|
|
 |
 |
The People |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
[Back]
Distribution of Population
The Five Regions of Brazil
North Region
Northeast Region
Southeast Region
South Region
West-Central Region
Major Cities
Brasília
São Paulo
Rio de Janeiro
Salvador
Belo Horizonte
Curitiba
Recife
Porto Alegre
Races
Language
In
1997 Brazil's population reached 159.9 million, the
fifth largest in the world after that of China, India,
the United States, and Indonesia. The Brazilian population
is predominately young with 62 percent under 29 years
of age.
Population
and Its Annual Rate of Growth
| Year |
Population
(million)
|
Compound
Annual
Rate of Growth
|
| 1776 |
1.9
|
--
|
| 1876 |
10.9
|
1.8%
|
| 1900 |
17.3
|
1.9%
|
| 1940 |
41.2
|
2.2%
|
| 1950 |
51.9
|
2.3%
|
| 1960 |
70.1
|
3.1%
|
| 1970 |
93.2
|
2.9%
|
| 1980 |
121.3
|
2.7%
|
| 1992 |
149.8
|
1.8%
|
| 1997 |
159.9
|
1.3%
|
Considering
the high rate of population growth during the early
and mid 20th century, Brazil has undergone a dramatic
demographic transformation since the 1960's. This trend
is largely due to a massive urbanization process and
economic modernization. By the turn of the century,
the fertility rate is projected to be 2.1 live births
per woman, dramatically lower than the 1960 rate of
6.3. The population growth rate, which was 3 percent
per year in the 1960's, fell to 1.4 percent for the
period 1990-1996, and is now 1.3 percent and still falling.
At that rate Brazil will have around 165 million inhabitants
in the year 2000.
[Top]
Distribution
of Population
Although
Brazil is the fifth most populous nation, its nationwide
demographic density is low compared to other countries.
The population is concentrated along the Atlantic coastal
areas of the southeastern and northeastern states. Industrial
activity is concentrated in the southeastern region,
with 50 percent of the industrial production located
in the state of Sao Paulo. Migration from the northeast
to the southeast, as well as from rural to urban areas,
has been heavy since 1970. More recently, the population
flow has turned towards the less inhabited central-western
and northern regions.
[Top]
The
Five Regions of Brazil
North
Region:
States
of Amazonas, Pará, Acre, Rondônia, Roraima,
Amapá, and Tocantins.
This
region lies mostly within the Amazon basin. It is largely
covered by lush, tropical, rain forests. The Amazon
River traverses the middle of the region from west to
east before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. There
are also numerous other rivers in the area. By volume,
this area has the largest concentration of fresh water
in the world - one-fifth of all the earth's fresh water
reserves. There are two main Amazonian cities: Manaus,
capital of the State of Amazonas, and Belém,
capital of the State of Pará.
The
Amazon basin has, since its discovery, offered Europeans
a tantalizing vision of ready wealth and natural bounty.
Until the mid 19th century, however, the region languished
as an economic backwater. The Amazon boomed with the
rising demand for rubber in the late 19th century. The
population grew more than six times and regional income
some 12 times between 1850 and 1910, when the rubber
market collapsed.
There
was renewed interest in the Amazon's mineral wealth
and agricultural potential in the 1960's and 1970's.
Changes in legislation governing mineral concessions
and the readiness of state companies to form joint ventures
with foreign corporations increased exploration and
mining. The government sponsored a variety of colonization
schemes, all predicated on the notion that the unpeopled
reaches of the Amazon forest were a safety valve to
absorb the land-hungry peasants of the northeast.
