南美洲:
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| 巴西 Brazil 首都:巴西利亞 國家代碼: br |
 巴西（The Federative Republic of Brazil，República Federativa do Brasil) 一．【巴西概況】 巴西作為葡萄牙的殖民地長達300年.巴西,葡萄牙語意為"紅木".16世紀.殖民者登上巴西時,發現這裏有一種名貴的樹木,從中可提取歐洲難得的紅色染料,遂將此木稱為"紅木"後演變成國名. 地理位置 巴西聯邦共和國（The Federative Republic of Brazil; República Federativa do Brasil），面積8,547,403平方公裏，位於南美洲東南部，同除智利和厄瓜多爾以外的所有南美洲國傢接壤。北鄰法屬圭亞那、蘇裏南、圭亞那、委內瑞拉和哥倫比亞，西連秘魯、玻利維亞，南接巴拉圭、阿根廷和烏拉圭，東瀕大西洋。國土面積約占南美洲總面積的46%，僅次於俄羅斯、加拿大、中國和美國，為世界第五大國。全境地形分為亞馬遜平原、巴拉圭盆地、巴西高原和圭亞那高原，其中亞馬遜平原約占全國面積的1/3。有亞馬遜、巴拉那和聖弗朗西斯科三大河係。亞馬遜河全長6751公裏，橫貫巴西西北部，在巴流域面積達390萬平方公裏；巴拉那河係包括巴拉那河和巴拉圭河，流經西南部，多激流和瀑布，有豐富的水力資源；聖弗朗西斯科河係全長2900公裏，流經幹旱的東北部，是該地區主要的灌溉水源。海岸綫長7400多公裏，領海寬度為12海裏，領海外專屬經濟區188海裏。 其中，亞馬孫平原是世界上最大的平原，亞馬孫河是世界上最大的河流。 聖保羅是南半球最大的城市。 巴西是南美洲最大的國傢。 氣候特點 大部分地區屬熱帶氣候，南部部分地區為亞熱帶氣候。亞馬遜平原年平均氣溫25～27度，南部地區年平均氣溫16～19度。 人口 2000年人口1.69799億，居拉美首位，世界第五位。城市人口占81.25%，農村人口占18.75%，平均壽命68.8歲，。白種人占54.38%，黑白混血種人占39.88%，黑種人占5.21%，黃種人占0.39%，印第安人約占0.14%。印第安人是巴西土著民族，共有35萬人，分屬227個族，講175種不同的語言，生活在國傢設立的561個印第安人保護區內。 人口東南多，西南少。 歷史與語言 巴西曾受葡萄牙統治，以葡萄牙語為官方語言。然而，巴西的葡萄牙語深受印地安及非洲語言的影響，甚至有些地名、動植物名稱，都是沿用非洲方言。所以，葡萄牙文字典在巴西不是很好用，因為葡萄牙語在巴西，已經和發源地有很大的差異。巴西人通常都聽得懂基本的西班牙語，至於英文，就不太普遍了。 同北京時差： -11.00 國際電話碼： 55 貨幣： 剋魯塞羅雷亞爾 國旗國花與國歌 國旗為緑色長方形中央為黃色菱形，菱形中央是咖啡色圓形。圓形為天球儀，白色綬帶上書以葡萄牙文“秩序與進步”。天球儀上有白色五色星，象徵國傢的26個行政區。緑色和黃色是巴西的國色，緑色象徵森林，黃色象徵礦藏和資源。 國徽的中心圖案是五角星。五角星中央有兩個同心圓，小圓中央有五顆五角星，象徵南十字星座。大圓周圍有22顆五角星，象徵各州和聯邦區。外沿是咖啡葉和煙草葉構成的圓形。下方中央是一把劍。最下端是綬帶，書以葡萄牙文“巴西聯邦共和國1889年11月15日”。日期是共和國成立的日子。 國花為毛蟹爪蘭。 國歌巴西獨立後的第一首國歌，是由頗有音樂才華的佩德羅一世親自創作的。在1822年9月7日宣告巴西獨立的當天，他創作了《啊祖國，啊皇帝，啊人民》的歌麯，並親自在當晚聖保羅的愛國集會上演唱，由合唱隊伴唱，這首歌成為巴西的第一首國歌。佩德羅一世退位後，裏約熱內盧國立音樂學院的創辦者，著名音樂傢弗朗西斯科•達席爾瓦譜寫出一首後來成為巴西國歌的歌麯。1909年著名詩人奧裏索•杜剋•埃斯特拉達重新填詞，經專傢委員會審查，1922年被定為巴西國歌。國歌《聽伊皮蘭加的呼聲》回顧了1822年9月7日佩德羅一世在聖保羅郊外伊皮蘭加河畔發出“不獨立，毋寧死！”呼聲的情景，歌頌祖國獲得了獨立，充滿着巴西人民對祖國的愛戀之情。 政治與經濟 1500年4月22日，葡萄牙航海傢佩德羅•卡布拉爾抵達巴西。他將這片土地命名為“聖十字架”，並宣佈歸葡萄牙所有。由於葡殖民者的掠奪是從砍伐巴西紅木開始的，“紅木”（Brasil）一詞逐漸代替了“聖十字架”，成為巴西國名，並沿用至今，其中文音譯為“巴西”。16世紀30年代葡派遠征隊在巴建立殖民地，1549年任命總督。1807年拿破侖入侵葡萄牙，葡王室遷往巴西。1820年葡王室遷回裏斯本，王子佩德羅留巴任攝政王。1822年9月7日宣佈完全脫離葡萄牙獨立，建立巴西帝國。1889年11月15日豐塞卡將軍發動政變，推翻帝製，成立巴西合衆國。1964年巴軍人政變上臺，1967年改國名為巴西聯邦共和國。1985年3月軍政府還政於民。1989年11月15日，巴舉行了近30年來第一次全民直接選舉，費爾南多•科洛爾當選總統。1992年12月29日，科洛爾總統因涉嫌受賄被迫宣佈辭職，副總統伊塔馬爾•佛朗哥即日接任總統。1994年10月3日，費爾南多•恩裏剋•卡多佐在全國大選中獲勝，1995年1月1日就任巴西第38任總統。1998年10月4日，卡多佐再次當選。1999年1月1日，卡就任巴第39任總統，任期至2002年12月31日。 巴歷史上曾有過幾次大的移民浪潮，僅1884至1962年間遷居巴西的移民即達497萬多人，主要來自葡萄牙、西班牙、意大利、德國、法國、波蘭和阿拉伯國傢。黃種人多來自日本、朝鮮和中國。巴有130萬日本人，25萬華人，主要集中在聖保羅和裏約熱內盧。 全國共分為26個州和1個聯邦區（巴西利亞聯邦區）。州之下設市，全國共有5507個市，15萬人口以上的有79個，100萬以上的有12個（1999年）。各州的名稱如下：阿剋裏，阿拉戈亞斯，亞馬遜，阿馬帕，巴伊亞，塞阿臘，聖埃斯皮裏托，戈亞斯，馬臘尼昂，馬托格羅索，南馬托格羅索，米納斯吉拉斯，巴拉，帕拉伊巴，巴拉那，伯南布哥，皮奧伊，北裏約格朗德，南裏約格朗德，裏約熱內盧， 朗多尼亞， 羅賴馬， 聖卡塔林納，聖保羅，塞爾希培，托坎廷斯。 巴西擁有拉美最為完善的産業體係，經濟實力居拉美首位。歷史上巴曾經一度是單一農業經濟國傢，蔗糖、咖啡等為其主要經濟作物。20世紀初，巴西開始工業化進程。從五十年代起，巴西推行“進口替代”經濟模式，並依靠大量舉藉外債獲得了經濟騰飛，其中1967－1974年經濟年均增長速度達到10.1%，創造了“巴西奇跡”，並初步建立起了較為完整的工業體係。其後近20年的時間裏，巴一直為外債和通貨膨脹所睏擾，經濟發展陷於停頓。1994年7月巴西推出“雷亞爾計劃”，成功控製了惡性通膨，使經濟出現了穩定增長。但財政和經常項目雙赤字問題卻日益嚴重，對外資依賴急劇加深。在東南亞和俄羅斯金融危機衝擊下，巴被迫於1999年初宣佈采取浮動匯率製。雷亞爾兌美元大幅貶值。由於巴政府執行了嚴厲的財政調整措施，增收節支，巴經濟迅速走上恢復之路，2000年經濟增長達4.46%，通膨也基本得到了控製。2001年，受全球經濟不景氣、阿根廷經濟危機和國內電力危機影響，巴經濟增幅下降至2－2.5%左右。 與中國的經濟交往 中國與巴西早在一百多年前就開始了交往，建在裏約熱內盧蒂茹卡國傢公園的中國亭是對於１８１２年來此傳藝的中國茶農永久的紀念。１９７４年８月１５日兩國建交以來，政治、經濟、貿易、文化、科技合作順利發展。兩國高層互訪頻繁。江澤民主席於１９９３年１１月和２００１年４月訪問過巴西。１９９５年１２月，巴西總統卡多佐對中國進行國事訪問。２００４年５月，盧拉總統對中國進行國事訪問，雙方簽署聯合公報。２００４年１１月，鬍錦濤主席對巴西進行國事訪問。兩國政府為建立長期、穩定、互利的戰略夥伴關係作出了不懈努力。１９９９年中巴聯合研製的第一顆地球資源衛星發射成功。２００４年７月，中巴合作生産的支綫飛機首次進入我國國內航空市場。目前，巴西是中國在拉美最大的貿易夥伴，中國是巴西的第二大進口來源國和第二大出口市場。２００７年中國和巴西雙邊貿易額達到２３３．６７億美元。１９８６年１１月２４日，北京同裏約熱內盧結為姊妹城。 巴西與中國貿易總額繼續保持高速增長 漢語進入巴西出租車 國旗： 呈長方形，長與寬之比為１０∶７。旗地為緑色，中間是一個黃色菱形，其四個頂點與旗邊的距離均相等。菱形中間是一個藍色天球儀，其上有一條拱形白帶。緑、黃色是巴西的國色。緑色象徵該國廣阔的叢林，黃色代表豐富的礦藏和資源。天球儀上的拱形白帶將球面分為上下兩部分，下半部象徵南半球星空，其上大小不同的白色五角星代表巴西的２６個州和一個聯邦區。白帶上用葡萄牙文寫着“秩序和進步”。 國徽： 圖案中間突出一顆大五角星，象徵國傢的獨立和團结。大五角星內的藍色圓面上有五個小五角星，代表南十字星座；圓環中有２２個小五角星，代表巴西各州和聯邦區。大五角星周圍環繞着用咖啡葉和煙草葉編織的花環，背後竪立一把劍，劍柄在五角星下端。綬帶上用葡萄牙文寫着“巴西聯邦共和國”，“１８８９年１１月１５日”（共和國成立日）。 重要節日： 獨立日：９月７日（１８２２年）；國慶日：９月７日（１８２２年）；印第安人日：４月１９日；吉卜賽人日：５月２４日。 國傢政要： 總統盧拉·達席爾瓦 (Lula da Silva) ，２００２年１０月當選，２００３年１月１日任職；２００６年１０月再次當選 ，２００７年１月１日正式宣誓就職 。 自然地理：８５１．４２萬平方公裏（資料來源《巴西四月年鑒》），是拉丁美洲面積最大的國傢。位於南美洲東南部。北鄰法屬圭亞那、蘇裏南、圭亞那、委內瑞拉和哥倫比亞，西鄰秘魯、玻利維亞、南接巴拉圭、阿根廷和烏拉圭，東瀕大西洋。海岸綫長７４００多公裏，領海寬度１２海裏，領海外專屬經濟區１８８海裏。國土８０％位於熱帶地區，最南端屬亞熱帶氣候。北部亞馬孫平原屬赤道氣候，年平均氣溫２７－２９℃。中部高原屬熱帶草原氣候，分旱、雨季。南部地區平均氣溫１６－１９℃。 人口：１. ８１６億（２００４年），占世界人口的２．８％，居拉美首位。其中白種人占５４. ０３％，黑白混血種人占３９. ９４％，黑種人占５. ３９％，黃種人占０.４６%，印第安人約占０. １６％。葡萄牙語為官方語言。７１％的居民信奉天主教。 巴西“印第安人日” 首都： 巴西利亞（Brasilia） ，人口２０５．１萬人（２０００年），融匯了世界古今建築藝術的精華，有“世界建築博覽會”之稱。城市建造在人工湖旁，以三權廣場為核心，形狀像一架頭朝東方的巨型飛機。１９８７年，聯合國教科文組織宣佈將巴西利亞城列為“人類文化財富”。 行政區劃：全國共分為２６個州和１個聯邦區（巴西利亞聯邦區），州下設市，全國共有５５６２個市。各州名稱如下：阿剋裏、阿拉戈斯、亞馬孫、阿馬帕、巴伊亞、塞阿拉、聖埃斯皮裏圖、戈亞斯、馬拉尼昂、馬托格羅索、南馬托格羅索、米納斯吉拉斯、帕拉、帕拉伊巴、巴拉那、伯南布哥、皮奧伊、北裏奧格蘭德、南裏奧格蘭德、裏約熱內盧、朗多尼亞、羅賴馬、聖卡塔琳、聖保羅、塞爾希培、托坎廷斯。 簡史：古代巴西為印地安人居住地。１５００年４月２２日葡萄牙航海傢卡布拉爾到達巴西。１６世紀淪為葡萄牙殖民地。１８０７年拿破侖入侵葡萄牙，葡王室逃到巴西後，巴西實際上成了葡的帝國中心。１８２１年葡王室遷回裏斯本，王子佩德羅留巴西任攝政王。１８２２年９月７日獲得獨立，建立巴西帝國。１８８８年５月廢除奴隸制度。１８８９年１１月１５日豐塞卡將軍發動政變廢除帝製，成立共和國。１８９１年２月２４日通過第一部共和國憲法，定國名為巴西合衆國。１９６０年將首都由裏約熱內盧遷往巴西利亞。１９６４年３月３１日，軍人政變上臺，實行獨裁統治，１９６７年改國名為巴西聯邦共和國 政治：１９８８年１０月５日頒布的新憲法規定，總統由直接選舉産生，取消總統直接頒布法令的權力。總統是國傢元首和政府首腦兼武裝部隊總司令。１９９４年和１９９７年議會通過憲法修正案，分別規定將總統任期縮短為四年，總統和各州、市長均可連選連任。國民議會由參議院和衆議院組成，行使立法權，為國傢最高權力機構。主要職能是製定一切聯邦法律；確定和平時期武裝力量編製及兵力；製定全國和地區性的發展計劃；宣佈大赦令；授權總統宣佈戰爭或和平；批準總統和副總統出訪；批準或撤消總統簽署的臨時性法令、聯邦幹預或戒嚴令；審查總統及政府行政開支；批準總統簽署國際條約；决定臨時遷都等。內閣為政府行政機構，內閣成員由總統任命。 經濟： 巴西經濟實力居拉美首位。1992年巴西國內生産總值4305億美元。1994年7月1日廢除原貨幣名稱剋魯賽羅雷亞爾(廢除時1美元兌2750剋魯賽羅雷亞爾)，同時命名新貨幣名稱為雷亞爾（1美元兌1雷亞爾）。1995年2月3日匯率1美元兌0.8394雷亞爾。 巴西礦産資源豐富，已探明鐵礦砂儲量650億噸，産量和出口量居世界第二位。鈾礦、鋁礬土、錳礦儲量居世界第三位。此外還有較豐富的鉻礦、鎳礦和黃金礦。煤礦儲量230億噸，但品位低。石油儲量約36億桶，另有相當於15億桶石油的油頁岩，天然氣儲量1330億立方米。水力資源豐富。森林覆蓋率為52.2％。工業居拉美之首。70年代建成了比較完整的工業體係，主要工業部門有鋼鐵、汽車、造船、石油、水泥、化工、冶金、電力、紡織、建築等。核電、通訊、電子、飛機製造、軍工等已跨入世界先進國傢的行列。 咖啡、蔗糖、柑橘生産居世界第一位，可可、大豆為第二位，玉米居第三。糧食基本自給，但需進口一小部分小麥。畜牧業發達。 主要旅遊點有裏約熱內盧、聖保羅、薩爾瓦多的教堂和古老建築、巴西利亞、伊瓜蘇瀑布、伊泰普水電站、馬瑙斯自由港、黑金城、巴拉那石林等。 巴西公路運輸占全國運輸總量的70％，鐵路占17％，水路不足10％。公路總長150萬千米，鐵路總長3.03萬千米。主要港口有維多利亞、桑多斯、裏約熱內盧等。全國有3傢航空公司。 主要貿易對象為美國、歐共體、日本、中東及拉美鄰國。主要進口石油、化工原料、光學儀器、小麥等。出口鋼材、交通運輸設備、鐵礦砂、紙漿、皮鞋、咖啡、糖、大豆、橙汁等。 文化教育： 中小學實行兩級製，第一級小學、初中共8年，第二級高中(包括技校、中專)3年。大學一般4～5年。高等院校有聖保羅大學、裏約熱內盧聯邦大學、聖保羅天主教大學、巴西利亞大學等。主要報紙有：《聖保羅之葉報》、《環球報》、《聖保羅州報》和《巴西日報》。主要雜志有《標題》、《請看》、《這就是先生》和《視界》等周刊。有電視臺7傢。政府管理的有兩傢國傢電視臺和教育電視臺。 對外關係： 巴西奉行獨立自主、人民自决、尊重主權、不干涉原則、和平解决衝突和友好共處的對外政策。確定對外關係的重點為美國、西歐、日本和拉美國傢等。 巴西與中國於1974年8月15日建交，此後，兩國在政治、經貿、科技、文化等領域的交流不斷發展。 巴西把發展與美國的關係放在優先位置，雙方政治、貿易關係密切。美國是巴西主要的貿易對象、最大的債權國和投資國，投資額占外國在巴西總投資額的1／3。1991年兩國貿易總額近百億美元。但兩國在核能、環保、外債、貿易等領域存在分歧與摩擦。 巴西同西歐國傢有着傳統的密切關係。西歐是巴西主要的出口市場和資金、技術的來源地。西歐各國在巴西的投資額約占同期外國在巴西投資的50％。1991年巴西嚮歐洲共同體出口額為97.7億美元。 日本是巴西發展與亞太地區國傢關係的重點，是巴西在亞洲的最大貿易對象和原材料市場。日本在巴西直接投資占全部外國投資的9.7％，僅次於美國和德國。 中東地區是巴西石油主要來源和重要貿易市場，1991年貿易額達28億美元。 主要城市概況： 二、聖保羅概況（São Paulo） 聖保羅建市於1554年，是巴西也是南美最大的城市，聖保羅州首府，位於該州東南部。海拔760米，面積超過1500平方千米，是巴黎的三倍，人口超一千六百萬。聖保羅市氣候宜人，一年之中氣候、溫度變化不太大，而早晚溫差 較大，有“一年之中無四季，一日之中有四季”之說。巴西季節與國內相反，每年12 月至次年2 月是聖保羅的夏季，多雨，不過最高溫度也就是在30 度左右；每年6-8 月是聖保羅的鼕天，平均氣溫也在16-20 度上下； 聖保羅是全國最大的工業中心，金融中心，文化中心。在這裏集中了全國工業生産門類的一半左右，工業産值也約占全國産值的一半，全國500傢最大公司有3/5的總部設立在這裏。聖保羅擁有3000傢金融機構，1300多傢銀行，桑托斯是世界上最大咖啡輸出港。這裏同時擁有包括著名的聖保羅大學、醫科大學在內的數十所高等院校、6傢電視臺和270多傢報刊社和藏書幾百萬册的國傢圖書館。聖保羅每年創造的財富高於世界上1/4的國傢年國民生産總值。 聖保羅是一座現代化的城市，400多年來以令人眼花繚亂的速度不斷變化和更新。衆多立交橋，多條地鐵綫路，環城高速公路以及直升飛機公司都使得交通十分便利。聖保羅的商業區主要集中在保利斯塔大街(Paulista)和共和廣場（Praça de República）一帶。主要出售一些手工藝品，寶石，古董。在東方街（Liberdade）隨處可見中文招牌，中餐館和出售中國商品的商店。 聖保羅主要旅遊景點： 1．天主教大教堂 （Catedral Metropolitana）: 南美洲最大教堂，落成於1954年，高聳的哥特式建築，氣勢宏偉，周圍是步行廣場，購物區之一。 2．伊比拉普埃拉公園（Ibirapuera Park）: 位於聖保羅南郊，占地160萬平方米，內有人工湖，群雕，衆多博物館，是世界上有名的大公園之一。 3．東方街（Liberdade）: 衆多日本中國朝鮮僑民居住的地方，裏面具有鮮明的東方文化氛圍，有衆多中國人經營的餐館，商店，旅行社。 三、巴西利亞概況 （Brasília） 巴西利亞地處巴西高原中部，氣候分為幹濕兩季，濕季從9月至4月，幹季從每年5月至8月。幹濕兩季分別明顯，早晚溫差也較大，年平均氣溫19度。人口210萬。 巴西利亞是本世紀50年代末在巴西內地戈亞斯州境內海拔1000多米的高原上興建的。1960年，首都正式由舊都裏約熱內盧遷移至此。 城市按照巴西著名建築師盧西奧科斯培的“飛機型總體規劃圖”建設。通過攔河築壩，建成一個人工湖，而整個城市宛若一架昂首待飛的巨型噴氣式飛機，寓意巴西正迎着朝陽展翅飛翔。 “機頭”為三權廣場，即議會、法院和總統府的所在地；機身是一條8公裏長、250寬的東西嚮主幹大道，其中“前倉”政府各部廣場，兩側排列這各部辦公樓，“後艙”是文教區、體育城、國傢劇院、電視塔等建築；“機尾”是為首都服務的工業區；“機翼”是沿人工湖展開的立交道和居民住宅街區。三權廣場是巴西首都的核心。其議會大廈由兩座並肩而立的28層大樓組成，有一過道相連，呈“H"形，是葡萄牙文“人”的第一個字母，寓意“一切為了人”的立法宗旨。 大樓兩側的平臺上有兩衹巨碗型的奇特建築，右邊衆議院大樓側是個仰天的“大碗”，象徵“廣納民意”；左邊參議院大樓側是個倒扣的“大碗”，象徵“集中民意”。“碗”下側是兩院會議大廳，以及餐廳、商店、車庫等附屬建築。 巴西利亞主要旅遊景點： 1） 三權廣場：巴西標志性建築之一，也是巴西旅遊必到景點之一。 廣場周圍環繞衆議會，參議會，國傢大法院，總統府，外交部，國傢民族獨立紀念館，勞動者紀念碑等衆多建築。每兩周一次的升降國旗儀式也常常吸引衆多遊客。 2） 總統紀念堂：位於“飛機”中部，JK總統塑像面嚮議會大樓，紀念堂內陳列了總統紀念靈柩，和巴西利亞建設時期留下的各種歷史文物。 3） 巴西利亞大教堂：該教堂為雙麯綫形的透明建築，內頂懸挂巨型天使塑像。在此國傢元首經常舉行一些重大活動，教皇佩德羅二世訪問巴西時曾在這裏宣講。 四 、裏約熱內盧辦事處概況 （Rio de Janeiro） 位於巴西國土的東南部,在嚮北伸入的瓜納巴拉灣西岸,有長達14公裏的跨灣公路大橋與東岸的尼泰羅伊市相連.1502年1月,葡萄牙殖民者來到海灣,誤以為這裏是一條大河的入海口,隨口起名"一月的河",譯音便是"裏約熱內盧". 半個世紀後奠基的城市就以此為名.經過400多年的發展,裏約熱內盧已經成為僅次於聖保羅的特大城市和工商業、金融中心，與桑托斯港並列的最大外貿港口，並且集中了巴西最著名的博物館，擁有拉丁美洲最大的圖書館、世界最大的足球場，以及全國最大的公園、植物園等。 聳立在瓜納巴拉灣南口的兩座狀如面包的山峰（奧庫卡山）是裏約熱內盧的標志。乘電纜車登上海拔395米的山頂，舉目遠眺，美麗的裏約熱內盧城盡收眼底：瓜納巴拉灣波光粼粼，白帆點點；灣畔綿延的海灘上銀沙耀目，遊人如蟻，太陽傘如朵朵鮮花盛開；寬闊的海濱大道一直伸嚮看不見的盡頭，來往汽車穿梭不絶，面海而立的現代化樓群密密麻麻...... 世界上許多信奉基督教的國傢都有狂歡節，但論規模之大，參加者之衆，內容之豐富，氣氛之熱烈，要首推巴西，而在巴西各大城市中，又數裏約熱內盧為最。每年的二月中下旬，巴西舉國歡騰三天三夜。屆時，裏約熱內盧的大街小巷張燈結彩，彩旗飛揚，到處披了節日的盛裝。人們傾城出動，潮水般涌上街頭，男女老少個個濃妝豔抹，盡情地扭動腰肢，揮動雙手，大跳特跳桑巴舞.仿佛要把一年來積壓在心頭的憂慮和辛勞全部發泄出去。各種音樂、舞蹈、戲劇演出和比賽此起彼伏。盛大的化妝遊行巴節日歡慶活動推嚮高潮，大型彩車簇擁着選舉産生的“國王”、“王後”領先開路，浩浩蕩蕩的隊伍中，魔鬼、天使、美女、妖仙、武士、達官、貴人、黑奴等各種奇形怪狀的打扮令人眼花繚亂，目不暇接；觀衆為自己喜愛的人物喝彩叫好，投去鮮花和彩帶。一年一度的狂歡節，淋漓盡致的表現出巴西人熱情奔放的民族性格。 裏約熱內盧主要旅遊景點： 1） 耶穌山(科爾多瓦山)，因山頂建有高38米、重1200噸的耶穌雕像而得名，它已成為巴西國傢的象徵。 2） 裏約海灘：從北至南先後綿延數十公裏的海灘，已經成為世界各地旅遊者嚮往的目的地之一，其中又以COPACAPANA和IPANEMA最為著名。 五、巴西打電話規則： 由於巴西是本地長途分開運營，所以要自己選擇長途電話供應商。 1． 國內長途，首先撥運營商接入代碼，(15是Telefonica，21是Embratel，41是TIM)，然後是國內區號和電話號碼 比如在聖保羅撥裏約辦公室的電話號碼：015-21-22957286，015代表是使用Telefonica的巴西國內長途，21是裏約的區號，22967286是裏約辦公室號碼。（聖保羅11，裏約21，巴西利亞61，維多利亞 27） 2．國際長途 首先撥運營商接入代碼，然後是國傢內代碼和電話號碼，比如撥國內電話：0015-86-755-26770622 0015是使用Telefonica的國際長途 3、緊急電話 緊急呼叫:190 火警:193 匪警:190 救護車:192 4、如何打免費電話：本地撥9090+對方號碼即可，長途撥90+運營商接入號0015或0021+城市代碼+電話號碼 （接通後會有一段葡萄牙語提示音，請等待） 7．手機使用信息： 巴西全境1800MHZ GSM網絡手機可以使用，衹需購買TIM預付費卡（meu plano），以及充值卡即可。充值時點擊STK目錄菜單，一直選擇至RECARGA菜單，輸入充值卡密碼，點擊確定，發送短信，收到回覆，即完成充值。 六．航班及出行信息 由國內至巴西可選擇航綫較多，常見航綫有：經歐洲可選法航，漢沙，荷蘭航空等，經約翰內斯堡可以選擇南非航空公司，經美國可以選擇美聯航的班機，但需要準備美國簽證； 其中歐洲轉機時間較長，機場花費較高，請各位提前做好準備； 巴西境內航空公司主要為TAM與VARIG兩傢所包攬。 其中TAM與法航為同盟夥伴，可以用法航SKYTEAM卡 VARIG屬於世界最大的STARALLIENCE航空集團，與包括漢沙，南非，美聯航等15傢航空公司共享里程積分。 前往巴西的其他註意事項： 1. 關於信用卡：VISA MASTER信用卡在巴西通用，如需要取現請提前申請取款密碼。 2. 關於行李托運：切勿在托運行李中夾帶現金及貴重物品！因法航對攜帶行李限重20Kg，建議需攜帶較多行李的同事選擇德航（準帶40Kg行李）； 3. 請保留好入境單（入境時填寫的一張緑色紙條），辦理延簽時要用； 4. 巴西貨幣，目前匯率一美元約兌換2.1 海奧左右， 5. 巴西當地電源電壓一般為110V，220V 電源很少見，各位如果攜帶電器，請註意一下電 6. 國內GSM 手機（900M/1.8G 雙頻）可以在巴西使用，請自備，到達巴西後購買SIM 卡即可使用； 7. 最好從國內攜帶拖鞋，當地拖鞋質量差且貴；其他日常用品當地都能購到，價格也不算太貴。 巴西足球 桑巴之王——巴西足球隊 巴西足協成立於1914年，1923年加入國際足聯。 至2002年巴西已經是第17次進入世界杯决賽圈。巴西是世界上唯一參加了歷次 世界杯决賽階段比賽的球隊。自從1930年世界杯舉行以來，巴西人沒有缺席過一屆世 界杯盛會，這在世界足壇是獨一無二的記錄。“球王”貝利說，沒有巴西隊參加的世界杯 將是不可想象的。 巴西隊還是世界上唯一一支5次獲得世界杯冠軍的球隊。此外，巴西隊還獲二次亞 軍，2次第三，1次第四，是世界杯歷史上成績最好的球隊。至2002年，巴西隊共7 次打入世界杯决賽，與德國隊持平。 1950年，巴西隊首次舉辦世界杯，這是巴西舉辦的唯一一屆。在這屆比賽中，巴 西隊一路順風打入决賽，但在决賽中卻意外地以1：2負於烏拉圭隊。1958年，巴西 在瑞典首次得世界杯，當時年僅17歲的貝利以及加林查為巴西隊奪冠立下了汗馬功 勞。1962年，在智利舉辦的世界杯上，巴西隊衛冕成功。1970年，巴西隊在墨西 哥第3次奪冠。球員迪迪、瓦瓦、加林查、亞伊辛尼奧和貝利已經成為傳奇式的人物。 1994年世界杯在美國舉行，巴西在擊敗意大利後第4次奪冠，成為第一個4次奪得世 界杯的國傢。巴西還獲得這屆世界杯的公平競賽奬和賞心悅目奬。 自從以務實風格著稱的斯科拉裏出任巴西國傢隊主教練後，巴西隊整體上已經很難看 見南美足球輕靈飄逸的風格。除了個別球員在臨場發揮上偶有賞心悅目的表現，如今的巴 西隊整體水平似乎有所下降。斯科拉裏的足球思想是為了勝利，可以不斷地犯規。衹要 球，哪怕踢得再難看也無所謂。喜愛巴西足球的球迷在世界杯上可能會感到失望，因為他 們熟悉的巴西隊已經一去不返。 巴西隊是技術型打法的代表，隊員個人技術好，單兵作戰能力強。 巴西隊歷史上的名將有：“球王”貝利、加林查、迪迪、瓦瓦、濟科、法爾考、蘇格 拉底、羅馬裏奧、貝貝托、羅納爾多。其中，貝利是有史以來無可爭議的最偉大的球員。 傳統隊服: 帶緑色條紋的黃色上衣, 藍色短褲, 白底緑條紋的球襪。 巴西成績統計： 世界杯參賽紀錄：共17次入圍世界杯决賽圈（1930，34，38，50，54， 58，62，66，70，74，78，82，86，90，94， 98） 世界杯足球賽冠軍：5次，1958、1962、1970、1994、2002。 美洲杯足球賽冠軍：6次，1919、1922、1949、1989、1997、2007 巴西隊7次參加决賽的成績： 1950年（巴西）：巴西隊以1：2負於烏拉圭隊，獲得亞軍。 1958年（瑞典）：巴西隊以5：2勝瑞典隊，獲得冠軍。 1962年（智利）：巴西隊以3：1勝捷剋斯洛伐剋隊，獲得冠軍。 1970年（墨西哥）：巴西隊以4：1勝意大利隊，獲得冠軍。 1994年（美國）：巴西隊點球3：2戰勝意大利，獲得冠軍，120分鐘0：0戰平。 1998年（法國）：巴西隊以0：3負於法國隊，獲得亞軍。 2002年（日本 韓國）： 巴西隊以2：0勝德國隊，獲得冠軍 世界杯歷史 1930 - 首輪被淘汰 1934 - 首輪被淘汰 1938 - 獲得第三名 1950 - 半决賽被淘汰 1954 - 四分之一决賽被淘汰 1958 - 獲冠軍 1962 - 獲冠軍 1966 - 首輪被淘汰 1970 - 獲冠軍 1974 - 第四名 1978 - 第三名 1982 - 第二階段被淘汰 1986 - 四分之一决賽被淘汰 1990 - 第二輪被淘汰 1994 - 獲冠軍 1998 - 亞軍 2002 - 獲冠軍 2006 - 四分之一决賽被淘汰 世界杯數據統計： 參加世界杯總場次 80場 53場 平 14場 負 13場 進球 78個 世界杯總積分 120分 球隊參加世界杯紀錄： 比分最懸殊的勝利：1950年以7：1勝瑞典 比分最懸殊的失敗：1998年以0：3負於法國隊 世界杯最佳射手：羅納爾多，攻入15球。 參世界杯賽場次最多的球員：鄧加和塔法雷爾，共參加18場比賽。 舉辦過的世界杯：1950年 足壇明星：貝利、加林沙、卡雷卡、蘇格拉底、法爾考、濟科、鄧加、羅馬裏奧、 貝貝托、羅納爾多、羅納爾迪尼奧、裏瓦爾多等 “咖啡王國”——巴西 拉美大國巴西以咖啡質優、味濃而馳名全球，是世界上最大的咖啡生産國和出口國，素有“咖啡王國”之稱。咖啡原産於非洲的埃塞俄比亞，１７２７年傳入巴西。巴西位於南美洲東南，地處熱帶和亞熱帶，獨特的地理和氣候條件很適合種植咖啡，加之勞動力廉價，咖啡種植業迅速興起。１９世紀，巴西的咖啡種植幾乎遍及全國，隨後又形成持續近一個世紀之久的“咖啡繁榮期”。咖啡大面積種植，給巴西帶來了財富和繁榮。２０世紀初，巴西的咖啡産量占世界總産量的百分之七十五以上，從而贏得了“咖啡王國”的美稱。咖啡是巴西國民經濟的重要支柱之一。全國有大大小小的咖啡種植園５０萬個，種植面積約２２０萬公頃，從業人口達６００多萬，年産咖啡２００萬噸左右，年出口創匯近２０億美元。近年來，由於出口結構的變化和國際咖啡市場不景氣，巴西咖啡生産和出口量有所下降。巴西人酷愛咖啡。６０年代，巴西人均年咖啡消費量達５·８公斤。近二十年來，隨着其它飲料的出現，巴西人均咖啡消費量仍超過３公斤。在巴西，無論在城市還是鄉村，各式各樣的咖啡屋隨處可見。人們幾乎隨時隨地都可以喝到濃郁芳香的熱咖啡。 2.同名電影 中文名稱：巴西/巴西在哪裏/妙想天開 英文名稱：Brazil 導 演： 特裏·吉列姆 Terry Gilliam 主 演： 羅伯特·德尼羅 Robert De Niro 特裏·吉列姆 Terry Gilliam 伊恩·霍姆 Ian Holm 喬納森·普雷西 Jonathan Pryce 吉姆·布蘭德本特 Jim Broadbent 凱瑟琳·赫爾蒙德 Katherine Helmond 羅伯·哈斯金斯 Bob Hoskins 邁剋爾·佩林 Michael Palin 上 映： 1985年02月20日 ( 法國 ) 地 區： 英國 ( 拍攝地 ) 對 白： 英語 顔 色： 彩色 聲 音： Dolby 時 長： 142分鐘 比一般版本多11分鐘 類 型： 科幻 喜劇 奇幻 分 級： 瑞典：15 英國：15 澳大利亞：M 芬蘭：K-16 挪威：16 阿根廷：16 智利：18 加拿大：14A 劇情簡介： 人類的社會形態未來要嚮何處去，對於這個問題除了科幻童話故事裏面會有美滿結局以外，幾乎近代的每一個嚴肅的思想傢都做出了悲觀的結論。也許是想象不夠大膽，也許是現代社會的許多弊病無法根除，未來總是在思想傢大腦裏最黑暗的部分。不知道是不是會有物質極大豐富，人民為所欲為的一天，但就仍舊無法擺脫物質束縛的未來來說，陰暗的恐怖滋味仍然是無法避免的。 說了這麽多關於未來的事，其實《妙想天開》也不能算是關於未來的科幻影片，而是一種關於社會形態的“社幻”影片。這部黑色喜劇色彩的幻想作品，是特裏·吉廉姆早期名作之一，影片如同名著《1984》一樣，營造出一個荒誕不經但又令人不寒而慄的未來世界。這個看似秩序無比的世界，看似無憂無慮的世界，其實是一個高度集權高度刻板高度扼殺人性的世界。說它是未來的世界，其實衹是因為我們地球上沒有這樣一個國傢、沒有這樣一種制度、沒有這樣一個社會。但這絶不表示我們與這個社會毫無關係，影片中的種種跡象表明，也許這就是我們的社會，也許這個社會和我們的社會不太一樣，但你會發現他們從本質上都是一種狀態——一個習慣於集權、習慣於官僚、習慣於毫無幻想的死板社會。 社會衹是人類集體生活環境的一個寬泛的名詞，它既廣泛地包含了我們慣常爭論的國傢制度、意識形態、政府體製，又和這些名詞概念有着顯著的區別。在影片中的社會——也許就是我們的社會，人們生活在集權和秩序之中，軟弱的個體不敢與國傢機器對抗。其實，影片中貌似強大的國傢機器不堪輕輕一擊，影片開始就是一隻甲蟲飛進打字機，一宗冤案於是産生了；但女主人公吉爾在咨詢管理局輕輕一揮手，就把搜查儀器打得找不到北；飛俠一般的達脫衹用一個小小的代用品就解决了中央服務社百般推諉的維修工作；勞伊衹用一根皮管子就把咨詢總局的文件傳遞係統搞垮，整個國傢機器其實脆弱到了難以維持的地步。 雖然整個係統如此脆弱，但還是能調動國傢機器的爪牙毫無阻擋地消滅一個又一個“安善良民”——越是良民越容易被消滅，炸彈橫飛的恐怖分子卻在影片中連面都不露，也許這些名義上的恐怖分子衹是政府用來轉移註意力和加強國傢統治的一個煙幕。 主人公山姆，雖然是政府公務人員，又有上流社會背景，最終還是因為對愛情的追求和對制度的反叛而最終喪命。雖然沒有《1984》中的老大哥，但在影片中，這個殺人制度的代表，上有總局長官霍夫曼，中有總局官員傑剋和華倫，下有中央服務社的兩個冷氣修理工，他們無不是這個殺人制度的幫兇。這個看似嚴密的制度，其實漏洞百出，一隻蟑螂足以讓一個無辜之人怨死獄中，足以毀掉一個普通家庭。雖然沒有明確指出，但影片中處處可見的官僚作風正是這個制度下必然的産物，也是這個制度必將坍塌的徵兆。 同樣不言自明，資訊總局和資訊管理局，讓我們自然而然地聯想起臭名昭著的中央情報局和剋格勃，以及衆多的情報機關。影片並沒有對社會形態有太多的指涉，但它對國傢集權狀態的揭示和批判卻是具有普遍意義的。 為了營造這個高度秩序的社會，導演安排了各種細節，既不失黑色幽默的趣味性，又強烈地暗示了這個社會的死板腐朽。在餐廳裏，所有客人都是按照號碼來點餐的，而不管你點的是幾號，端上來的永遠是同一種東西，衹不過是顔色的差別而已。而對中央服務社傲慢的維修工，盡可以用“B-6”表格讓他們渾身顫抖面無人色。一張支票無法投遞，竟然讓咨詢管理局的頭頭有末日來臨的感覺。在勞伊最後的夢境中，達脫為瞭解救他脫險，領着隊員與警察血戰，而四周的清潔工居然旁若無人地還在打掃大廳，實在是黑色幽默之極。 山姆，一方面還能保持基本的獨立性，一方面又沉溺於飛翔和拯救的幻想。夢境於他，和真正的現實生活同樣重要，甚至還猶有過之。夢境裏，至少他還有愛情，還有飛翔的快感，甚至還有惡魔和巨人可以為敵，現實生活的蒼白刻板在夢境的華麗豐富面前愈加凸顯。在勞伊最後的幻想裏，夢境與現實直接相交，達脫從天而降，把他救出死亡。但現實是悲劇的，他和吉爾逃離社會的幻想是天真的，這個“政治恐怖”的社會不允許一個人脫離自己的位置。你可以死亡，但不能離開。 演員表： 羅伯特·德尼羅 Robert De Niro .... Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle 特裏·吉列姆 Terry Gilliam .... Smoking man at Shang-ri La Towers (uncredited) 伊恩·霍姆 Ian Holm .... Mr. M. Kurtzmann 喬納森·普雷西 Jonathan Pryce .... Sam Lowry 吉姆·布蘭德本特 Jim Broadbent .... Dr. Jaffe 凱瑟琳·赫爾蒙德 Katherine Helmond .... Mrs. Ida Lowry 羅伯·哈斯金斯 Bob Hoskins .... Spoor 邁剋爾·佩林 Michael Palin .... Jack Lint Kim Greist .... Jill Layton 羅傑·阿斯頓·格裏菲斯 Roger Ashton-Griffiths .... Priest 伊恩·理查森 Ian Richardson .... Mr. Warrenn Terence Bayler .... T.V Commercial Presente Anthony Brown .... Porter - Information Retrieval Patrick Connor .... Cell Guard Ray Cooper .... Technician 【首都】 巴西尼亞是巴西的首都，是座新興的現代化城市。 於巴西中部戈亞斯州高原，地處馬拉尼翁河和維爾德河匯合處的三角地帶。巴西尼亞城區人口41.1萬，連同周圍8個衛星城組成的聯邦區，面積5814平方公裏，人口120萬。 巴西尼亞被稱為超級現代化的都市，由盧西奧柯斯達和奧斯卡尼梅耶爾兩人設計的。 市區的建築風格新穎獨特，多姿多彩，融會世界古今建築藝術的精華，有"世界建設博覽會"之稱。 