Page 21 - InvestmentGuideBrasilEng

Territorial Brazil is a federation, administratively divided into twenty-six THE NORTHEAST ment, with considerable success.

states and one Federal District, each with its own independent lo-
Pernambuco and Bahia were the first major
Organization cal government. The states are in turn grouped into regions. STATES: MARANHAO, PIAUI, CEARA, RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, centers of colonial Brazil and they still exert a very
PARAIBA, PERNAMBUCO, BAHIA, ALAGOAS, SERGIPE
strong influence on Brazilian culture. Much of what
The regions of Brazil are geographic areas that group neigh-
of Brazil boring states together. The regions are used for statistical and cul- One of the fast-growing regional economies in is characteristically Brazilian in music, folklore and
cuisine originated in this region. Both Ceara and
tural purposes only; there is no regional level of government. There
are five regions in Brazil, described below.
Maranhao ports of Pecem and Itaqui are import-
Brazil, the Northeast is situated in an area that
encompasses both the arid caatinga and the ant hubs for agricultural and iron ore exports.
semi-arid cerrado biomes. Vast stretches of this
region, which contains nearly 30% of the Brazil-
ian population, are subject to frequent drought.
THE NORTH ies in the region are Manaus, capital of the state Industrial development is an important and THE MIDWEST
fast-growing sector in the region. Salvador, the STATES: FEDERAL DISTRICT, GOIAS, MATO GROSSO, MATO
of Amazonas and an important manufacturing
STATES: AMAZONAS, PARA, ACRE, RONDONIA, RORAIMA, cluster as Brazil’s largest Free Trade Zone, and largest city in the region and the capital of the GROSSO DO SUL
AMAPA, TOCANTINS Belem, capital of the state of Para, which has an state of Bahia, has an important manufacturing
important maritime port. The Amazon is an im- cluster, while Recife, the second-largest metro- This region, covered with extensive savannah and
This region lies mostly within the Amazon basin portant trade corridor, with a lot of goods shipped politan area in the region and capital of the state tropical grasslands (cerrado), is still sparsely popu-
and the territory is dominated by rainforest and by barge between Manaus and Belem for onward of Pernambuco, is home to the Suape Industrial lated. Once one of the more isolated areas of the
numerous tributaries of the Amazon River. By shipment to the Brazilian domestic and interna- Complex and the Recife Digital Port, an ICT inno- country, this region has experienced a rapid expan-
volume, this area holds the largest concentration tional export markets. The state of Para is an im- vation hub. Sizable oil fields and mineral deposits sion of its rural production and established new
of freshwater in the world and one-fifth of the portant mining center, home to the Carajas Iron are located in the region, and in recent years the industries. The national capital, Brasilia, founded
planet’s freshwater reserves. The two largest cit- Ore Mine, the largest iron ore mine in the world. Federal Government (through the Northeastern in 1960, was moved to this region when the then
Brazil Development Agency – SUDENE) has been President Juscelino Kubitschek made the decision
giving the Northeast special attention. Signifi- to move the capital of Brazil to the heart of the
cant resources have been allocated to its improve-
country as part of a national economic develop-
B R A Z I L I N NU MBE R S LIFE EXPECTATION IN BRAZIL
DEMOGRAPHICS

76
73
th
? Brazil is the 5 -largest country ? Largest cities
in the world by population. Sao Paulo (11.4m), Rio de Janeiro (6.4m), Salvador 70
(2.7m), Brasilia (2.6m), Fortaleza (2.5m), Belo 67
? Demographic Dividend: Brazil’s Horizonte (2.4m), Manaus (1.9m), Curitiba (1.8m),
population is highly concentrated Recife (1.6m), Porto Alegre (1.4m) 64
in the working-age range 61
? Ethnicity 1980 2010
? 40 million Brazilians have entered white 48.2%,
the middle class since 2002 mixed ancestry 44.2%, AGE COMPOSITION OF THE BRAZILIAN POPULATION
black 6.9%, 9
? 22 million Brazilians have been lifted Asian 0.7%,
out of extreme poverty since 2011 indigenous peoples of Brazil 0.7% 7.2 MEN WOMEN

? Total population ? Religion 5.4
201.032.714 million (2010 Census) No State religion exists in Brazil; the Constitution 3.6
guarantees freedom of belief and expression. POPULATION IN MILLION
? Population living in urban areas Most of the population are Christan (64.6% Ro- 1.8
84% of total man Catholic and 22.2% Protestant). 8% declare
themselves to have no religion, while 2% are 0
? Language Spiritist. 0 / 4 5 / 9 10 / 14 15 / 19 20 / 24 25 / 29 30 / 34 35 / 39 40 / 44 45 / 49 50 / 54 55 / 59 60 / 64 65 / 69 70 / 74 75 / 79 80 / 84 85 / 89 90 / 94 95 / 99 95 / 99
Portuguese
AGE GROUP
20 21