.br/2018/ |website=anuariodotransporte.cnt.org.br}}</ref>

Brazil's railway system has been declining since 1945, when emphasis shifted to highway construction. The country's total railway track length was {{convert|30576|km|0|abbr=on}} in 2015,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Extensão da Malha Ferroviária – 2015 |url=http://anuario.antt.gov.br/index.php/content/view/4751/Ferroviaria.html |publisher=ANTT |access-date=23 October 2023 |archive-date=8 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208195757/http://anuario.antt.gov.br/index.php/content/view/4751/Ferroviaria.html }}</ref> as compared with {{convert|31848|km|0|abbr=on}} in 1970, making it the ninth largest network in the world. Most of the railway system belonged to the Federal Railroad Network Corporation (RFFSA), which was privatized in 2007.<ref>[http://www2.transportes.gov.br/bit/03-ferro/princ-ferro.html "OPrincipais ferrovias"]. Ministerio dos Transportes {{in lang|pt}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329092636/http://www2.transportes.gov.br/bit/03-ferro/princ-ferro.html |date=29 March 2013 }}</ref> The São Paulo Metro began operating on 14 September 1974 as the first underground transit system in Brazil.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arquitetura |first=INBEC Pós-Graduação- Engenharia |date=4 February 2020 |title=Conheça a história da construção do Metrô de São Paulo |url=https://inbec.com.br/blog/conheca-historia-construcao-metro-sao-paulo |access-date=23 October 2023 |website=INBEC Pós-Graduação |language=pt-BR}}</ref>

There are over 4,900 airports and airfields in Brazil, second only to the United States.<ref name=":1" /> São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, near São Paulo, is the largest and busiest airport with nearly 43 million passengers annually, while handling the vast majority of commercial traffic for the country.<ref name="Palhares2012x">{{Cite book |last=Guilherme Lohmann Palhares |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O91SVF9nH8gC&pg=PA48 |title=Tourism in Brazil: Environment, Management and Segments |publisher=Routledge |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-415-67432-4 |page=48}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Relatorio Operacional 2018 |url=https://www.gru.com.br/pt/RelatorioOperacional/2018-12.pdf |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=Aeroporto Internacional de São Paulo}}</ref>

For freight transport, waterways are of importance. The industrial zones of Manaus can be reached only by means of the Solimões–Amazonas waterway ({{convert|3250|km|mi|disp=or|abbr=off|sp=us}} in length, with a minimum depth of {{convert|6|m|ft|0|disp=or|abbr=off|spell=in|sp=us}}). The country also has {{convert|50000|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} of waterways.<ref name="2012ciagini">[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2172.html Country Comparison to the World: Gini Index – Brazil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613005439/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2172.html |date=13 June 2007 }} The World Factbook. Retrieved on 3 April 2012.</ref> Coastal shipping links widely separated parts of the country. Bolivia and Paraguay have been given free ports at Santos. Of the 36 deep-water ports, Santos, Itajaí, Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Sepetiba, Vitória, Suape, Manaus and São Francisco do Sul are the most important.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081227224101/http://www.mzweb.com.br/santosbrasil/web/conteudo_pt.asp?idioma=0&tipo=3958&conta=28 "Mercado Brasileiro Terminais de Contêineres"], Santos Brasil. {{in lang|pt}}</ref> Bulk carriers have to wait up to 18 days before being serviced; container ships take 36.3 hours on average.<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Fábio |last1=Amato |date=24 March 2013 |title=Navios esperam até 16 dias para atracar em porto do país, diz MDIC |url=http://g1.globo.com/economia/noticia/2013/03/navios-esperam-ate-16-dias-para-atracar-em-porto-do-pais-diz-mdic.html |website=Economia}}</ref>

== Demographics == {{Main|Demographics of Brazil|Brazilians}}

{{See also|Immigration to Brazil|List of Brazilian states by population density}} thumb|Population density of Brazilian municipalities According to the latest official projection, Brazil's estimated population was 213,421,037 on 1 July 2025—an increase from the figure of 203 million reported by the 2022 census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Estimativas da população residente para os municípios e para as unidades da federação {{!}} IBGE |url=https://www.ibge.gov.br/estatisticas/sociais/populacao/9103-estimativas-de-populacao.html |access-date=5 September 2025 |website=www.ibge.gov.br}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 August 2024 |title=Brazilian population likely to start shrinking in 2042 |url=https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/geral/noticia/2024-08/brazilian-population-likely-start-shrinking-2042 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Agência Brasil |language=en}}</ref> The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, was approximately 190 million<ref>2008 PNAD, IBGE. [http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=261&i=P&nome=on&notarodape=on&tab=261&unit=0&pov=1&opc1=1&poc2=1&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&poc1=1&sec58=0&orp=6&qtu3=27&opv=1&sec1=0&opc2=1&pop=1&opn2=2&orv=2&orc2=4&opc58=1&qtu2=5&sev=93&sec2=0&opp=1&opn3=0&orc1=3&poc58=1&qtu1=1&cabec=on&orc58=5&opn7=0&decm=99&ascendente=on&sep=43343&orn=1&qtu7=9&pon=2&OpcCara=44&proc=1 "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade"]</ref> ({{convert|22.31|PD/km2|disp=or|abbr=out|sp=us}}), with a ratio of men to women of 0.95:1<ref>2008 PNAD, IBGE. [http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=261&i=P&nome=on&notarodape=on&tab=261&unit=0&pov=1&opc1=1&poc2=3&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&poc1=1&sec58=0&orp=6&qtu3=27&opv=1&sec1=0&opc2=1&pop=1&opn2=2&orv=2&orc2=4&opc58=1&qtu2=5&sev=93&sec2=0&sec2=92956&sec2=92957&opp=1&opn3=0&orc1=3&poc58=1&qtu1=1&cabec=on&orc58=5&opn7=0&decm=99&ascendente=on&sep=43343&orn=1&qtu7=9&pon=2&OpcCara=44&proc=1 "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade"]</ref> and 83.75% of the population defined as urban.<ref>2008 PNAD, IBGE. [http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=261&i=P&nome=on&notarodape=on&tab=261&unit=0&pov=3&opc1=1&poc2=1&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&poc1=2&sec58=0&orp=6&qtu3=27&opv=1&sec1=0&sec1=1&sec1=2&opc2=1&pop=1&opn2=2&orv=2&orc2=4&opc58=1&qtu2=5&sev=93&sev=1000093&sec2=0&opp=1&opn3=0&orc1=3&poc58=1&qtu1=1&cabec=on&orc58=5&opn7=0&decm=99&ascendente=on&sep=43343&orn=1&qtu7=9&pon=2&OpcCara=44&proc=1 "População residente por situação, sexo e grupos de idade"].</ref> The population is heavily concentrated in the Southeast (89 million inhabitants) and Northeast (54.6 million inhabitants), while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North, which together make up 64.12% of Brazilian territory, have a total of only 33.8 million inhabitants.

The first census in Brazil was carried out in 1872 and recorded a population of 9,930,478.<ref>[http://www.brasil.gov.br/news/history/2011/04-1/29/brazil-population-reaches-190.8-million/newsitem_view?set_language=en "Brazil population reaches 190.8 million"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809205237/http://www.brasil.gov.br/news/history/2011/04-1/29/brazil-population-reaches-190.8-million/newsitem_view?set_language=en |date=9 August 2013 }}. Brasil.gov.br.</ref> From 1880 to 1930, four million Europeans arrived.<ref>[http://www.migrationinformation.org/profiles/display.cfm?id=311 "Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration"]. Migration Policy Institute.</ref> Brazil's population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, because of a decline in the mortality rate, even though the birth rate underwent a slight decline. In the 1940s the annual population growth rate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in the 1950s and remaining at 2.9% in the 1960s, as life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 years<ref>José Alberto Magno de Carvalho, [http://cedeplar.face.ufmg.br/pesquisas/td/TD%20227.pdf "Crescimento populacional e estrutura demográfica no Brasil"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019004601/http://cedeplar.face.ufmg.br/pesquisas/td/TD%20227.pdf |date=19 October 2016 }} Belo Horizonte: UFMG/Cedeplar, 2004 (PDF file), p. 5.</ref> and to 72.6 years in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 November 1999 |title=Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_visualiza.php?id_noticia=1275&id_pagina=1 |access-date=25 January 2010 |publisher=IBGE}}</ref> It has been steadily falling since the 1960s, from 3.04% per year between 1950 and 1960 to 1.05% in 2008 and is expected to fall to a negative value of –0.29% by 2050<ref>{{Cite web |title=Projeção da População do Brasil – Brazil's populational projection |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/noticias/noticia_impressao.php?id_noticia=1272 |access-date=25 January 2010 |publisher=IBGE}}</ref> thus completing the demographic transition.<ref>Magno de Carvalho, [http://www.observasaude.sp.gov.br/BibliotecaPortal/Acervo/Estrutura_Demogr%C3%A1fica_Brasil.pdf "Crescimento populacional e estrutura demográfica no Brasil"]{{dead link|date=May 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, pp. 7–8.</ref> In 2022, the illiteracy rate was roughly 7%,<ref name="RF">{{Cite web |date=17 May 2024 |title=2022 Census: Illiteracy rate falls from 9.6% to 7.0% in 12 years, though inequalities persist {{!}} News Agency |url=https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/en/agencia-news/2184-news-agency/news/40118-2022-census-illiteracy-rate-falls-from-9-6-to-7-0-in-12-years-though-inequalities-persist |access-date=14 May 2025 |website=Agência de Notícias - IBGE |language=en-GB}}</ref> a significant decline from 11.48% in 2008.<ref>PNAD 2008, IBGE. [http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/protabl.asp?c=271&i=P&sec59=93024&sec59=1023&sec59=1024&nome=on&notarodape=on&tab=271&unit=0&pov=3&opc1=1&poc2=1&orc59=5&OpcTipoNivt=1&opn1=2&nivt=0&poc1=1&sec58=0&orp=7&qtu3=27&opv=1&sec1=0&opc2=1&pop=1&opn2=0&orv=2&orc2=4&opc58=1&qtu2=5&sev=121&sev=1000121&sec2=0&poc59=2&opp=1&opn3=0&orc1=3&poc58=1&qtu1=1&cabec=on&opc59=1&ascendente=on&sep=43345&orn=1&qtu7=9&orc58=6&opn7=0&decm=99&pon=1&OpcCara=44&proc=1 "Pessoas de 5 anos ou mais de idade por situação, sexo, alfabetização e grupos de idade e grupos de idade"].</ref> By comparison, in 1940, more than half the population (54%) was illiterate.<ref name="RF" />

