A look at Brazil by-the-numbers
Statistics show why Brazil is such an important partner for Florida.
• History: Brazil gained its independence in 1822 after more than three centuries of Portuguese rule. In 1985, the military regime ceded power to civilian rulers. Its current president is Dilma Rousseff.
• Population: 203.4 million, the largest and most populous country in South America
• Size: At 5.28 million square miles, Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world (behind Russia, Canada, U.S., and China).
• Capital: Brasilia
• Major cities:
São Paulo, 19.96 million residents
Rio de Janeiro, 11.84 million
Belo Horizonte, 5.74 million
Porto Alegre, 4.03 million
Brasilia, 3.79 million
• Language: Portuguese
• Adult literacy: 88.6%
38.5% mixed white and black
0.9% other (includes Japanese,
• GNP: $2.17 trillion U.S. dollars, making its economy the ninth biggest in the world (behind the European Union, U.S., China, Japan, India, Germany, Russia and the U.K.)
• Currency: Real (1 real = 56 cents)
• Poverty: 26% of the country's population is below the poverty line.
• Challenges: Highly unequal income distribution and high crime