3 GeoFroggy

Country Name

Conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil

Conventional short form: Brazil

Local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil

Local short form: Brasil

Administrative Divisions

26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins

Independence

7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Constitution

5 October 1988

Legal System

based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International Law Organization Participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 4 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2002)

Election results: Fernando Henrique CARDOSO reelected president; percent of vote - 53%

Legislative Branch

Elections: Federal Senate - last held 4 October 1998 for one-third of Senate (next to be held NA October 2002 for two-thirds of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 4 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2002)

Election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PMDB 27, PFL 20, PSDB 16, PT 7, PPB 5, PSB 3, PDT 2, PPS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PFL 106, PSDB 99, PMDB 82, PPB 60, PT 58, PTB 31, PDT 25, PSB 19, PL 12, PCdoB 7, other 14

Judicial Branch

Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life)

Political Parties and Leaders

Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Jader BARBALHO, president]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Teotonio VILELA Filno]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Miguel ARRAES, president]; Brazilian Progressive Party or PPB [Paulo Salim MALUF]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Sergio Roberto Gomes SOUZA, chairman]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA, president]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jorge BORNHAUSEN, president]; Liberal Party or PL [Francisco Teixeira de OLIVEIRA]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Ciro GOMEZ, president]; Worker's Party or PT [Jose DIRCEU, president]

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Left wing of the Catholic Church, Landless Worker's Movement, and labor unions allied to leftist Worker's Party are critical of government's social and economic policies

Flag Description

Green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)

National Anthem

Year

Government Type

  • Federative republic

Capital

    Brasilia

Diplomatic Representation in the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Rubens Antonio BARBOSA
  • Chancery
    3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  • Telephone
    [1] (202) 238-2700
  • FAX
    [1] (202) 238-2827
  • Consulate(s) General
    Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco

Diplomatic Representation from the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Anthony S. HARRINGTON
  • Embassy
    Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia
  • Mailing Address
    Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
  • Telephone
    [55] (061) 321-7272
  • FAX
    [55] (061) 225-9136
  • Consulate(s) General
    Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
  • Consulate(s)
    Recife

International Organization Participation

  • AfDB
  • BIS
  • CCC
  • ECLAC
  • FAO
  • G-11
  • G-15
  • G-19
  • G-24
  • G-77
  • IADB
  • IAEA
  • IBRD
  • ICAO
  • ICC
  • ICFTU
  • ICRM
  • IDA
  • IFAD
  • IFC
  • IFRCS
  • IHO
  • ILO
  • IMF
  • IMO
  • Inmarsat
  • Intelsat
  • Interpol
  • IOC
  • IOM (observer)
  • ISO
  • ITU
  • LAES
  • LAIA
  • Mercosur
  • NAM (observer)
  • NSG
  • OAS
  • OPANAL
  • OPCW
  • PCA
  • RG
  • UN
  • UNCTAD
  • UNESCO
  • UNHCR
  • UNIDO
  • UNITAR
  • UNMOP
  • UNTAET
  • UNU
  • UPU
  • WCL
  • WFTU
  • WHO
  • WIPO
  • WMO
  • WToO
  • WTrO