=== Urbanization === {{Main|List of cities in Brazil by population}}

According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) urban areas already concentrate 84.35% of the population, while the Southeast region remains the most populated one, with over 80 million inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2011 |title=IDBGE |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/censo2010/default.shtm |access-date=8 October 2011 |publisher=IBGE |language=pt}}</ref> The largest urban agglomerations in Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte—all in the Southeastern Region—with 21.1, 12.3, and 5.1 million inhabitants respectively.<ref name="concentrações_urbanas">{{cite web|url=http://saladeimprensa.ibge.gov.br/noticias?view=noticia&id=1&busca=1&idnoticia=2855|title=Mais da metade da população vive em 294 arranjos formados por contiguidade urbana e por deslocamentos para trabalho e estudo|language=portuguese|publisher=Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics|access-date=16 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arranjos Populacionais e Concentrações Urbanas do Brasil |url=http://geoftp.ibge.gov.br/organizacao_do_territorio/divisao_regional/arranjos_populacionais/arranjos_populacionais.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://geoftp.ibge.gov.br/organizacao_do_territorio/divisao_regional/arranjos_populacionais/arranjos_populacionais.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |access-date=16 March 2017 |publisher=Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics |page=148 |language=pt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite FTP |title=Estimativas da população residente no Brasil e Unidades da Federação com data de referência em 1º de julho de 2016 |url=ftp://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Estimativas_de_Populacao/Estimativas_2016/estimativa_dou_2016.pdf |access-date=16 March 2017 |server=Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics |url-status=dead |language=pt}}</ref> The majority of state capitals are the largest cities in their states, except for Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Principal Cities |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=MSN |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_3/Brazil.html |access-date=10 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029034959/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_3/Brazil.html |archive-date=29 October 2009 }} {{Dubious|date=January 2010}}</ref> {{Largest urban agglomerations in Brazil}}

=== Race and ethnicity === {{Main|Race and ethnicity in Brazil}}

{{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Racial groups in Brazil (2022 census)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://censo2022.ibge.gov.br/panorama/|title=Panorama do Censo 2022|website=Panorama do Censo 2022|accessdate=20 November 2025}}</ref> |label1 = Pardos (mixed) |value1 = 45.34 |color1 = #AA7E54 |label2 = Whites |value2 = 43.46 |color2 = #FBC5A7 |label3 = Blacks |value3 = 10.17 |color3 = #62402F |label4 = Indigenous |value4 = 0.60 |color4 = #BE7343 |label5 = East Asians |value5 = 0.42 |color5 = #E8BF88 }}

According to the 2022 Brazilian census, 45.3% of the population (92.1 million) described themselves as Pardo (meaning brown or multiracial), 43.5% (88.2 million) as White, 10.2% (20.7 million) as Black, 0.6% (1.2 million) as Indigenous and 0.4% (850,000) as East Asian (officially called ''yellow'' or ''amarela'').<ref name="PNADIBGE">2008 PNAD, IBGE. [https://g1.globo.com/economia/censo/noticia/2023/12/22/censo-2022-cor-ou-raca.ghtml].</ref>

Since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, considerable genetic mixing between Amerindians, Europeans, and Africans has taken place in all regions of the country:

* European ancestry being dominant according to all autosomal studies undertaken covering the population, accounting for between 60% and 65% of the average genetic makeup of the Brazilian population.<ref name="alvaro.com.br2">{{Cite journal |last1=De Assis Poiares |first1=Lilian |last2=De Sá Osorio |first2=Paulo |last3=Spanhol |first3=Fábio Alexandre |last4=Coltre |first4=Sidnei César |last5=Rodenbusch |first5=Rodrigo |last6=Gusmão |first6=Leonor |last7=Largura |first7=Alvaro |last8=Sandrini |first8=Fabiano |last9=Da Silva |first9=Cláudia Maria Dornelles |year=2010 |title=Allele frequencies of 15 STRs in a representative sample of the Brazilian population |url=http://www.alvaro.com.br/pdf/trabalhoCientifico/ARTIGO_BRASIL_LILIAN.pdf |journal=Forensic Science International: Genetics |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=e61–63 |doi=10.1016/j.fsigen.2009.05.006 |pmid=20129458 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5xmleMZgv?url=http://www.alvaro.com.br/pdf/trabalhoCientifico/ARTIGO_BRASIL_LILIAN.pdf |archive-date=8 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="www1.folha.uol.com.br2">[http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/ciencia/ult306u633465.shtml Brazilian DNA is nearly 80% European, indicates study].</ref><ref name="bdtd.bce.unb.br2">NMO Godinho [http://bdtd.bce.unb.br/tedesimplificado/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=3873 O impacto das migrações na constituição genética de populações latino-americanas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706162240/http://bdtd.bce.unb.br/tedesimplificado/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=3873|date=6 July 2011}}. PhD Thesis, Universidade de Brasília (2008).</ref><ref name="plosone.org2">{{Cite journal |last1=Pena |first1=Sérgio D. J. |last2=Di Pietro |first2=Giuliano |last3=Fuchshuber-Moraes |first3=Mateus |last4=Genro |first4=Julia Pasqualini |last5=Hutz |first5=Mara H. |last6=Kehdy Fde |first6=Fernanda de Souza Gomes |last7=Kohlrausch |first7=Fabiana |last8=Magno |first8=Luiz Alexandre Viana |last9=Montenegro |first9=Raquel Carvalho |last10=Moraes |first10=MO |last11=De Moraes |first11=ME |last12=De Moraes |first12=MR |last13=Ojopi |first13=EB |last14=Perini |first14=JA |last15=Racciopi |first15=C |display-authors=9 |year=2011 |editor-last=Harpending |editor-first=Henry |title=The Genomic Ancestry of Individuals from Different Geographical Regions of Brazil Is More Uniform Than Expected |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=2 |article-number=e17063 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...617063P |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0017063 |pmc=3040205 |pmid=21359226 |doi-access=free |last16=Ribeiro-Dos-Santos |first16=AK |last17=Rios-Santos |first17=F |last18=Romano-Silva |first18=MA |last19=Sortica |first19=VA |last20=Suarez-Kurtz |first20=G}}</ref> * African ancestry among the Brazilians is estimated at 20% to 25% of the average genetic makeup<ref name="bdtd.bce.unb.br2" /><ref name="wiley12">{{Cite journal |last1=Lins |first1=T. C. |last2=Vieira |first2=R. G. |last3=Abreu |first3=B. S. |last4=Grattapaglia |first4=D. |last5=Pereira |first5=R. W. |date=March–April 2009 |title=Genetic composition of Brazilian population samples based on a set of twenty-eight ancestry informative SNPs |url=https://repositorio.ucb.br:9443/jspui/handle/123456789/7489 |journal=American Journal of Human Biology |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=187–192 |doi=10.1002/ajhb.20976 |pmid=19639555 |s2cid=205301927 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="scielo.br2">{{cite journal |last1=Pena |first1=Sérgio D. J. |last2=Bortolini |first2=Maria Cátira |date=1 April 2004 |title=Pode a genética definir quem deve se beneficiar das cotas universitárias e demais ações afirmativas? |journal=Estudos Avançados |volume=18 |issue=50 |pages=31–50 |doi=10.1590/S0103-40142004000100004 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=10183/19857}}</ref> * Indigenous ancestry is significant and present in all regions of Brazil, accounting for around 15% to 20% of the average genetic ancestry of Brazilians.<ref name="wiley12"/><ref name="alvaro.com.br3">{{cite web |title=Allele frequencies of 15 STRs in a representative sample of the Brazilian population |url=http://www.alvaro.com.br/pdf/trabalhoCientifico/ARTIGO_BRASIL_LILIAN.pdf |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5xmleMZgv?url=http://www.alvaro.com.br/pdf/trabalhoCientifico/ARTIGO_BRASIL_LILIAN.pdf |archive-date=8 April 2011 |access-date=8 April 2011 }}</ref><ref name="bdtd.bce.unb.br3">{{cite web |author=Godinho, Neide Maria de Oliveira |year=2008 |title=O impacto das migrações na constituição genética de populações latino-americanas |url=http://repositorio.unb.br/bitstream/10482/5542/1/2008_NeideMOGodinho.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706162240/http://bdtd.bce.unb.br/tedesimplificado/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=3873 |archive-date=6 July 2011 |publisher=Universidade de Brasília}}</ref><ref name="plosone.org3">{{cite journal |last1=Pena |first1=Sérgio D. 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CALLEGARI-JACQUES et al., Historical Genetics: Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Formation |url=http://www.hereditas.com.br/pdfs/AJHB-Callegari-Jacquesetal2003.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706152708/http://www.hereditas.com.br/pdfs/AJHB-Callegari-Jacquesetal2003.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |access-date=21 August 2017 |website=Hereditas.com.br }}</ref><ref name="pmid145958742">{{Cite journal |last1=Callegari-Jacques |first1=S. M. |last2=Grattapaglia |first2=D. |last3=Salzano |first3=F. M. |last4=Salamoni |first4=S. P. |last5=Crossetti |first5=S. G. |last6=Ferreira |first6=M. R. E. |last7=Hutz |first7=M. H. |date=November–December 2003 |title=Historical genetics: Spatiotemporal analysis of the formation of the Brazilian population |url=http://www.hereditas.com.br/pdfs/AJHB-Callegari-Jacquesetal2003.pdf |journal=American Journal of Human Biology |volume=15 |issue=6 |pages=824–834 |doi=10.1002/ajhb.10217 |pmid=14595874 |s2cid=34610130 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706152708/http://www.hereditas.com.br/pdfs/AJHB-Callegari-Jacquesetal2003.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Retrato molecular do Brasil |url=http://publicacoes.gene.com.br/Imprensa_genealogia/Retrato%20molecular%20do%20Brasil@Folha%20de%20S%C3%A3o%20Paulo@26-03-2000.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306064232/http://publicacoes.gene.com.br/Imprensa_genealogia/Retrato%20molecular%20do%20Brasil@Folha%20de%20S%C3%A3o%20Paulo@26-03-2000.htm |archive-date=6 March 2008 |access-date=21 August 2017 |website=Publicacoes.gene.com.br }}</ref>

From the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders to immigration. About five million people from over 60 countries migrated to Brazil between 1808 and 1972, most of them of Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, German, English, Ukrainian, Polish, Jewish, African, Armenian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arab origin.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maria Stella Ferreira-Levy |year=1974 |title=O papel da migração internacional na evolução da população brasileira (1872 a 1972) |journal=Revista de Saúde Pública |volume=8 |issue=supl |pages=49–90 |doi=10.1590/S0034-89101974000500003 |doi-access=free}}, Table 2, p. 74. {{in lang|pt}}</ref><ref>Zirin, 2014. Chapter 2, Section ''"The Beginning of the 'Mosaic' ''".</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Grün |first=Roberto |date=July 1996 |title=The Armenian Renaissance in Brazil |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/americas/article/the-armenian-renaissance-in-brazil/759304E77521DF48F0C1F1DD95C0D3E2 |journal=The Americas |language=en |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=113–151 |doi=10.2307/1007476 |issn=0003-1615 |jstor=1007476 |s2cid=143656550|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Brazil has the second-largest Jewish community in Latin America after Argentina making up 0.06% of its population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Jewish Community in Brazil |url=https://www.bh.org.il/jewish-community-brazil/ |website=Beit Hatfutsot}}</ref> Outside of the Arab world, Brazil also has the largest population of Arab ancestry in the world, with 15–20 million people.<ref name="Ferabolli2014">{{Cite book |last=Silvia Ferabolli |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R5CbBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA151 |title=Arab Regionalism: A Post-Structural Perspective |date=25 September 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-65803-0 |page=151 |quote=According to estimates by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), countersigned by the League of Arab States, Brazil has the largest Arab colony outside their countries of origin. There are estimated 15 million Arabs living in Brazil today, with some researchers suggesting numbers around 20 million.}}</ref><ref name="Amar2014">{{Cite book |last=Paul Amar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGKuCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 |title=The Middle East and Brazil: Perspectives on the New Global South |date=15 July 2014 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-01496-2 |page=40 |quote=there are, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than sixteen million Arabs and descendants of Arabs in Brazil, constituting the largest community of Arabs descent outside the Middle East.}}</ref> According to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil is home to a Lebanese diaspora of 7-10 million, surpassing the population of Lebanese individuals residing in Lebanon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bercito |first=Diogo |date=8 June 2021 |title=From Beirut to Brazil |url=https://ccas.georgetown.edu/2021/06/08/from-beirut-to-brazil/ |access-date=7 November 2023 |website=CCAS |language=en-US}}</ref>

