Culture - Brazil
Population
Brazil have population 176,464,000 and is the giant of South America with nearly half of the continent's area and people; worldwide it ranks fifth in both area and population, which is as diverse as it is large. About 54 percent (95 million) are mainly of European origin, descendants of immigrants from Portugal , Italy , Spain , Germany , and Eastern Europe . More than 45 percent (80 million) are black or of mixed race, a legacy of the African slave trade. Less than one percent (700,000) are from indigenous groups, mostly Indians in the Amazon region; smaller numbers of Japanese, other Asians, and Arabs live in the larger Brazilian cities. The motto "Ordem e Progresso"-(Order and Progress) appears on Brazil 's flag. Political progress continues after years of military dictatorship gave way to civilian rule in 1985. Recent censuses reveal social progress, with lower infant mortality rates and higher literacy rates. Brazil 's growing urbanization rate helps economic development (some 80 percent of Brazilians live in urban areas), but creates serious social and environmental problems in cities.
Geography
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world; in terms of population (176 million) as well as land area. It is the economic leader of South America , with the ninth largest economy in the world, and a large iron and aluminum ore reserve. The Brazilian city of Sao Paulo is the third largest in the world with more than 18 million people.
From the Amazon basin in the north and west to the Brazilian Highlands in the southeast, Brazil 's topography is quite diverse. The Amazon River system carries more water to the ocean than any other river system in the world. It is navigable for its entire 2000 mile trip within Brazil . The basin is home to the most rapidly depleting rain forest in the world, losing about 52,000 square miles (20,000 square kilometers) annually. The basin, occupying more than sixty percent of the entire country, receives more than eighty inches (about 200 cm ) of rain a year in some areas. Almost all of Brazil is humid as well as either has a tropical or subtropical climate. Brazil 's rainy season occurs during the summer months. Eastern Brazil suffers from regular drought. There is little seismic or volcanic activity due to Brazil 's position near the center of the South American Plate.
The Brazilian Highlands and plateaus generally average less than 4000 feet ( 1220 meters ) but the highest point in Brazil is Pico de Neblina at 9888 feet ( 3014 meters ). Extensive uplands lie in the southeast and drop off quickly at the Atlantic Coast . Much of the coast is composed of the Great Escarpment which looks like a wall from the ocean.
Economy
Industry: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore.
Agriculture: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, beef.
Exports: transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee.
Text source: National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Brazil Introduction should be addressed to the National Geographic Atlas of the World.
History
Portuguese colonization began in Northeastern Brazil after Pedro Alvares Cabral's accidental landing in 1500. Portugal established plantations in Brazil and brought slaves from Africa . In 1808 Rio de Janeiro became the home of the Portuguese royalty which was ousted by Napoleon's invasion. Portuguese Prime Regent John VI left Brazil in 1821. In 1822, Brazil proclaimed independence. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in South America .
A military coup d'etat of the civilian government in 1964 gave Brazil a military government for more than two decades. Since 1989 there has been a democratically elected civil leader.
Though Brazil has the world's largest Roman Catholic population, the birth rate has significantly decreased over the last 20 years. In 1980, Brazilian women gave birth to an average of 4.4 children each. In 1995, that rate dropped to 2.1 children.
The annual rate of growth has also decreased from just over 3% in the 1960s to 1.7% today. An increase in contraceptive use, economic stagnation, and the diffusion of global ideas through television have all been explained as reasons for the downturn. The government has no formal program of birth control.
There are less than 300,000 indigenous Amerindians living in the Amazon basin. Sixty-five million people in Brazil are of mixed European, African, and Amerindian descent.
Special Culture
Many ethnic groups have existed in China . In terms of the numbers, however, the pre-eminent ethnic group is the Han Chinese. Throughout history, many groups have been assimilated into neighboring\ ethnicity or disappeared without a trace. At the same time, many within the Han identity have maintained distinct linguistic and regional cultural traditions. The term Zhonghua Minzu has been used to describe the notion of Chinese nationalism in general. Much of the traditional cultural identity within the community has to do with distinguishing the family name.