巴西尼亞建在巴西尼亞人工湖旁，以三權廣場為核心，形同一架噴氣式飛機。總統府、國會、最高法院和政府各部大樓建在機頭部門，機身是城市的交通主軸，其兩旁是建築規格劃一的高樓群；機兩翼是商業區、住宅區、旅館區；機艙後部是為首都服務的工業區和印刷出版區。東部的普拉納爾托宮是總統府所在地。總統官邸叫曙光宮。 外交部在伊塔瑪拉蒂宮，該建築位於湖中的島上，四周玻璃墻輝映着湖光水色，有"水晶宮"之稱。國傢劇院的外形像埃及的金字塔。巴西尼亞大教堂如同羅馬教皇的圓形帽。這裏還可以看到西班牙的古城堡和歐洲巴羅剋式建築。與上述建築群相交叉的是從北嚮西南沿着三條大街排列着的一組組住宅建築群，逶迤10公裏左右。這些建築皆與湖岸麯綫相平行排列，很像一彎新月。住宅區建築風格各異，多姿多彩：有的鱗次櫛比，緊相連接；有的相對集中，形成四方形的群體。 Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until its independence in 1822. Initially independent as the Brazilian Empire, the country has been a republic since 1889, although the bicameral legislature; now called Congress, dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified. Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federal Republic. The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities. Brazil is the world's tenth largest economy at market exchange rates and the ninth largest in purchasing power. Economic reforms have transformed it into an emerging great power; founding member of the United Nations and the Union of South American Nations. A Roman Catholic, Portuguese-speaking, and multiethnic society, Brazil is also home to a diversity of wildlife, natural environments, and extensive natural resources in a variety of protected habitats. Within Brazil's current borders, most native tribes who were living in the land by the year 1500 are thought to have descended from the first wave of migrants from North Asia (Siberia), who are believed to have crossed the Bering Land Bridge at the end of the last Ice Age, around 9000 BC. At the time of European discovery, the territory of modern Brazil had as many as 2,000 nations and tribes, an estimated total population of nearly 3 million Amerindians. A somewhat dated linguistic survey found 188 living indigenous languages with 155,000 total speakers. On 18 January 2007, Fundação Nacional do Índio reported that it had confirmed the presence of 67 different uncontacted tribes in Brazil, up from 40 in 2005. With this addition, Brazil is now confirmed as having the largest number of uncontacted peoples in the world, even more than the island of New Guinea. When the Portuguese arrived in 1500, the Amerindians were mostly semi-nomadic tribes, living mainly on the coast and along the banks of major rivers. Unlike Christopher Columbus who thought he had reached the East Indies, the Portuguese, most notably by Vasco da Gama, had already reached India via the Indian Ocean route when they reached Brazil. Nevertheless, the word índios ("Indians") was by then established to designate the peoples of the New World and stuck being used today in the Portuguese language, while the people of India are called indianos in order to distinguish the two peoples. Initially, the Europeans saw the natives as noble savages, and miscegenation of the population began right away. Tribal warfare, cannibalism, and the pursuit of brazilwood for its treasured red dye convinced the Portuguese that they should civilize the Amerindians. Colonization Map of Brazil issued by the Portuguese explorers in 1519.Initially Portugal had little interest in Brazil, mainly because of high profits gained through commerce with Indochina. After 1530, the Portuguese Crown devised the Hereditary Captaincies system to effectively occupy its new colony, and later took direct control of the failed captaincies. Although temporary trading posts were established earlier to collect brazilwood, used as a dye, with permanent settlement came the establishment of the sugar cane industry and its intensive labor. Several early settlements were founded across the coast, among them the colonial capital, Salvador, established in 1549 at the Bay of All Saints in the north, and the city of Rio de Janeiro on March 1567, in the south. The Portuguese colonists adopted an economy based on the production of agricultural goods that were exported to Europe. Sugar became by far the most important Brazilian colonial product until the early 18th century. Even though Brazilian sugar was reputed as being of high quality, the industry faced a crisis during the 17th and 18th centuries when the Dutch and the French started producing sugar in the Antilles, located much closer to Europe, causing sugar prices to fall. During the 18th century, private explorers who called themselves the Bandeirantes found gold and diamond deposits in the state of Minas Gerais. The exploration of these mines were mostly used to finance the Portuguese Royal Court's expenditure with both the preservation of its Global Empire and the support of its luxury lifestyle at mainland. The way in which such deposits were exploited by the Portuguese Crown and the powerful local elites, however, burdened colonial Brazil with excessive taxes. Some popular movements supporting independence came about against the taxes established by the colonial government, such as the Tiradentes in 1789, but the secessionist movements were often dismissed by the authorities of the ruling colonial regime. Gold production declined towards the end of the 18th century, starting a period of relative stagnation of the Brazilian hinterland. Both Amerindian and African slaves' man power were largely used in Brazil's colonial economy. In contrast to the neighbouring Spanish possessions in South America, the Portuguese colony of Brazil kept its territorial, political and linguistic integrity due to the action of the Portuguese administrative effort. Although the colony was threatened by other nations across the era of Portuguese rule, in particular by Dutch and French powers, the authorities and the people ultimately managed to protect its borders from foreign attacks. Portugal even had to send bullion to Brazil, a spectacular reversal of the colonial trend, in order to protect the integrity of the colony. Empire Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil in 1873.In 1808, the Portuguese court, fleeing from Napoleon’s troops who had invaded Portugal, established themselves in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which thus became the seat of government of Portugal and the entire Portuguese Empire, even though being located outside of Europe. Rio de Janeiro was the capital of the Portuguese empire from 1808 to 1815. After then the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (1815-1825) was created with Lisbon as its capital. After João VI returned to Portugal in 1821, his heir-apparent Pedro became regent of the Kingdom of Brazil, within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Following a series of political incidents and disputes, Brazil achieved its independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822. On October 12, 1822, Dom Pedro became the first Emperor of Brazil, being crowned on December 1, 1822. Portugal would recognize Brazil as an independent country in 1825. In 1824, Pedro closed the Constituent Assembly, stating that the body was "endangering liberty". Pedro then produced a constitution modeled on that of Portugal (1822) and France (1814). It specified indirect elections and created the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government; however, it also added a fourth branch, the "moderating power", to be held by the Emperor. Pedro's government was considered economically and administratively inefficient. Political pressures eventually made the Emperor step down on April 7, 1831. He returned to Portugal leaving behind his five-year-old son Pedro II. Until Pedro II reached maturity, Brazil was governed by regents from 1831 to 1840. The regency period was turbulent and marked by numerous local revolts including the Male Revolt, the largest urban slave rebellion in the Americas, which took