Brazilian society is more markedly divided by social class lines, although a high income disparity is found between race groups, so racism and classism often overlap. The brown population (officially called ''pardo'' in Portuguese)<ref name="Coelho 1996, p. 268">Coelho (1996), p. 268.</ref><ref name="Vesentini 1988, p. 117">Vesentini (1988), p. 117.</ref> is a broad category that includes ''caboclos'' (assimilated Amerindians in general, and descendants of Whites and Natives), ''mulatos'' (descendants of primarily Whites and Afro-Brazilians) and ''cafuzos'' (descendants of Afro-Brazilians and Natives).<ref name="Coelho 1996, p. 268" /><ref name="Vesentini 1988, p. 117" /><ref>Adas, Melhem ''Panorama geográfico do Brasil'', 4th ed (São Paulo: Moderna, 2004), p. 268 {{ISBN|85-16-04336-3}}</ref><ref>Azevedo (1971), pp. 2–3.</ref><ref name="Moreira 1981, p. 108">Moreira (1981), p. 108.</ref> Higher percents of Blacks, mulattoes and tri-racials can be found in the eastern coast of the Northeastern region from Bahia to Paraíba<ref name="Moreira 1981, p. 108" /><ref>Azevedo (1971), pp. 74–75.</ref> and also in northern Maranhão,<ref>''Enciclopédia Barsa'', vol. 10 (Rio de Janeiro: Encyclopædia Britannica do Brasil, 1987), p. 355.</ref><ref>Azevedo (1971), p. 74.</ref> southern Minas Gerais<ref name="Azevedo 1971, p. 161">Azevedo (1971), p. 161.</ref> and eastern Rio de Janeiro.<ref name="Moreira 1981, p. 108" /><ref name="Azevedo 1971, p. 161" />

People of considerable Amerindian ancestry form the majority of the population in the Northern, Northeastern and Center-Western regions.<ref>''Enciclopédia Barsa'', vol. 4, pp. 254–55, 258, 265.</ref> In 2007, the National Indian Foundation estimated that Brazil has 67 different uncontacted tribes, up from their estimate of 40 in 2005. Brazil is believed to have the largest number of uncontacted peoples in the world.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/07/AR2007070701312.html "In Amazonia, Defending the Hidden Tribes"], ''The Washington Post'' (8 July 2007).</ref>

=== Language === {{Main|Languages of Brazil|Portuguese language|Brazilian Portuguese|List of endangered languages in Brazil}}[[File:AssuncaodoIcana.jpg|thumb|Alto Rio Negro Indigenous Territory, in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas, where Nhengatu, Tucano and Baniwa are co-official languages]] [[File:Ruas de Pomerode (cropped).jpg|thumb|Pomerode, Santa Catarina, where the East Pomeranian is the second language (see Brazilian German)]]

The official language of Brazil is Portuguese (Article 13 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Brazil), which almost all of the population speaks and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.<ref name="language2">{{Cite web |title=Brazil – Language |url=http://countrystudies.us/brazil/39.htm |website=countrystudies.us}}</ref>

Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, mostly similar to 16th-century Central and Southern dialects of European Portuguese<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 April 2009 |title=Learn About Portuguese Language |url=http://www.sibila.com.br/index.php/world-map-of-portuguese/424 |access-date=7 April 2012 |publisher=Sibila.com.br |archive-date=20 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420010533/http://www.sibila.com.br/index.php/world-map-of-portuguese/424 }}</ref> (despite a very substantial number of Portuguese colonial settlers, and more recent immigrants, coming from Northern regions, and in minor degree Portuguese Macaronesia), with a few influences from the Amerindian and African languages, especially West African and Bantu restricted to the vocabulary only.<ref name="Portuguese" /> As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries (the dialects of the other countries, partly because of the more recent end of Portuguese colonialism in these regions, have a closer connection to contemporary European Portuguese). These differences are comparable to those between American and British English.<ref name="Portuguese">{{Cite web |title=Languages of Brazil |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=br |access-date=9 June 2008 |publisher=Ethnologue}}</ref>

The 2002 sign language law<ref name="Libras 2002">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100910070529/http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/LEIS/2002/L10436.htm LEI Nº 10.436, DE 24 DE ABRIL DE 2002]. Presidência da República, Casa Civil, Subchefia para Assuntos Jurídicos. Retrieved on 19 May 2012.</ref> requires government authorities and public agencies to accept and provide information in ''Língua Brasileira dos Sinais'' or "LIBRAS", the Brazilian Sign Language, while a 2005 presidential edict<ref name="Libras 2005">[http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2004-2006/2005/decreto/d5626.htm Brazilian decree nº 5626, 22 December 2005]. Planalto.gov.br (23 December 2005). Retrieved on 19 May 2012.</ref> extends this to require teaching of the language as a part of the education and speech and language pathology curricula. LIBRAS teachers, instructors and translators are recognized professionals. Schools and health services must provide access ("inclusion") to deaf people.<ref name="Russo2011">{{Cite book |last=Charles J. Russo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JuV1cZ7NJHIC&pg=PA45 |title=The Legal Rights of Students with Disabilities: International Perspectives |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4422-1085-1 |page=45}}</ref>

Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eighty Amerindian languages are spoken in remote areas and a significant number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants.<ref name="Portuguese" /> In the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Nheengatu (a currently endangered creole language that, together with its southern relative língua geral paulista, once was a major lingua franca in Brazil),<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=Lyle |title=The Indigenous Languages of South America: A Comprehensive Guide |last2=Grondona |first2=Verónica |last3=Muysken |first3=Peter |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2012 |isbn=978-3-11-025803-5 |page=247 |chapter=Contacts between indigenous languages in South America |quote=Nheengatú (also called língua geral of Amazonia, or lingua Brasilica) originated in the 17th century in what are now the states of Pará Maranhão, as lingua franca on the basis of Tupinambá lexicon but with strong grammatical influence from Portuguese, also due to intervention by Jesuit missionaries [...] Around 1700 it was spoken in a large area in Brazil, as a contact language between whites and indians, but it lost some support with the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1758 [...] Its sister language in the colonial period was Língua Geral Paulista (in the state of São Paulo) a lingua franca which is now extinct.}}</ref> Baniwa and Tucano languages had been granted co-official status with Portuguese.<ref name="nyt-language">{{Cite news |last=Rohter |first=Larry |date=28 August 2005 |title=Language Born of Colonialism Thrives Again in Amazon |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/28/international/americas/28amazon.html |access-date=14 July 2008}}</ref>

There are significant communities of German (mostly the Brazilian Hunsrückisch, a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly the Talian, a Venetian dialect) origins in the Southern and Southeastern regions, whose ancestors' native languages were carried along to Brazil, and which, still alive there, are influenced by the Portuguese language.<ref>{{Cite web |title=O alemão lusitano do Sul do Brasil |url=http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,1174391,00.html |publisher=DW-World.de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ELB |url=https://www.labeurb.unicamp.br/elb/europeias/talian.htm |website=labeurb.unicamp.br}}</ref> Talian is officially a historic heritage of Rio Grande do Sul,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Approvato il progetto che dichiara il 'Talian' come patrimonio del Rio Grande del Sud – Brasile |url=http://www.sitoveneto.org/talian_patrimonio_de_rio_grando_do_sul.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304160633/http://www.sitoveneto.org/talian_patrimonio_de_rio_grando_do_sul.html |archive-date=4 March 2012 |access-date=9 March 2012 |publisher=Sitoveneto}}</ref> and two German dialects possess co-official status in a few municipalities.<ref name="Stevenson1997">{{Cite book |last=Patrick Stevenson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AviTvt-cPaUC&pg=PA39 |title=The German Language and the Real World: Sociolinguistic, Cultural, and Pragmatic Perspectives on Contemporary German |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-19-823738-9 |page=39}}</ref> Italian is also recognized as "ethnic language" in Santa Teresa and Vila Velha, in the state of Espírito Santo.<ref>{{cite web |last=Angelini |first=Andrea |date=6 September 2018 |title=Not just Dante: Italian speaking countries in the world – part two |url=https://italicsmag.com/2018/09/06/italian-language-countries-world-2 |website=Italics Magazine |access-date=26 August 2025}}</ref>

=== Religion === {{Main|Religion in Brazil}}

{{Further|Catholic Church in Brazil|Protestantism in Brazil}} {{Pie chart | thumb = right | caption = Religion in Brazil (2022 Census) | label1 = Catholicism | value1 = 56.75 | color1 = Gold | label2 = Protestantism | value2 = 26.85 | color2 = Purple | label3 = No religion | value3 = 9.28 | color3 = White | label4 = Spiritism | color4 = Red | value4 = 1.84 | label5 = Other religions | value5 = 5.06 | color5 = Green | label6 = Not stated | value6 = 0.17 | color6 = Black }} Christianity is the country's predominant faith, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. Brazil has the world's largest Catholic population.<ref name="PEWCATHOLIC">{{Cite web |date=13 February 2013 |title=The Global Catholic Population |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ |access-date=10 June 2020 |publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref><ref name="USDS">{{Cite conference |date=8 November 2005 |title=Brazil |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2005/51629.htm |publisher=U.S. Department of State |access-date=8 June 2008 |book-title=International Religious Freedom Report}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Worldwide Catholic population hits 1.4 billion |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262883/worldwide-catholic-population-hits-14-billion |access-date=3 April 2025 |website=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref> According to the 2022 demographic census (the PNAD survey does not inquire about religion), 56.75% of the population followed Catholicism; 26.85% Protestantism; 1.84% Kardecist spiritism; 5.06% other religions, undeclared or undetermined; while 9.28% had no religion.<ref name="2022 religion"/>

Religious diversity in Brazil developed from the meeting of the Catholic Church with the religious traditions of enslaved African peoples and indigenous peoples.<ref name="BoyleSheen2013">{{Cite book |last1=Kevin Boyle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JxgFWwK8dXwC&pg=PT211 |title=Freedom of Religion and Belief: A World Report |last2=Juliet Sheen |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-134-72229-7 |page=211}}</ref> This confluence of faiths during the Portuguese colonization of Brazil led to the development of a diverse array of syncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella of Brazilian Catholic Church, characterized by traditional Portuguese festivities.<ref name="georgetown1">{{Cite web |title=Brazil |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825203019/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil |archive-date=25 August 2011 |access-date=7 December 2011 |publisher=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs}}</ref>

