Hemisphere: North & South

Continent: South America

Location: Occupies E half of South America. Neighbors: French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela on N

Area: 3,287,612 sq mi, 8,514,877 sq km

Form of Government: Multiparty federal republic with two legislative houses (Federal Senate 81) (Chambers of Deputies 513)

Population: (2007) 189,335,000

Population Density: (2007) persons per sq mi 57.6, persons per sq km 22.2

Principal Language(s): Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, minor Amerindian languages.

Religions: Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 15%, none 7%.

Capital: Brasilia

Capital Population: 2,231,100

Capital Average Temperature: Maximum: 20.6 degrees Celsius, 69.1 degrees Fahrenheit
                                                 
Major Cities: Sao Paulo 10,277,500, Rio de Janeiro 6,094,200, Belo Horizonte 2,375, 300, Porto Alegre 1,386,900, Recife 1,501,000,Salvador 2,672,500, Fortaleza 2,374,000, Curitiba 1,757,900,Campinas 1,028,300, Belem 1,396,800, Golania 1,193,100Manaus 1,634,100 Santos 416,100

Topography: Brazil’s Atlantic coastline stretches4, 603 mi. In N is the heavily wooded Amazon basin covering half the country, its network of rivers navigable for 15,814 mi. the Amazon itself flows 2,093 mi in Brazil, all navigable. The NE region is semiarid scrubland, heavily settled and poor. The S central region, favored by climate and resources has almost half of the population, produces 75% of the farm goods and 80% of industrial output. The narrow coastal belt includes most of the major cities. Almost the entire country has a tropical or semitropical climate.

Economy: G.D.P $1.84 trillion

G.D.P. per Capita: $ 9,700
 
Vital Statistics: Birth rate per 1,000 population (2005): 20.4 (world avg. 20.3).  Death rate per 1,000 population (2005); 14.1 (world avg. 8.6) Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman 2005) 2.30. Life expectancy at birth (2005) male 68.1 years; female 75.8 years

Government Website: www.brasil.gov.br

Reference Sources: The World Almanac 2009, The New York Times Almanac   2009, Time Almanac 2009, World Climate Website.