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

Etymology: the country name derives from the brazilwood tree that used to grow plentifully along the coast of Brazil and that was used to produce a deep red dye

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

History: several previous; latest ratified 5 October 1988

Amendments: proposed by at least one third of either house of the National Congress, by the president of the republic, or by simple majority vote by more than half of the state legislative assemblies; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote by both houses in each of two readings; constitutional provisions affecting the federal form of government, separation of powers, suffrage, or individual rights and guarantees cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2017 (2018)

Legal System

civil law; note - a new civil law code was enacted in 2002 replacing the 1916 code

International Law Organization Participation

Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Citizenship by birth: yes

Citizenship by descent only: yes

Dual citizenship recognized: yes

Residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years

Suffrage

voluntary between 16 to 18 years of age, over 70, and if illiterate; compulsory between 18 to 70 years of age; note - military conscripts by law cannot vote

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Jair BOLSONARO (since 1 January 2019); Vice President Antonio Hamilton Martins MOURAO (since 1 January 2019); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

Head of government: President Jair BOLSONARO (since 1 January 2019); Vice President Antonio Hamilton Martins MOURAO (since 1 January 2019)

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

Elections appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 October 2018 with runoff on 28 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2022)

Election results: Jair BOLSONARO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 46%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 29.3%, Ciro GOMEZ (PDT) 12.5%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 4.8%, other 7.4%; percent of vote in second round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 55.1%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 44.9%

Legislative Branch

Description: bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of:<br />Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members each from 26 states and 3 from the federal district directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 8-year terms, with one-third and two-thirds of the membership elected alternately every 4 years)<br /> Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

Elections: <br />Federal Senate - last held on 7 October 2018 for two-thirds of the Senate (next to be held in October 2022 for one-third of the Senate)<br />Chamber of Deputies - last held on 7 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2022)

Election results: <br />Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PMDB 7, PP 5, REDE 5, DEM 4, PSDB 4, PSDC 4, PSL 4, PT 4, PDT 2, PHS 2, PPS 2, PSB 2, PTB 2, Podemos 1, PR 1, PRB 1, PROS 1, PRP 1, PSC 1, SD 1; composition - men 70, women 11, percent of women 13.6% &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /> Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PT 56, PSL 52, PP 37, PMDB 34, PSDC 34, PR 33, PSB 32, PRB 30, DEM 29, PSDB 29, PDT 28, SD 13, Podemos 11, PSOL 10, PTB 10, PCdoB 9, NOVO 8, PPS 8, PROS 8, PSC 8, Avante 7, PHS 6, Patriota 5, PRP 4, PV 4, PMN 3, PTC 2, DC 1, PPL 1, REDE 1; composition - men 462, women 51, percent of women 9.9%; total National Congress percent of women 10.4%

Judicial Branch

Highest courts: Supreme Federal Court or Supremo Tribunal Federal (consists of 11 justices)

Judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president and approved by the Federal Senate; justices appointed to serve until mandatory retirement at age 75

Subordinate courts: Tribunal of the Union, Federal Appeals Court, Superior Court of Justice, Superior Electoral Court, regional federal courts; state court system

