BRAZIL THE PEOPLE

In 1997 Brazil's population reached 159.9 million, the fifth largest in the world after that of China, India, the United States, and Indonesia. The Brazilian population is predominately young with 62 percent under 29 years of age.

Population and Its Annual Rate of Growth

Year Population
(million) 		Compound Annual
Rate of Growth
1776 1.9 --
1876 10.9 1.8%
1900 17.3 1.9%
1940 41.2 2.2%
1950 51.9 2.3%
1960 70.1 3.1%
1970 93.2 2.9%
1980 121.3 2.7%
1992 149.8 1.8%
1997 159.9 1.3%

Considering the high rate of population growth during the early and mid 20th century, Brazil has undergone a dramatic demographic transformation since the 1960's. This trend is largely due to a massive urbanization process and economic modernization. By the turn of the century, the fertility rate is projected to be 2.1 live births per woman, dramatically lower than the 1960 rate of 6.3. The population growth rate, which was 3 percent per year in the 1960's, fell to 1.4 percent for the period 1990-1996, and is now 1.3 percent and still falling. At that rate Brazil will have around 165 million inhabitants in the year 2000.

Distribution of Population

Although Brazil is the fifth most populous nation, its nationwide demographic density is low compared to other countries. The population is concentrated along the Atlantic coastal areas of the southeastern and northeastern states. Industrial activity is concentrated in the southeastern region, with 50 percent of the industrial production located in the state of Sao Paulo. Migration from the northeast to the southeast, as well as from rural to urban areas, has been heavy since 1970. More recently, the population flow has turned towards the less inhabited central-western and northern regions.

The Five Regions of Brazil

North Region:

States of Amazonas, Pará, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima, Amapá, and Tocantins.

This region lies mostly within the Amazon basin. It is largely covered by lush, tropical, rain forests. The Amazon River traverses the middle of the region from west to east before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. There are also numerous other rivers in the area. By volume, this area has the largest concentration of fresh water in the world - one-fifth of all the earth's fresh water reserves. There are two main Amazonian cities: Manaus, capital of the State of Amazonas, and Belém, capital of the State of Pará.

The Amazon basin has, since its discovery, offered Europeans a tantalizing vision of ready wealth and natural bounty. Until the mid 19th century, however, the region languished as an economic backwater. The Amazon boomed with the rising demand for rubber in the late 19th century. The population grew more than six times and regional income some 12 times between 1850 and 1910, when the rubber market collapsed.

There was renewed interest in the Amazon's mineral wealth and agricultural potential in the 1960's and 1970's. Changes in legislation governing mineral concessions and the readiness of state companies to form joint ventures with foreign corporations increased exploration and mining. The government sponsored a variety of colonization schemes, all predicated on the notion that the unpeopled reaches of the Amazon forest were a safety valve to absorb the land-hungry peasants of the northeast.

The government incentives to encourage farming in the Amazon resulted in the region becoming increasingly threatened by environmental problems. Development projects and domestic migration during the 1970's and 1980's led to deforestation of 160,000 sq. miles (414,400 sq. km) of the region. Fires in the forest became an issue of world-wide concern. Accordingly, the Brazilian government launched various policies to control development. Fiscal incentives and official credits to livestock and agricultural projects in the area were suspended. Exportation of timber was also prohibited. Since 1989, the pace of deforestation has been sharply reduced by half, leaving 90 percent of the Amazon intact. Today, protection of the Amazon is being monitored by satellite and domestic efforts are being reinforced by the international community through the Pilot Program for the Protection of the Brazilian Rain Forest, which is sponsored by the European Community, the United States, and a dozen other countries.

Northeast Region:

States of Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Bahia, Alagoas, and Sergipe.

Vast stretches of this region, which contains nearly 30 percent of the Brazilian population, are chronically subject to drought. The area has important economic possibilities, however, including sizable oil fields, and in recent years the Federal Government (through the Superintendency for the Development of the Northeast SUDENE) has been giving the northeast special attention. Large resources have been allocated to its improvement with considerable success.

Pernambuco and Bahia were the first major centers of colonial Brazil and they still exert a very strong influence on Brazilian culture. Much of what is characteristically Brazilian in music, folklore, cuisine, and social habits originated in this region. The two largest cities in the northeast are Recife and Salvador.

Southeast Region:

States of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo

The highly industrialized areas around the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte form the economic hub of Brazil. The majority of the country's population is concentrated in this region. The area is rich in minerals and its agriculture is the most advanced in the country, producing coffee and grains for export, as well as a variety of both fresh and processed foodstuffs, milk, and meat for domestic consumption.

