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Country summary

Capital

Brasilia

Borders

Argentina 1,261 km, Bolivia 3,423 km, Colombia 1,644 km, French Guiana 730 km, Guyana 1,606 km, Paraguay 1,365 km, Peru 2,995 km, Suriname 593 km, Uruguay 1,068 km, Venezuela 2,200 km

Government type

federal republic

Population

198,739,269[1]

Population growth

1.199% (2010 est.)[1]

Life expectancy

71.99 years[1]

Unemployment

8.1% (2009 est.)[1]

Index of Economic Freedom

113[2]

Corruption Perceptions Index

75[3]

Doing Business ranking

129[4]


Following more than three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil gained its independence in 1822, maintaining a monarchical system of government until the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the subsequent proclamation of a republic by the military in 1889. Brazilian coffee exporters politically dominated the country until populist leader Getulio VARGAS rose to power in 1930. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil underwent more than half a century of populist and military government until 1985, when the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader, one of the first in the area to begin an economic recovery. Highly unequal income distribution and crime remain pressing problems. In January 2010, Brazil assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2010-11 term.[1]

Economical characteristics[]

  • Currency: Real (ISO code: BRL)
  • Central bank discount rate: 8.75% (31 December 2009)[1]
  • Commercial banks lending rate: 47.25% (31 December 2008)[1]
  • Stock of money (M1): $125 billion (30 November 2009)[1]
  • Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $645 billion (30 November 2009)[1]


Statistics[]

Statistic / Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
GDP (million USD)[5] 586 863 644 702 553 582 504 221 552 469 663 760 882 185 1 089 060 1 333 270 1 575 150
Govt. debt (% of GDP)[6] 12.303 66.486 66.809 60.880
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[7] 5.520 22.855 23.762 24.726
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[8] 5.556 25.016 24.839 25.023
Debt to revenue (years) 2.229 2.909 2.812 2.462

References[]

Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 CIA - The World Facebook. "Brazil", from The World Facebook. Referenced 2010-09-28.
  2. Heritage Foundation. "Brazil", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-28.
  3. Transparency International. "Brazil", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-09-28.
  4. Doing Business. "Brazil", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-28.
  5. World Bank. "Brazil: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.
  6. World Bank. "Brazil: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.
  7. World Bank. "Brazil: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.
  8. World Bank. "Brazil: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.

External links[]

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