Political Parties and Leaders

Avante [Luis TIBE] (formerly Labor Party of Brazil or PTdoB) 
Brazilian Communist Party or PCB [Ivan Martins PINHEIRO]
Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Michel TEMER]
Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Cristiane BRASIL]
Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy FIDELIX da Cruz]
Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Marcos Antonio PEREIRA]
Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Tasso JEREISSATI]
Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Carlos Roberto SIQUEIRA de Barros]
Christian Democracy or DC [Jose Maria EYMAEL] (formerly Christian Social Democratic Party or PSDC)
Christian Labor Party or PTC [Daniel TOURINHO]
Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]
Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI]
The Democrats or DEM [Jose AGRIPINO] (formerly Liberal Front Party or PFL)
Free Homeland Party or PPL [Sergio RUBENS]
Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz PENNA]
Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS [Eduardo MACHADO]
National Mobilization Party or PMN [Telma RIBEIRO dos Santos]
New Party or NOVO [Moises JARDIM]
Party of the Republic or PR [Alfredo NASCIMENTO]
Patriota [Adilson BARROSO Oliveira] (formerly National Ecologic Party or PEN)
Podemos [Renata ABREU] (formerly National Labor Party or PTN) 
Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Roberto Joao Pereira FREIRE]
Progressive Party or PP [Ciro NOGUEIRA]
Progressive Republican Party or PRP [Ovasco Roma Altimari RESENDE]
Republican Social Order Party or PROS [Euripedes JUNIOR]
Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge Abdala NOSSEIS]
Social Democratic Party or PSD [Guilherme CAMPOS]
Social Liberal Party or PSL [Luciano Caldas BIVAR]
Socialism and Freedom Party or PSOL [Luiz ARAUJO]
Solidarity or SD [Paulo PEREIRA DA SILVA]
Sustainability Network or REDE [Marina SILVA]
United Socialist Workers' Party or PSTU [Jose Maria DE ALMEIDA]
Workers' Cause Party or PCO [Rui Costa PIMENTA]
Workers' Party or PT [Gleisi HOFFMAN]

Flag Description

Green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress); the current flag was inspired by the banner of the former Empire of Brazil (1822-1889); on the imperial flag, the green represented the House of Braganza of Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil, while the yellow stood for the Habsburg Family of his wife; on the modern flag the green represents the forests of the country and the yellow rhombus its mineral wealth (the diamond shape roughly mirrors that of the country); the blue circle and stars, which replaced the coat of arms of the original flag, depict the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15 November 1889 - the day the Republic of Brazil was declared; the number of stars has changed with the creation of new states and has risen from an original 21 to the current 27 (one for each state and the Federal District)

National Symbols

Southern Cross constellation; national colors: green, yellow, blue

National Anthem

Name: "Hino Nacional Brasileiro" (Brazilian National Anthem)

Lyrics music: Joaquim Osorio Duque ESTRADA/Francisco Manoel DA SILVA

Year

Government Type

  • Federal presidential 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

Diplomatic Representation in the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Fernando Meirelles de Azevedo&nbsp; PIMENTEL (since 3 June 2019)
  • Chancery
    3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  • Telephone
    [1] (202) 238-2700
  • Fax
    [1] (202) 238-2827
  • Consulate S General
    Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hartford (CT), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC

Diplomatic Representation from the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires William POPP (since 3 November 2018)
  • Telephone
    [55] (61) 3312-7000
  • Embassy
    Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia
  • Mailing Address
    Unit 7500, DPO AA 34030
  • Fax
    [55] (61) 3225-9136
  • Consulate S General
    Belo Horizonte, Recife, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

International Organization Participation

  • AfDB (nonregional member)
  • BIS
  • BRICS
  • CAN (associate)
  • CD
  • CELAC
  • CPLP
  • FAO
  • FATF
  • G-15
  • G-20
  • G-24
  • G-5
  • G-77
  • IADB
  • IAEA
  • IBRD
  • ICAO
  • ICC (national committees)
  • ICCt
  • ICRM
  • IDA
  • IFAD
  • IFC
  • IFRCS
  • IHO
  • ILO
  • IMF
  • IMO
  • IMSO
  • Interpol
  • IOC
  • IOM
  • IPU
  • ISO
  • ITSO
  • ITU
  • ITUC (NGOs)
  • LAES
  • LAIA
  • LAS (observer)
  • Mercosur
  • MIGA
  • MINURSO
  • MINUSTAH
  • MONUSCO
  • NAM (observer)
  • NSG
  • OAS
  • OECD (enhanced engagement)
  • OPANAL
  • OPCW
  • Paris Club (associate)
  • PCA
  • SICA (observer)
  • UN
  • UNASUR
  • UNCTAD
  • UNESCO
  • UNFICYP
  • UNHCR
  • UNIDO
  • UNIFIL
  • Union Latina
  • UNISFA
  • UNITAR
  • UNMIL
  • UNMISS
  • UNOCI
  • UNRWA
  • UNWTO
  • UPU
  • WCO
  • WFTU (NGOs)
  • WHO
  • WIPO
  • WMO
  • WTO