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As the largest country in SouthAmerica, Brazil has achievedeconomic success while facingchallenges such as unemployment.

Brazil’s huge land area, population,and economic success enable it toinfluence its neighbors in SouthAmerica and North America.

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Brazil: Regional LeaderAlmost anything that happens in Brazil is newsworthy—because Brazil is the largest country in South America,covering almost half the continent. Its population of 172million is close in size to the combined population of allthe other South American countries. Brazil’s grossdomestic product is larger than that of any other SouthAmerican country.

TERMS & NAMESinflationSão PauloRio de JaneiroBrasíliaCarnival

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, DECEMBER 30,2001—Preparations are almost complete for the New Year’s Eve celebration tomor-row. Shop owners are sold out of the smallblue and white boats that worshipers of thesea goddess Iemanjá will set adrift on thesea. They will fill the boats with offerings to the goddess in hopes that she will blessthem with a good fishing season.

Millions of people will also throw flowersinto the water. If the flowers drift back to shore, Iemanjá is not happy with theoffering. If the flowers drift out to sea, thepeople can expect to have a good year.

Brazil Today

Culture • These residents of Rio de Janeiro getready to set their boat off to greet Iemanjá. �

Brazil Today

TAKING NOTES

Independence led to differ-ent types of governments in South America.

South American countriesare trying to cooperate . . .

Generalizations Facts

Use your chart to take notes about South America.

The Government of BrazilAfter gaining independence from Portugal in 1822, Brazil wasruled by a series of emperors. In 1889, Brazil became a constitu-tional republic. Beginning in 1930, a series of dictators and mil-itary leaders ruled Brazil. Democratic government was restoredin 1985. Power today is shared by a president, an elected con-gress, and a court system.

The Economy of BrazilBrazil has the largest economy in South America. The country’sgross domestic product is nearly twice that of Argentina, whichis the next largest economy in South America.

The Growth of Industry In Brazil, the government controls orinfluences certain industries to help the economy grow. Forexample, in the 1950s, the government promoted the building ofautomobile factories to cut down on the number of cars importedinto Brazil. By the late 1980s, Brazil was building more than 1 million vehicles a year, enough to export some to other countries.

Agricultural Production In the world, Brazil is second only tothe United States in exporting crops. When it comes to coffee,Brazil produces more than any other country in the world. Brazilis also a leading producer of oranges, bananas, and corn.

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GrossDomesticProduct(in U.S.$billions)

Key Economies in Latin America, 1999

Brazil ArgentinaCountry

Chile PeruColombiaVenezuela

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SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting a Graph1. What was Brazil’s approximate gross domestic product in 1999? 2. Was Brazil’s gross domestic product greater or less than the sum of

those of Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, and Peru?

Unemployment and Inflation Even thoughBrazil’s economy is the strongest in LatinAmerica, many Brazilians are unemployed.Unemployment results when not enough busi-nesses hire workers, or when workers do nothave the education or training they need for thejobs available. Even those who have jobs mayface hard times, especially due to inflation.Inflation is a general increase in the price ofgoods or services. It occurs when goods or serv-ices are in great demand, allowing producers tocharge higher prices for them. The combina-tion of unemployment and inflation has led tomuch poverty in Brazil.

The People of BrazilWhen explorers from Portugal arrived in Brazil in 1500, as manyas 5 million Native Americans lived there. During the 1500s, thePortuguese established large sugar cane plantations in northeast-ern Brazil. At first they enslaved Native Americans to work onthe plantations. Soon, however, many Native Americans died ofdisease. The plantation owners then turned to Africa for labor.Eventually, Brazil brought over more enslaved Africans than anyother North or South American country.

Today, Native Americans make up less than 1 percent of Brazil’spopulation. In northeastern Brazil, most people have Africanancestors, while many people in Brazil have both European andAfrican ancestors.

Can Cars Run on Sugar? Brazil’s first major export wassugar made from sugar cane (shown at right). However,the plentiful sugar cane isn’t just used to make sugar.Today, Brazilians use sugar cane to produce ethanol. Likegasoline, ethanol is a fuel used to run cars.

Nearly half of the cars sold in Brazil run on a gasoline-ethanol mix. Thousands run on ethanol alone. Producingethanol from sugar cane makes good use of an abundantresource and creates more jobs in the sugar cane industry.Also, its production is less harmful to the environmentthan is gasoline’s.