place in Bahia in 1835. On July 23, 1840, Pedro II was crowned Emperor. His government was marked by a substantial rise in coffee exports, the War of the Triple Alliance, and the end of slave trade from Africa in 1865, although slavery in Brazilian territory would only be abolished in 1888. Brazil stopped trading slaves from Africa in 1850, with the Eusébio de Queirós law, and abandoned slavery altogether in 1888, thus becoming the last country of the Americas to ban slavery. When slavery was finally abolished, a large influx of European immigrants took place. By the 1870s, the Emperor's control of domestic politics had started to deteriorate in face of crises with the Catholic Church, the Army and the slaveholders. The Republican movement slowly gained strength. In the end, the empire fell due to a military coup d'etat and because the dominant classes no longer needed it to protect their interests and deeply resented the abolition of slavery. Indeed, imperial centralization ran counter to their desire for local autonomy. By 1889 Pedro II had stepped down and the Republican system had been adopted to Brazil. Republic The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil the lower house of the National Congress.Pedro II was deposed on November 15, 1889 by a Republican military coup led by general Deodoro da Fonseca, who became the country’s first de facto president through military ascension. The country’s name became the Republic of the United States of Brazil. From 1889 to 1930, the dominant states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais alternated control of the presidency. A military junta took control in 1930. Getúlio Vargas took office soon after, and would remain as dictatorial ruler (with a brief democratic period in between), until 1945. He was re-elected in 1951 and stayed in office until his suicide in 1954. After 1930, successive governments continued industrial and agricultural growth and the development of the vast interior of Brazil. Juscelino Kubitschek's office years (1956-1961) were marked by the political campaign motto of plunging "50 anos em 5" (English: fifty years of development in five). The military took office in Brazil in a coup d'état in 1964, and remained in power until March 1985, when it fell from grace because of political struggles between the regime and the Brazilian elites. In 1967 the name of the country was changed to Federative Republic of Brazil. Just as the Brazilian regime changes of 1889, 1930, and 1945 unleashed competing political forces and caused divisions within the military, so too did the 1964 regime change. Democracy was re-established in 1988 when the current Federal Constitution was enacted. Fernando Collor de Mello was the first president truly elected by popular vote after the military regime. Collor took office in March 1990. In September 1992, the National Congress voted for Collor's impeachment after a sequence of scandals were uncovered by the media. The vice-president, Itamar Franco, assumed the presidency. Assisted by the Minister of Finance at that time, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Itamar Franco's administration implemented the Plano Real economic package, which included a new currency temporarily pegged to the U.S. dollar, the real. In the elections held on October 3, 1994, Fernando Henrique Cardoso ran for president and won, being reelected in 1998. Brazil's current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, elected in 2002 and reelected in 2006. Government and politics The National Congress in Brasília, the capital of Brazil.The Brazilian Federation is based on the union of three autonomous political entities: the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District. A fourth entity originated in the aforementioned association: the Union. There is no hierarchy among the political entities. The Federation is set on six fundamental principles: sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of the people, social value of labor, freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism. The classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial under the checks and balances system), is formally established by the Constitution. The executive and legislative are organized independently in all four political entities, while the judiciary is organized only in the federal and state levels. All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly-elected. Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams. Voting is compulsory for those aged 18 or older. Four political parties stand out among several small ones: Workers' Party (PT), Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), and Democrats (formerly Liberal Front Party - PFL). Practically all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated to the Executive. The form of government is that of a democratic republic, with a presidential system. The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term, with the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. The current president is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He was elected on October 27, 2002, and re-elected on October 29, 2006. The President appoints the Ministers of State, who assist in governing. Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of laws in Brazil. The National Congress is the Federation’s bicameral legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively. Law The finance minister, Guido Mantega, and the former president of the Supreme Federal Court, Ellen Gracie Northfleet.Brazilian Law is based on Roman-Germanic traditions. Thus, civil law concepts prevail over common law practices. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part of the system, playing a complementary role. Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are not binding on other specific cases except in a few situations. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases. The legal system is based on the Federal Constitution, which was promulgated on October 5, 1988, and is the fundamental law of Brazil. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules. As of April 2007, it has been through 53 Amendments. States adopt their own Constitutions, but they must also not contradict the Federal Constitution. Municipalities and the Federal District do not have their own Constitutions; instead, they adopt "organic laws" (leis orgânicas). Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary and executive bodies may enact legal norms. Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare situations the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments. There are also specialized military, labor, and electoral courts. The highest court is the Supreme Federal Tribunal. This system has been criticised over the last decades due to the slow pace at which final decisions are issued. Lawsuits on appeal may take several years to resolve, and in some cases more than a decade to see definitive rulings. Foreign relations and the military Brazilian Army troops before boarding for MINUSTAH peacekeeping mission in Haiti.Brazil is a political and economic leader in Latin America. However, social and economic problems prevent it from becoming an effective global power. Between World War II and 1990, both democratic and military governments sought to expand Brazil's influence in the world by pursuing a state-led industrial policy and an independent foreign policy. More recently, the country has aimed to strengthen ties with other South American countries, engage in multilateral diplomacy through the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Brazil's current foreign policy is based on the country's position as a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power. Brazilian foreign policy has generally reflected multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and nonintervention in the affairs of other countries. The Brazilian Constitution also determines the country shall seek the economic, political, social and cultural integration of the nations of Latin America. The Armed forces of Brazil comprise the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Navy, and the Brazilian Air Force. The Military Police (States' Military Police) is described as an ancillary force of the Army by constitution, but under the control of each state's governor. The Brazilian armed forces are the largest in Latin America. The Brazilian Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Brazilian armed forces, being the largest air force in Latin America, with about 700 manned aircraft in service. The Brazilian Navy is responsible for naval operations and for guarding Brazilian territorial waters. It is the oldest of the Brazilian Armed forces and the only navy in Latin America that operates an aircraft carrier, the NAeL São Paulo (formerly FS Foch of the French Navy). Finally, the Brazilian Army is responsible for land-based military operations, with a strength of approximately 190,000 soldiers. Subdivisions Atlantic OceanPacific OceanNorth RegionNortheast RegionCentral-West RegionSoutheast RegionSouth RegionAcreAmazonasParáRoraimaAmapáRondôniaTocantinsMaranhãoBahiaPiauíCearáRio Grande do NorteParaíbaPernambucoAlagoasSergipeMato GrossoMato Grosso do SulFederal DistrictGoiásMinas GeraisSão PauloRio de JaneiroEspírito SantoParanáSanta CatarinaRio Grande do SulArgentinaBoliviaChileColombiaFrench GuianaGuyanaParaguayPeruSurinameUruguayVenezuela Politically, Brazil is a federation of 26 states (estados) and one federal district (Distrito Federal) which contains the capital city, Brasília. The states are subdivided into municipalities. States are based on historical, conventional borders and have developed throughout the centuries; though some boundaries are arbitrary. The federal district is not a state on its right, but shares some characteristics of a state and some of a municipality. The national territory was divided in 1969 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), for demographic and statistical purposes, into five main regions: North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and South. In 1943, with the entrance of Brazil into the Second World War, the Vargas regime detached seven strategic territories from the border of the country in order to administrate them directly: Amapá, Rio Branco, Acre, Guaporé, Ponta Porã, Iguaçu and the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. After the war, the first three territories were retained as states, with Rio Branco and Guaporé being renamed Roraima and Rondônia, respectively. Ponta Porã and Iguaçu resorted to territorial status. In 1988, Fernando de Noronha became part of Pernambuco. In 1960, the square-shaped Distrito Federal was carved out of Goiás in preparation for the new capital, Brasília. The previous federal district became the state of Guanabara until in 1975 it was merged with the state of Rio de Janeiro, becoming the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. In 1977, Mato Grosso was split into two states. The northern area retained the name Mato Grosso while the southern area became the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, with Campo Grande as its capital. The new Mato Grosso do Sul incorporated the territory of Ponta Porã and the northern part of Iguaçu. Central Iguaçu went to Paraná, and southern Iguaçu went to Santa Catarina. In 1988, the northern portion of Goiás became the state of Tocantins, with Palmas as its capital. Regions The five regions of Brazil.The North region covers 45.27% of the land area of Brazil, and has the lowest number of inhabitants. With the exception of Manaus, which hosts a tax-free industrial zone, and Belém, the biggest metropolitan area of the region, it is fairly unindustrialized and undeveloped. It accommodates most of the rainforest vegetation of the world and many indigenous tribes. The Northeast region is inhabited by about 30% of Brazil's population. It is culturally diverse, with roots set in the Portuguese colonial period, and in Amerindian and Afro-Brazilian elements. It is also the poorest region of Brazil, and suffers from long periods of dry climate. The Central-West region has low demographic density when compared to the other regions, mostly because a part of its territory is covered by the world's largest marshlands area, the Pantanal as well as a small part of the Amazon Rainforest in the northwest. However, much of the region is also covered by Cerrado, the largest savanna in the world. The central-west region contributes significantly towards agriculture. The Southeast region is the richest and most densely populated. It has more inhabitants than any other South American country, and hosts one of the largest megalopolises of the world, and has the country's two largest cities; São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The region is very diverse, including the major business center of São Paulo, the historical cities of Minas Gerais and its capital Belo Horizonte, the third-largest metropolitan area in Brazil, the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, and the coast of Espírito Santo. The South region is the wealthiest by GDP per capita, and has the highest standard of living in the country. It is also the coldest region of Brazil, with occasional occurrences of frost and snow in some of the higher altitude areas. It has been settled mainly by European immigrants, mostly of Italian, German and Portuguese ancestry, being clearly influenced by these cultures. States The twenty-six states and the Federal District of Brazil.The Equatorial line cuts through the state of Amapá in the north, and the Tropic of Capricorn line cuts through the state of São Paulo. The southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul is further to the south than the entire European continent is to the north. Acre is in the far west side of the country, covered by the Amazon forest; Paraíba is the easternmost state of Brazil; Cabo Branco, in the city of João Pessoa, is the easternmost point of Brazil and the Americas. The states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina all have a temperate climate. São Paulo is the economic center of Brazil. Agriculture, industry, commerce, and services are the most diversified of Brazil. Although a large proportion is exported to other states and other countries, the consumer market of the state is also the biggest in the country. Different from other states, where settlement started in the coast and moved inwards, in São Paulo the center of the economy was in a non-coastal city. Rio de Janeiro, the most well known Brazilian city and with many famous landmarks, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Older books may still reference the state of Guanabara: after the Federal District (capital of the Republic) was moved to Brasília in 1960, the city of Rio de Janeiro was elevated to the condition of state of Guanabara (name of the large bay which washes the city or Rio); however, in 1975, Guanabara was incorporated to the state of Rio and returned to the condition of municipality, with the old name of city of Rio de Janeiro. Geography The Amazon Rainforest comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world.Brazil occupies an immense area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent's interior region, sharing land borders with Uruguay to the south; Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest; Bolivia and Peru to the west; Colombia to the northwest; Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the overseas department of French Guiana to the north; stretching from the North to the Southern Hemisphere. The factors of size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world—after Russia, Canada, the People's Republic of China and the United States—and third largest on the Americas; with a total area of 8,511,965 kilometers (5,289,090 mi), include 55,455 kilometers (34,458 mi) of water. It spans three time zones; from UTC-4, in the North (except Pará) and UTC-4, in the central states; to UTC-3, in the eastern states, the official time of Brazil, and UTC-2, in the Atlantic islands. Brazilian topography is also diverse, including hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of Brazil lies between 200 metres (660 ft) and 800 metres (2,600 ft) in elevation. The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country. The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills. The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). These ranges include the Mantiqueira Mountains, the Espinhaço Mountains, and the Serra do Mar. In 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 with 3,014 metres (9,890 ft), and the lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean with 0 metres (0 ft). 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 Ocean. Major rivers include the Amazon, the largest river in terms of volume of water, and the second-longest in the world; the Paraná and its major tributary, the Iguaçu River, where the Iguaçu Falls are located; the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and the Tapajós rivers. Climate Cyclone Catarina, the first tropical cyclone in the South Atlantic Ocean, formed in 2004.The climate of Brazil comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a large geographic scale and varied topography, but the largest part of the country is tropical and covered by the Amazon Rainforest. Analysed according to the Köppen system, Brazil hosts five major climatic subtypes: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, and temperate; 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. Many regions have starkly different microclimates. A 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. Temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F), with more significant temperature variations between night and day than between seasons. Over central Brazil rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate. This region is as large and extensive as the Amazon basin but, lying farther south and being at a moderate altitude, it has a very different climate. In the interior Northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme. The semiarid climate region receives less than 800 millimetres (31 in) of rain, which falls in a period of two or three months. From the south of Bahía, near São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, here some appreciable rainfall occurs in all months. The South has temperate conditions, with average temperatures below 18 °C (64 °F) and cool winters, frosts are quite common, with occasional snowfalls in the higher areas. Wildlife The Macaw is a typical animal of Brazil. The country has one of the world's most diverse populations of birds and amphibians.Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon Rainforest, recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world; the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, which together sustain some of the world's greatest biodiversity. In the South, the Araucaria pine forest grows under temperate conditions. The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats; however, remains largely unknown, and new species are found on nearly a daily basis. Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach two million. Larger mammals include pumas, jaguars, ocelots, rare bush dogs, and foxes. Peccaries, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums, and armadillos are abundant. Deer are plentiful in the south, and monkeys of many species abound in the northern rain forests. Concern for the environment in Brazil has grown in response to global interest in environmental issues. It's natural heritage is extremely threatened due to cattle ranching and agriculture, logging, mining, resettlement, oil and gas extraction, over-fishing, expansion of urban centres, wildlife trade, fire, climate change, dams and infrastructure, water contamination, and invasive species. In many areas of the country, the natural environment is threatened by development. Construction of highways has opened up previously remote areas for agriculture and settlement; dams have flooded valleys and inundated wildlife habitats; and mines have scarred and polluted the landscape. Economy São Paulo, the wealthiest and largest city in South America.Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, the world's tenth largest economy at market exchange rates and the ninth largest in purchasing power parity (PPP), according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank; with large and developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors, as well as a large labor pool. The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is regarded as one of the group of four emerging economies called BRIC. Brazilian exports are booming, creating a new generation of tycoons. Major export products include aircraft, coffee, automobiles, soybean, iron ore, orange juice, steel, ethanol, textiles, footwear, corned beef and electrical equipment. The biggest investment boom in history is under way; in 2007, Brazil launched a four-year plan to spend $300 billion to modernise its road network, power plants and ports. Brazil's booming economy is shifting into overdrive, with biofuels and deep-water oil providing energy independence and the government collecting enough cash to irrigate the desert and pave highways across the Amazon Rainforest. Brazil had pegged its currency, the real, to the U.S. dollar in 1994. However, after the East Asian financial crisis, the Russian default in 1998 and the series of adverse financial events that followed it, the Brazilian central bank temporarily changed its monetary policy to a managed-float scheme while undergoing a currency crisis, until definitively changing the exchange regime to free-float in January 1999. Brazil received an International Monetary Fund rescue package in mid-2002 in the amount of $30.4 billion, a record sum at that time. The IMF loan was paid off early by Brazil's central bank in 2005 (the due date was scheduled for 2006). One of the issues the Brazilian central bank is currently dealing with is the excess of speculative short-term capital inflows to the country in the past few months, which might explain in part the recent downfall of the U.S. dollar against the real in the period. Nonetheless, foreign direct investment (FDI), related to long-term, less speculative investment in production, is estimated to be $193.8 billion for 2007. Inflation monitoring and control currently plays a major role in Brazil's Central Bank activity in setting out short-term interest rates as a monetary policy measure. Components Itaipu Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric plant by energy generation.Brazil's "investment grade" economy is diverse, encompassing agriculture, industry, and a multitude of services. Brazil is finally punching its weight with a booming economy and stronger global leadership. The recent economic strength has been due in part to a global boom in commodities prices with exports from beef to soybeans soaring. Its prospects have been helped by huge oil and gas discoveries. A global power in agriculture and natural resources, Brazil unleash the greatest burst of prosperity has witnessed in three decades. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 5.1% of the gross domestic product in 2007. A performance that puts agribusiness in a position of distinction in terms of Brazil's trade balance, in spite of trade barriers and subsidizing policies adopted by the developed countries. The industry; from automobiles, steel and petrochemicals to computers, aircraft, and consumer durables; accounted for 30.8% of the gross domestic product. Industry is highly concentrated geographically, with the leading concentrations in metropolitan São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas, Porto Alegre, and Belo Horizonte. Technologically advanced industries are also highly concentrated in these locations. Brazil is the world's tenth largest energy consumer. It's energy comes from renewable sources, particularly hydroelectricity and ethanol; and nonrenewable sources, mainly oil and natural gas. Brazil will become an oil superpower, with massive oil discoveries in recent times. Science and technology An Embraer E-175 jet airliner, developed in Brazil and used by airlines around the world.Brazilian science effectively began in the first decades of the 19th century, when the Portuguese Royal Family, headed by John VI, arrived in Rio de Janeiro, escaping from the Napoleon's army invasion of Portugal in 1807. Until then, Brazil was a Portuguese colony, without universities, and a lack of cultural and scientific organizations, in stark contrast to the former American colonies of the Spanish Empire, which although having a largely illiterate population like Brazil and Portugal, had, however, a number of universities since the 16th century. Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities and research institutes. Nonetheless, more than 73% of funding for basic research still comes from government sources. Some of Brazil's most notables technological hubs are the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Air Force's Aerospace Technical Center, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the INPE. Brazil has the most advanced space program in Latin America, with significant capabilities to launch vehicles, launch sites and satellite manufacturing. On October 14, 1997, the Brazilian Space Agency signed an agreement with NASA to provide parts for the ISS. Uranium is enriched at the Resende Nuclear Fuel Factory to fuel the country's energy demands. Plans are on the way to build the country's first nuclear submarine. Brazil is one of the three countries in Latin America with an operational Synchrotron Laboratory, a research facility on physics, chemistry, material science and life sciences. Demographics Boa Viagem beach in Recife. Much of Brazil's population is concentrated across the coastline.Brazil's population comes from many racial and ethnic groups. The last National Research for Sample of Domiciles (PNAD) census revealed the following: 49.7% of the population are White, about 93 million; 42.6% are Pardo (mixed), about 80 million; 6.9% are Black, about 13 million; 0.5% are Asian, about 1 million; and 0.4% are Amerindian, about 519,000. Most Brazilians can trace their ancestry to the country's Indigenous peoples, Portuguese colonists, and African slaves. Since 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, miscegenation between these three groups took place. Over three centuries of Portuguese colonization, Brazil received more than 700,000 Portuguese settlers and 4 million African slaves. Starting in the late 19th century, Brazil opened its doors to immigration: people of over 60 nationalities immigrated to Brazil. About 5 million European and Asian immigrants arrived from 1870 to 1953, most of them from Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Germany. In the early 20th century, people from Japan and the Middle-East also arrived. The immigrants and their descendants had an important impact in the ethnic composition of the Brazilian population, and many diasporas are present in the country. Brazil has the largest population of Italian origin outside of Italy, with over 25 million Italian Brazilians, the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, with 1.6 million Japanese Brazilians, as well the second largest German population outside of Germany, with 12 million German Brazilians. A characteristic of Brazil is the race mixing. Genetically, most Brazilians have some degree of European, African, and Amerindian ancestry. The entire population can be considered a single "Brazilian" ethnic group, with highly varied racial types and backgrounds, but without clear ethnic sub-divisions. The largest metropolitan areas in Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte, respectively with 19.7, 11.4, and 5.4 million inhabitants. Almost all the capitals are the largest city in their corresponding state, except for Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in the states of São Paulo (Campinas, Santos and the Paraíba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley), and Santa Catarina (Itajaí Valley). Largest cities of Brazil Municipality Federative unit Population Municipality Federative unit Population São Paulo Rio de Janeiro 1 São Paulo 1 São Paulo 11,016,703 11 Belém Pará 1,428,368 2 Rio de Janeiro 2 Rio de Janeiro 6,136,652 12 Guarulhos 1 São Paulo 1,283,253 3 Salvador Bahia 2,714,119 13 Goiânia Goiás 1,220,412 4 Fortaleza Ceará 2,416,920 14 Campinas São Paulo 1,059,420 5 Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais 2,399,920 15 São Luís Maranhão 922,458 6 Brasília Distrito Federal 2,383,784 16 São Gonçalo 2 Rio de Janeiro 973,372 7 Curitiba Paraná 1,788,559 17 Maceió Alagoas 922,458 8 Manaus Amazonas 1,644,690 18 D. de Caxias 2 Rio de Janeiro 855,010 9 Recife Pernambuco 1,515,052 19 Nova Iguaçu 2 Rio de Janeiro 844,583 10 Porto Alegre Rio Grande do Sul 1,440,939 20 Teresina Piauí 813,992 Source: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (2007 Demographic Census) ^1 Metropolitan region of São Paulo (São Paulo and Guarulhos) ^2 Metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, São Gonçalo, Duque de Caxias and Nova Iguaçu) Education and health Federal University of Paraná, in Curitiba, is regarded as the oldest Brazilian university.The Federal Constitution and the 1996 General Law of Education in Brazil (LDB) determine how the Federal Government, States, Federal District, and Municipalities will 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 mechanisms and sources for financial resources. The new Constitution reserves 25% of state and municipal taxes and 18% of federal taxes for education. Private school programs are available to complement the public school system. In 2003, the literacy rate was 88% of the population, and the youth literacy rate (ages 15–19) was 93.2%. Illiteracy is highest in the Northeast, around 27%, which has a high proportion of rural poor. Although at same year, Brazil's education had low levels of efficiency by 15-year-old students, particularly in the public school network. Higher education starts with undergraduate or sequential courses, which may offer different specialist choices such as academic or vocational paths. Depending on choice, students may improve their educational background with Stricto Sensu or Lato Sensu postgraduate courses. The public health system is managed and provided by all levels of government, whilst private healthcare fulfills a complementary role. There are several problems in the Brazilian health system. In 2006, these were infant mortality, child mortality, maternal mortality, mortality by non-transmissible illness and mortality caused by external causes: transportation, violence and suicide. Language Museum of the Portuguese Language in São Paulo, the first language museum in the world.Portuguese is the only official language of Brazil. It is spoken by nearly the entire population and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for all business and administrative purposes. Moreover, 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 its Spanish-speaking neighbors. Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, influenced by the Amerindian and African languages. Due to this, the language is somewhat different from that spoken in Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries, mainly for phonological and orthographic differences. These differences are somewhat greater than those of American and British English. Portugal may have to recognize the inevitable by bowing to the economic and cultural supremacy of Brazil, its former colony; it is considering reforming its own language to accommodate linguistic developments in the Brazilian Portuguese since the two languages diverged. Minority languages are spoken throughout the vast national territory. Some of these are spoken by indigenous peoples: 180 Amerindian languages are spoken in remote areas. Others are spoken by immigrants and their descendants. There are important communities of speakers of German (mostly the Hunsrückisch, part of the High German languages) and Italian (mostly the Talian dialect, of Venetian origin) in the south of the country, both largely influenced by the Portuguese language. Culture Brazilian Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the greatest shows on Earth.A wide variety of elements create a society with considerable ethnic complexity. Brazilian culture has historically been influenced by European, African, and Indigenous cultures and traditions. Its major early influence derived from Portuguese culture because of strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire. Among other inheritances, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, the Catholic religion, and the colonial architectural styles. Other aspects of Brazilian culture are contributions of Italian, German, and other European immigrants who came in large numbers, and their influences are felt closer to the South and Southeast of Brazil. Amerindian peoples influenced Brazil's language and cuisine; and the Africans, brought to Brazil as slaves, influenced language, cuisine, music, dance, and religion. Literature in Brazil dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such as Pêro Vaz de Caminha, writer of the fleet of navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral. Cuisine varies greatly by region and reflects the country's mix of native and immigrants. This has created a national cooking style marked by the preservation of regional differences. Brazil's cultural tradition extends to its music styles which include samba, bossa nova, forró, frevo, pagode, and many others. Brazil has also contributed to classical music, which can be seen in the works of many composers. In arts, important modern artists Anita Malfatti and Tarsila do Amaral were both early pioneers in Brazilian art. The Cinema has a long tradition, reaching back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century, and gained a new level of international acclaim in recent years. The festival of Carnival (Portuguese: Carnaval), with its spectacular street parades and vibrant music, has become one of the most potent images of Brazil; an annual celebration held forty days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent. Carnival is celebrated throughout Brazil with distinct regional characteristics, but the most spectacular celebrations outside Rio de Janeiro take place in Salvador, Recife, and Olinda, although the nature of the events varies. Other regional festivals include the Boi Bumbá and Festa Junina (June Festivals). Religion Christ the Redeemer, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and symbol of Brazilian Christianity.Religion is very diversified in Brazil; the constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice. The Roman Catholic Church is dominant, making Brazil the largest Catholic nation in the world. The formal link between the state and the Roman Catholicism was severed in the late 19th century; however, the Catholic Church has continued to exert an influence on national affairs. Adepts of Protestantism are rising in number. Until 1970, the majority of Brazilian Protestants were members of "traditional churches", mostly Lutherans, Presbyterians and Baptists. Since then, numbers of Pentecostal and Neopentecostal members have increased significantly. Traditional African beliefs, brought by slaves, have blended with Catholicism to create Afro-Brazilian religions such as Macumba, Candomblé, and Umbanda. Amerindians practice a wide variety of indigenous religions that vary from group to group. According to the 2000 Demographic Census, 73.9% of the population is Roman Catholic; 15.4% is Protestant; 0.91% from other Christian denominations; 1.33% follows Kardecist spiritism; 0.31% follows African traditional religions; 0.01% follows Amerindian traditions; 7.35% consider themselves agnostics, atheists or without a religion; and 0.81% are members of other religions such as Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and some practice a mixture of different religions. Sport Maracanã Stadium, at the Brazilian Championship, highest division of Brazilian football.Football (Portuguese: futebol) is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Brazilian national football team (Seleção) is currently ranked second in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings. They have been victorious in the World Cup tournament a record five times, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Basketball, volleyball, auto racing, and martial arts also attract large audiences. Though not as regularly followed or practiced as the previously mentioned sports, tennis, team handball, swimming, and gymnastics have found a growing number of enthusiasts over the last decades. Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil. Beach football, futsal (official version of indoor football) and footvolley emerged in the country as variations of football. In martial arts, Brazilians have developed Capoeira, Vale tudo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In auto racing, Brazilian drivers have won the Formula 1 world championship eight times: Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972 and 1974; Nelson Piquet in 1981, 1983 and 1987; and Ayrton Senna in 1988, 1990 and 1991. Brazil has undertaken the organization of large-scale sporting events: the country organized and hosted the 1950 FIFA World Cup and is chosen to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup event. The circuit located in São Paulo, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, hosts the annual Grand Prix of Brazil. São Paulo organized the IV Pan American Games in 1963, and Rio de Janeiro hosted the XV Pan American Games in 2007. Brazil also tried for the fourth time to host the Summer Olympics with Rio de Janeiro candidature in 2016. |
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