South Region:

States of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul

This region is also highly developed Here, too, there is a good balance between the rural and the manufacturing sectors. Toward the south, the plateau drops to the wide plains called pampas where the traditional grazing activities produced the gaúcho, the Brazilian equivalent of the cowboy In the west, located on the border between Brazil and Argentina, is Iguaçu Fal1s, one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world. Less than 12 miles (20 km) away, on the Paraná River that separates Brazil and Paraguay is Itaipu, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. The largest city in this region is Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state.

West-Central Region:

States of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Goiás and the

Distrito Federal.

This region, covered with extensive savannas and tropical grasslands, is still sparsely populated. Once one of the most isolated areas of the country, this region has experienced a rapid expansion of its rural production and established new industries. The nation's capital, Brasília, founded in 1960,, is located in this region. The federal government has set aside vast areas as reservations in the west-central region for the native Indian tribes which originally lived on them. Also in this region is the wildlife paradise, the Mato Grosso swamplands (Pantanal Mato-grossense).

Major Cities

Brasília

Since the second half of the 18th century, Brazil's governing authorities considered, with varying degrees of intensity, transferring the seat of government from Rio de Janeiro to some inland area, safe from naval attacks. The first Republican constitution (1891) went as far as defining where the future Federal District would be - a rectangle within the State of Goiás, in the heart of the country. But it was not until 1956, after eight years of surveying, that the actual design and construction of the new Capital began under President Juscelino Kubitschek. The site chosen for Brasilia is located in the Federal District and comprises 2,245 sq. miles (5,814 sq. km) of a sparsely inhabited plateau carved out of the State of Goiás, 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level and 746 miles (1,200 km) from Rio de Janeiro. The competition for the urban master plan was won by Brazilian architect and urban planner, Lúcio Costa. The major government buildings were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx planned the layout and selection of plant varieties to add a vivid green backdrop to the otherwise dry, yellow landscape of the savanna vegetation. On April 21, 1960, Brasília was officially inaugurated and started functioning as the new capital of Brazil.

São Paulo

São Paulo was founded by the Jesuits in 1554, on a plateau 2,493 feet (760 meters) above sea level, but only 45 miles (72 km) from the coast, as a mission center for early settlers and the indians who inhabited the area. For a long time it remained a small town. Around 1850 it began to grow and became richer thanks to the highly productive coffee plantations in the state. Later on, the income from coffee exports and the increasing population provided capital and manpower for the foundation of an industrial base. Today there are over 20,000 industrial plants of all types and sizes concentrated in the city and the surrounding municipalities employing 600,000 workers. São Paulo is also the major financial center in Brazil with nearly 2,000 banking agencies.

Rio de Janeiro

With the inauguration of Brasília , Rio de Janeiro ceased to be Brazil's capital. Even today discussion is rife concerning whether Rio was improved or hurt by the transfer of the government. In any event, this second largest city in Brazil is still a major cultural capital and, to some extent, its "emotional" capital as well. Rio de Janeiro has a majestic beauty, with built-up areas nestled between a magnificent bay and dazzling beaches on one side and an abruptly rising mountain range, covered by a luxuriant tropical forest, on the other. This unique landscape makes Rio one of the most beautiful cities in the world, justifying its title of "Marvelous City" (Cidade Maravilhosa). Rio's cultural life is intense and varied. Economically it is a service industry center, a key financial center, and the producer of foodstuffs, building materials, electrical equipment, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and textiles. But it is in the pursuit of leisure that Rio is outstanding. With its world famous beaches free to all (such as Copacabana and Ipanema), its splendid bay, one of the loveliest in the world, and its wonderful climate, a blend of summer and springtime, Rio de Janeiro is a city that lives in and for the sun.

Salvador

Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, was the first major port and the capital of colonial Brazil for almost two centuries. The city lies between green tropical hills and broad beaches along the bay of Todos os Santos. It was built on two levels with administration buildings and residences constructed on the hills; forts, docks, and warehouses on the beaches. To this day the city is still divided into upper and lower cities. From 1500 to 1815 Salvador was the nation's busiest port. A significant portion of the sugar from the northeast and gold and diamonds from the mines in the southeast passed through Salvador. It was a golden age for the town; magnificent homes and churches resplendent in gold decoration were built. Many of the city's baroque churches, private homes, squares, and even the hand-chipped paving bricks have been preserved as part of Brazil's historic patrimony.

