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Brazil

Continent:

Geography

People &
Society

Government

Economy

Energy

Communications

Military &
Security

Transportation

Terrorism

Transnational Issues
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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; note - military conscripts do not vote

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Head of government: President Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 1 October 2006 with runoff 29 October 2006 (next to be held 3 October 2010 and, if necessary, 31 October 2010)

Election results: Luiz Inacio LULA DA SILVA (PT) reelected president - 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17%

Legislative Branch

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each state and federal district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third and two-thirds elected every four years, alternately) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

Elections: Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held in October 2010 for two-thirds of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)

Election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PDT 1, PSB 1, PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; total seats following election - PFL 18, PMDB 15, PSDB 15, PT 11, PDT 5, PTB 4, PSB 3, PL 3, PCdoB 2, PRB 2, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB 65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13, PSC 9, other 17

Judicial Branch

Supreme Federal Tribunal (11 ministers are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70

Political Parties and Leaders

Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy FIDELIX da Cruz]; Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Tasso JEREISSATI]; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Governor Eduardo Henrique Accioly CAMPOS]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Luis Marques MENDES]; Freedom and Socialism Party or PSOL [Heloisa HELENA]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS; Liberal Front Party or PFL (now known as the Democrats Party or DEM); Liberal Party or PL; Partido Municipalista Renovador or PMR [Natal Wellington Rodrigues FURUCHO]; Party of the Republic or PR [Sergio TAMER]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Federal Deputy Roberto FREIRE]; Progressive Party or PP [Federal Deputy Pedro CORREA]; Social Christian Party or PSC; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose Ribeiro BERZOINI]

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Landless Worker's Movement; labor unions and federations; large farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical Christian churches and the Catholic Church

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

  • Federal republic

Capital

  • Name
    Brasilia
  • Geographic Coordinates
    15 47 S, 47 55 W
  • Time Difference
    UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
  • Daylight Saving Time
    +1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in February
  • Note
    Brazil is divided into four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands

Diplomatic Representation in the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar PATRIOTA
  • 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, San Francisco

Diplomatic Representation from the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL
  • Embassy
    Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia
  • Mailing Address
    Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
  • Telephone
    [55] (61) 3312-7000
  • FAX
    [55] (61) 3225-9136
  • Consulate(s) General
    Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
  • Consulate(s)
    Recife

International Organization Participation

  • AfDB
  • BIS
  • CAN (associate)
  • CPLP
  • CSN
  • FAO
  • G-15
  • G-24
  • G-77
  • IADB
  • IAEA
  • IBRD
  • ICAO
  • ICC
  • ICCt
  • ICRM
  • IDA
  • IFAD
  • IFC
  • IFRCS
  • IHO
  • ILO
  • IMF
  • IMO
  • IMSO
  • Interpol
  • IOC
  • IOM
  • IPU
  • ISO
  • ITSO
  • ITU
  • ITUC
  • LAES
  • LAIA
  • Mercosur
  • MIGA
  • MINUSTAH
  • NAM (observer)
  • NSG
  • OAS
  • OPANAL
  • OPCW
  • PCA
  • RG
  • UN
  • UN Security Council (temporary)
  • UNCTAD
  • UNESCO
  • UNHCR
  • UNIDO
  • Union Latina
  • UNITAR
  • UNMIL
  • UNMIS
  • UNMOVIC
  • UNOCI
  • UNWTO
  • UPU
  • WCL
  • WCO
  • WFTU
  • WHO
  • WIPO
  • WMO
  • WTO
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