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Brazil In History Essay

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Brazil: National Context

Geography

Brazil occupies almost one-half of the entire South America continent, and is the fifth largest country in the world. It borders all Latin American countries except Chile and Ecuador. The
9,170km coastline and the 50,000km navigable inland waterways provide great potentials for water transportation which has not been well developed.

Brazil is topographically relatively flat. 40% of the land is under the Amazon Rain Forest. Most of the arable land is found in the South, but the process of land development for agriculture is pushing into the Central-West and the North as well. The climate is mainly tropical and sub-tropical, and is particularly humid and rainy in the Amazon region and along the coast. …show more content…

Other major social problems include violent crime and corruption.

Resources

Brazil is rich in natural resources. It has some of the largest iron ore deposits in the world and is now one of the biggest gold producers. Other metals and minerals are also mined on an increasing scale.(See Table 2) The extensive river system provides great hydroelectric potential, as evident in the Itaipu dam project. Since the oil crisis in the 70s, Brazil embarked upon the ProAlcohol program for alcohol fuel manufacture from sugar cane to reduce the country's reliance on foreign oil. As for agriculture, Brazil is a major exporter of soybeans and orange juice in addition to the traditional coffee and cocoa. The fishing potential along the coastline is significant but has not been fully exploited.(See Table 3) The natural scenery and favorable climate also foster a prosperous tourist industry.

Political Climate and Forces

Brazil remained a Portuguese colony for more than 300 years until it became a republic(Federative
Republic of Brazil)in 1889. The latest Constitution was promulgated in 1988, and it is still under review. Brazil is composed of 27 states and the Federal District of Brasilia, the capital city. The states are divided into municipalities, which are further divided into districts. The federal government consists of three branches: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.

The executive branch is headed by the

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