Religious pluralism increased during the 20th century,<ref name="Morris2006a">{{Cite book |last=Brian Morris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PguGB_uEQh4C&pg=PA223 |title=Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-521-85241-8 |page=223}}</ref> and the Protestant community had grown to include over 22% of the population by 2010—partly due to a mixture of American missionary and US government influence.<ref name="JeynesRobinson2012">{{Cite book |last1=William Jeynes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NIBlry_2oLQC&pg=PA405 |title=International Handbook of Protestant Education |last2=David W. Robinson |publisher=Springer |year=2012 |isbn=978-94-007-2386-3 |page=405}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tautz |first=Carlos |date=7 April 2025 |title=Como os EUA usaram a religião para combater o comunismo no Brasil |url=https://www.intercept.com.br/2025/04/07/como-os-eua-usaram-a-religiao-para-combater-o-comunismo-no-brasil/ |access-date=16 April 2025 |website=Intercept Brasil |language=pt-BR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Pregadores evangélicos dos EUA invadem o Brasil com a receita que elegeu Trump|url=https://www.intercept.com.br/2025/10/09/pregadores-evangelicos-eua-invadem-brasil/|website=Intercept Brasil|date=2025-10-09|access-date=2025-12-02|language=pt-BR|first=Gilberto|last=Nascimento}}</ref> The most common Protestant denominations are Evangelical Pentecostal ones. Other Protestant branches with a notable presence in the country include the Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Lutherans and the Reformed tradition.<ref>{{Cite FTP |title=2010 census results |server=FTP server |url-status=dead |url=ftp://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Censos/Censo_Demografico_2010/Caracteristicas_Gerais_Religiao_Deficiencia/tab1_4.pdf}}</ref> In recent decades, Protestantism, particularly in forms of Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism, has spread in Brazil, while the proportion of Catholics had dropped significantly during the 2010s.<ref name="georgetown2">{{Cite web |title=Brazil |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825203019/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/brazil |archive-date=25 August 2011 |access-date=7 December 2011 |publisher=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs}} See drop-down essay on "The Growth of Religious Pluralism"</ref> As they have spread throughout Brazil, many have even been deeply involved in Brazilian and international politics,<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2024 |title=Conservative evangelicals use social media to sway Brazil election |url=https://restofworld.org/2024/brazil-election-evangelical-youtubers/ |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=Rest of World |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Iacomini |first=Franco |date=5 March 2024 |title=Brazilian Evangelicals Bring Their Political Playbook to Portugal |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/03/brazilian-evangelicals-politics-po/ |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=Christianity Today |language=en-US}}</ref> and Evangelical Protestant influence has been implicated in the 2022 Brazilian coup plot.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 January 2023 |title=The shared religious roots of twin insurrections in the US and Brazil |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2023/01/18/brazil-insurrection-evangelical-christianity/ |access-date=4 December 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Since 2022, Evangelicals and Catholics have begun reconsidering religion as a political factor;<ref>{{Cite web |title="Religião como fator político está diminuindo", diz especialista à CNN |url=https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/religiao-como-fator-politico-esta-diminuindo-diz-especialista-a-cnn/ |access-date=3 April 2025 |website=CNN Brasil |date=14 February 2025 |language=pt-BR}}</ref> however as of 2025, several Evangelical denominations have continued considering its influence in politics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Universal e Assembleia de Deus já miram eleição de 2026 de olho na herança de Bolsonaro e em mais poder no Congresso|url=https://www.intercept.com.br/2025/07/09/universal-assembleia-deus-eleicao-2026-bolsonaro-poder-congresso/|website=Intercept Brasil|date=2025-07-09|access-date=2025-12-02|language=pt-BR|first=Gilberto|last=Nascimento}}</ref>

After Protestantism, individuals professing no religion are also a significant group, having exceeded 8% of the population according to the 2010 census. The cities of Boa Vista, Salvador, and Porto Velho have the greatest proportion of Irreligious residents in Brazil. Teresina, Fortaleza, and Florianópolis were the most Roman Catholic in the country.<ref name="FGV no G1">{{Cite web |date=23 August 2011 |title=G1 – País tem menor nível de adeptos do catolicismo desde 1872, diz estudo |url=http://g1.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2011/08/pais-tem-menor-nivel-de-adeptos-do-catolicismo-desde-1872-diz-estudo.html |access-date=7 April 2012 |publisher=G1.globo.com}}</ref> Greater Rio de Janeiro, not including the city proper, is the most irreligious and least Roman Catholic Brazilian periphery, while Greater Porto Alegre and Greater Fortaleza are on the opposite sides of the lists, respectively.<ref name="FGV no G1" />

In October 2009, the Brazilian Senate approved, and enacted by the President of Brazil in February 2010, an agreement with the Vatican, in which the Legal Statute of the Catholic Church in Brazil is recognized.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2009 |title=Senado aprova acordo com o Vaticano |url=https://oglobo.globo.com/economia/senado-aprova-acordo-com-vaticano-3161783 |access-date=28 June 2020 |publisher=O Globo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Decreto nº 7.107, de 11 de fevereiro de 2010. |url=http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2007-2010/2010/Decreto/D7107.htm |access-date=28 June 2020 |publisher=Casa Civil da Presidência da República}}</ref>

=== Education === {{Main|Education in Brazil}}

[[File:Arquitetura Prédio Histórico da Universidade Federal do Paraná.jpg|thumb|Historical building of the Federal University of Paraná, one of the oldest universities in Brazil, located in Curitiba]]

The Federal Constitution and the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education determine that the union, the states, the Federal District and the municipalities must manage and organize their respective education systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as the mechanisms and funding sources. The constitution reserves 25% of the state budget and 18% of federal taxes and municipal taxes for education.<ref name="Usa2005">{{Cite book |last=Usa Ibp Usa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzhWjfK8CswC&pg=PA42 |title=Brazil: Tax Guide |publisher=Int'l Business Publications |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7397-3279-3 |page=42}}</ref>

According to the IBGE, the literacy rate was 93.4% in 2019, meaning that 11.3 million (6.6% of population) people are still illiterate in the country, with some states such as Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina reaching around 97% of literacy rate;<ref name="NN">{{Cite web |title=IBGE: Analfabetismo cai no país, mas fica estagnado no Nordeste |url=https://valor.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2020/07/15/ibge-analfabetismo-cai-no-pas-mas-fica-estagnado-no-nordeste.ghtml |website=Globo.com |date=15 July 2020 |language=pt}}</ref> functional illiteracy has reached 21.6% of the population.<ref name="Agency2010">{{Cite book |last=The Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m-9eSrZtYAAC&pg=PA143 |title=The World Factbook 2010 |publisher=Potomac Books, Inc. |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59797-541-4 |edition=CIA 2009 |page=143}}</ref> Illiteracy is higher in the Northeast, where 13.87% of the population is illiterate, while the South, has 3.3% illiteracy.<ref name="Bank2001">{{Cite book |last=World Bank |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YttV-Ggq90UC&pg=PA40 |title=Rural Poverty Alleviation in Brazil: Towards an Integrated Strategy |publisher=World Bank Publications |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-8213-5206-9 |page=40}}</ref><ref name="NN" />

Brazil's private institutions tend to be more exclusive and offer better quality education, so many high-income families send their children there. The result is a segregated educational system that reflects extreme income disparities and reinforces social inequality. However, efforts to change this are making impacts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laplane |first=Mario |title=Efforts towards inclusion |url=https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/impact-public-and-private-education-social-inequality-brazil |website=D + C, Development and cooperation|date=14 May 2019 }}</ref> The University of São Paulo is often considered the best in Brazil and Latin America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QS World University Rankings 2024 |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings |access-date=6 December 2023 |website=Top Universities |language=en |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104115634/https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities |url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2023 |access-date=6 December 2023 |website=www.shanghairanking.com |archive-date=29 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929224804/https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> Of the top 20 Latin American universities, eight are Brazilian; most are public. Attending an institution of higher education is required by Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education. Kindergarten, elementary and medium education are required of all students.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QS University Rankings Latin America |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/latin-american-university-rankings/2019 |access-date=11 November 2018 |publisher=QS World University Rankings}}</ref>

=== Health === {{Main|Health in Brazil}}

{{See also|Healthcare in Brazil|Sistema Único de Saúde}} [[File:Hospital de Clínicas PMPA.jpg|thumb|The Clinical Hospital of Porto Alegre is academically linked to the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and is part of the SUS, the Brazilian publicly funded health care system]]

The Brazilian public health system, the Unified Health System (''Sistema Único de Saúde'' – SUS), is managed and provided by all levels of government,<ref name="ForgiaCouttolenc2008">{{Cite book |last1=Gerard Martin La Forgia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i3R43xW5KqcC&pg=PA17 |title=Hospital Performance in Brazil: The Search for Excellence |last2=Bernard F. Couttolenc |publisher=World Bank Publications |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8213-7359-0 |page=17}}</ref> being the largest system of this type in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=20 Anos do SUS |url=http://conselho.saude.gov.br/web_sus20anos/index.html |access-date=13 April 2012 |publisher=Conselho Nacional de Saúde}}</ref> On the other hand, private healthcare systems play a complementary role.<ref name="Wolper2004">{{Cite book |last=Lawrence F. Wolper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zts-QdpDiWUC&pg=PA33 |title=Health Care Administration: Planning, Implementing, and Managing Organized Delivery Systems |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7637-3144-1 |page=33}}</ref> Public health services are universal and offered to all citizens of the country for free. However, the construction and maintenance of health centers and hospitals are financed by taxes, and the country spends about 9% of its GDP on expenditures in the area. In 2021, Brazil had 2.1 doctors and 2.5 hospital beds for every 1,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Physicians (per 1,000 people) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS?locations=BR |website=World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.BEDS.ZS |website=World Health Organization The World Bank}}</ref>

Despite all the progress made since the creation of the universal health care system in 1988, there are still several public health issues in Brazil. In 2023, infant (2.51%) and maternal mortality rates (197.3 deaths per 100,000 births) were still high.<ref name="Radar social" />

The number of deaths from noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases (151.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) and cancer (72.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), also has a considerable impact on the health of the Brazilian population. Finally, external but preventable factors such as car accidents, violence and suicide caused 14.9% of all deaths in the country.<ref name="Radar social">{{Cite web |title=Saúde |url=http://www.planejamento.gov.br/secretarias/upload/Arquivos/spi/programas_projeto/radar_social/2006_PRP_Radar_radarSocial.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081216074831/http://www.planejamento.gov.br/secretarias/upload/Arquivos/spi/programas_projeto/radar_social/2006_PRP_Radar_radarSocial.pdf |archive-date=16 December 2008 |access-date=10 June 2008 |website=Radar social |publisher=Ministério do Planejamento}}</ref> The Brazilian health system was ranked 125th among the 191 countries evaluated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/wgreene/Statistics/WHO-COMP-Study-30.pdf |title= Measuring overall health system performance for 191 countries |author= Ajay Tandon, Christopher JL Murray, Jeremy A Lauer, David B Evans |date= |page= 20 |issn= |doi= |pmid=|publisher= World Health Organization |volume= |issue= |access-date= 27 March 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20260327093317/https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/wgreene/Statistics/WHO-COMP-Study-30.pdf|archive-date= 27 March 2026 }}</ref>

