Brazil Demography
The Brazilian population is made up mainly of groups that live in the northern and western regions of the territory, descended on the one hand from the Portuguese, who began to colonize the country from the 16th century, and on the other from Africans, who were brought as slaves and some immigrants from Europe and Asia. About 39% of the population is mestizo (mulatto), a mixture mainly of Europeans and blacks and very little of Chinese and Japanese. Brazil’s population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, due to a decline in the death rate, while the birth rate also decreased slightly in the same period. [[File: Boa_Viagem_ (2) _-_ Recife _-_ Pernambuco, _Brasil.jpg | thumb | left | Recife, Pernambuco The largest metropolitan areas are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte —all in the Southeast region— with 20.8; 12.1 and 5.7 million residents, respectively. [47] Almost all state capitals are the largest cities in their respective states, with the exception of Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also several important metropolitan areas that do not belong to the capital of any state, such as Campinas, Santos, Vale do Paraíba (in São Paulo), Vale do Aço (in Minas Gerais) and Vale do Itajaí (in Santa Catarina).
Language
The official language is Portuguese, which is spoken by almost the entire population and is practically the only language used in the media, business and for administrative purposes. The exceptions to this are the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, where ñe’engatú, a South American indigenous language, has co-official status along with Portuguese, [48] and the municipalities of Santa Maria de Jetibá and Pomerode, where the German also has co-official status. Brazilians have incorporated words and phrases from other immigrant languages such as German and Italian into their language. There are numerous native peoples who speak their own languages. Brazilian Portuguese had its own development, influenced mainly by the Amerindian and African languages. Minority languages are present throughout the country. There are 180 indigenous languages that predominate in remote areas, and there are other languages that are spoken by immigrants and their descendants. [49]
Religion
The constitution establishes freedom of worship and Church-State separation, making Brazil an officially secular State. [50] Legislation prohibits any type of religious intolerance, although the Catholic Church enjoys a more privileged status. This may be related to the fact that Roman Catholicism is the predominant faith in the country, so that Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world. [51] According to the 2000 census, 73.57% of the population practice Roman Catholicism. [52]
Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida, dedicated to the invocation of Our Lady Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.
Ethnic groups
In 2007, the Fundação Nacional do Índio revealed the existence of 67 different isolated tribes, compared to 40 in 2005, making Brazil the country with the largest number of isolated peoples in the world. [53] Pardos and mulatos make up the majority of the population of the North, Northeast and Center-West regions. [54] In the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders to immigrants, and between 1808 and 1972, nearly five million people from more than 60 countries emigrated to Brazil, the majority from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, and Middle East.
| Ethnic groups of Brazil | % |
| Whites | 47.3 |
| Pardos | 43.1 |
| Afro-Brazilian | 7.6 |
| Asian Brazilians | 2.1 |
| Natives | 0.3 |
Education
According to andyeducation, primary education in Brazil is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 14, although only about 81% of the adult population is literate. Primary and secondary education in general is maintained by the state, although there are many Catholic secondary schools. The new constitution reserves 25% of the state budget and 18% of federal taxes and municipal fees for education. [28] There are numerous universities, both public and private. Illiteracy is more prevalent in the Northeast, where 19.9% of the population cannot read or write.294 A UNDP study also revealed that the percentage of people in school was 97% in the 6-year-old age group. 14 years old, and 82.1% in people between 15 and 17 years old; the average total study time among those older than 10 years was 6.9 years.
Health
Health conditions in Brazil vary from one region of the country to another. In large cities there are numerous medical personnel, clinics and hospitals, but the most humble sectors do not enjoy these services widely. The Brazilian Social Security Law, modified in the 1970s, refers to services for urban, rural and civil workers. Urban workers receive social benefits, which include medical assistance and pensions; in rural areas these benefits are lower. The constitution decreed in 1988, takes into consideration the 40-hour work week and the rights of maternity.
Economy
According to data presented by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Brazil is the second largest economy on the continent behind the United States, the sixth largest in the world according to nominal GDP and the seventh in terms of purchasing power parity. [31] The agricultural, manufacturing and mining sectors have a great development coupled with a large job market. The country has been expanding its presence in international financial markets and commodity markets and is part of a group of four emerging economies called BRIC. [32] Among the most important Brazilian companies are: Brasil Foods, Perdigão, Sadia and JBS (food sector); Embraer (airline sector); Havaianas and Calçados Azaleia (footwear); Petrobras (oil sector); Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (mining); Marcopolo and Busscar (automobiles); Gerdau (steelmaker) and Organizações Globo (communications). Prospects for the Brazilian economy also improved thanks to the discovery of huge oil and natural gas reserves in the Santos basin. [33] By becoming a world power in agriculture and natural resources, Brazil has reached its greatest economic boom in the last three decades. [3. 4]
