BRAZIL GENERAL INFORMATION.

Brazil shares a border with nearly every other country in South America and covers almost half the continent. It is the fifth largest country in the world with an area of 8,511,965 square kilometres. Despite its vast expanse of territory, Brazil's population is concentrated in the major cities of its coast. The population is estimated at over 178 million and around 83% live in urban areas. The climate varies - winter conditions, from May to October, in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are similar to those of a British summer. In the southernmost states they are similar to a British Autumn. In the summer (November to April), conditions all over the country are tropical and temperatures can reach 40ºC. In the north, January to April is a season of tropical rains, while in the north-east, around Pernambuco, the rainy season is usually April to July. Most Brazilians take their summer holiday between mid-December to end-February. Business stops for a week either side of Carnival, usually in late February or early March.

The urban sprawls of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo dominate the southern coast. Further north, towns such as Salvador and João Pessoa retain the colonial atmosphere of the early Portuguese settlers. The great interior, much of which is covered by the rainforest basin of the Amazon, remains sparsely settled. Rio de Janeiro remains a major draw due to the long history of tourism and the obvious appeal of the city itself. At 248,000 square Kilometres São Paulo State is about the size of Great Britain. The metropolitan area of São Paulo has a population of around 19 million and comprises some highly industrialised towns São Andre, São Bernardo do Campo, São Caetano do Sul, Diadema and Maua where a large proportion of the country's automotive industry is concentrated. With some 60,000 companies based there, São Paulo has the largest industrial complex in Latin America. The State of Minas Gerais has the second largest economy in Brazil. It has one of the largest cattle herds and is the country's main centre for milk production and dairy products. Its other main sectors are mining and steel. The other main area is Bahia on the North East coast. The area has some stunning beaches and a balmy tropical climate. Almost half of Brazil's territory is covered by the basin of the Amazon River and its tributaries, a region that is one of the world's largest rainforest ecologies.

Brazil emerged from twenty-one years of military rule in 1985 and has had four Presidents since. The dominant theme throughout this time has been the economy and the issue of hyper-inflation was finally defeated in the 1990’s with the introduction of a new currency, the Real (R$), at parity to the US Dollar.

São Paulo: population 34,000,000.

Minas Gerais: population 16,500,000.

Rio de Janeiro: 13,300,000.

Bahia: population 12,400,000. Rio

Grande do Sul: population 9,500,000.

Paraná: population 8,700,000. Pernambuco: 7,400,000.

Ceará: population 6,600,000.

For more information please visit http://www.brazil.org.uk/