== Culture == {{Main|Culture of Brazil}}

[[File:Desfile Portela 2014 (906185).jpg|thumb|Parade of Portela samba school at the Rio Carnival, the largest carnival in the world<ref name="Guiness">[http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-11000/largest-carnival/ Largest Carnival] ''Guinness World Records''.</ref>]] The core culture of Brazil is derived from Portuguese culture, due to its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese Empire.<ref name="Meade2009">{{Cite book |author=Teresa A. Meade |author-link=Teresa Meade |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e6Jw-KNq2QUC&pg=PA146 |title=A Brief History of Brazil |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8160-7788-5 |page=146}}</ref> Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles. Brazilian culture was also strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions.<ref name="Levinson1998">{{Cite book |last=David Levinson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uwi-rv3VV6cC&pg=PA325 |title=Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-57356-019-1 |page=325}}</ref>

Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions of Italian, German and other European as well as Japanese, Jewish and Arab immigrants who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil during the 19th and 20th centuries.<ref name="Lesser2013a">{{Cite book |last=Jeffrey Lesser |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJW029DYOZoC&pg=PA150 |title=Immigration, Ethnicity, and National Identity in Brazil, 1808 to the Present |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-521-19362-7 |pages=150–55}}</ref> The indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil's language and cuisine; and the Africans influenced language, cuisine, music, dance and religion.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Freyre |first=Gilberto |year=1986 |title=The Afro-Brazilian experiment: African influence on Brazilian culture |publisher=UNESCO |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1310/is_1986_May-June/ai_4375022 |access-date=8 June 2008}}</ref>

Brazilian art has developed since the 16th century into different styles that range from Baroque (the dominant style in Brazil until the early 19th century)<ref>Leandro Karnal, ''Teatro da fé: Formas de representação religiosa no Brasil e no México do século XVI'', São Paulo, Editora Hucitec, 1998; available on [http://www.fflch.usp.br/dh/ceveh/public_html/biblioteca/livros/teatro_fe/index.htm fflch.usp.br] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724010418/http://www.fflch.usp.br/dh/ceveh/public_html/biblioteca/livros/teatro_fe/index.htm |date=24 July 2013 }}</ref><ref name="itaucultural.org.br">[http://www.itaucultural.org.br/aplicExternas/enciclopedia_IC/index.cfm?fuseaction=termos_texto_ing&cd_verbete=3738&lst_palavras=&cd_idioma=28556&cd_item=8 "The Brazilian Baroque"], ''Encyclopaedia Itaú Cultural'' {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430001754/http://www.itaucultural.org.br/aplicExternas/enciclopedia_IC/index.cfm?fuseaction=termos_texto_ing&cd_verbete=3738&lst_palavras=&cd_idioma=28556&cd_item=8 |date=30 April 2011 }}</ref> to Romanticism, Modernism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstractionism. Brazilian cinema dates back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century and has gained a new level of international acclaim since the 1960s.<ref name="Marsh2012">{{Cite book |last=Leslie Marsh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5F7E6BQ5ukC&pg=PA3 |title=Brazilian Women's Filmmaking: From Dictatorship to Democracy |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-252-09437-8 |page=3}}</ref>

=== Architecture === {{Main|Architecture of Brazil}}

[[File:Catedral1 Rodrigo Marfan.jpg|thumb|The Cathedral of Brasília, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer for the federal capital, an example of Modern architecture]]

The architecture of Brazil is influenced by Europe, especially Portugal. It has a history that goes back 500 years to the time, when Pedro Álvares Cabral landed in Brazil in 1500. Portuguese colonial architecture was the first wave of architecture to go to Brazil.<ref>Hue, Jorge de Souza (1999). Uma visão da arquitectura colonial no Brasil [A vision of Colonial Architecture in Brazil] (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro.</ref> It is the basis for all Brazilian architecture of later centuries.<ref>Boxer, Charles Ralph (1962). The Golden Age of Brazil, 1695–1750: Growing Pains of a Colonial Society. University of California Press.</ref> In the 19th century, during the time of the Empire of Brazil, the country followed European trends and adopted Neoclassical and Gothic Revival architecture. Then, in the 20th century, especially in Brasília, Brazil experimented with modernist architecture.

The colonial architecture of Brazil dates to the early 16th century, when Brazil was first explored, conquered and settled by the Portuguese. The Portuguese built architecture familiar to them in Europe in their aim to colonize Brazil. They built Portuguese colonial architecture, which included churches and civic architecture, including houses and forts, in Brazilian cities and the countryside.<ref name="Guimaraens" />

During the 19th century, Brazilian architecture saw the introduction of more European styles to Brazil, such as Neoclassical and Gothic Revival architecture. This was usually mixed with Brazilian influences from their own heritage.<ref name="Guimaraens">Guimaraens, Cêça de. [http://www.mre.gov.br/cdbrasil/itamaraty/web/port/artecult/arqurb/arquitet/index.htm ''Arquitetura''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030908051315/http://www.mre.gov.br/CDBRASIL/ITAMARATY/WEB/port/artecult/arqurb/arquitet/index.htm |date=8 September 2003 }}. Portal do Ministério das Relações Exteriores.</ref> In the 1950s modernist architecture was introduced when Brasília was built as a new federal capital in the interior of Brazil to help develop the interior. The architect Oscar Niemeyer idealized and built government buildings, churches and civic buildings in the modernist style.<ref name="Claro">Claro, Mauro. [http://www.vitruvius.com.br/revistas/read/drops/09.025/1775 "Ambientes modernos. A casa modernista da Rua Santa Cruz, de Gregori Warchavchik, e outras casas da modernidade"]. In: ''Drops'', 2008; 09 (025.03)</ref>

=== Visual arts === {{Main|Brazilian painting}}

[[File:Mural painting "Entry into the Forest" by Candido Portinari, on the vestibule wall of the Hispanic Reading room, Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C LCCN2011631432.tif|thumb|''Entry in the Forest'' mural at the Thomas Jefferson Building by Candido Portinari, one of the most important Brazilian painters]]

Brazilian painting emerged in the late 16th century,<ref>Louzada, Maria Alice & Louzada, Julio. [http://www.juliolouzada.com.br/primeirosmomentos.asp ''Os Primeiros Momentos da Arte Brasileira''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706153216/http://www.juliolouzada.com.br/primeirosmomentos.asp |date=6 July 2011 }}. Júlio Louzada Artes Plásticas Brasil. Acesso 5 out 2010</ref> influenced by Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Cubism and Abstracionism making it a major art style called Brazilian academic art.<ref>Leite, José Roberto Teixeira & Lemos, Carlos A.C. ''Os Primeiros Cem Anos'', in Civita, Victor. ''Arte no Brasil''. São Paulo: Abril Cultural, 1979</ref><ref name="Biscardi" />

The French Artistic Mission arrived in Brazil in 1816 proposing the creation of an art academy modeled after the respected Académie des Beaux-Arts, with graduation courses both for artists and craftsmen for activities such as modeling, decorating, carpentry and others and bringing artists such as Jean-Baptiste Debret.<ref name="Biscardi">{{harvnb|Biscardi|Rocha|2006}}</ref>

Upon the creation of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, new artistic movements spread across the country during the 19th century and later the event called Modern Art Week broke with academic tradition in 1922 and started a nationalist trend which was influenced by modernist arts.<ref name="Amaral">{{Cite journal |last1=Amaral |first1=Aracy |last2=Kim Mrazek Hastings |year=1995 |title=Stages in the Formation of Brazil's Cultural Profile |journal=Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts |volume=21 |pages=9–25 |doi=10.2307/1504129 |jstor=1504129}}</ref>

Among the best-known Brazilian painters are Ricardo do Pilar and Manoel da Costa Ataíde (baroque and rococo), Victor Meirelles, Pedro Américo and Almeida Júnior (romanticism and realism), Anita Malfatti, Ismael Nery, Lasar Segall, Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, Vicente do Rego Monteiro, and Tarsila do Amaral (expressionism, surrealism and cubism), Aldo Bonadei, José Pancetti and Candido Portinari (modernism).<ref>Sevcenko, Nicolau. Pindorama revisitada: cultura e sociedade em tempos de virada. Série Brasil cidadão. Editora Peirópolis, 2000. pp. 39–47</ref>

=== Music === {{Main|Music of Brazil}}

[[File:Tom Jobim e Chico Buarque no Festival Internacional da Canção (FIC) restored.jpg|thumb|Tom Jobim, one of the creators of ''bossa nova'', and Chico Buarque, one of the leading names of MPB]]

The music of Brazil was formed mainly from the fusion of European, Native Indigenous, and African elements.<ref name="FonsecaWeiner1991">{{Cite book |last1=Duduka Da Fonseca |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HuZQUm_hhygC&pg=PA7 |title=Brazilian Rhythms for Drumset |last2=Bob Weiner |publisher=Alfred Music Publishing |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-7692-0987-6 |page=7}}</ref> Until the nineteenth century, Portugal was the gateway to most of the influences that built Brazilian music, although many of these elements were not of Portuguese origin, but generally European. The first was José Maurício Nunes Garcia, author of sacred pieces with an influence of Viennese classicism.<ref name="Grazia2013">{{Cite book |last=Donna M. Di Grazia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qyPz1PUFxW8C&pg=PA457 |title=Nineteenth-Century Choral Music |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-136-29409-9 |page=457 |author-link=Donna Di Grazia}}</ref> The major contribution of the African element was the rhythmic diversity and some dances and instruments.<ref name="FonsecaWeiner1991" />

Popular music since the late eighteenth century, samba was considered the most typical and on the UNESCO cultural heritage list.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNESCO Culture Sector – Intangible Heritage – 2003 Convention |url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?RL=00101 |access-date=4 June 2013 |publisher=Unesco.org}}</ref> Samba-reggae, Axé, Maracatu, Frevo and Afoxê are four music traditions that have been popularized by their appearance in the annual Brazilian Carnivals.<ref name="Crook2009">{{Cite book |last=Larry Crook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Skjwor64MXwC&pg=PA78 |title=Focus: Music of Northeast Brazil |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-415-96066-3 |page=78}}</ref> Capoeira is usually played with its own music referred to as capoeira music, which is usually considered to be a call-and-response type of folk music.<ref name="Fryer2000">{{Cite book |last=Peter Fryer |url=https://archive.org/details/rhythmsofresista0000frye |title=Rhythms of Resistance: African Musical Heritage in Brazil |publisher=Pluto Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7453-0731-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rhythmsofresista0000frye/page/39 39] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Forró is a type of folk music prominent during the Festa Junina in northeastern Brazil.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 December 2015 |title=Brazil From A TO Z: FORRÓ |url=http://brazilianexperience.com/brazil-from-a-to-z-forro/ |website=Brazilian Experience}}</ref> Jack A. Draper III, a professor of Portuguese at the University of Missouri,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jack A. Draper III |url=https://romancelanguages.missouri.edu/people/draper |website=Romance Languages and Literatures: University of Missouri}}</ref> argues that Forró was used as a way to subdue feelings of nostalgia for a rural lifestyle.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Draper |first=Jack A. III |title=Forró and redemptive regionalism from the Brazilian northeast: popular music in a culture of migration |publisher=Lang |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4331-1076-4 |location=New York |oclc=643568832}}</ref>

Choro is a popular musical instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th-century Rio de Janeiro. The style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by subtle modulations and full of syncopation and counterpoint.<ref name="MacGowanPessanha1998">{{Cite book |last1=MacGowan |first1=Chris |url=https://archive.org/details/braziliansoundsa00mcgowa |title=The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil |last2=Pessanha |first2=Ricardo |publisher=Temple University Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-56639-545-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/braziliansoundsa00mcgowa/page/159 159]–61 |url-access=registration}}</ref> lambada and Carimbó achieved success in Latin music, originating from Pará.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://americanlambada.org/patrons-history|title=Our Patron's History: Awards|publisher=American Lambada Organization}}</ref> Bossa nova is also a well-known style of Brazilian music developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s.{{sfnp|MacGowan|Pessanha|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=7MFD-EoTR7MC&pg=PA6 6]}} The phrase "bossa nova" means literally 'new trend'.<ref name="Kassing2007">{{Cite book |last=Gayle Kassing |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofdancein00kass |title=History of Dance: An Interactive Arts Approach |publisher=Human Kinetics 10% |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7360-6035-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofdancein00kass/page/236 236] |url-access=registration}}</ref> A lyrical fusion of samba and jazz, bossa nova acquired a large following starting in the 1960s.<ref name="Campbell2011b">{{Cite book |last=Michael Campbell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rK5DMAZsuAgC&pg=PT299 |title=Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes on |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-8400-2976-8 |page=299}}</ref>

=== Literature === {{Main|Brazilian literature}}{{Multiple image | align = | direction = | total_width = 300 | image1 = Machado de Assis aos 57 anos (cropped).jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = Machado de Assis (1839–1908), poet and novelist, founder of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, is associated with romanticism and literary realism | image2 = (1920-1977) Clarice Lispector 6zxkp please credit(palette.fm) (cropped).png | caption2 = Clarice Lispector (1920–1977), novelist and short story writer, whose work engages themes of intimacy and introspection | footer = }} Brazilian literature dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such as Pero Vaz de Caminha, filled with descriptions of fauna, flora and commentary about the indigenous population that fascinated European readers.{{sfnp|Crocitti|Vallance|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VhkvhllLooUC&pg=PA360 360]}}

Brazil produced significant works in Romanticism—novelists such as Joaquim Manuel de Macedo and José de Alencar wrote novels about love and pain. Alencar, in his long career, also treated indigenous people as heroes in the Indigenist novels ''O Guarani'', ''Iracema'' and ''Ubirajara''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110725100730/http://www.brasembottawa.org/en/culture_academic/literature.html "Brazilian Literature: An Introduction"]. [http://ottawa.itamaraty.gov.br/pt-br/ Embassy of Brasil – Ottawa]. Visited on 2 November 2009.</ref> Machado de Assis, one of his contemporaries, wrote in virtually all genres and continues to gain international prestige from critics worldwide.<ref>Candido; Antonio. (1970) ''Vários escritos''. São Paulo: Duas Cidades. p. 18</ref><ref>Caldwell, Helen (1970) ''Machado de Assis: The Brazilian Master and his Novels''. Berkeley, Los Angeles and London, University of California Press.</ref><ref>Fernandez, Oscar Machado de Assis: The Brazilian Master and His Novels The ''Modern Language Journal'', Vol. 55, No. 4 (Apr. 1971), pp. 255–56</ref>

Brazilian Modernism, evidenced by the Modern Art Week in 1922, was concerned with a nationalist avant-garde literature,<ref>Beatriz Mugayar Kühl, ''Arquitetura do ferro e arquitetura ferroviária em São Paulo: reflexões sobre a sua preservação'', p. 202. Atelie Editorial, 1998.</ref> while Post-Modernism brought a generation of distinct poets such as João Cabral de Melo Neto, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Vinicius de Moraes, Cora Coralina, Graciliano Ramos, Cecília Meireles, and internationally known writers dealing with universal and regional subjects such as Jorge Amado, João Guimarães Rosa, Clarice Lispector and Manuel Bandeira.<ref>Daniel Balderston and Mike Gonzalez, ''Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900–2003'', p. 288. Routledge, 2004.</ref><ref>Sayers, ''Portugal and Brazil in Transitn'', "Literature". U of Minnesota Press, 1 January 1999.</ref><ref>Marshall C. Eakin and Paulo Roberto de Almeida, ''Envisioning Brazil: A Guide to Brazilian Studies in the United States'': "Literature, Culture and Civilization". University of Wisconsin Press, 31 October 2005.</ref>

Brazil's most significant literary award is the Camões Prize, which it shares with the rest of the Portuguese-speaking world. As of 2016, Brazil has eleven recipients of the prize.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prêmio Camões de Literatura | Biblioteca Nacional |url=https://www.bn.br/explore/premios-literarios/premio-camoes-literatura |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316050256/http://www.bn.br/explore/premios-literarios/premio-camoes-literatura |archive-date=16 March 2016 |access-date=26 January 2017 |website=Bn.br |language=pt}}</ref> Brazil also holds its own literary academy, the Brazilian Academy of Letters, a non-profit cultural organization aimed at perpetuating the care of the national language and literature.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 August 2014 |title=Quem somos | Academia Brasileira de Letras |url=http://www.academia.org.br/academia/quem-somos |access-date=26 January 2017 |website=Academia.org.br |language=pt}}</ref>

=== Theatre === [[File:Augusto Boal nyc3.jpg|thumb|Augusto Boal presenting a workshop on the Theatre of the Oppressed at Riverside Church in New York City in 2008]]

The theatre in Brazil has its origins in the period of Jesuit expansion, when theater was used for the dissemination of Catholic doctrine in the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, dramatists on the scene of European derivation were for court or private performances.<ref>[http://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biografia/padre-anchieta.htm Padre Anchieta] ''Brasil Escola''.</ref> During the 19th century, the playwrights Antônio Gonçalves Dias and Luís Carlos Martins Pena were known for their performance.<ref name=teatro>{{cite web|url=http://www.brasembottawa.org/en/culture_academic/theater.html |title=Brazilian Theatre: An Introduction |publisher=Ambasciata brasiliana a Ottawa |language=english |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205061026/http://www.brasembottawa.org/en/culture_academic/theater.html |archive-date= 5 February 2012 }}</ref> There were also numerous operas and orchestras. The Brazilian conductor Antônio Carlos Gomes became internationally known with operas such as ''Il Guarany''. At the end of the 19th century, orchestrated dramaturgias were accompanied with songs of famous artists such as the conductress Chiquinha Gonzaga.<ref>[http://www.arte.seed.pr.gov.br/modules/conteudo/conteudo.php?conteudo=196 O Teatro no Brasil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224122845/http://www.arte.seed.pr.gov.br/modules/conteudo/conteudo.php?conteudo=196 |date=24 February 2021 }} ''Secretaria da Educação do Paraná''.</ref>

Already in the early 20th century there was the presence of theaters, entrepreneurs and actor companies. In 1940, Paschoal Carlos Magno and his student's theater, the comedians group and the Italian actors Adolfo Celi, Ruggero Jacobbi and Aldo Calvo, founders of the ''Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia'', renewed the Brazilian theater. From the 1960s, it was attended by a theater dedicated to social and religious issues. The most prominent authors at this stage were Jorge Andrade and Ariano Suassuna.<ref name=teatro />

=== Cinema === {{Main|Cinema of Brazil}}

[[File:Palácio dos Festivais de Gramado.jpg|thumb|Gramado Film Festival, the biggest film festival in the country]] The Brazilian film industry began in the late 19th century, during the early days of the {{lang|fr|Belle Époque|italic=no}}. While there were national film productions during the early 20th century, American films such as ''Rio the Magnificent'' were made in Rio de Janeiro to promote tourism in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rio the Magnificent (1932) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Q1kITY168 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107002139/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Q1kITY168 |archive-date=7 November 2015 |access-date=19 October 2015 |website=YouTube| date=18 April 2008 }}</ref> The films {{lang|pt|Limite}} (1931) and ''Ganga Bruta'' (1933), the latter being produced by Adhemar Gonzaga through the prolific studio Cinédia, were poorly received at release and failed at the box office, but are acclaimed nowadays and placed among the finest Brazilian films of all time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Larry |first=Rohter |date=9 November 2010 |title=Brazil's Best, Restored and Ready for a 21st-Century Audience |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/movies/10cinema.html |url-access=limited |access-date=3 November 2010 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/movies/10cinema.html |archive-date=1 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The 1941 unfinished film ''It's All True'' was divided into four segments, two of which were filmed in Brazil and directed by Orson Welles; it was originally produced as part of the United States' Good Neighbor Policy during Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo.

During the 1960s, the Cinema Novo movement rose to prominence with directors such as Glauber Rocha, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Paulo César Saraceni and Arnaldo Jabor. Glauber Rocha's films ''Black God, White Devil'' (1964) and ''Entranced Earth'' (1967) are considered to be some of the greatest and most influential in Brazilian film history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tose |first=Juliano |title=Editorial |url=http://www.contracampo.com.br/27/frames.htm |access-date=19 October 2015 |website=Contracampo – revista de cinema |publisher=Revista Contracampo}}</ref> Rocha won the Best Director Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival for ''Antonio das Mortes'' and the 1977 Special Jury Prize for Best Short Film for ''Di''.

During the 1990s, Brazil saw a surge of critical and commercial success with films such as ''O Quatrilho'' (Fábio Barreto, 1995), ''O Que É Isso, Companheiro?'' (Bruno Barreto, 1997) and ''Central do Brasil'' (Walter Salles, 1998), all of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the latter receiving a Best Actress nomination for Fernanda Montenegro. The 2002 crime film ''City of God'', directed by Fernando Meirelles, was critically acclaimed, scoring 90% on Rotten Tomatoes,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cidade de Deus (City of God) (2003) – Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/city_of_god/#top-critics-numbers |access-date=19 October 2015 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=17 January 2003 |publisher=Flixster}}</ref> being placed in Roger Ebert's Best Films of the Decade list<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |title=The best films of the decade |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/the-best-films-of-the-decade |access-date=19 October 2015 |website=RogerEbert.com|date=14 December 2012 }}</ref> and receiving four Academy Award nominations in 2004, including Best Director. Notable film festivals in Brazil include the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro International Film Festivals and the Gramado Festival.

The film ''I'm Still Here'', directed by Walter Salles, was nominated for Best Actress (Torres) and Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards,<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 January 2025 |title='I'm Still Here' makes history as first Brazilian film nominated for Best Picture at 2025 Oscars |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2524041/im-still-here-makes-history-as-first-brazilian-film-nominated-for-best-picture-at-2025-oscars |access-date=23 January 2025 |website=The Express Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leite |first=Marcelo |date=23 January 2025 |title=Oscars 2025: I'm Still Here's Best Picture Nomination Explained (& When You Can Watch It) |url=https://screenrant.com/im-still-here-movie-oscars-2025-best-picture-nominee-explained/ |access-date=23 January 2025 |website=Screen Rant}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=Clayton |title='I'm Still Here' Makes Oscar History as First Brazilian Film to Win International Feature Category |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/oscars-im-still-here-first-brazilian-film-win-international-feature-1236322916/ |website=Variety |date=3 March 2025}}</ref> and won Best International Feature Film, becoming the first-ever Brazilian produced film to win an Academy Award.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnes |first=Barnes |date=2 March 2025 |title=Kieran Culkin Wins Best Supporting Actor for 'A Real Pain' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/02/movies/oscars-academy-awards |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The film ''The Secret Agent'' had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2025, where it won the Best Actor prize for Wagner Moura, the Best Director prize for Mendonça and the FIPRESCI Prize. It received further widespread critical acclaim.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berkani |first=Mohamed |date=19 May 2025 |title=Festival de Cannes 2025: "O agente secreto", extraordinaire plongée dans le Brésil de la dictature militaire des années 1970 dans un passionnant thriller |trans-title=Cannes Film Festival 2025: "The Secret Agent", extraordinary dive into Brazil of the military dictatorship of the 1970s in an exciting thriller |url=https://www.franceinfo.fr/culture/cinema/festival-de-cannes/critiques/festival-de-cannes-2025-o-agente-secreto-extraordinaire-plongee-dans-le-bresil-de-la-dictature-militaire-des-annees-1970-dans-un-passionnant-thriller_7258776.html |website=France Info |language=fr |quote=Treize minutes de standing ovation pour Kleber Mendonça Filho et son équipe après la projection de son dernier opus, ''O agente secreto (L'Agent secret)'' |trans-quote=Thirteen minutes of standing ovation for Kleber Mendonça Filho and his team after the screening of his latest opus, ''O agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)''}}</ref>

=== Media === {{Main|Telecommunications in Brazil|Television in Brazil}}

{{See also|Concentration of media ownership#Brazil|Mass media regulation in Brazil}} [[File:Jornal Nacional 3.jpg|thumb|Former President Dilma Rousseff at ''Jornal Nacional'' news program. Rede Globo is the world's second-largest commercial television network.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rede Globo se torna a 2ª maior emissora do mundo |url=http://ofuxico.terra.com.br/noticias-sobre-famosos/rede-globo-se-torna-a-2-maior-emissora-do-mundo/2012/05/11-139187.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514045322/http://ofuxico.terra.com.br/noticias-sobre-famosos/rede-globo-se-torna-a-2-maior-emissora-do-mundo/2012/05/11-139187.html |archive-date=14 May 2012 |access-date=22 May 2012 |publisher=O Fuxico |language=pt}}</ref>]]

The Brazilian press was officially born in Rio de Janeiro on 13 May 1808 with the creation of the Royal Printing National Press by the Prince Regent John.<ref name="EchevarríaPupo-Walker1996">{{Cite book |last1=Roberto Gonzalez Echevarría |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97NoYRx96ZAC&pg=PA13 |title=The Cambridge History of Latin American Literature |last2=Enrique Pupo-Walker |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-521-41035-9 |page=13}}</ref> The {{lang|pt|Gazeta do Rio de Janeiro}}, the first newspaper published in the country, began to circulate on 10 September 1808.<ref name="Johnston2003">{{Cite book |last=Donald H. Johnston |title=Encyclopedia of international media and communications |publisher=Academic Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-12-387671-3 |volume=3 |page=130}}</ref> The largest newspapers nowadays are {{lang|pt|Folha de S.Paulo}}, ''O Globo'', and ''O Estado de S. Paulo''.<ref name="Vincent2003B">{{Cite book |last=Jon S. Vincent |url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof0000vinc |title=Culture and Customs of Brazil |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-313-30495-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof0000vinc/page/97 97]–100 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

Radio broadcasting began on 7 September 1922, with a speech by then President Epitácio Pessoa, and was formalized on 20 April 1923 with the creation of the "Radio Society of Rio de Janeiro".<ref name="McCann2004">{{Cite book |last=Bryan McCann |url=https://archive.org/details/hellohellobrazil00mcca |title=Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8223-3273-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hellohellobrazil00mcca/page/22 22] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Television in Brazil began officially on 18 September 1950, with the founding of TV Tupi by Assis Chateaubriand.<ref name="Ward2007">{{Cite book |last=David Ward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zdEs1Av1CvAC&pg=PA28 |title=Television and Public Policy: Change and Continuity in an Era of Global Liberalization |publisher=Routledge |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-203-87728-9 |page=28}}</ref> Since then, television has grown in the country, creating large commercial broadcast networks such as Globo, SBT, RecordTV, Bandeirantes and RedeTV.

By the mid-1960s, Brazilian universities had installed mainframe computers from IBM and Burroughs Large Systems. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Brazilian government restricted foreign imports to protect the local manufacturing of computers. In the 1980s, Brazil produced half of the computers sold in the country. By 2009, the mobile phone and Internet use in Brazil was the fifth largest in the world.<ref>{{Cite book|title= Computer: A History of the Information Machine | author1=Martin Campbell-Kelly | author2= William F. Aspray | author3= Jeffrey R. Yost | author4= Honghong Tinn | author5= Gerardo Con Díaz |publisher= Taylor & Francis |year=2023 |isbn= 978-1-00-087875-2 }}</ref> As of early 2025, internet penetration in Brazil stood at 86.2% of the total population (183 million individuals), and the ratio of cellular mobile connections to the total population was 102% (217 million active connections).<ref>{{cite web |title=Digital 2025: Brazil|url=https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-brazil |website=DataReportal – Global Digital Insights |date=March 3, 2025 |access-date=12 November 2025}}</ref>

In May 2010, the Brazilian government launched TV Brasil Internacional, an international television station, initially broadcasting to 49 countries.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 May 2010 |title=Brazil launches international TV station for Africa |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10152301 |access-date=30 October 2010}}</ref> Commercial television channels broadcast internationally include Globo Internacional, RecordTV Internacional and Band Internacional.

=== Cuisine === {{Main|Brazilian cuisine}}

[[File:Feijoada à brasileira -.jpg|thumb|Feijoada is the national dish of Brazilian cuisine]]

Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's varying mix of indigenous and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.<ref name="Encarta 4">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Way of Life |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=MSN |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_4/Brazil.html |access-date=8 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029035059/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554342_4/Brazil.html |archive-date=29 October 2009 }}</ref> Some of the most well known Brazilian foods are the feijoada, considered the country's national dish;<ref>Roger, [http://www.braziltravelguide.com/feijoada-the-brazilian-national-dish.html "Feijoada: The Brazilian national dish"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129154026/http://www.braziltravelguide.com/feijoada-the-brazilian-national-dish.html |date=29 November 2009 }} braziltravelguide.com.</ref> and churrasco, a kind of barbecue which is often served in rodízio style. Other regional foods include beijú, feijão tropeiro, vatapá, moqueca, polenta (from Italian cuisine) and acarajé (from African cuisine).<ref>Cascudo, Luis da Câmara. História da Alimentação no Brasil. São Paulo/Belo Horizonte: Editora USP/Itatiaia, 1983.</ref> The national beverage is coffee; cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from sugar cane and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, Caipirinha.<ref name="Bayor2011">{{Cite book |last=Bayor |first=Ronald H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJW79Rlu-igC&pg=PA181 |title=Multicultural America: An Encyclopedia of the Newest Americans |publisher=Georgia Institute of Technology |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-313-35786-2 |page=181}}</ref>

A typical meal consists mostly of rice and beans with beef, salad, french fries and a fried egg.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Barbosa, Lívia |year=2007 |title=Feijão com arroz e arroz com feijão: o Brasil no prato dos brasileiros |journal=Horizontes Antropológicos |volume=13 |issue=28 |pages=87–116 |doi=10.1590/S0104-71832007000200005 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Often, it is mixed with cassava flour (farofa). Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and served in most typical restaurants.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ferraccioli, Patrícia |last2=Silveira, Eliane Augusta da |year=2010 |title=Cultural feeding influence on palative memories in the usual brazilian cuisine |url=http://bases.bireme.br/cgi-bin/wxislind.exe/iah/online/?IsisScript=iah/iah.xis&base=BDENF&lang=p&nextAction=lnk&exprSearch=18716&indexSearch=ID |journal=Rev. Enferm. UERJ |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=198–203 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |access-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224033750/http://bases.bireme.br/cgi-bin/wxislind.exe/iah/online/?IsisScript=iah/iah.xis&base=BDENF&lang=p&nextAction=lnk&exprSearch=18716&indexSearch=ID }}</ref> Popular snacks are pastel (a fried pastry); coxinha (a variation of chicken croquete); pão de queijo (cheese bread and cassava flour / tapioca); pamonha (corn and milk paste); esfirra (a variation of Lebanese pastry); kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine); and empada (pastry), little salt pies filled with shrimps or heart of palm.

Brazil has a variety of desserts such as brigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls), bolo de rolo (roll cake with goiabada), cocada (a coconut sweet), beijinhos (coconut truffles and clove) and Romeu e Julieta (cheese with goiabada). Peanuts are used to make paçoca, rapadura and pé de moleque. Local common fruits such as açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, cocoa, cashew, guava, orange, lime, passionfruit, pineapple, and hog plum are turned into juices and used to make chocolates, ice pops and ice cream.<ref>Freyre, Gilberto. Açúcar. Uma Sociologia do Doce, com Receitas de Bolos e Doces do Nordeste do Brasil. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 1997.</ref>

=== Sports === {{Main|Sport in Brazil}} {{See also|Brazil at the Olympics|Brazil at the Paralympics}} [[File:Seleção Brasileira na Copa do Mundo de 1950.tif|thumb|The Brazil national team at the 1950 World Cup]]

The most popular sport in Brazil is football.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Futebol, o esporte mais popular do Brasil, é destaque no Via Legal |url=http://justica-federal.jusbrasil.com.br/noticias/74894/futebol-o-esporte-mais-popular-do-brasil-e-destaque-no-via-legal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330164959/http://justica-federal.jusbrasil.com.br/noticias/74894/futebol-o-esporte-mais-popular-do-brasil-e-destaque-no-via-legal |archive-date=30 March 2012 |access-date=16 April 2011 |publisher=Jusbrasil.com.br}}</ref> The Brazilian men's national team is ranked among the best in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings, and has won the World Cup tournament a record five times.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 April 2008 |title=Football in Brazil |url=https://www.fifa.com/associations/association=bra/goalprogramme/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604173556/http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=bra/goalprogramme/index.html |archive-date=4 June 2007 |access-date=6 June 2008 |website=Goal Programme |publisher=International Federation of Association Football}}</ref><ref>Zirin, 2014. Chapter 4 ''"Futebol: The Journey from Daring to Fear"''</ref>

Volleyball, basketball, auto racing and martial arts also has large audiences. The Brazil men's national volleyball team currently holds the titles of the World League, World Grand Champions Cup, World Championship and the World Cup. In auto racing, three Brazilian drivers have won the Formula One world championship eight times.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Donaldson |first=Gerald |title=Emerson Fittipaldi |url=http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/hall_of_fame/282/ |access-date=6 June 2008 |website=Hall of Fame |publisher=The Official Formula 1 Website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Donaldson |first=Gerald |title=Nelson Piquet |url=http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/hall_of_fame/181/ |access-date=6 June 2008 |website=Hall of Fame |publisher=The Official Formula 1 Website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Donaldson |first=Gerald |title=Ayrton Senna |url=http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_drivers/hall_of_fame/45/ |access-date=6 June 2008 |website=Hall of Fame |publisher=The Official Formula 1 Website}}</ref> The country has also produced significant achievements in other sports such as sailing, swimming, tennis, surfing, skateboarding, MMA, gymnastics, boxing, judo, athletics and table tennis.

Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil: beach football,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beach Soccer |url=https://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/beachsoccer/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070623115807/http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/beachsoccer/index.html |archive-date=23 June 2007 |access-date=6 June 2008 |publisher=International Federation of Association Football}}</ref> futsal (indoor football)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Futsal |url=https://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/futsal/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070603161352/http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/futsal/index.html |archive-date=3 June 2007 |access-date=6 June 2008 |publisher=International Federation of Association Football}}</ref> and footvolley emerged in Brazil as variations of football. In martial arts, Brazilians developed Capoeira,<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 September 2006 |title=The art of capoeira |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2005/09/13/capoeira_feature.shtml |access-date=6 June 2008 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> Vale tudo<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brazilian Vale Tudo |url=http://valetudo.com.br/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980530081959/http://www.valetudo.com.br/ |archive-date=30 May 1998 |access-date=6 June 2008 |publisher=I.V.C}}</ref> and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation |url=http://www.ibjjf.org/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420155232/http://www.ibjjf.org/index.htm |archive-date=20 April 2008 |access-date=6 June 2008 |publisher=International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation}}</ref>

Brazil has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, such as the 1950 FIFA World Cup,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1950 FIFA World Cup Brazil |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=7/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070603185404/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=7/index.html |archive-date=3 June 2007 |access-date=6 June 2008 |website=Previous FIFA World Cups |publisher=International Federation of Association Football}}</ref> and recently has hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2019 Copa América and 2021 Copa América.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminarydraw/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609044247/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminarydraw/index.html |archive-date=9 June 2008 |access-date=6 June 2008 |publisher=International Federation of Association Football}}</ref> The São Paulo circuit, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, hosts the annual Grand Prix of Brazil.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Official Formula 1 Website |url=http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/brazil_804/circuit_diagram.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604141640/http://www.formula1.com/races/in_detail/brazil_804/circuit_diagram.html |archive-date=4 June 2008 |access-date=6 June 2008 |publisher=Formula One Administration}}</ref> São Paulo organized the IV Pan American Games in 1963, and Rio de Janeiro hosted the XV Pan American Games in 2007.<ref name="LiMacIntosh2011">{{Cite book |last1=Ming Li |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=udBgtzFSlBIC&pg=PA129 |title=International Sport Management |last2=Eric W. MacIntosh |last3=Gonzalo A. Bravo |publisher=Human Kinetics – College of Business at Ohio University |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4504-2241-3 |page=129}}</ref> On 2 October 2009, Rio de Janeiro was selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games and 2016 Paralympic Games, making it the first South American city to host the games<ref name="guardian_olympics">[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/oct/02/olympics-2016-games-rio-pele "Olympics 2016: Tearful Pele and weeping Lula greet historic win for Rio"], ''The Guardian'', 2 October 2009.</ref> and second in Latin America, after Mexico City. Furthermore, the country hosted the FIBA Basketball World Cups in 1954 and 1963. At the 1963 event, the Brazil national basketball team won one of its two world championship titles.<ref name="FIBA History">{{Cite web |date=1 January 2007 |title=FIBA World Championship History (pdf) |url=http://www.fiba.com/downloads/v3_abouFiba/mp/FIBA_world_championships_history.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.fiba.com/downloads/v3_abouFiba/mp/FIBA_world_championships_history.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |access-date=24 February 2012 |publisher=FIBA}}</ref>

== See also == {{Portal|Brazil|Countries|Latin America }} * Outline of Brazil{{clear right}}

== Notes == {{Reflist|group=nt}} {{Notelist}}

== References == {{reflist}}

== Bibliography == {{Refbegin|indent=yes|2}} * Azevedo, Aroldo. ''O Brasil e suas regiões''. São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 1971 * Barman, Roderick J. ''Citizen Emperor: Pedro II and the Making of Brazil, 1825–1891''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999. {{ISBN|0-8047-3510-7}} * {{Citation |last1=Biscardi |first1=Afrânio |title=O Mecenato Artístico de D. Pedro II e o Projeto Imperial |date=May 2006 |url=http://www.dezenovevinte.net/ensino_artistico/mecenato_dpedro.htm |work=19&20 – A revista eletrônica de DezenoveVinte |volume=I |issue=1 |last2=Rocha |first2=Frederico Almeida}} * Boxer, Charles R. ''The Portuguese Seaborne Empire'' (1969) ** ''O império marítimo português 1415–1825''. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002. {{ISBN|85-359-0292-9}} * Bueno, Eduardo. ''Brasil: uma História''. São Paulo: Ática, 2003. {{ISBN|85-08-08213-4}} * Calmon, Pedro. ''História da Civilização Brasileira''. Brasília: Senado Federal, 2002 * Carvalho, José Murilo de. ''D. Pedro II''. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2007 * Coelho, Marcos Amorim. ''Geografia do Brasil''. 4th ed. São Paulo: Moderna, 1996 * Diégues, Fernando. ''A revolução brasílica''. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2004 * ''Enciclopédia Barsa''. Volume 4: Batráquio – Camarão, Filipe. Rio de Janeiro: Encyclopædia Britannica do Brasil, 1987 * {{Cite book |last=Ermakoff |first=George |title=Rio de Janeiro – 1840–1900 – Uma crônica fotográfica |publisher=G. Ermakoff Casa Editorial |year=2006 |isbn=978-85-98815-05-3 |location=Rio de Janeiro |language=pt}} * Fausto, Boris and Devoto, Fernando J. ''Brasil e Argentina: Um ensaio de história comparada (1850–2002)'', 2nd ed. São Paulo: Editoria 34, 2005. {{ISBN|85-7326-308-3}} * Gaspari, Elio. ''A ditadura envergonhada''. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2002. {{ISBN|85-359-0277-5}} * Janotti, Aldo. ''O Marquês de Paraná: inícios de uma carreira política num momento crítico da história da nacionalidade''. Belo Horizonte: Itatiaia, 1990 * Lyra, Heitor. ''História de Dom Pedro II (1825–1891): Ascenção (1825–1870). v. 1''. Belo Horizonte: Itatiaia, 1977 * Lyra, Heitor. ''História de Dom Pedro II (1825–1891): Declínio (1880–1891). v. 3''. Belo Horizonte: Itatiaia, 1977 * Lustosa, Isabel. ''D. Pedro I: um herói sem nenhum caráter''. São Paulo: Companhia das letras, 2006. {{ISBN|85-359-0807-2}} * Moreira, Igor A. G. ''O Espaço Geográfico, geografia geral e do Brasil''. 18. Ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1981 * Munro, Dana Gardner. ''The Latin American Republics; A History''. New York: D. Appleton, 1942. * Peres, Damião (1949) ''O Descobrimento do Brasil por Pedro Álvares Cabral: antecedentes e intencionalidade'' Porto: Portucalense. * Scheina, Robert L. ''Latin America: A Naval History, 1810–1987''. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1987. {{ISBN|0-87021-295-8}} * {{Cite Q|Q18238040|ref={{harvid|Schwarcz|1998}}}} * Stuart B. Schwartz ''Sovereignty and Society in Colonial Brazil'' (1973) ** ''Early Latin America'' (1983) ** ''Sugar Plantations in the Formation of Brazilian Society'' (1985) * Skidmore, Thomas E. ''Brazil: Five Centuries of Change'' (Oxford University Press, 1999) ** ''Uma História do Brasil''. 4th ed. São Paulo: Paz e Terra, 2003. {{ISBN|85-219-0313-8}} * Souza, Adriana Barreto de. ''Duque de Caxias: o homem por trás do monumento''. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira, 2008. {{ISBN|978-85-200-0864-5}}. * {{wikicite|ref={{harvid|Wright|1992}}|reference=Wright, Simon. 1992. ''Villa-Lobos''. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-315475-7}}}} * Vainfas, Ronaldo. ''Dicionário do Brasil Imperial''. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2002. {{ISBN|85-7302-441-0}} * Vesentini, José William. ''Brasil, sociedade e espaço – Geografia do Brasil''. 7th Ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1988 * Vianna, Hélio. ''História do Brasil: período colonial, monarquia e república'', 15th ed. São Paulo: Melhoramentos, 1994 * Zirin, Dave. ''Brazil's Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, The Olympics, and the Fight for Democracy'' Haymarket Books 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-60846-360-2}} {{Refend}}

== Further reading == {{Refbegin|indent=yes|2}} * Alencastro Felipe, Luiz Felipe de. ''The Trade in the Living: The Formation of Brazil in the South Atlantic, Sixteenth to Seventeenth Centuries'' (SUNY Press, 2019) * {{Cite book |last=Alves, Maria Helena Moreira |title=State and Opposition in Military Brazil |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=1985 |location=Austin, TX}} * {{Cite book |last=Amann, Edmund |title=The Illusion of Stability: The Brazilian Economy under Cardoso |publisher=World Development (pp. 1805–19) |year=1990}} * {{Cite web |title=Background Note: Brazil |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640.htm |access-date=16 June 2011 |publisher=US Department of State}} * {{Cite book |last=Bellos, Alex |url=https://archive.org/details/futebolbrazilian0000bell |title=Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing plc |year=2003 |location=London |url-access=registration}} * {{Cite book |last=Bethell, Leslie |title=Colonial Brazil |publisher=CUP |year=1991 |location=Cambridge}} * {{Cite book |last=Costa, João Cruz |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofideasin0000cost |title=A History of Ideas in Brazil |publisher=University of California Press |year=1964 |location=Los Angeles, CA |url-access=registration}} * {{Cite book |last=Fausto, Boris |title=A Concise History of Brazil |publisher=CUP |year=1999 |location=Cambridge}} * {{Cite book |editor-last1=Fischer |editor-first1=Brodwyn |editor-last2=Grinberg |editor-first2=Keila |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/boundaries-of-freedom/7C2447B51A9BFEAAA1359B592FFE5ED6 |title=The Boundaries of Freedom: Slavery, Abolition, and the Making of Modern Brazil |series=Afro-Latin America |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2023 |doi=10.1017/9781108917537 |isbn=978-1-009-28796-8}} * {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Brazil | volume= 4 |last1= Lamoureux |first1= Andrew Jackson |author1-link= |last2= and three others |first2= |author2-link= | pages = 438–463 |short= 1}} * {{Cite book |last=Leal, Victor Nunes |title=Coronelismo: The Municipality and Representative Government in Brazil |publisher=CUP |year=1977 |location=Cambridge}} * Levine, Robert M. ''Historical Dictionary of Brazil'' (2019) * {{Cite book |last=Malathronas, John |title=Brazil: Life, Blood, Soul |publisher=Summersdale |year=2003 |location=Chichester}} * {{Cite book |last=Martinez-Lara, Javier |title=Building Democracy in Brazil: The Politics of Constitutional Change |publisher=Macmillan |year=1995}} * {{Cite book |last=Prado Júnior, Caio |title=The Colonial Background of Modern Brazil |publisher=University of California Press |year=1967 |location=Los Angeles, CA}} * {{Cite book |last=Schneider, Ronald |title=Brazil: Culture and Politics in a New Economic Powerhouse |publisher=Boulder Westview |year=1995}} * {{Cite book |last=Skidmore, Thomas E. |url=https://archive.org/details/blackintowhitera0000skid |title=Black into White: Race and Nationality in Brazilian Thought |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1974 |isbn=978-0-19-501776-2 |location=Oxford |url-access=registration}} * {{Cite book |last=Wagley, Charles |title=An Introduction to Brazil |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=1963 |location=New York, New York}} {{Refend}}

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