Brazil and São Paulo

22/06/2013 14:40

 

           Brazil and São Paulo

Brazil officially the Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest country in both South America and the Latin American region. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population,[10] with over 193 million people.[4] It is the largest Lusophone country in the world, and the only one in the Americas.[11] Levono Ideapad G560 Keyboard

 

 

Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi).[12] It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas region of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; Levono Ideapad Z570 Keyboard

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on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos form part of Brazilian territory, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, Levono Ideapad Y560P Keyboard

 

Levono Ideapad Y570D Keyboardand Trindade and Martim Vaz.[12] It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile and occupies 47% of the continent of South America.

Brazil was a colony of Portugal beginning from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500, up until 1815,

 

Levono Ideapad Z575 Keyboard when it was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The colonial bond was in fact broken several years earlier, in 1808, when the capital of the Portuguese colonial empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, after Napoleon invaded Portugal.[ Levono Ideapad Y560 Keyboard

 

Levono Ideapad Z565 Keyboard13] Independence was achieved in 1822 with the formation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system.

 

Levono Ideapad Y570 Keyboard The country became a presidential republic in 1889, when a military coup d'état proclaimed the Republic, although the bicameral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to the ratification of the first constitution in 1824. Levono Ideapad V570A Keyboard

[14] Its current Constitution, formulated in 1988, defines Brazil as a federal republic.[15] The Federation is formed by the union of the Federal District, the 26 States, and the 5,564 Municipalities.[15][16] Levono Ideapad V570 Keyboard

 

The Brazilian economy is the world's sixth largest by nominal GDP and the seventh largest by purchasing power parity, as of 2013.[1Levono Ideapad V570C Keyboard

 

Levono Ideapad V570A Keyboard7] A member of the BRIC group, Brazil has one of the world's fastest growing major economies, and its economic reforms have given the country new international recognition and influence.[1Levono Ideapad B570 Keyboard

8] Brazil's national development bank (BNDES) plays an important role for the country's economic growth. It mostly depends on its own money and invests in big local firms. The bank's goal is to promote economic growth as well as to preserve the environment and protection of local communities.[19Levono Ideapad B575 Keyboard

 

Levono Ideapad G575 Keyboard] Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations,[20] the G20, CPLP, Latin Union, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the Organization of American States, Mercosul and the Union of South American Nations. Brazil is one of 17 megadiverse countries, home to a variety of wildlife, Levono Ideapad B570A Keyboard

Levono Ideapad B570G Keyboardnatural environments, and extensive natural resources in a variety of protected habitats.[12] Brazil is considered a middle power in international affairs,[21] and has been identified as an emerging power.[22] HP Pavilion dm4 Keyboard

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The word "Brazil" comes from brazilwood, a tree that once grew plentifully along the Brazilian coast.[23] In Portuguese, brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology "red like an ember", formed from Latin brasa ("ember") and the suffix -il (from -iculum or -ilium).[2HP Pavilion dm4-1050ea Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion dm4-2000ea keyboard4] As brazilwood produces a deep red dye, it was highly valued by the European cloth industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil.[25] Through the 16th century, massive amounts of brazilwood were harvested by indigenous peoples (mostly Tupi) along the Brazilian coast, HP Pavilion dm4-1060ea Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion dm4-2000 keyboardwho sold the timber to European traders (mostly Portuguese, but also French) in return for assorted European consumer goods.[26]

The official name of the land, in original Portuguese records, was the "Land of the Holy Cross" (Terra da Santa Cruz),[2HP Pavilion dm4-1080ea Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion dm4-2100 keyboard7] but European sailors and merchants commonly called it simply the "Land of Brazil" (Terra do Brasil) on account of the brazilwood trade.[28] The popular appellation eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official name. Early sailors sometimes also called it the "Land of Parrots" (Terra di Papaga).[29] HP Pavilion dm4-1100 Keyboard

 

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In the Guarani language, an official language of Paraguay, Brazil is called "Pindorama". This was the name the indigenous population gave to the region, meaning "land of the palm trees".[30]

History

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Main article: History of Brazil

Precolonial history

See also: Indigenous peoples in Brazil

The earliest pottery ever found in the Western Hemisphere, radiocarbon-dated 8,000 years old, has been excavated in the Amazon basin of Brazil, near to-day's Santarem, providing evidence that the tropical forest region supported a complex prehistoric culture;[3HP Pavilion dm4-1100sa Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion dm4-2101ea keyboard1] the region was inhabited by hundreds of different native tribes, the earliest going back at least 10,000 years in the highlands of Minas Gerais.[32] The territory of current day Brazil had as many as 2,000 tribes, HP Pavilion dm4-1101ea Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion dm4-3000 keyboard mostly semi-nomadic who subsisted on hunting, fishing, gathering, and migrant agriculture. The Andes and the mountain ranges of northern South America created a rather sharp cultural boundary between the settled agrarian civilizations of the west coast and the semi-nomadic tribes of the east, HP Pavilion dm4-1140sa Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion dm4-3000ea keyboardwho never developed written records or permanent monumental architecture. For this reason, very little is known about the history of Brazil before 1500. Archaeological remains (mainly pottery) indicate a complex pattern of regional cultural developments, internal migrations, and occasional large state-like federations. HP Pavilion dm4-1150ca Keyboard

 

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When the Portuguese arrived in 1500 they saw the natives as noble savages, and miscegenation of the population began right away.[3HP Pavilion dm4-1150ea Keyboard

3] Tribal warfare, cannibalism and the pursuit of Amazonian brazilwood for its treasured red dye convinced the Portuguese that they should civilize the indigenous population. But the Portuguese, like the Spanish in their South American possessions, HP Pavilion dm4-1300ea Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion dm4-3002sa keyboard had unknowingly brought diseases with them, against which many indigenous groups were helpless due to lack of immunity. Measles, smallpox, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and influenza killed tens of thousands.[ HP Pavilion dm4t-1000 Keyboard

HP Pavilion dm4-3002ea keyboard34] The diseases spread quickly along the indigenous trade routes, and whole tribes were likely annihilated without ever coming in direct contact with Europeans.[35]

Portuguese colonization

Main articles: Colonial Brazil, Captaincy Colonies of Brazil, Governorate General of Brazil, and State of Brazil

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The landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral, Commander of the Portuguese India Armada, at Porto Seguro, in 1500.

The land now called Brazil was claimed for the Portuguese Empire on April 22, 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese fleet commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral.[36] The Portuguese encountered indigenous peoples divided into several tribes, most of whom spoke languages of the Tupi–Guarani family, and fought among themselves.[ Sony PCG-61A11L Battery

37] Though the first settlement was founded in 1532, colonization was effectively begun in 1534, when King Dom João III of Portugal divided the territory into the twelve private and autonomous Captaincy Colonies of Brazil.[38][39] Sony PCG-61A12L Battery
 

The decentralized and unorganized tendencies of the captaincy colonies proved problematic, and in 1549 the Portuguese king restructured them into the Governorate General of Brazil, a single and centralized Portuguese colony in South America.[39][4Sony PCG-61A13L Battery

Sony PCG-61211L Battery0] In the first two centuries of colonization, Indigenous and Europeans groups lived in constant war, establishing opportunistic alliances in order to gain advantages against each other.[41][42][43][4Sony PCG-61A14L Battery

Sony PCG-61511L Battery4] By the mid-16th century, sugar of cane had become Brazil's most important exportation product,[37][45] and slaves purchased in Sub-Saharan Africa, in the slave market of Western Africa[46] (not only those from Portuguese allies of their colonies in Angola and Mozambique), had become its largest import,[47][4Sony PCG-61911L Battery

Sony PCG-61611L Battery8] to cope with plantations of sugarcane, due to increasing international demand for Brazilian sugar.[34][49]

By the end of the 17th century, sugarcane exports began to decline,[50] and the discovery of gold by bandeirantes in the 1690s, would become the new backbone of the colony's economy, fostering an Brazilian Gold Rush,[51] Sony PCG-61913L Battery

Sony PCG-71511L Battery attracting thousands of new settlers to Brazil, from Portugal and all Portuguese colonies around the World,[52] which in turn caused some conflicts between newcomers and old settlers.[53] Sony PCG-71911L Battery

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Portuguese expeditions known as Bandeiras gradually advanced the Portugal colonial original frontiers in South America to where lies most of the current Brazilian borders.[54][55] In this era other European powers tried to colonize parts of Brazil, Sony PCG-71912L Battery

Sony PCG-71C12L Battery in incursions that the Portuguese had to fought, notably the French in Rio during 1560s, in Maranhão during 1610s, and the Dutch in Bahia and Pernambuco, during the Dutch–Portuguese War, after the end of Iberian Union.[56] Sony PCG-71913L Battery
 

In order to ensure the colonial order and the monopoly of exploitation by Portugal of its wealthiest and largest colony, the main political focus of the Portuguese colonial administration in Brazil were bounded in successfully both keep under control and eradicate all forms of slaves' rebellion and resistance, such as the Quilombo of Palmares,[ Sony PCG-71914L Battery

Sony PCG-71C11L Battery57] as well as repress all movements for autonomy or independence, as the Minas Conspiracy, eg.[58]

United Kingdom

Main article: United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves

In late 1807, Spanish and Napoleonic forces threatened the security of continental Portugal, causing Prince Regent João, in the name of Queen Maria I, to move the royal court from Lisbon and establish themselves in Brazil to Brazil.[ Sony PCG-71811L Battery
59] There they established some of Brazil's first ones institutions, such as its local stock exchanges,[ Sony PCG-91211L Battery
Sony PCG-91311L Battery60] an National Bank, and ended the monopoly of the colony trade with Portugal, opening it to other nations. In 1809, in retaliation for being forced into a self-exile, the Prince Regent ordered the Portuguese conquest of French Guiana.[61] Sony PCG-71411L Battery
 

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With the end of the Peninsular War in 1814, the courts of Europe demanded that Queen Maria I and Prince Regent João return to Portugal, deeming it unfit for the head of an ancient European monarchy to reside in a colony. In 1815, Sony PCG-71511L Battery
 


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 in order to justify continuing to live in Brazil, where the royal court had thrived for the past six years, the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves was created, thus establishing a pluricontinental transatlantic monarchic state.[ Sony PCG-61611L Battery
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Sony PCG-71315L Battery62] However, this was not enough to calm neither the Portuguese demand for the return of the court to Lisbon, as the Liberal Revolution of 1820 would require, nor the desire of groups of Brazilians for independence and republic, as the 1817 Pernambucan Revolt showed.[6Sony PCG-61211L Battery
 


Sony PCG-71314L Battery2] In 1821, as a demand of revolutionaries who had took the city of Porto,[63] D.João VI was unable to hold out any longer, and departed for Lisbon where he was required to swear oath to the new constitution, leaving his son, Prince Pedro de Alcântara, as Regent of the Kingdom of Brazil.[64] Sony PCG-61311L Battery
 


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Independent empire

Main articles: Independence of Brazil and Empire of Brazil

 

 

Pedro II, the emperor of Brazil from 1831 to 1889, was deposed in a republican coup. He is seen here in 1876 at age 51. Sony PCG-61312L Battery
 


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Tensions between Portuguese and Brazilians amounted to the extent that the Portuguese Cortes, guided by the new political regime imposed by the 1820 Liberal Revolution, attempted to turn Brazil into a colony once again, thus depriving Brazil of its status of United Kingdom.[6

 
Sony PCG-71311L Battery5] The Brazilians refused to yield, and Prince Pedro decided to stand with them, declaring the country's independence from Portugal on 7 September 1822, which is now celebrated as Brazil's Independence Day[66] Sony PCG-61313L Battery
 

On 12 October 1822, he was declared the first Emperor of Brazil and crowned Dom Pedro I on 1 December 1822.[67] A subsequent Brazilian War of Independence spread through northern, northeastern regions and in Cisplatina province.[68] Having the last Portuguese soldiers surrendered on 8 March 1824,[ Sony PCG-61215L Battery
 


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69] independence was recognized by Portugal on 29 August 1825.[70]

In 7 April 1831, out wear by years ahead of power, and dissensions with both liberals as conservatives currents, including an attempt of republican secession,[ Sony PCG-71317L Battery
 


Sony PCG-71212L Battery71] as well as unreconciled with the way that absolutists in Portugal had given to the succession of King John VI, Pedro I abdicate in favor of his five-year-old son and heir, who would become Dom Pedro II,[72Sony PCG-61315L Battery
 

Sony PCG-71211L Battery] and went for Portugal to reclaim his daughter's crown. As the new emperor could not exert his constitutional powers, until he reached maturity a regency was adopted.[73] In the absence of a charismatic figure who could represent a moderator face of the power, during this period occurred a series of localized rebellions, as the Cabanagem, Sony PCG-61316L Battery
Sony PCG-61317L Battery the Malê Revolt, the Balaiada, the Sabinada, and the War of Tatters, arising from the discontent of the provinces with the central power, coupled with old and latent social tensions, peculiar of then enslaver, newly independent nation.[74] Sony PCG-41112L Battery

Sony PCG-81411L Battery  This period of internal political and social upheaval initiated in the regency, that also had the Praieira revolt, was overcome only at the end of the 1840s, years after the end of the regency, which occurred with the premature coronation of Pedro II in 1841.[75] Sony PCG-51311L Battery
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During the last phase of the monarchy in the country, the main matter of internal political debate referred to the issue of slavery. The atlantic slave trade was abandoned in 1850,[76] as a result of the British' Aberdeen Act. However, Sony PCG-51411L Battery

Sony PCG-81311L Battery  only in May 1888 after a long process of internal mobilization and debate for an ethical and legal dismantling of slavery in the country, is that it was formally abolished.[77]

Long after the Cisplatine War (1825-1828), Sony PCG-51412L Battery
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that resulted in independence for Uruguay,[78] Brazil won three international wars during the 58-year reign of Pedro II: the Platine War, the Uruguayan War, and the devastating Paraguayan War.[79][80]
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On November 15, 1889, worn out by years of economic stagnation, in attrition with the majority of Army officers, as well as with rural and financial elites (for different reasons), the monarchy was overthrown by a military coup.[81] Sony PCG-51113L Battery
 

Early republic

 

 

In half of the first 100 years of republic in Brazil, the Army exercised power directly or through figures designated by it. Getúlio Vargas (center, bald, no hat), for example was the military' confidence man brought to power In October, 1930. Sony PCG-51211L Battery

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Main articles: República Velha, Estado Novo (Brazil), and Second Brazilian Republic

The "early republican government was little more than a military dictatorship, with army dominating affairs both at Rio de Janeiro and in the states. Freedom of the press disappeared and elections were controlled by those in power".[82] Sony PCG-51511L Battery

Sony PCG-81114L Battery  In 1894, following severe military and economic crises, the republican civilians rose to power.[83][84][85]

Little by little, a cycle of general instability sparked by these crises undermined the regime to such an extent, that by 1930 in the wake of the murder of his running mate, it was possible for the defeated opposition presidential candidate Getúlio Vargas supported by most of the military, Sony PCG-51513L Battery
Sony PCG-81113L Battery  led a successful revolt.[86][87] Vargas was supposed to assume power temporarily, but instead closed the Congress, extinguished the Constitution, ruled with emergency powers and replaced the states' governors with his supporters.[88][89] Sony PCG-7191L Battery

 

In the 1930s, three major attempts to remove Vargas and his supporters from power occurred: in the second half of 1932, in November 1935, and in May 1938.[90][91Sony PCG-7192L Battery

Sony PCG-7162L Battery ][92] Being the second one, the communist revolt which served as an excuse for the preclusion of elections, put into effect by a coup d'état in 1937, which made the Vargas regime a full dictatorship, noted for its brutality and censorship of the press.[93] Sony PCG-7173L Battery

In foreign policy, the success in resolving border disputes with neighboring countries in the early years of the republican period,[94] was followed by a failed attempt to exert a prominent role in the League of Nations,[9
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5] after its involvement in World War I.[96][97] In World War II Brazil remained neutral until August 1942, when the country entered on the allied side,[98][9Sony PCG-7174L Battery
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9] after suffering retaliations undertaken by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, due to the country having severed diplomatic relations with them in the wake of the Pan-American Conference.[100]

With the allied victory in 1945 and the end of the Nazi-fascist regimes in Europe, Sony PCG-7182L Battery  
Sony PCG-7161L Battery  Vargas's position became unsustainable and he was swiftly overthrown in another military coup, with Democracy being "reinstated" by the same army that had discontinued it 15 years before.[101]

Sony PCG-7154L Battery Vargas committed suicide in August 1954 amid a political crisis, after having returned to power by election in 1950.[102][103]

Contemporary era

Main articles: Brazilian military government and History of Brazil since 1985

Several brief interim governments succeeded after Vargas's suicide.[104] Juscelino Kubitschek became president in 1956 and assumed a conciliatory posture towards the political opposition that allowed him to govern without major crises.[105Sony PCG-7183L Battery

Sony PCG-7153L Battery ] The economy and industrial sector grew remarkably,[106] but his greatest achievement was the construction of the new capital city of Brasília, inaugurated in 1960.[107] His successor was Jânio Quadros, who resigned in 1961 less than a year after taking office.[10
Sony PCG-7152L Battery 8] His vice-president, João Goulart, assumed the presidency, but aroused strong political opposition[109] and was deposed in April 1964 by a coup that resulted in a military regime.[110]


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Lula da Silva, t. 2003 to 2011, saw Brazil attain the world's 6th largest GDP.

The new regime was intended to be transitory[111] but it gradually closed in on itself and became a full dictatorship with the promulgation of the Fifth Institutional Act in 1968.[11Sony PCG-7184L Battery
Sony PCG-7185L Battery 2] The repression was not limited only to those who resorted to guerrilla to fight the regime, but also reached institutional opponents, artists, journalists and other members of civil society,[113][11Sony VPCF115FM battery

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4] inside and outside the country (through the infamous "Operation Condor").[115][116] Despite its brutality, like other totalitarian regimes in history, due to an economic boom, known as an "economic miracle", the regime reached its highest level of popularity in early 1970s.[117Sony VPCF11MFX battery

 

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Slowly however, the wear and tear of years of dictatorial power that has not slowed the repression, even after the defeat of the leftist guerrillas,[118] plus the inability to deal with the economic crises of the period and popular pressure, made it inevitable an opening policy, which of the regime side was led by Generals Geisel and Golbery.[119Sony VPCF11FGX battery

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Sony VPCF11BFX battery] With the enactment of the Amnesty Law in 1979, Brazil began to slowly return to democracy, which would be completed along the 1980s.[75]

Civilians returned to power in 1985 when José Sarney assumed the presidency, 125 becoming unpopular during his tenure due his failure in control the economic crisis and hyperinflation inherited from the military regime.[12Sony VPCF11LFX battery

 

Sony VPCF11AFX battery0] Sarney's unsuccessful government allowed the election in 1989 of the almost unknown Fernando Collor, who was subsequently impeached by the National Congress in 1992.[1Sony VPCF11DGX battery

 

Sony VPCF1190X battery21] Collor was succeeded by his Vice-President Itamar Franco, who appointed Fernando Henrique Cardoso as Minister of Finance. In 1994, Cardoso produced a highly successful Plano Real,[12Sony VPCF117FX battery

2] that after decades of failed economic plans made by previous governments attempting to curb hyperinflation, finally granted stability to the Brazilian economy,[123][124] leading Cardoso to be elected that year, and again in 1998.[125] Sony VPCF112FX battery

 

The peaceful transition of power to Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, who was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006, proved that Brazil had finally succeeded in achieving its long-sought political stability.[12

 

Sony VPCF119GX battery6] Lula was succeeded in 2011 by the current president, Dilma Rousseff, the country's first woman president and as such one of the most powerful women in the world.[127][128] Sony VPCF11KFX battery

 

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Protest against privatized public transportation and supposed political prisoners

Around the start of the Confederation`s Cup protests were held in almost all Brazil`s capital cities. Direct reason was the increase of the fare for public transport in São Paulo and other cities, making it one of the most expensive in the world [1Sony VPCF11CGX battery

 

Sony VPCF11GGX battery29]. Combining this with the huge expenses of the soccer events, on June 17, 2013, as many as 230,000 protestors in 12 cities, the largest protest since the junta, took to the street to protest the country's incompetent and/ or corrupt public administrators[130].

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Geography

 

Main article: Geography of Brazil

 

 

Iguazu Falls in Paraná

Brazil occupies a large area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent's interior,[131] sharing land borders with Uruguay to the south; Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest; HP Pavilion DV7-1105EA Battery

HP Pavilion DV7-2215SA Battery Bolivia and Peru to the west; Colombia to the northwest; and Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the French overseas department of French Guiana to the north. It shares a border with every country in South America except for Ecuador and Chile. HP Pavilion DV7-1210EA Battery

HP Pavilion DV7-3115EA Battery It also encompasses a number of oceanic archipelagos, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz.[12] Its size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse.[131] Including its Atlantic islands, Brazil lies between latitudes 6°N and 34°S, and longitudes 28° and 74°W.
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Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, and third largest in the Americas, with a total area of 8,514,876.599 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi),[132] including 55,455 km2 (21,411 sq mi) of water.[12] It spans three time zones; HP Pavilion DV7-1135EA Battery

HP Pavilion DV7-3110EA Batteryfrom UTC-4 in the western states, to UTC-3 in the eastern states (and the official time of Brazil) and UTC-2 in the Atlantic islands.[13HP Pavilion DV7-1130EA Battery
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3] Brazil is the only country in the world that lies on the equator while having contiguous territory outside the tropics. Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between 200 metres (660 ft) and 800 metres (2,600 ft) in elevation.[13HP Pavilion DV7-1213EA Battery
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4] The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country.[134] The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills.[134] HP Pavilion DV7-1212EA Battery
 

The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).[1HP Pavilion DV7-1214EA Battery

HP Pavilion DV7-3105EA Battery34] These ranges include the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço mountains and the Serra do Mar.[1HP Pavilion DV7-2110SA Battery

HP Pavilion DV7-3101SA Battery34] In the north, the Guiana Highlands form a major drainage divide, separating rivers that flow south into the Amazon Basin from rivers that empty into the Orinoco River system, in Venezuela, to the north. The highest point in Brazil is the Pico da Neblina at 2,994 metres (9,823 ft), and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean.[12] HP Pavilion DV7-2120SA Battery

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Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic.[135] Major rivers include the Amazon (the world's second-longest river and the largest in terms of volume of water),
HP Pavilion DV7-3001EA Batterythe Paraná and its major tributary the Iguaçu (which includes the Iguazu Falls), the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and Tapajós rivers.[135]

Climate

Main article: Climate of Brazil

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Tropical climate in the archipelago Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco.

The climate of Brazil comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a large area and varied topography, but most of the country is tropical.[1HP Pavilion DV7-4020SA Battery
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2] According to the Köppen system, Brazil hosts five major climatic subtypes: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, temperate, and subtropical. The different climatic conditions produce environments ranging from equatorial rainforests HP Pavilion DV7-4035SA Battery

HP Pavilion DV7-4180SA Keyboard in the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, to temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in central Brazil.[136] Many regions have starkly different microclimates.[137][138] HP Pavilion DV7-4040SA Battery
 

An equatorial climate characterizes much of northern Brazil. There is no real dry season, but there are some variations in the period of the year when most rain falls.[136] Temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F),[1HP Pavilion DV7-4045SA Battery
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HP Pavilion DV7-4150EA Battery38] with more significant temperature variation between night and day than between seasons.[137]

Over central Brazil rainfall is more seasonal, characteristic of a savanna climate.[137] This region is as extensive as the Amazon basin but has a very different climate as it lies farther south at a higher altitude.[136]
HP Pavilion DV7-4144EA Battery In the interior northeast, seasonal rainfall is even more extreme. The semiarid climatic region generally receives less than 800 millimetres (31.5 in) of rain,[139] most of which generally falls in a period of three to five months of the year[140] and occasionally less than this, creating long periods of drought.[13HP Pavilion DV7-4131SA Battery

HP Pavilion DV7-4143EA Battery7] Brazil's 1877–78 Grande Seca (Great Drought), the most severe ever recorded in Brazil,[141] caused approximately half a million deaths.[142] The one from 1915 was devastating too.[143] HP Pavilion DV7-4132EA Battery
 

South of Bahia, near the coasts, and more southerly most of the state of São Paulo, the distribution of rainfall changes, with rain falling throughout the year.[1HP Pavilion DV7-4140EA Battery
HP Pavilion DV7-4141SA Battery36] The south enjoys temperate conditions, with cool winters and average annual temperatures not exceeding 18 °C (64.4 °F);[138] winter frosts are quite common, with occasional snowfall in the highest areas.[136][137] Sony VPCSA2Z9E Battery

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Biodiversity

Main articles: Wildlife of Brazil and Deforestation in Brazil

                  

Toco Toucan

Jaguar

Brazil's large territory comprises different ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest, recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world,[144] with the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, sustaining the greatest biodiversity.[ Sony VPCSA3S9E Battery

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Sony VPCSE1Z9E Battery145] In the south, the Araucaria pine forest grows under temperate conditions.[145] The rich wildlife of Brazil reflects the variety of natural habitats. Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in Brazil could approach four million.[145] Sony VPCSA3Z9E Battery

 

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Larger mammals include pumas, jaguars, ocelots, rare bush dogs, and foxes; peccaries, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums, and armadillos are abundant. Deer are plentiful in the south, and many species of New World monkeys are found in the northern rain forests.[145][ Sony VPCSA4W9E Battery

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Sony VPCSE1L1E Battery146] Concern for the environment has grown in response to global interest in environmental issues.[147] Biodiversity can contribute to agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries extraction. However, almost all economically exploited species of plants, such as soybeans and coffee, or animals, such as chicken, Sony VPCSB1A7E Battery

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Sony VPCSE1J1E Batteryare imported from other countries, and the economic use of native species still crawls. In the Brazilian GDP, the forest sector represents just over 1% and fishing 0.4%.

Environment

See also: Conservation in Brazil

The natural heritage of Brazil is severely threatened by cattle ranching and agriculture, logging, mining, resettlement, oil and gas extraction, over-fishing, wildlife trade, dams and infrastructure, water pollution, climate change, fire, and invasive species.[14Sony VPCSB1B7E Battery

 

Sony VPCSE1E1E Battery4] In many areas of the country, the natural environment is threatened by development.[148] Construction of highways has opened up previously remote areas for agriculture and settlement; dams have flooded valleys and inundated wildlife habitats; and mines have scarred and polluted the landscape.[147][1Sony VPCSB1B9E Battery

 

Sony VPCSB3T9E Battery49] At least 70 dams are said to be planned for the Amazon region, including controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam.[150]

Government and politics

 

Main articles: Politics of Brazil, Federal government of Brazil, and Elections in Brazil

 

 

Dilma Rousseff, current President of Brazil

The Brazilian Federation is the "indissoluble union" of three distinct political entities: the States, the Municipalities and the Federal District.[1Sony VPCSB1C5E Battery

 

Sony VPCSB3S9E Battery5] The Union, the states and the Federal District, and the municipalities, are the "spheres of government." The Federation is set on five fundamental principles:[15] sovereignty, citizenship, dignity of human beings, the social values of labour and freedom of enterprise, and political pluralism. Sony VPCSB1C7E Battery

 

Sony VPCSB3N9E BatteryThe classic tripartite branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial under a checks and balances system), is formally established by the Constitution.[15

 

Sony VPCSB2M9E Battery] The executive and legislative are organized independently in all three spheres of government, while the judiciary is organized only at the federal and state/Federal District spheres.

 

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All members of the executive and legislative branches are directly elected.[151][152][153] Judges and other judicial officials are appointed after passing entry exams.[15Sony VPCSB1D7E Battery

 

Sony VPCSB1Z9E Battery1] For most of its democratic history, Brazil has had a multi-party system, proportional representation. Voting is compulsory for the literate between 18 and 70 years old and optional for illiterates and those between 16 and 18 or beyond 70.[15] Sony VPCSB1S1E Battery

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Together with several smaller parties, four political parties stand out: Workers' Party (PT), Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), and Democrats (DEM). Fifteen political parties are represented in Congress. Sony VPCSB1V9R Battery

Sony VPCSB1X9E BatteryIt is common for politicians to switch parties, and thus the proportion of congressional seats held by particular parties changes regularly.[ Sony VPCSE2E1E Battery

 

Sony VPCCB4Z1E Battery54] Almost all governmental and administrative functions are exercised by authorities and agencies affiliated to the Executive.

The form of government is that of a democratic republic, with a presidential system.[15] The president is both head of state and head of government of the Union and is elected for a four-year term,[15] Sony VPCSE2J9E Battery

 

Sony VPCCB4X1E Batterywith the possibility of re-election for a second successive term. The current president is Dilma Rousseff who was inaugurated on 1 January 2011.[155] The President appoints the Ministers of State, who assist in government.[1Sony VPCSE2L9E Battery

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Sony VPCCB3S1E Battery5] Legislative houses in each political entity are the main source of law in Brazil. The National Congress is the Federation's bicameral legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate. Judiciary authorities exercise jurisdictional duties almost exclusively. Sony VPCSE2S1E Battery

 

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Law and Order

Main articles: Law of Brazil and Crime in Brazil

Brazilian law is based on Roman-Germanic traditions[156] and civil law concepts prevail over common law practice. Most of Brazilian law is codified, although non-codified statutes also represent a substantial part, playing a complementary role. Sony VPCCA Battery

 

Sony VPCCB3 Battery Court decisions set out interpretive guidelines; however, they are seldom binding on other specific cases. Doctrinal works and the works of academic jurists have strong influence in law creation and in law cases.

 

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Supreme Federal Court of Brazil serves primarily as the Constitutional Court of the country

The legal system is based on the Federal Constitution, which was promulgated on 5 October 1988, and is the fundamental law of Brazil. All other legislation and court decisions must conform to its rules.[157Sony VPCCA1C5E Battery

 

Sony VPCCB2M0E Battery] As of April 2007, there have been 53 amendments. States have their own constitutions, which must not contradict the Federal Constitution.[158] Municipalities and the Federal District have "organic laws" (leis orgânicas), which act in a similar way to constitutions.[

 

Sony VPCCB2 Battery159] Legislative entities are the main source of statutes, although in certain matters judiciary and executive bodies may enact legal norms.[15] Jurisdiction is administered by the judiciary entities, although in rare situations the Federal Constitution allows the Federal Senate to pass on legal judgments.[15] Sony VPCCA1S1E Battery

 

Sony VPCCB BatteryThere are also specialized military, labor, and electoral courts.[15] The highest court is the Supreme Federal Court.

This system has been criticised over the last few decades for the slow pace of decision making. Lawsuits on appeal may take several years to resolve, and in some cases more than a decade elapses before definitive rulings.[1Sony VPCCA2 Battery

60] Nevertheless, the Supreme Federal Tribunal was the first court in the world to transmit its sessions on television, and also via YouTube.[161][16Sony VPCCA2C5E Battery

 

Sony VPCCA3S1E Battery2] More recently, in December 2009, the Supreme Court adopted Twitter to display items on the day planner of the ministers, to inform the daily actions of the Court and the most important decisions made by them.[163] Sony VPCCA2S0E Battery

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Brazil continues to have high crime rates in a number of statistics, despite recent improvements. More than 500,000 people have been killed by firearms in Brazil between 1979 and 2003, according to a report by the United Nations.[ Sony VPCCA2Z0E Battery

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Sony VPCCA3E1E Battery164] As of December 2012, there were 548,003 people incarcerated in Brazilian prisons or jails (513,713 in prison system and 34,290 in police facilities), constituting 274 inmates per 100,000 of national population.[165] HP 640426-001 Fan

 

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Foreign policy

Main article: Foreign relations of Brazil

 

 

Diplomatic missions of Brazil

  Brazil

  Nations hosting a diplomatic mission of Brazil

  Nations with a non-resident mission of Brazil

Brazil's international relations are based on article 4 of the Federal Constitution, which establishes non-intervention, HP 640903-001 Fan

 

HP 650057-001 Fanself-determination, international cooperation and the peaceful settlement of conflicts as the guiding principles of Brazil's relationship with other countries and multilateral organizations.[166] HP 641477-001 Fan

 

HP 666391-001 Fan According to the Constitution, the President has ultimate authority over foreign policy, while Congress is tasked with reviewing and considering all diplomatic nominations and international treaties, as well as legislation relating to Brazilian foreign policy.[167] HP 650848-001 Fan

 

Brazil's foreign policy is a by-product of the country's unique position as a regional power in Latin America, a leader among developing countries, and an emerging world power.[1HP 653627-001 Fan

HP 665309-001 Fan68] Brazilian foreign policy has generally been based on the principles of multilateralism, peaceful dispute settlement, and non-intervention in the affairs of other countries.[169]


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An increasingly well-developed tool of Brazil's foreign policy is providing aid as a donor to other developing countries.[ Sony PCG-41111M Keyboard
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170] Brazil does not just use its growing economic strength to provide financial aid, but it also provides high levels of expertise and most importantly of all, a quiet non-confrontational diplomacy to improve governance levels.[170] Total aid is estimated to be around $1 billion per year that includes:[170] Sony PCG-81111M Keyboard
 

technical cooperation of around $480 million ($30 million in 2010 provided directly by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC))

an estimated $450 million for in-kind expertise provided by Brazilian institutions specialising in technical cooperation Sony PCG-81112M Keyboard

 

In addition, Brazil manages a peacekeeping mission in Haiti ($350 million) and makes in-kind contributions to the World Food Programme ($300 million).[170] This is in addition to humanitarian assistance and contributions to multilateral development agencies. Sony PCG-81212M Keyboard

The scale of this aid places it on par with China and India and ahead of many western donors.[170] The Brazilian South-South aid has been described as a "global model in waiting."[171]

Military

Main article: Brazilian Armed Forces

                  


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A Skyhawk on the aircraft carrier São Paulo.

The two Minas Geraes class ships kindled a South American dreadnought race (c. 1908–14)

The armed forces of Brazil, largest in Latin America,[172Sony PCG-81113M Keyboard


Sony PCG-51111M Keyboard] consist of the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Navy, and the Brazilian Air Force with a total of 371,199 active personnel.[173]

The Army has 235,978 active personnel.[174] The Military Police (States' Military Police) is described as an ancillary force of the Army by the constitution, but is under the control of each state's governor.[15]

 

Sony PCG-51212M Keyboard The Navy once operated some of the most powerful warships in the world with the two Minas Geraes-class dreadnoughts, sparking a dreadnought race between Argentina, Brazil, and Chile).[175Sony PCG-81313M Keyboard

] Today, it is a green water force and one of the ten navies that possesses an aircraft carrier.[176] The Air Force has about 700 manned aircraft in service.[177]

Brazil has not been invaded since 1865 during the Paraguayan War.[178] Additionally, Brazil has no contested territorial disputes with any of its neighbours[1Sony PCG-21313M Keyboard

79] and neither does it have rivalries, like Chile and Bolivia have with each other.[180][181] Since 1648 the Brazilian Armed Forces have been relied upon to fight in defense of Brazilian sovereignty and to suppress civil rebellions. The Brazilian military has also four times intervened militarily to overthrow the Brazilian government.[1Sony PCG-31311M Keyboard

Sony PCG-51512M Keyboard82] It has built a tradition of participating in UN peacekeeping missions such as in Haiti and East Timor.[183]

Administrative divisions

Brazil is a federation composed of 26 States, one Federal district (which contains the capital city, Brasília) and Municipalities.[1Sony PCG-5S1M Keyboard
5] States have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Federal government. They have a governor and a unicameral legislative body elected directly by their voters. Sony PCG-7171M Keyboard

Sony PCG-3G2M Keyboard They also have independent Courts of Law for common justice. Despite this, states have much less autonomy to create their own laws than in the United States. For example, criminal and civil laws can only be voted by the federal bicameral Congress and are uniform throughout the country.[15] Sony PCG-5P1M Keyboard

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The states and the federal district may be grouped into regions: Northern, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and Southern. The Brazilian regions are merely geographical, not political or administrative divisions, Sony PCG-5N2M Keyboard
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and they do not have any specific form of government. Although defined by law, Brazilian regions are useful mainly for statistical purposes, and also to define the distribution of federal funds in development projects.

Municipalities, as the states, have autonomous administrations, collect their own taxes and receive a share of taxes collected by the Union and state government.[15] Sony PCG-7195M Keyboard
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Each has a mayor and an elected legislative body, but no separate Court of Law. Indeed, a Court of Law organized by the state can encompass many municipalities in a single justice administrative division called comarca (county). Sony PCG-7192M Keyboard
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Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, the world's seventh largest economy at market exchange rates and the seventh largest in purchasing power parity (PPP), according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Brazil has a mixed economy with abundant natural resources. Sony PCG-7144M Keyboard

Sony PCG-3C1M Keyboard The Brazilian economy has been predicted to become one of the five largest in the world in the decades to come, the GDP per capita following and growing,[186] provided that large investments in productivity gains are made to substitute the GDP growth of the last decade that is attributable to the increase in the number of people working.[187Sony PCG-7141M Keyboard

Sony PCG-3J1M Keyboard] Its current GDP (PPP) per capita is $10,200, putting Brazil in the 64th position according to World Bank data. Active in agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors Brazil has a labor force of over a 107 million (ranking 6th worldwide) and unemployment of 6.2% (ranking 64th worldwide).[188] Sony PCG-7151M Keyboard

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The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is one of a group of four emerging economies called the BRIC countries.[189Sony PCG-7153M Keyboard

Sony PCG-3F1M Keyboard] Major export products include aircraft, electrical equipment, automobiles, ethanol, textiles, footwear, iron ore, steel, coffee, orange juice, soybeans and corned beef.,[190] and has the fourth largest car market in the world.[191] Adding up, Brazil ranks 23rd worldwide in value of exports. Sony PCG-7154M Keyboard

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Oil platform P-51 Petrobras Petrobras.

Brazil pegged its currency, the real, to the U.S. dollar in 1994. However, after the East Asian financial crisis, the Russian default in 1998[192] and the series of adverse financial events that followed it, Sony PCG-7162M Keyboard

Sony PCG-7181M Keyboard the Central Bank of Brazil temporarily changed its monetary policy to a managed-float[citation needed] scheme while undergoing a currency crisis, until definitively changing the exchange regime to free-float in January 1999.[193] Sony PCG-7143M Keyboard
 

Brazil received an International Monetary Fund rescue package in mid-2002 of $30.4 billion,[194] then a record sum. Brazil's central bank paid back the IMF loan in 2005, although it was not due to be repaid until 2006.[ Sony PCG-7151M Keyboard
Sony PCG-7161M Keyboard195] One of the issues the Central Bank of Brazil recently dealt with was an excess of speculative short-term capital inflows to the country, which may have contributed to a fall in the value of the U.S. dollar against the real during that period.[196Sony PCG-61211M Keyboard
 

 

Sony PCG-71911M Keyboard
] Nonetheless, foreign direct investment (FDI), related to long-term, less speculative investment in production, is estimated to be $193.8 billion for 2007.[197] Inflation monitoring and control currently plays a major part in the Central bank's role of setting out short-term interest rates as a monetary policy measure.[198] Sony PCG-71211M Keyboard

 

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Between 1993 and 2010, 7012 mergers & acquisitions with a total known value of $707 billion with the involvement of Brazlian firms have been announced.[199] Sony PCG-71213M Keyboard

 

Sony PCG-61611M Keyboard The year 2010 was a new record in terms of value with 115 billion USD of transactions. The largest transaction with involvement of Brazilian companies has been: Cia Vale do Rio Doce acquired Inco in a tender offer valued at US$18.9 billion. Sony PCG-71212M Keyboard
 

 

Corruption costs Brazil almost $41 billion a year alone, with 69.9% of the country's firms identifying the issue as a major constraint in successfully penetrating the global market.[200] Local government corruption is so prevalent that voters only perceive it as a problem if it surpasses certain levels, and only if a local media e.g. a radio station is present to divulge the findings of corruption charges.[20Sony PCG-71312M Keyboard
 

 

Sony PCG-61511M Keyboard1] Initiatives, like this exposure, strengthen awareness which is indicated by the Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index; ranking Brazil 69th out of 178 countries in 2012.[202] The purchasing power in Brazil is eroded by the so-called Brazil cost.[203]

Tourism

 

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Main article: Tourism in Brazil

                  

Rio de Janeiro, the most visited destination in Brazil by foreign tourists for leisure trips, and second place for business travel

São Paulo, the most visited destination in Brazil for foreign tourists who travel on business, and third place to travel for leisure. Sony PCG-71311M Keyboard

 

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Tourism in Brazil is a growing sector and key to the economy of several regions of the country. The country had 5.1 million visitors in 2010, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the second main destination in South America, Sony PCG-71313M Keyboard
 

and third in Latin America after Mexico and Argentina. Revenues from international tourists reached US$5.9 billion in 2010, showing a recovery from the 2008-2009 economic crisis.[204] Historical records of 5.4 million visitors and US$6.775 billion in receipts were reached in 2011.[205][206] Sony PCG-61212M Keyboard

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Among the most popular destinations are the Amazon Rainforest, beaches and dunes in the Northeast Region, the Pantanal in the Center-West Region, beaches at Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, cultural and historic tourism in Minas Gerais and business trips to São Paulo city.[207Sony PCG-5P2m Keyboard
]

Most international visitors in 2011 came from Argentina (30.8%), from the United States (11.5%) and from Uruguay (5.0%), while as a region most visitors came from neighboring South American countries, mainly from Mercosul.[ Sony PCG-5R1M Keyboard

Sony PCG-7171M Keyboard208] Domestic tourism is a fundamental market segment for the industry, as 51 million traveled throughout the country in 2005,[208]

Infrastructure

 

Components and energy

Main articles: Agriculture in Brazil, Industry in Brazil, and Energy policy of Brazil

 

 

The Itaipu Dam hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay

Brazil's diversified economy includes agriculture, industry, and a wide range of services.[209] Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 5.1% of the gross domestic product in 2007.[21Sony PCG-5R2M Keyboard

Sony PCG-7186M Keyboard0] Brazil is one of the largest producer of oranges, coffee, sugar cane, cassava and sisal, soybeans and papayas.[211]

The industry — from automobiles, steel and petrochemicals to computers, aircraft, and consumer durables— accounted for 30.8% of the gross domestic product.[2Sony PCG-5T1M Keyboard

Sony PCG-7185M Keyboard10] Industry is highly concentrated in metropolitan São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Campinas, Porto Alegre, and Belo Horizonte.[212]

Brazil is the world's tenth largest energy consumer with much of its energy coming from renewable sources, particularly hydroelectricity and ethanol; the Itaipu Dam is the world's largest hydroelectric plant by energy generation.[213Sony PCG-5T2M Keyboard

Sony PCG-7184M Keyboard] The first car with an ethanol engine was produced in 1978 and the first airplane engine running on ethanol in 2005.[214] Recent oil discoveries in the Pre-salt layer have opened the door for a large increase in oil production.[21Sony PCG-7181M Keyboard
5] The governmental agencies responsible for the energy policy are the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the National Council for Energy Policy, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, and the National Agency of Electricity.[216] Sony PCG-7182M Keyboard
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Science and technology

Main article: Brazilian science and technology

 

 

National Synchrotron Light Laboratory in Campinas, state of São Paulo, the only particle accelerator in Latin America.

Technological research in Brazil is largely carried out in public universities and research institutes, with the majority of funding for basic research coming from various government agencies.[217]

 

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Brazil's most esteemed technological hubs are the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, the Butantan Institute, the Air Force's Aerospace Technical Center, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the INPE.[218][2

 

Sony VGN-NS20EF keyboard19] The Brazilian Space Agency has the most advanced space program in Latin America.[220]

Uranium is enriched at the Resende Nuclear Fuel Factory, mostly for research purposes (as Brazil obtains 88% from its electricity from hydroelectricity[221]) and the country's first nuclear submarine will be delivered in 2015 (by France).[222Sony VGN-NS10E keyboard

 

Sony VGN-NS20EF/P keyboard] Brazil is one of the three countries in Latin America[223] with an operational Synchrotron Laboratory, a research facility on physics, chemistry, material science and life sciences. And Brazil is the only Latin American country to have a semiconductor company with its own fabrication plant, the CEITEC.[224] Sony VGN-NS10L keyboard

 

Transport

Main article: Transport in Brazil

 

 

The Marginal Pinheiros is a main traffic artery in São Paulo. Pictured is the Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge over the Pinheiros River.

Brazilian roads are the primary carriers of freight and passenger traffic. The road system totalled 1.98 million km (1.23 million mi) in 2002. Sony VGN-NS11J keyboard

The total of paved roads increased from 35,496 km (22,056 mi) in 1967 to 184,140 km (114,425 mi) in 2002.[225]

Brazil's railway system has been declining since 1945, when emphasis shifted to highway construction. The total length of railway track was 30,875 km (19,186 mi) in 2002, as compared with 31,848 km (19,789 mi) in 1970. Sony VGN-NS20E keyboard

 

Sony VGN-NS30Z keyboard Most of the railway system belonged to the Federal Railroad Corporation RFFSA, which was privatized in 2007.[226] The São Paulo Metro was the first underground transit system in Brazil. The other metro systems are in Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Teresina and Fortaleza. Sony VGN-NS20J keyboard

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There are about 2,500 airports in Brazil, including landing fields: the second largest number in the world, after the United States.[227] São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, near São Paulo, is the largest and busiest airport with nearly 20 million passengers annually, while handling the vast majority of commercial traffic for the country.[228] Sony VPCF11C4E/B Keyboard

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For freight transport waterways are of importance, e.g. the industrial zones of Manaus can only be reached by means of the Solimões- Amazonas waterway (3250 km with 6 meters minimum depth).
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Coastal shipping links widely separated parts of the country. Bolivia and Paraguay have been given free ports at Santos. Of the 36 deep-water ports, Santos, Itajaí, Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Sepetiba, Vitória, Suape, Manaus and São Francisco do Sul are the most important.[229Sony VPCF11C5E Keyboard

Sony VPCF12E1E/H Keyboard] Bulk carriers have to wait up to 18 days before being serviced, container ships 36,3 hours on average [230]

Health

The Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo is one of the most well-known health units in Brazil

The Brazilian public health system, the National Health System (SUS), is managed and provided by all levels of government.[23Sony VPCF11D4E Keyboard
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Sony VPCF11Z1E/BI Keyboard1] The public health services are universal and available to all citizens of the country for free. Nevertheless millions of affluent Brazilians have private health care coverage.[232] Sony VPCF11S1E/B Keyboard
 

According to the Brazilian Government, the most serious health problems are:[233]

Childhood mortality: about 2.51% of childhood mortality, reaching 3.77% in the northeast region.

Motherhood mortality: about 73.1 deaths per 100,000 born children in 2002. Sony VPC-F2 Keyboard
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Mortality by non-transmissible illness: 151.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants caused by heart and circulatory diseases, along with 72.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants caused by cancer.
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Mortality caused by external causes (transportation, violence and suicide): 71.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants (14.9% of all deaths in the country), reaching 82.3 deaths in the southeast region.

In 2002, Brazil accounted for 40% of malaria cases in the Americas.[234] Nearly 99% are concentrated in the Legal Amazon Region, which is home to not more than 12% of the population.[234] Sony VPCF22J1E Keyboard
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Education

Main article: Education in Brazil

 

 

Law Faculty of (USP), recently voted the best university in Latin America.[235]

The Federal Constitution and the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education determine that the Federal Government, States, Sony VPCF22M1E Keyboard

Sony VPCF24M1E KeyboardFederal District and municipalities must manage and organize their respective education systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as the mechanisms and funding sources. The constitution reserves 25% of the state budget and 18% of federal taxes and municipal taxes for education.[236]
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According to the IBGE, in 2011, the literacy rate of the population was 90.4%, meaning that 13 million (9.6% of population) people are still illiterate in the country; functional illiteracy has reached 21.6% of the population.[2Sony VPCF22S1E Keyboard
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Sony VPCF231S1E Keyboard37] Illiteracy is highest in the Northeast, where 19.9% of the population is illiterate.[238]

Higher education starts with undergraduate or sequential courses, which may offer different options of specialization in academic or professional careers. Sony VPCF23M1E Keyboard
Sony VPCF23Q1E KeyboardDepending on the choice, students can improve their educational background with courses of post-graduate studies or broad sense. To attend a higher education institution is required, by Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education, Sony VPCF13E4E Keyboard

Sony VPCF13M0E/B Keyboard completing all levels of education suited to the needs of all students of teaching kindergarten, elementary and medium, provided the student does not hold any disability, whether physical, mental, visual or hearing. Sony VPCF13E8E Keyboard
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Communication

Main article: Communications in Brazil

 

 

Headquarters of Rede Globo in São Paulo, the second largest commercial television network in planet.

The Brazilian press has its beginnings in 1808 with the arrival of the Portuguese royal family to Brazil, hitherto forbidden any activity of the press - was the publication of newspapers or books. The Brazilian press was officially born in Rio de Janeiro on 13 May 1808, Sony VPCF1318E/H Keyboard

Sony VPCF12M0E/B Keyboardwith the creation of the Royal Printing, National Press by the Prince Regent Dom João.[239]

The Gazeta do Rio de Janeiro, the first newspaper published in the country, begins to circulate on 10 September 1808.[240] Largest newspapers nowadays are Folha de São Paulo (from the state of São Paulo, Super Notícia (Minas Gerias 296.799), O Globo (RJ 277.876) and O Estado de São Paulo (SP 235.217).[24] Sony VPCF13M1E/B Keyboard

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Radio broadcasting began on 7 September 1922, with a speech by then President Pessoa, and formalized on 20 April 1923 with the creation of "Radio Society of Rio de Janeiro."[241]

Television in Brazil began officially on 18 September 1950, with the founding of TV Tupi by Assis Chateaubriand.[2Sony VPCF11C4E/B Keyboard

Sony VPCF12Z1E Keyboard42] Since then television has grown in the country, creating large public networks such as Globo, SBT, Record and Bandeirantes. Today is the most important factor in popular culture of Brazilian society, indicated by research showing that as much as 67% [243Sony VPCF13Z8E Keyboard

Sony VPCF13S0E/B Keyboard][244] of the general population follow the same daily soap opera broadcast. Digital Television, using the SBTVD standard (based on the Japanese standard ISDB-T) was adopted 29 June 2006 and launched in 2 November 2007.[245Sony VPCF13Z8E/BI Keyboard

Sony VPCF13S1E/B Keyboard] In May 2010,Brazil launched TV Brasil Internacional, an international television station, initially broadcasting to 49 countries. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former President of Brazil, described its aim as "presenting Brazil to the world."[246] Sony VPCF12S1E/B Keyboard

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Demographics

 

Main articles: Demographics of Brazil and Brazilian people

See also: Immigration to Brazil and List of Brazilian states by population density

 

 

Map of Brazilian states by population.

The population of Brazil, as recorded by the 2008 PNAD, was approximately 190 million[247] (22.31 inhabitants per square kilometre or 57.8 /sq mi), with a ratio of men to women of 0.95:1[248] and 83.75% of the population defined as urban.[249Sony VPCF12Z1E/BI Keyboard
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] The population is heavily concentrated in the Southeastern (79.8 million inhabitants) and Northeastern (53.5 million inhabitants) regions, while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North, which together make up 64.12% of the Brazilian territory, have a total of only 29.1 million inhabitants. Sony VPCF21Z1E/BI Keyboard

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The first census in Brazil was carried out in 1872 and recorded a population of 9,930,478.[250] From 1880 to 1930, 4 million Europeans arrived.[2Sony VPCF24Q1E Keyboard

Sony VPCY21S1E/L Keyboard51] Brazil's population increased significantly between 1940 and 1970, because of a decline in the mortality rate, even though the birth rate underwent a slight decline. In the 1940s the annual population growth rate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in the 1950s and remaining at 2.9% in the 1960s, as life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 years[25Sony VPCF23P1E Keyboard
Sony VPCF23N1E Keyboard2] and to 72.6 years in 2007.[253] It has been steadily falling since the 1960s, from 3.04% per year between 1950 and 1960 to 1.05% in 2008 and is expected to fall to a negative value of –0.29% by 2050[254] thus completing the demographic transition.[255]

In 2008, the illiteracy rate was 11.48%[2HP Pavilion DV7-1105EA Keyboard

HP Pavilion DV7-2215SA Keyboard56] and among the youth (ages 15–19) 1.74%. It was highest (20.30%) in the Northeast, which had a large proportion of rural poor.[257] Illiteracy was high (24.18%) among the rural population and lower (9.05%) among the urban population.[258]

Race and ethnicity
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Main article: Race and ethnicity in Brazil

According to the National Research by Household Sample (PNAD) of 2008, 48.43% of the population (about 92 million) described themselves as White; 43.80% (about 83 million) as Brown (Multiracial), 6.84% (about 13 million) HP Pavilion DV7-1210EA Keyboard

HP Pavilion DV7-3112EA Keyboardas Black; 0.58% (about 1.1 million) as Asian; and 0.28% (about 536 thousand) as Amerindian (officially called indígena, Indigenous), while 0.07% (about 130 thousand) did not declare their race.[259] HP Pavilion DV7-1135EA Keyboard

HP Pavilion DV7-3110EA Keyboard

In 2007, the National Indian Foundation reported the existence of 67 different uncontacted tribes, up from 40 in 2005. Brazil is believed to have the largest number of uncontacted peoples in the world.[263] HP Pavilion DV7-1130EA Keyboard

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Since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, considerable miscegenation between these groups has taken place, in all regions of the country (with European ancestry being dominant nationwide according to the vast majority of all autosomal studies undertaken covering the entire population, accounting for between 65% to 77%).HP Pavilion DV7-1125EA Keyboard

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Brazilian society is more markedly divided by social class lines, although a high income disparity is found between race groups, so racism and classism can be conflated. Socially significant closeness to one racial group is taken in account more in the basis of appearance (phenotypes) rather than ancestry, to the extent that full siblings can pertain to different "racial" groups.[26
HP Pavilion DV7-3020EA Keyboard8] Socioeconomic factors are also significant, because a minority of pardos are likely to start declaring themselves White or Black if socially upward.[269] Skin color and facial features do not line quite well with ancestry (usually, Afro-Brazilians are evenly mixed and European ancestry is dominant in Whites and pardos with a significant non-European contribution, but the individual variation is great).[ HP Pavilion DV7-1213EA Keyboard

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The brown population (as multiracial Brazilians are officially called; pardo in Portuguese, also colloquially moreno, or swarthy)[273][274] is a broad category that includes caboclos (assimilated Amerindians in general, and descendants of Whites and Natives), HP Pavilion DV7-1211EA Keyboard

HP Pavilion DV7-3000 Keyboardmulatos (descendants of primarily Whites and Afro-Brazilians) and cafuzos (descendants of Afro-Brazilians and Natives).[273][274][275][276][277] People of considerable Amerindian ancestry form the majority of the population in the Northern, Northeastern and Center-Western regions.[278] HP Pavilion DV7-1212EA Keyboard

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Higher percents of Blacks, mulattoes and tri-racials can be found in the eastern coast of the Northeastern region from Bahia to Paraíba[277][279] and also in northern Maranhão,[280][281] southern Minas Gerais[282] and in eastern Rio de Janeiro.[277][2HP Pavilion DV7-1214EA Keyboard
82] From the 19th century, Brazil opened its borders to immigration. About five million people from over 60 countries migrated to Brazil between 1808 and 1972, most of them of Portuguese, Italian, Spaniard, German, Ukrainian, Polish, Jewish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Middle Eastern origin.[283] HP Pavilion DV7-2110SA Keyboard
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Religion

Religion in Brazil formed from the meeting of the Roman Catholic Church with the religious traditions of African slaves and indigenous peoples.[28HP Pavilion DV7-4020SA Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion DV7-4180SA Keyboard4] This confluence of faiths during the Portuguese colonization of Brazil led to the development of a diverse array of syncretistic practices within the overarching umbrella of Brazilian Roman Catholicism, characterized by traditional Portuguese festivities,[285]

 

HP Pavilion DV7-4150EA Keyboardand in some instances, Allan Kardec's Spiritism (most Brazilian Spiritists are also Christians). Religious pluralism increased during the 20th century,[286] and a Protestant community has grown to include over 22% of the population.[287] The most common Protestant denominations are Pentecostal, Evangelical, Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, Lutheran and the reformed churches. HP Pavilion DV7-4015SA Keyboard

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The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida is the second largest in the world, after only of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City.

Roman Catholicism is the country's predominant faith. Brazil has the world's largest Catholic population.[288] According to the 2000 Demographic Census (the PNAD survey does not inquire about religion), 73.57% of the population followed Roman Catholicism; HP Pavilion DV7-4040SA Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion DV7-4144EA Keyboard15.41% Protestantism; 1.33% Kardecist spiritism; 1.22% other Christian denominations; 0.31% Afro-Brazilian religions; 0.13% Buddhism; 0.05% Judaism; 0.02% Islam; 0.01% Amerindian religions; 0.59% other religions, undeclared or undetermined; while 7.35% have no religion.[289] HP Pavilion DV7-4045SA Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion DV7-4143EA Keyboard

However, in the last ten years Protestantism, particularly Pentecostal and/or Evangelical Protestantism, has spread in Brazil, while the proportion of Catholics has dropped significantly.[290] After Protestantism, individuals professing no religion are also a significant group, exceeding 7% of the population in the 2000 census. HP Pavilion DV7-4130SA Keyboard

 

HP Pavilion DV7-4141SA Keyboard The cities of Boa Vista, Salvador and Porto Velho have the greatest proportion of Irreligious residents in Brazil. Teresina, Fortaleza, and Florianópolis were the most Roman Catholic in the country.[291] HP Pavilion DV7-4131SA Keyboard

Greater Rio de Janeiro, not including the city proper, is the most Irreligious and least Roman Catholic Brazilian periphery, while Greater Porto Alegre and Greater Fortaleza are on the opposite sides of the lists, respectively.[291] HP Pavilion DV7-4132EA Keyboard

HP Pavilion DV7-4140EA Keyboard

Urbanization

Main articles: List of largest cities in Brazil, Municipalities of Brazil, and List of largest cities in Brazil

According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) urban areas already concentrate 84.35% of the population, while the Southeast region remains the most populated one, with over 80 million inhabitants.[292HP 592871-031 Keyboard

HP 633183-031 Keyboard ] The largest metropolitan areas in Brazil are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte — all in the Southeastern Region — with 19.5, 11.5, and 5.1 million inhabitants respectively.[2HP 504611-031 Keyboard

HP 494002-031 Keyboard 93] The majority of state capitals are the largest cities in their states, except for Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in the states of São Paulo (Campinas, Santos and the Paraíba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley) and Santa Catarina (Itajaí Valley).[294] HP 578364-031 Keyboard
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Main articles: Languages of Brazil, Portuguese language, Brazilian Portuguese, and List of endangered languages in Brazil

The official language of Brazil is Portuguese[296] (Article 13 of the Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil), HP 482280-031 Keyboard

HP 537953-031 Keyboard  which almost all of the population speaks and is virtually the only language used in newspapers, radio, television, and for business and administrative purposes. The most famous exception to this is a strong sign language law that was passed by the National Congress of Brazil. Legally recognized in 2002,[297HP 486279-031 Keyboard

HP 535689-031 Keyboard ] the law was regulated in 2005.[298] The law mandates the use of the Brazilian Sign Language, more commonly known by its Portuguese acronym LIBRAS, in education and government services. The language must be taught as a part of the education and speech and language pathology curricula. LIBRAS teachers, HP 456587-031 Keyboard

HP 537954-031 Keyboard  instructors and translators are recognized professionals. Schools and health services must provide access ("inclusion") to deaf people.[299]

 

 

Museum of the Portuguese Language in São Paulo, Brazil.

Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, mostly similar to 16th century Central and Southern dialects of European Portuguese[30HP 613386-031 Keyboard
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HP 487136-031 Keyboard 0] (despite a very substantial number of Portuguese colonial settlers, and more recent immigrants, coming from Northern regions, and in minor degree Portuguese Macaronesia), with some influences from the Amerindian and African languages, especially West African and Bantu.[30
HP 468817-031 Keyboard 1] As a result, the language is somewhat different, mostly in phonology, from the language of Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries (the dialects of the other countries, partly because of the more recent end of Portuguese colonialism in these regions,
HP 496121-041 Keyboard  have a closer connexion to contemporary European Portuguese). These differences are comparable to those between American and British English.[301]

Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity and giving it a national culture distinct from those of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.[302] HP 613385-031 Keyboard

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In 1990, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), which included representatives from all countries with Portuguese as the official language, reached an agreement on the reform of the Portuguese orthography to unify the two standards then in use by Brazil on one side and the remaining lusophone countries on the other. HP 613332-031 Keyboard
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HP 496120-031 Keyboard This spelling reform went into effect in Brazil on 1 January 2009. In Portugal, the reform was signed into law by the President on 21 July 2008 allowing for a 6-year adaptation period, during which both orthographies will co-exist. HP 496771-031 Keyboard

HP 584161-031 Keyboard  The remaining CPLP countries are free to establish their own transition timetables.[303]

Minority languages are spoken throughout the nation. One hundred and eighty Amerindian languages are spoken in remote areas and a significant number of other languages are spoken by immigrants and their descendants.[301HP 606743-031 Keyboard
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HP 646300-031 Keyboard ] In the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Nheengatu (a currently endangered South American creole language – or an 'anti-creole', according to some linguists – with mostly Indigenous Brazilian languages lexicon and Portuguese-based grammar that, together with its southern relative língua geral paulista, HP 441541-031 Keyboard
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HP 608375-031 Keyboard  once was a major lingua franca in Brazil, being replaced by Portuguese only after governmental prohibition led by major political changes), Baniwa and Tucano languages had been granted co-official status with Portuguese.[304] HP 441427-031 Keyboard
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There are significant communities of German (mostly the Brazilian Hunsrückisch, a High German language dialect) and Italian (mostly the Talian, a Venetian dialect) origins in the Southern and Southeastern regions, whose ancestors' native languages were carried along to Brazil, and which, still alive there, are influenced by the Portuguese language.[305][30HP 643263-031 Keyboard
HP 633183-031 Keyboard
6] Talian is officially a historic patrimony of Rio Grande do Sul,[307] and two German dialects possess co-official status in a few municipalities.[308]

Learning at least one second language (generally English and/or Spanish) is mandatory for all the 12 grades of the mandatory education system (primary and secondary education, HP 633736-031 Keyboard

HP 536537-031 Keyboard  there called ensino fundamental and ensino médio respectively). Brazil is the first country in South America to offer Esperanto to secondary students.[309]

Culture

 

Main article: Culture of Brazil

 

 

Amazon Theatre in Manaus.

The core culture of Brazil is derived from Portuguese culture, because of its strong colonial ties with the Portuguese empire.[31HP 646568-031 Keyboard

HP 535798-031 Keyboard 0] Among other influences, the Portuguese introduced the Portuguese language, Roman Catholicism and colonial architectural styles. The culture was, however, also strongly influenced by African, indigenous and non-Portuguese European cultures and traditions.[311] HP 491274-031 Keyboard

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Some aspects of Brazilian culture were influenced by the contributions of Italian, German and other European as well Japanese and Arab immigrants who arrived in large numbers in the South and Southeast of Brazil.[312] HP 539682-031 Keyboard

HP 613385-031 Keyboard The indigenous Amerindians influenced Brazil's language and cuisine; and the Africans influenced language, cuisine, music, dance and religion.[313]

Brazilian art has developed since the 16th century into different styles that range from Baroque (the dominant style in Brazil until the early 19th century)[314] HP 456624-031 Keyboard

HP 486279-031 Keyboard  [315] to Romanticism, Modernism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstractionism. Brazilian cinema dates back to the birth of the medium in the late 19th century and has gained a new level of international acclaim since the 1960s.[316] HP 665917-031 Keyboard
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Music

Main article: Music of Brazil

 

 

A samba parade in Rio de Janeiro

The music of Brazil was formed mainly from the fusion of European and African elements.[317] Until the nineteenth century Portugal was the gateway to most of the influences that built Brazilian music, although many of these elements were not of Portuguese origin, but generally European. The first was José Maurício Nunes Garcia, Dell Inspiron 1521 Keyboard

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Dell XPS M1730 Keyboard author of sacred pieces with influence of Viennese classicism.[318] The major contribution of the African element was the rhythmic diversity and some dances and instruments that had a bigger role in the development of popular music and folk, flourishing especially in the twentieth century.[317] Dell Inspiron 1526 Keyboard

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Popular music since the late eighteenth century began to show signs of forming a characteristically Brazilian sound, with samba considered the most typical and on the UNESCO cultural heritage list.[31Dell Inspiron N4110 Keyboard

 

Dell XPS M1720 Keyboard 9] Maracatu and Afoxê are two Afro-Brazilian music tradition that have been popularized by there appearance in the annual Brazilian Carnivals.[320] The sport of capoeira is usually played with its own music refer to as capoeira music, which is usually considered to be a call-and-response type of folk music.[321]

Choro is a very popular music instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. In spite of the name, the style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by virtuosity, improvisation, subtile modulations and full of syncopation and counterpoint.[322Dell Inspiron 1764 Keyboard

 

Dell XPS M1710 Keyboard ] Bossa nova is also a well-known style of Brazilian music developed and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s.[323] The phrase "bossa nova" means literally "new trend".[324] A lyrical fusion of samba and jazz, bossa nova acquired a large following starting in the 1960s.[325] Dell -Inspiron 14R Keyboard

 

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Literature

Main article: Brazilian literature

Brazilian literature dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such as Pêro Vaz de Caminha, filled with descriptions of fauna, flora and commentary about the indigenous population that fascinated European readers.[326Dell Inspiron N4010 Keyboard

 

Dell Precision M6500 Keyboard ] Brazil produced significant works in Romanticism — novelists like Joaquim Manuel de Macedo and José de Alencar wrote novels about love and pain. Alencar, in his long career, also treated Indigenous people as heroes in the Indigenist novels O Guarany, Iracema, Ubirajara.[327] Dell Inspiron N4030 Keyboard

 

Dell Precision M6400 Keyboard Machado de Assis, one of his contemporaries, wrote in virtually all genres and continues to gain international prestige from critics worldwide.[328][329][330] The Brazilian Modernism, evidenced by the Week of Modern Art in 1922, Dell Inspiron N4050 Keyboard

Dell Inspiron N5030 Keyboard

was concerned with a nationalist avant-garde literature,[331] while Post-Modernism brought a generation of distinct poets like João Cabral de Melo Neto, Carlos Drummond de Andrade and Vinicius de Moraes and internationally known writers dealing with universal and regional subjects like Jorge Amado, João Guimarães Rosa and Clarice Lispector.[332][333][334] Dell Inspiron N7010 Keyboard

 

Cuisine

Main article: Brazilian cuisine

See also: List of Brazilian dishes

 

 

Feijoada, a dish made with black beans, pork, rice, collard greens, cassava flour and orange.

Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of indigenous and immigrant populations. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.[335] Examples are Feijoada, considered the country's national dish;[3Dell Inspiron N7110 Keyboard

 

Dell Precision M4400 Keyboard 36] and regional foods such as vatapá, moqueca, polenta and acarajé.[337] The national beverage is coffee and cachaça is Brazil's native liquor. Cachaça is distilled from sugar cane and is the main ingredient in the national cocktail, Caipirinha.[338]

The average meal consist mostly of rice and beans with beef and salad.[339]

Dell Inspiron N4020 Keyboard

 

Dell Precision M2400 Keyboard  Its common to mix it with cassava flour (farofa). Fried potatoes, fried cassava, fried banana, fried meat and fried cheese are very often eaten in lunch and served in most typical restaurants.[340Dell Latitude E4200 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E5400 Keyboard ] Popular snacks are pastel (a pastry), coxinha (chicken croquete), pão de queijo (cheese bread and cassava flour / tapioca), pamonha (corn and milk paste), esfirra (Lebanese pastry), kibbeh (from Arabic cuisine), empanada (pastry) and empada little salt pies filled with shrimps or hearth of palm.

Brazil has a variety of candies such as bDell Latitude E4300 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E5500 Keyboard rigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls), cocada (a coconut sweet), beijinhos (coconut truffles and clove) and romeu e julieta (cheese with a guava jam known as goiabada). Peanut is used to make paçoca, rapadura and pé-de-moleque. Dell Latitude E5410 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E6500 Keyboard  Local common fruits like açaí, cupuaçu, mango, papaya, cocoa, cashew, guava, orange, passionfruit, pineapple, and hog plum are turned in juices and used to make chocolates, popsicles and ice cream.[341] Dell Latitude E5510 Keyboard

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Sports

Main article: Sport in Brazil

 

 

The Brazilian national football team after winning the World Cup, 1958

The most popular sport in Brazil is football.[342] The Brazilian national football team is ranked among the best in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings, and has won the World Cup tournament a record five times.[343] Dell RX221 keyboard

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Volleyball, basketball, auto racing, and martial arts also attract large audiences. Brazil men's national volleyball team, for example, currently holds the titles of the World League, World Grand Champions Cup, World Championship and the World Cup. Dell ORX221 keyboard

 

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Others sports practiced in Brazil are tennis, team handball, swimming, and gymnastics have found a growing number of enthusiasts over the last decades. Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil: beach football,[3Dell UK723UK keyboard

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Dell 0WX4JF keyboard44] futsal (indoor football)[345] and footvolley emerged in Brazil as variations of football. In martial arts, Brazilians developed Capoeira,[346] Vale tudo,[347] and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.[348] In auto racing, three Brazilian drivers have won the Formula One world championship eight times.[349][350][351] Dell PTP49 keyboard

 

Dell HT514 keyboard

Brazil has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, like the 1950 FIFA World Cup[352] and has been chosen to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[353] The São Paulo circuit, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, hosts the annual Grand Prix of Brazil.[354] Dell 0UK717 keyboard

 

Dell FM760 keyboard

São Paulo organized the IV Pan American Games in 1963, and Rio de Janeiro hosted the XV Pan American Games in 2007.[355] On 2 October 2009, Rio de Janeiro was selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games and 2016 Paralympic Games, Dell HT517 keyboard

Dell P0XM3 keyboard the first to be held in South America[356] and second in Latin America after Mexico City. Further, the country hosted the FIBA Basketball World Cups in 1954 and 1963. At the 1963 event, the Brazil national basketball team won one of its two world championship titles.[357] Dell Latitude E4310 Keyboard

 

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São Paulo (/ˌsaʊ ˈpaʊloʊ/; Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐ̃w ˈpawlu] ( listen); Saint Paul) is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city proper in the southern hemisphere and the Americas' and the world's seventh largest city by population. Dell Latitude E4320 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E6430S Keyboard The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among the ten largest metropolitan areas on the planet.[3] São Paulo is the capital of the state of São Paulo, Brazil's most populous state. It exerts strong regional influence in commerce, finance, arts and entertainment and a strong international influence.[4Dell Latitude E4200 Keyboard

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Dell Latitude E6430-ATG Keyboard ] The name of the city honors Saint Paul of Tarsus.

São Paulo has the largest economy by GDP among Latin American and Brazilian cities.[5] Its GDP per capita is the fifth highest among the larger Latin American cities and Brazil's second highest, behind Brasília.[5] Dell Latitude E6500 Keyboard

 

The metropolis has significant cultural, economic and political influence both nationally and internationally. It is home to several important monuments, parks and museums such as the Latin American Memorial, the Museum of the Portuguese Language, Dell Latitude E5400 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E6430 Keyboard São Paulo Museum of Art, Museum of Ipiranga and the Ibirapuera Park. Paulista Avenue is the most important financial center of São Paulo. The city holds many high profile events, like the São Paulo Art Biennial, the Brazil Grand Prix Formula 1 Sao Paulo, Dell Latitude E5410 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E6420-ATG Keyboard  Sao Paulo Fashion Week, ATP Brasil Open and the São Paulo Indy 300. Sao Paulo hosts the world's largest gay pride parade according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Dell Latitude E5500 Keyboard

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It is home to the São Paulo Stock Exchange, the Future Markets and the Cereal Market Stock Exchanges (the second largest stock exchange in the World, in market value).[6] São Paulo is home to several of the tallest buildings in Brazil, including the building Mirante do Vale, Italia, Altino Arantes, North Tower of the UNSCOM (United Nations Centre Enterprise) Dell Latitude E5420 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E6330 Keyboard and many others.

People from the city of São Paulo are known as paulistanos, while paulistas designates anyone from the surrounding state, including the paulistanos. The city's Latin motto, which it has shared with the battleship and the aircraft carrier named after it, is Non ducor, duco, which translates as "I am not led, I lead."[7] Dell Latitude E5520 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E6230 Keyboard The city, which is also colloquially known as "Sampa" or "Cidade da Garoa" (city of drizzle), is also known for its unreliable weather, the size of its helicopter fleet, its architecture, gastronomy, severe traffic congestion and multitude of skyscrapers. Dell Latitude E6420 Keyboard

 

Dell Latitude E6220 Keyboard The city is considered an alpha world city according to the Global City economic system. According to one source, São Paulo is expected to have the second highest economic growth in the world between 2011 and 2025, although New York City and Tokyo were expected to remain the largest in 2025.[8]

 

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The village of São Paulo dos Campos de Piratininga appeared on January 25, 1554, with the construction of the Colégio de São Paulo de Piratininga, a Jesuit college of twelve priests, among them Manuel da Nobrega and Jose de Anchieta, Dell Latitude E6520 Keyboard

Dell Latitude E5530 Keyboard on top of a steep hill between the rivers Anhangabaú and Tamanduateí.[9] This school, which operated in a shack made of rammed earth, had, on purpose, catechesis of the Indians who lived in the Plateau region of Piratininga, separated from the coast by the Serra do Mar, called by the Indians "Serra Paranapiacaba." Dell Latitude E6520N Keyboard

Dell Latitude E6530 Keyboard

 

The name was chosen because the college was founded on January 25, the same day on which the Catholic Church celebrates the conversion of the Apostle Paul of Tarsus, according to Father José de Anchieta in a letter to the Society of Jesus: Dell Latitude E5220 Keyboard

Dell Latitude E5420M Keyboard

 

Dell Precision M4400 Keyboard

The settlement of the region's Courtyard of the College began in 1560. During the visit of Mem de Sá, Governor-General of Brazil, the Captaincy of São Vicente, he ordered the transfer of the population of the Village of Santo André da Borda do Campo to the vicinity of the college. Dell Latitude E6400 Keyboard

 

Dell Precision M6500 Keyboard  It was then named "College of St. Paul Piratininga". The new location was on a steep hill adjacent to a large wetland, the lowland do Carmo. It offered better protection from attacks by local Indian groups. It was renamed Vila de São Paulo, belonging to the Captaincy of São Vicente.

 

Dell Precision M6400 Keyboard

 

Courtyard of the College, in the Historic Center of São Paulo. At this location, the city was founded in 1554. The current building is a reconstruction made in the second half of the 20th century, taking as models the Jesuit college and church that were erected at the site in 1653.

For the next two centuries São Paulo remained a poor and isolated village surviving through cultivation of subsistence crops. Dell Latitude E6500 Keyboard

 

Dell Precision M4500 Keyboard  São Paulo was for a long time the only village in Brazil's interior. This isolation was mainly because it was difficult to travel the Serra do Mar walk from the village of Santos and the Town of Vincent to Piratininga Plateau. Mem de Sá forbade the use of "Path Piraiquê" (Piaçaguera today), because of frequent Indian raids. Dell Latitude E6400-ATG Keyboard

 

On March 22, 1681, the Marquis de Cascais, the donee of the Captaincy of São Vicente, moved the capital to the village of St. Paul, designating it the "Head of the captaincy." The new capital was established in April 23, 1683, with large public celebrations. Dell Latitude E6400-XFR Keyboard

 

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São Paulo was the poorest region of the Portuguese colony. It hosted the activity of the pioneers, who were scattered across the countryside hunting for Indians. Because they were extremely poor, the Paulistas could not afford African slaves. The discovery of gold in the region of Minas Gerais, in the 1690s, turned attention to São Paulo. Dell Latitude E6410 Keyboard

 

Dell Precision M4600 Keyboard  The new Real Captaincy of São Paulo and Minas do Ouro was created in November 3, 1709, when the Portuguese crown purchased the Captaincy of São Paulo and Santo Amaro Captaincy from his former grantees. On July 11, 1711, Dell Latitude E6410-ATG Keyboard

the Town of St. Paul was elevated to city status. Around 1720, gold was found by the pioneers in the regions near what is now Cuiabá and Goiás city, which expanded Brazilian territory beyond the Line of Tordesillas. Dell Latitude E5430 Keyboard

Dell Precision M2400 Keyboard

 

 

Monument to Independence in Independence Park, located at the place where Dom Pedro I proclaimed the independence of Brazil.

When the gold ran out in the late 18th century, São Paulo shifted to growing sugar cane, which spread through the interior of the Captaincy. Dell Latitude E4310 Battery

Dell Latitude E4320 Battery

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 The sugar was exported through the Port of Santos. At that time, the first modern highway between São Paulo and the coast was constructed and named the Walk of Lorraine.

Imperial Period[edit] Dell Latitude E4300 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E6410-ATG Battery

After the Independence of Brazil, declared by Dom Pedro I where is now located the Monument of Ipiranga, São Paulo received the title of Imperial City, awarded by Dom Pedro I of Brazil in 1823. In 1827, a law school was founded at the Convent of São Francisco, Dell Latitude E6500 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E6410 Batterytoday part of USP. The subsequent influx of students and teachers gave a new impetus to the city's growth, thanks to which, the city became the Imperial city and Borough of Students of St. Paul Piratininga. Dell Latitude E5400 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E6400-XFR Battery

The expansion of coffee production was another factor in the growth of São Paulo, initially in the Vale do Paraíba and then in the regions of Campinas, Rio Claro, São Carlos and Ribeirão Preto.

From 1869 onwards, São Paulo was connected to the port of Santos by the Railroad Santos-Jundiaí, called The Lady. In the late 19th century, Dell Latitude E5410 Battery

Dell Latitude E5500 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E6400-ATG Batteryseveral other railroads connected the interior to the state capital. São Paulo became the point of convergence of all railroads from the interior of the state. Coffee allowed the State of São Paulo to experience major economic and population growth.

 

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From the middle of the 19th century to its end, the province began to receive a large number of immigrants, largely Italians and Portuguese, many of whom settled in the capital. The region's first industries also began to emerge. Dell Latitude E5510 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E6400 Battery

Physical Geography[edit]

 

Physical setting[edit]

 

 

Pico do Jaraguá Mountain is the highest point in the city, at 1,135 metres (3,724 ft).[10]

São Paulo is located in Southeastern Brazil, in southeastern São Paulo State, approximately halfway between Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro. The city is located on a plateau located beyond the Serra do Mar (Portuguese for "Sea Range" or "Coastal Range"), Dell Latitude E5420 Battery

Dell Latitude E5520 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E5420M Batteryitself a component of the vast region known as the Brazilian Highlands, with an average elevation of around 799 metres (2,621 ft) above sea level, although being at a distance of only about 70 kilometres (43 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean. This distance is covered by two highways, the Anchieta and the Imigrantes, Dell Latitude E6420 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E5220 Battery (see "Transportation" below) that roll down the range, leading to the port city of Santos and the beach resort of Guarujá. Rolling terrain prevails within the urbanized areas of São Paulo except in its northern area, Dell Latitude E6520 Battery

Dell Latitude E5530 Battery

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Dell Latitude E6530 Battery where the Serra da Cantareira Range reaches a higher elevation and a sizable remnant of the Atlantic Rain Forest. The region is seismically stable and no significant seismic activity has ever been recorded. Dell Latitude E6220 Battery

 

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See also: Water management in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo

The Tietê River and its tributary, the Pinheiros River, were once important sources of fresh water and leisure for São Paulo. However, heavy industrial effluents and wastewater discharges in the later 20th century caused the rivers to become heavily polluted. Dell Latitude E6230 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E6430-XFR BatteryA substantial clean-up program for both rivers is underway, financed through a partnership between local government and international development banks such as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. Dell Latitude E6330 Battery

 

Dell Latitude E6430S BatteryNeither river is navigable in the stretch that flows through the city, although water transportation becomes increasingly important on the Tietê river further downstream (near river Paraná), as the river is part of the River Plate basin. Dell Latitude E6420-ATG Battery

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No large natural lakes exist in the region, but the Billings and Guarapiranga reservoirs in the city's southern outskirts are used for power generation, water storage and leisure activities, such as sailing. The original flora consisted mainly of a great variety of broadleaf evergreens. Dell Latitude E5430 Battery

 

Dell Inspiron 14V battery Today, non-native species are common, as the mild climate and abundant rainfall permit a multitude of tropical, subtropical and temperate plants to be cultivated, especially the ubiquitous eucalyptus.

Climate[edit]

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Heavy rain in Sao Paulo.

The city has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Cfa), according to the Köppen classification.[11] In summer (January through March), the mean low temperature is about 17 °C (63 °F) and the mean high temperatures is near 28 °C (82 °F). In winter, temperatures tend to range between 11 °C (52 °F) Dell Precision M4600 Battery

 

Dell XPS L502X Battery  and 23 °C (73 °F). The recorded high was 35.3 °C (95.5 °F) on November 15, 1985[12] and the lowest −2 °C (28 °F) on August 2, 1955 and on the same day −3.8 °C (25.2 °F) was recorded unofficially. Temperature averages are similar to those of Sydney and Los Angeles. The Tropic of Capricorn, at about 23°27' S, Dell Precision M6400 Battery

 

Dell XPS 17-L702X Battery passes through north of São Paulo and roughly marks the boundary between the tropical and temperate areas of South America. Because of its elevation, however, São Paulo enjoys a distinctly temperate climate.[13] Dell Precision M6600 Battery

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Rainfall is abundant, annually averaging 1,454 millimetres (57.2 in).[14] It is especially common in the warmer months averaging 219 millimetres (8.6 in) and decreases in winter, averaging 47 millimetres (1.9 in). Neither São Paulo nor the nearby coast has ever been hit by a tropical cyclone and tornadic activity is uncommon. Dell Precision M6500 Battery

 

Dell XPS 17-L701X Battery  During late winter, especially August, the city experiences the phenomenon known as "veranico" or "verãozinho" ("little summer"), which consists of hot and dry weather, sometimes reaching temperatures well above 28 °C (82 °F). Dell Precision M4400 Battery

 

Dell XPS L702X Battery On the other hand, relatively cool days during summer are fairly common when persistent winds blow from the ocean. On such occasions daily high temperatures may not surpass 20 °C (68 °F), accompanied by lows often below 15 °C (59 °F), Dell XPS 14 Battery

 

Dell XPS 17 Battery however, summer can be extremely hot when a heat wave hits the city followed by temperatures around 34 °C (93 °F), but in places with greater skyscraper density and less tree cover, the temperature can feel like 39 °C (102 °F), Dell XPS 14D Battery

 

Dell XPS 15Z Battery as on Paulista Avenue for example. In the summer of 2012, São Paulo was affected by a heat wave that lasted for 2 weeks with highs going from 29 °C (84 °F) to 34 °C (93 °F) on the hottest days. Dell XPS 14D-L401X Battery

 

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São Paulo is also known for its rapidly changing weather. Locals say that you can experience all four seasons in one day. In the morning, when winds blow from the ocean, the weather can be cool or sometimes even cold. When the sun hits its peak, Dell XPS 15 Battery

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Dell XPS 15-L501X Battery the weather can be extremely dry and hot. When the sun sets, the cold wind comes back bringing cool temperatures. This phenomenon happens usually in the winter.

The nonspecific term "Grande São Paulo" ("Greater São Paulo") Dell Inspiron N4020 battery

 

Dell Inspiron 14R batterycovers multiple definitions. The legally defined Região Metropolitana de São Paulo consists of 39 municipalities in total and a population of 19,889,559[18] inhabitants (as of 2010 National Census).

Because São Paulo has significant urban sprawl, it uses a different definition for its metropolitan area, Complexo Metropolitano Expandido. Analogous to the US's CSA (Combined Area) definition,

 

Dell Inspiron 13R batteryit is the third largest city in the world with 27 million inhabitants,[19] behind Tokyo and Jakarta, which includes 2 contiguous legally defined metropolitan regions and 3 microregions.

Subdivisions[edit]

Main article: Subdivisions of the City of São Paulo

The city of São Paulo is divided into 31 subprefectures (subprefeituras), in turn divided into 96 districts. Locally, districts contain one or more neighborhoods (bairros).[20][2Dell Inspiron N4030 battery

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Dell Inspiron N4110 battery1] The subprefectures are officially grouped into nine regions (or "zones"), taking into account their geography and history of occupation. These regions are used only in technical and governmental agencies and are not identified by any visible features.

A geographic radial division was established in 2007 by mayor Gilberto Kassab. These geographical areas (historical downtown, extended downtown, Dell Inspiron N7010R battery

 

Dell Inspiron N5010 battery north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest) are each identified with a distinct color on bus maps and in the street signs. These are not related to subprefectures and districts.

Demographics[edit] Dell Inspiron N7010D battery

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In 2010, São Paulo was the most populous city in Brazil and in South America.[22] According to the 2010 IBGE Census, there were 10,659,386 people residing in the city of São Paulo.[23] The census found 6,824,668 White Brazilians (65.6%), 3,433,218 Browns (mixed) (26.5%),Dell Inspiron N5030 battery

 

Dell Inspiron N5010D battery 736,083 Afro-Brazilians (5.5%), 246,244 Asian Brazilian (2.2%) and 21,318 Amerindian (0.2%).[24]

In 2010, the city had 2,146,077 opposite-sex couples and 7,532 same-sex couples. The population of São Paulo was 52.6% female and 47.4% male.[24] Dell Inspiron N5010R battery

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Immigration[edit]

São Paulo is the country's most ethnically diverse city.[25] When slave trafficking ended in Brazil (1850), São Paulo started to replace African labor with voluntary immigrants in the coffee plantations. The pioneer in this new project was senator Nicolau Vergueiro, Dell Inspiron N3010 battery

 

Dell Inspiron 17R batterywho brought many German, Swiss and Portuguese immigrants to work in his own properties. The next waves of immigrants contained Italians and Portuguese from the mid-19th century until the start of the 20th century. These were far more adaptable to coffee cultivation and became over time the largest immigrant communities in the state of São Paulo.[26] Dell Inspiron N4010 battery

 

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After the abolition of slavery (1888), São Paulo received increasing numbers of European immigrants, most from Italy, followed by Portugal, Germany and Spain. In 1897, Italians made up over half of the city's population. Dell Inspiron N4010D battery

Dell Inspiron N4010R batteryPortuguese, Spaniards, Germans, Japanese, Jews, Armenians and Christian Syrian-Lebanese as well as Eastern-Europeans also came in significant numbers. From 1908 to 1941, many Japanese immigrants arrived.[ Sony SVE1511A1EW Keyboard

 

Sony SVE1511A1EB Keyboard27] In the 1960s, Chinese and Koreans started arriving. In the mid-20th century, many from the drought-stricken Northeastern Brazil started to migrate to São Paulo. Nowadays, the city is witness to a large wave of Bolivian migration.[28] Sony SVE1511F1E Keyboard

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A French observer, travelling to São Paulo at the time, noted that there was a division of the capitalist class, by nationality (...) Germans, French and Italians shared the dry goods sector with Brazilians. Foodstuffs was generally the province of either Portuguese or Brazilians, except for bakery and pastry which was the domain of the French and Germans. Sony SVE1511L1E Keyboard

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Sony SVE1713S1E KeyboardShoes and tinware were mostly controlled by Italians. However, the larger metallurgical plants were in the hands of the English and the Americans. (...) Italians outnumbered Brazilians two to one in São Paulo.[30] Sony SVE1511P1E Keyboard

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Until 1920, 1,078,437 Italians entered in the State of São Paulo. Of the immigrants who arrived there between 1887 and 1902, 63.5% came from Italy. Between 1888 and 1919, 44.7% of the immigrants were Italians, 19.2% were Spaniards and 15.4% were Portuguese.[31] In 1920, nearly 80% of São Paulo city's population was composed of immigrants and their descendants and Italians made up over half of its male population.[31Sony SVE1511V1E Keyboard

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Sony SVE1712Z1E Keyboard] At that time, the Governor of São Paulo said that "if the owner of each house in São Paulo display the flag of the country of origin on the roof, from above São Paulo would look like an Italian city". In 1900, a columnist who was absent from São Paulo for 20 years wrote "then São Paulo used to be a genuine Paulista city, today it is an Italian city."[31]

 

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when asked if they are "descendants of foreign immigrants", 81% of the students reported "yes". The main reported ancestries were: Italian (30.5%), Portuguese (23%), Spanish (14%), Japanese (8%), German (5.6%), Brazilian (4.3%), African (2.8%), Arab (2.4%) and Jewish (1.2%).[32]

Domestic migration[edit] Sony SVE1512B1E Keyboard

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Since the 19th century people began migrating from Northeastern Brazil into São Paulo. This migration grew enormously in the 1930s and remained huge in the next decades. The concentration of land, modernization in rural areas, changes in work relationships and cycles of droughts stimulated migration. Sony SVE1512J1E Keyboard

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Sony SVE1711X1E Keyboard Northeastern migrants live mainly in hazardous and unhealthy areas of the city, in cortiços, in various slums (favelas) of the metropolis, because they offer cheaper housing. According to the 2000 Brazilian CensusSony SVE1512M1E Keyboard

 

Sony SVE1711F1E Keyboard, 3,641,148 people from Northeastern Brazil lived in São Paulo, about 20% of the city's population. According to another resource, the largest concentration of Northeastern migrants was found in the area of Sé/Brás (districts of Brás, Bom Retiro, Cambuci, Pari and Sé). In this area they composed 41% of the population.[33] Sony SVE1513C4E Keyboard

 

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As in all of Brazil, people of different ethnicities mix with each other, producing a multi-ethnic society. Today, people of many different ethnicities make São Paulo their home.[34] The main groups, considering all the metropolitan area, are: Sony SVE1513C5E Keyboard

 

Sony SVE1513Q1E Keyboard6 million people of Italian descent,[35] 3 million people of Portuguese descent,[36] 1.7 million people of African descent,[37] 1 million people of Arab descent,[38] 665,000 people of Japanese descent,[3Sony SVE1513D1E Keyboard

8] 400,000 people of German descent,[38] 250,000 people of French descent,[38] 150,000 people of Greek descent,[38] 120,000 people of Chinese descent,[38] 60,000 Bolivian immigrants,[39] 50,000 people of Korean Sony SVE1513E9E Keyboard

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The primary language is Portuguese. Due to the large influx of Italian immigrants, the Portuguese spoken in the city reflects a significant influence from the languages of the Italian peninsula, particularly from Neapolitan and Venetian.[44] Sony SVE14A1S1EB Keyboard

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Italian dialects mix with the countryside Caipira accent of São Paulo. Some linguists maintain that the São Paulo dialect of Portuguese was born in Mooca, a neighborhood settled in the early 20th century mainly by people from Naples, Southern Italy.[45][46] Sony SVE1511Q1EB Keyboard

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The Italian influence in São Paulo accents is more evident in the traditional Italian neighborhoods such as Bella Vista, Mooca, Brás and Lapa. Italian mingled with Portuguese and as an old influence, was assimilated or disappeared into spoken language. Sony SVE1511W1ESI Keyboard

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Sony VPCF13D4E Keyboard The local accent with Italian influences became notorious through the songs of Adoniran Barbosa, a Brazilian samba singer born to Italian parents who used to sing using the local accent.[47] Sony SVE14A1S1E Keyboard

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Other languages spoken in the city are mainly among the Asian community: the Liberdade neighborhood is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. Although today most Japanese-Brazilians speak only Portuguese, some of them are still fluent in Japanese. Some people of Chinese and Korean descent are still able to speak their ancestral languages.[48Sony SVE15 Keyboard

]

In some areas it is still possible to find descendants of immigrants who speak German[49] (especially in the area of Brooklin paulista) and Russian or East European languages (especially in the area of Vila Zelina).[50] In the west zone of São Paulo, Sony SVE1511A1E Keyboard

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Sony VPCF13C5E Keyboard specially at Vila Anastácio and Lapa region, there is a Hungarian colony, with three churches (Calvinist, Baptist and Catholic), so on Sundays it is possible to see Hungarians talking to each other on sidewalks.

Statistics[edit]

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Main articles: Economy of São Paulo and Economy of Brazil

São Paulo is considered the "financial capital of Brazil", as it is the location for the headquarters of many major corporations and the country's most renowned banks and financial institutions. São Paulo is Brazil's highest GDP city and the 10th largest in the world,[64] using Purchasing power parity.[ Sony SVE1513A4E Keyboard

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Sony VPCF13C4E Keyboard65] According to data of IBGE, its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 was R$ 450 billion,[66] approximately US$220 billion, 12.26% of Brazilian GDP and 36% of all production of goods and services of the State of São Paulo.[ Sony SVE1513B4E Keyboard

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Sony VPCF13B4E Keyboard67] According to PricewaterhouseCoopers average annual economic growth of the city is 4.2%.[68] São Paulo also has a large "informal" economy.[69] In 2005, the city of São Paulo collected R$ 90 billion in taxes and the city budget was R$ 15 billion. The city has 1,500 bank branches and 70 shopping malls.[citation needed] Sony SVE1513V1E Keyboard

 

The São Paulo Stock Exchange (BM&F Bovespa) is Brazil's official stock and bond exchange. It is the largest stock exchange in Latin America, trading about R$ 6 billion (US$ 3.5 billion) every day.[70] São Paulo's economy is going through a deep transformation. Sony SVE1713Z1E Keyboard

 

Sony VPCF13K4E Keyboard Once a city with a strong industrial character, São Paulo's economy has followed the global trend of shifting to the tertiary sector of the economy, focusing on services. The city is unique among Brazilian cities for its large number of foreign corporations.[7Sony SVE17 batteryKeyboard

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Sony VPCF12K4E Keyboard1] 63% of all the international companies with business in Brazil have their head offices in São Paulo. São Paulo has the largest concentration of German businesses worldwide[72] and is the largest Swedish industrial hub alongside Gothenburg.[73Sony VPCF13E1E Keyboard

 

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] São Paulo ranked second after New York in FDi magazine's bi-annual ranking of Cities of the Future 2013/14 in the Americas, and was named the Latin American City of the Future 2013/14, overtaking Santiago de Chile, the first city in the previous ranking. Santiago now ranks second, followed by Rio de Janeiro.[74] Sony VPCF13F4E Keyboard

 

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The per capita income for the city was R$ 32,493 in 2008.[75] According to Mercer's 2011 city rankings of cost of living for expatriate employees, São Paulo is now among the ten most expensive cities in the world, ranking 10th in 2011, up from 21st in 2010 and ahead of London, Paris, Milan and New York City.[76][77] Sony VPCF13G4E Keyboard

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The city of São Paulo is home to several important research and development facilities and attracts companies due to the presence of several regionally renowned universities. Science, technology and innovation is leveraged by the allocation of funds from the state government,

 

Sony VPCF11M4E Keyboardmainly carried out by means of the Foundation to Research Support in the State of São Paulo (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP), one of the main agencies promoting scientific and technological research.[79]

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Luxury brands yet do not extend their business beyond three main cities: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília. São Paulo, the most important city in the country is the main place for them to start opening their business. Because of the lack of department stores and multi-brand boutiques, shopping malls as well as the Jardins district, which is more or less the Brazilian's Rodeo Drive version, attract most of the world's luxurious brands. Sony VPCF13K4E Keyboard

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Sony VPCF11J4E Keyboard Whether in the Iguatemi, Cidade Jardim or JK shopping malls or on the streets of Oscar Freire, Lorena or Haddock Lobo in the Jardins district, is where people can shop most of the international luxury brands available in the country, home of brands such as Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Sony VPCF13S8E Keyboard

 

Sony VPCF11J1E/B KeyboardTiffany & Co. Cidade Jardim was opened in São Paulo in 2008, it is a 45,000 square meters mall, landscaped with trees and greenery scenario, with even the main focus is on Brazilian brands the mall still is home of international luxury brands such as Hermès, Jimmy Choo, Pucci and Carolina Herrera. Recently opened in 2012, Sony VPCF13Z1E/B Keyboard

 

Sony VPCF11J04E/H Keyboard JK shopping mall has brought to Brazil new brands that weren't present in the country before such as, Goyard, