Brazil

Brazil is a beautiful country with a sunny climate, and an unprecedented economic growth rate. With buyers in Brazil making their money go roughly 80% further than it did where they used to live, it seems like an ideal time to relocate. Officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, this country is located in South America and is the fifth largest country in the world by geographical area. The former capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, is famous for its samba Carnival that ends on Mardi Gras Tuesday, the Copacabana, Ipanema and the Corcovado Mountain that boasts the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer.

Brazil is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the East and borders every nation on the South American continent except for Ecuador and Chile. To the North sit Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the department of French Guiana. Colombia sits to the Northwest, Bolivia and Peru on the West, Argentina and Paraguay to the Southwest and Uruguay to the South. There are also many archipelagos that are part of the Brazilian territory; these include Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo , Fernando de Noronha , Trindade and Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas.

Geography:

Occupying roughly half of South America, Brazil spans four time zones. The country has one of the world's most extensive river systems which include eight major drainage basins, major rivers such as the Amazon and the the Iguaçu River, where the Iguaçu Falls are.

The country's terrain is extremely diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, savannas, rainforests and a long coastline. The Amazon Rainforest covers most of the terrain in the North of the country, whereas the South is occupied mostly by small hills and low mountains. There are several mountain ranges along the Atlantic coast, the highest of which is Pico da Neblina (Misty Peak) in Guiana's highlands.

Brazil has five climate regions: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical and subtropical.

Government:

Originally a colony of Portugal until its independence in 1822, the country has been a republic since 1889. Currently, Brazilian consitution defines Brazil as a Federal Republic and was formed by a union of the States, the Federal District and the Municipalities. There is no hierachy among the political branches and is instead set on six fundamental principles: sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of the people, social value of labour, freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism.

All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected. The President is Head of State and Head of Government and is elected to a four year term with a maximum of two successive terms.

The government is bicameral and is made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal State, forming the National Congress.

Recently, the country has engaged diplomacy through the United Nations and Organization of American States in order to strengthen ties with other South American States. Infact the Brazilian Consitution determines the country should seek the economic, political, social and cultural integration of all the nations in Latin America.

Did You Know?

• Brazil has the highest number of terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates of any country in the world. It also has the highest primate diversity and the highest number of mammals.
• Portuguese is the only official language of Brazil although minority languages that are spoken everyday in the country have affected the way that Portuguese is spoken. It means that the Portuguese in Brazil is fairly different from the Portuguese language spoken in Portugal.

© Written by E.J.Clarke.