In Salvador, more than anywhere else in the country, the African influence in the makeup of Brazilian culture is readily visible, from the spicy dishes still called by their African names (caruru, vatapá, acarajé), to the ceremonies of candomblé which honor both African deities and Catholic holidays, to the capoeira schools where a unique African form of ritualistic fighting is taught.

Belo Horizonte

Belo Horizonte, the first modern Brazilian city to spring from an architect's drawing board, was especially designed for its role as the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. Its wide, landscaped avenues and carefully planned residential suburbs have, however, suffered the impact of the country's high rate of urbanization. Belo Horizonte is the distribution and processing center of a rich agricultural and mining region and the nucleus of a burgeoning industrial complex. Its chief manufactures are steel, steel products, automobiles, and textiles. Gold, manganese, and gem stones of the surrounding region are processed in the city. Belo Horizonte is also a leading cultural center, with three universities, a historical museum, numerous libraries, and sports stadiums. The climate is refreshing and cool.

Curitiba

Curitiba, standing some 3,000 feet (914 meters) above sea level on the plateau of Serra do Mar, is the capital of the progressive state of Paraná. Since the late 1800's, Curitiba's bracing climate and picturesque location have attracted immigrants of Slav, German, and Italian origin. Curitiba grew rapidly after 1950 and it is known for the sensible manner in which it became a major city without losing a comfortable life-style. Curitiba is setting international standards not only for its sound environmental policies, but also for the enthusiastic way its citizens embrace and uphold them. The city derives its economic prosperity from its role as commercial and processing center for the expanding agricultural and ranch areas in the hinterlands as well as from its diverse industrial output.

Recife

Recife was built as a port city along tropical, white-sand beaches lined with palm trees. It is the capital of the northeastern state of Pernambuco. Recife is a fast-growing urban area that has been called the "Venice of Brazil" because it is dissected by numerous waterways and connected by many bridges. The city got its name from the coral reefs that line the coast. Local fishermen go out into the high seas in jangadas, crude log rafts with beautiful sails unique to the area, that require expert navigational skills to maneuver. Recife exports great quantities of the hinterland's products, including sugar, cotton, and coffee.

Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre, the largest city in the south of Brazil, is the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city was founded in 1742 by immigrants from the Azores. Since the 19th century the city has received numerous German and Italian Scot settlers. Lying as it does at the junction of five rivers, it has become an important port as well as one of the chief industrial and commercial centers in Brazil. Products of the rich agricultural and pastoral hinterland, such as leather, canned beef, and rice, are exported from Porto Alegre to destinations as far away as Africa and Japan.

Races

There are three basic racial sources for the Brazilian people. To the original inhabitants (Indians) were added successive waves of Europeans (mainly Portuguese) and Africans (mostly from the sub-Saharan west coast).

In the 16th century, the area which is now Brazil was inhabited by several hundred Indigenous tribes who, while racially similar, spoke different languages and had different cultures. Groups speaking the Tupi and Guarani languages lived along the coast and in the adjoining hinterland and they established intermarriages with the Portuguese settlers. Many tribes speaking other languages (Gê, Arwak, and Karib), on the other hand, lived in the interior and they took longer to establish contact with the outsiders. Today Brazil's native Indians number about 250,000. They are divided into roughly 200 groups and they speak some 180 different languages. The Indians live in vast areas (328,185 sq. miles [850,000 sq. km]), equal to ten percent of Brazil's total territory, which has been set aside from them by the Federal Government. In these areas, which total more than twice the size of the state of California, the Indians are free to preserve their life-style.

Starting in the middle of the 16th century, Africans belonging to the Bantu and to the Sudanic ethnic groups (a large proportion of the Sudanic group came from the Yoruba nation from what is today Nigeria and Benin) were brought to Brazil to work as slaves in the sugarcane, and later, in the gold and diamond mines and the coffee plantations. The integration process that had begun between the Europeans and the Indians rapidly spread to include the black slaves.

This racial mixing went on as Brazil began, at the end of the 19th century, to receive increasing numbers of immigrants from all over the world. Portugal remained the single most important source of migrants to Brazil, with Italy second, followed by Lebanon. In the first half of the 20th Century, as a consequence of war or economic pressures, sizable contingents of immigrants came to Brazil from parts of western, central, and eastern Europe. In 1908, 640 immigrants came to Brazil from Japan. Because of the welcoming social environment, a Japanese migration trend was established. By 1969, 247,312 Japanese had emigrated to Brazil. Today Brazilians of Japanese descent are the largest such group outside Japan.

Language

Portuguese is the official language of Brasil. Except for the languages spoken by Indian tribes living in remote reservations, Portuguese is the only language of daily life. There are no regional dialects. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking country in South America.