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A. SynthesizingHow would inflation pose challenges even to people who do have jobs?

Of the 10 million to15 million enslavedAfricans brought to North and SouthAmerica, more than 3.5 million endedup in Brazil.

Place • Automobile plants supply Brazilwith many cars, like these parked in aplant lot, for export each year. �

City Populations Today, four out of five Brazilians live in cities.Brazil’s two largest cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, are grow-ing quickly. In 2000, São Paulo’s population was close to 18 million.At the rate it is growing, the population will be more than 20 mil-lion in 2015. The national population is also increasing rapidly. In1999, Brazil’s population was almost 172 million. If current trendscontinue, by 2025 it could reach 210 million.

Because of much crowding along Brazil’s Atlantic coast, the gov-ernment wanted people to move into Brazil’s vast interior. In 1956, itdecided to create a new capital, Brasília, 600 miles inland. Now, likeevery other city in Brazil, Brasília has problems with overcrowding.

The Culture of BrazilBrazil’s lively culture is a blend of influences from the many cul-tural groups that have come to Brazil over the centuries. Brazil’smusic, foods, and religious practices reflect that blend.

A Rich Mix Brazilian languages, religions, and musical traditionsall reflect the multiple roots of Brazil’s culture. For example,Brazil’s official language is Portuguese. Included in BrazilianPortuguese, however, are many words from Tupi-Guarani(TOO•pee-GWAH•ruh•NEE), the language of Native Americansfrom the interior of northern Brazil.

246 CHAPTER 9

Manaus Belém

Recife

Salvador

Belo Horizonte

Fortaleza

Pôrto Alegre

Rio de Janeiro

Curitiba

Brasília

São Paulo

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Metropolitan areagreater than 5 million

Metropolitan areagreater than 1 million

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sq. mi.

Personspersq. km

Over 520130–520

65–12913–642.6–12

Fewer than 2.6

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250 500 miles

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Population Density of Brazil, 2000

B. HypothesizingWhat problemscan rapid population growth cause?

Place • The overcrowding of Brazil’s cities,such as São Paulo, has putmany stresses on the nation. �

GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER:Interpreting a Map1. Place • How many cities in Brazil have

populations greater than 5 million?2. Region • Which parts of Brazil are nearly

unpopulated?

In Christianity,Lent is the 40-dayperiod beforeEaster.

Write a speech about the different groups that have influenced Brazilian culture.Include descriptions of each group’s contributions.

SECTION ASSESSMENT

Using Graphics2. Use a chart like this one to record

key facts about Brazil’s geography,history, government, economy, andculture.

Main Ideas3. (a) Why can Brazil be described as

an “economic giant”?

(b) Where do most people in Brazillive today?

(c) Why did the Brazilian govern-ment move the capital inland toBrasília?

Critical Thinking4. Drawing Conclusions

Why do you think Brazil’s economyis the most successful in SouthAmerica?

Think About◆ the government’s role in the

economy◆ natural resources◆ population size

Terms & Names1. Explain the significance of: (a) inflation (b) São Paulo (c) Rio de Janeiro

(d) Brasília (e) Carnival

As for religion, most Brazilians are Catholic, thereligion brought to Brazil by the Portuguese.However, the number of non-Catholics is increas-ing. In 1940, only 5 percent of Brazilians were notCatholic. In 2000, non-Catholics had risen to 20percent of the population because immigrants andmissionaries had brought other religions to Brazil.Even so, more Catholics live in Brazil than in anyother country in the world.

In addition, African religions still thrive in Brazil. For exam-ple, many people worship the African sea goddess Iemanjá.African influences can also be heard in Brazilian music, such assamba, which is based on African rhythms.

Holidays A Brazilian holiday called Carnival highlights thecountry’s cultural diversity. This famous festival occurs during thefour days before Lent. Carnival includes huge parades and streetparties. In Rio de Janeiro, groups of African Brazilians performsamba dances. The dancers wear elaborate costumes of feathersand brightly colored, sparkling cloth.

Sports Brazilian football, called soccer in the United States, is asport that most of the country gets excited about. Brazil is oftena finalist in the World Cup, the sport’s world championship com-petition. Brazilians enjoy watching professional football; millionsof them also enjoy playing the game.

Culture • Top:Players on Brazil’swomen’s soccerteam move in forthe win. Bottom:Brazilian soccerhero Pelé (PAY•lay)smiles for thecrowd. �

Geography History Government Economy Culture

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