Brazil is the largest country in South America in area and population. It was one of the world’s fastest-growing economic powerhouses from 2000 to 2010, but the boom appeared to sputter in 2011. The country’s meteoric rise occurred under the stewardship of Luiz Inacio da Silva, who served as president from 2002 to 2011.
Brazil’s current administration, headed by Dilma Rousseff, has faced discontent from a growing middle class over its preparations for the World Cup in 2014 and an array of lavish projects conceived when economic growth was surging that now stand abandoned, stalled or wildly over budget. Despite facing fierce criticism over her economic policies, Rousseff was narrowly re-elected to a second term as president on October 26, 2014.
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