The
government incentives to encourage farming in the Amazon
resulted in the region becoming increasingly threatened
by environmental problems. Development projects and
domestic migration during the 1970's and 1980's led
to deforestation of 160,000 sq. miles (414,400 sq. km)
of the region. Fires in the forest became an issue of
world-wide concern. Accordingly, the Brazilian government
launched various policies to control development. Fiscal
incentives and official credits to livestock and agricultural
projects in the area were suspended. Exportation of
timber was also prohibited. Since 1989, the pace of
deforestation has been sharply reduced by half, leaving
90 percent of the Amazon intact. Today, protection of
the Amazon is being monitored by satellite and domestic
efforts are being reinforced by the international community
through the Pilot Program for the Protection of the
Brazilian Rain Forest, which is sponsored by the European
Community, the United States, and a dozen other countries.
[Top]
Northeast
Region:
States
of Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio
Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Bahia,
Alagoas, and Sergipe.
Vast
stretches of this region, which contains nearly 30 percent
of the Brazilian population, are chronically subject
to drought. The area has important economic possibilities,
however, including sizable oil fields, and in recent
years the Federal Government (through the Superintendency
for the Development of the Northeast SUDENE) has been
giving the northeast special attention. Large resources
have been allocated to its improvement with considerable
success.
Pernambuco
and Bahia were the first major centers of colonial Brazil
and they still exert a very strong influence on Brazilian
culture. Much of what is characteristically Brazilian
in music, folklore, cuisine, and social habits originated
in this region. The two largest cities in the northeast
are Recife and Salvador.
[Top]
Southeast
Region:
States
of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and
Espírito Santo
The
highly industrialized areas around the cities of São
Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte form the economic
hub of Brazil. The majority of the country's population
is concentrated in this region. The area is rich in
minerals and its agriculture is the most advanced in
the country, producing coffee and grains for export,
as well as a variety of both fresh and processed foodstuffs,
milk, and meat for domestic consumption.
[Top]
South
Region:
States
of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do
Sul
This
region is also highly developed Here, too, there is
a good balance between the rural and the manufacturing
sectors. Toward the south, the plateau drops to the
wide plains called pampas where the traditional grazing
activities produced the gaúcho, the Brazilian
equivalent of the cowboy In the west, located on the
border between Brazil and Argentina, is Iguaçu
Fal1s, one of the most beautiful natural wonders in
the world. Less than 12 miles (20 km) away, on the Paraná
River that separates Brazil and Paraguay is Itaipu,
the largest hydroelectric dam in the world. The largest
city in this region is Porto Alegre, capital of Rio
Grande do Sul, Brazil's southernmost state.
[Top]
West-Central
Region:
States
of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Goiás
and the Distrito
Federal.
This
region, covered with extensive savannas and tropical
grasslands, is still sparsely populated. Once one of
the most isolated areas of the country, this region
has experienced a rapid expansion of its rural production
and established new industries. The nation's capital,
Brasília, founded in 1960,, is located in this
region. The federal government has set aside vast areas
as reservations in the west-central region for the native
Indian tribes which originally lived on them. Also in
this region is the wildlife paradise, the Mato Grosso
swamplands (Pantanal Mato-grossense).
[Top]
Major
Cities
Brasília
Since
the second half of the 18th century, Brazil's governing
authorities considered, with varying degrees of intensity,
transferring the seat of government from Rio de Janeiro
to some inland area, safe from naval attacks. The first
Republican constitution (1891) went as far as defining
where the future Federal District would be - a rectangle
within the State of Goiás, in the heart of the
country. But it was not until 1956, after eight years
of surveying, that the actual design and construction
of the new Capital began under President Juscelino Kubitschek.
The site chosen for Brasilia is located in the Federal
District and comprises 2,245 sq. miles (5,814 sq. km)
of a sparsely inhabited plateau carved out of the State
of Goiás, 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) above sea
level and 746 miles (1,200 km) from Rio de Janeiro.
The competition for the urban master plan was won by
Brazilian architect and urban planner, Lúcio
Costa. The major government buildings were designed
by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Landscape
designer Roberto Burle Marx planned the layout and selection
of plant varieties to add a vivid green backdrop to
the otherwise dry, yellow landscape of the savanna vegetation.
On April 21, 1960, Brasília was officially inaugurated
and started functioning as the new capital of Brazil.
[Top]
São
Paulo
São
Paulo was founded by the Jesuits in 1554, on a plateau
2,493 feet (760 meters) above sea level, but only 45
miles (72 km) from the coast, as a mission center for
early settlers and the indians who inhabited the area.
For a long time it remained a small town. Around 1850
it began to grow and became richer thanks to the highly
productive coffee plantations in the state. Later on,
the income from coffee exports and the increasing population
provided capital and manpower for the foundation of
an industrial base. Today there are over 20,000 industrial
plants of all types and sizes concentrated in the city
and the surrounding municipalities employing 600,000
workers. São Paulo is also the major financial
center in Brazil with nearly 2,000 banking agencies.
[Top]
Rio
de Janeiro
With
the inauguration of Brasília , Rio de Janeiro
ceased to be Brazil's capital. Even today discussion
is rife concerning whether Rio was improved or hurt
by the transfer of the government. In any event, this
second largest city in Brazil is still a major cultural
capital and, to some extent, its "emotional"
capital as well. Rio de Janeiro has a majestic beauty,
with built-up areas nestled between a magnificent bay
and dazzling beaches on one side and an abruptly rising
mountain range, covered by a luxuriant tropical forest,
on the other. This unique landscape makes Rio one of
the most beautiful cities in the world, justifying its
title of "Marvelous City" (Cidade Maravilhosa).
Rio's cultural life is intense and varied. Economically
it is a service industry center, a key financial center,
and the producer of foodstuffs, building materials,
electrical equipment, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, beverages,
and textiles. But it is in the pursuit of leisure that
Rio is outstanding. With its world famous beaches free
to all (such as Copacabana and Ipanema), its splendid
bay, one of the loveliest in the world, and its wonderful
climate, a blend of summer and springtime, Rio de Janeiro
is a city that lives in and for the sun.
[Top]
Salvador
Salvador,
capital of the state of Bahia, was the first major port
and the capital of colonial Brazil for almost two centuries.
The city lies between green tropical hills and broad
beaches along the bay of Todos os Santos. It was built
on two levels with administration buildings and residences
constructed on the hills; forts, docks, and warehouses
on the beaches. To this day the city is still divided
into upper and lower cities. From 1500 to 1815 Salvador
was the nation's busiest port. A significant portion
of the sugar from the northeast and gold and diamonds
from the mines in the southeast passed through Salvador.
It was a golden age for the town; magnificent homes
and churches resplendent in gold decoration were built.
Many of the city's baroque churches, private homes,
squares, and even the hand-chipped paving bricks have
been preserved as part of Brazil's historic patrimony.
In
Salvador, more than anywhere else in the country, the
African influence in the makeup of Brazilian culture
is readily visible, from the spicy dishes still called
by their African names (caruru, vatapá, acarajé),
to the ceremonies of candomblé which honor both
African deities and Catholic holidays, to the capoeira
schools where a unique African form of ritualistic fighting
is taught.
[Top]
Belo
Horizonte
Belo
Horizonte, the first modern Brazilian city to spring
from an architect's drawing board, was especially designed
for its role as the capital of the state of Minas Gerais.
Its wide, landscaped avenues and carefully planned residential
suburbs have, however, suffered the impact of the country's
high rate of urbanization. Belo Horizonte is the distribution
and processing center of a rich agricultural and mining
region and the nucleus of a burgeoning industrial complex.
Its chief manufactures are steel, steel products, automobiles,
and textiles. Gold, manganese, and gem stones of the
surrounding region are processed in the city. Belo Horizonte
is also a leading cultural center, with three universities,
a historical museum, numerous libraries, and sports
stadiums. The climate is refreshing and cool.
[Top]
Curitiba
Curitiba,
standing some 3,000 feet (914 meters) above sea level
on the plateau of Serra do Mar, is the capital of the
progressive state of Paraná. Since the late 1800's,
Curitiba's bracing climate and picturesque location
have attracted immigrants of Slav, German, and Italian
origin. Curitiba grew rapidly after 1950 and it is known
for the sensible manner in which it became a major city
without losing a comfortable life-style. Curitiba is
setting international standards not only for its sound
environmental policies, but also for the enthusiastic
way its citizens embrace and uphold them. The city derives
its economic prosperity from its role as commercial
and processing center for the expanding agricultural
and ranch areas in the hinterlands as well as from its
diverse industrial output.
[Top]
Recife
Recife
was built as a port city along tropical, white-sand
beaches lined with palm trees. It is the capital of
the northeastern state of Pernambuco. Recife is a fast-growing
urban area that has been called the "Venice of
Brazil" because it is dissected by numerous waterways
and connected by many bridges. The city got its name
from the coral reefs that line the coast. Local fishermen
go out into the high seas in jangadas, crude log rafts
with beautiful sails unique to the area, that require
expert navigational skills to maneuver. Recife exports
great quantities of the hinterland's products, including
sugar, cotton, and coffee.
[Top]
Porto
Alegre
Porto
Alegre, the largest city in the south of Brazil, is
the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city
was founded in 1742 by immigrants from the Azores. Since
the 19th century the city has received numerous German
and Italian Scot settlers. Lying as it does at the junction
of five rivers, it has become an important port as well
as one of the chief industrial and commercial centers
in Brazil. Products of the rich agricultural and pastoral
hinterland, such as leather, canned beef, and rice,
are exported from Porto Alegre to destinations as far
away as Africa and Japan.
[Top]
Races
There
are three basic racial sources for the Brazilian people.
To the original inhabitants (Indians) were added successive
waves of Europeans (mainly Portuguese) and Africans
(mostly from the sub-Saharan west coast).
In
the 16th century, the area which is now Brazil was inhabited
by several hundred Indigenous tribes who, while racially
similar, spoke different languages and had different
cultures. Groups speaking the Tupi and Guarani languages
lived along the coast and in the adjoining hinterland
and they established intermarriages with the Portuguese
settlers. Many tribes speaking other languages (Gê,
Arwak, and Karib), on the other hand, lived in the interior
and they took longer to establish contact with the outsiders.
Today Brazil's native Indians number about 250,000.
They are divided into roughly 200 groups and they speak
some 180 different languages. The Indians live in vast
areas (328,185 sq. miles [850,000 sq. km]), equal to
ten percent of Brazil's total territory, which has been
set aside from them by the Federal Government. In these
areas, which total more than twice the size of the state
of California, the Indians are free to preserve their
life-style.
Starting
in the middle of the 16th century, Africans belonging
to the Bantu and to the Sudanic ethnic groups (a large
proportion of the Sudanic group came from the Yoruba
nation from what is today Nigeria and Benin) were brought
to Brazil to work as slaves in the sugarcane, and later,
in the gold and diamond mines and the coffee plantations.
The integration process that had begun between the Europeans
and the Indians rapidly spread to include the black
slaves.
This
racial mixing went on as Brazil began, at the end of
the 19th century, to receive increasing numbers of immigrants
from all over the world. Portugal remained the single
most important source of migrants to Brazil, with Italy
second, followed by Lebanon. In the first half of the
20th Century, as a consequence of war or economic pressures,
sizable contingents of immigrants came to Brazil from
parts of western, central, and eastern Europe. In 1908,
640 immigrants came to Brazil from Japan. Because of
the welcoming social environment, a Japanese migration
trend was established. By 1969, 247,312 Japanese had
emigrated to Brazil. Today Brazilians of Japanese descent
are the largest such group outside Japan.
[Top]
Language
Portuguese
is the official language of Brasil. Except for the languages
spoken by Indian tribes living in remote reservations,
Portuguese is the only language of daily life. There
are no regional dialects. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking
country in South America.
[Top]
|
|
|
|
|
