1.1. BRAZIL

Brazil is located in the South America and it is the largest country of Latins. It has 210 million habitants and the offical language is Portuguese.

1.1. BRAZIL

Brazil is located in the South America (Fig. 1), and it is largest country in Latin America with its area of 8 541 876 km2. According to IBGE - Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics- it’s population is 210 811 022 inhabitants, which makes Brazil the 5th most populous country in the world. Approximately 80% of Brazil population live in urban areas.

Brazil consists of 26 states, 1 federal district and 5570 municipalities. It is the only country whose official language is Portuguese in Americas. Brazil witnessed many immigration from all over the world throughout the history, which makes it one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations in the world. More than half of Brazil’s population is considered middle class, however, poverty and income inequality levels remain high; the Northeast, North, and Center-West, women, and black, mixed race, and indigenous populations are disproportionately affected. Disparities in opportunities foster social exclusion and contribute to Brazil’s high crime rate, particularly violent crime in cities and favelas.

Brazil’s economy shows positive acceleration growth in the recent years, thanks to its enourmous amount of row materials and internal demand of goods and services, which help them to host major international events such as World Cup 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games.

Figure 1.1. Brazil in the world map. Figure 1.2. City of Rio de Janeiro in the states map of Brazil.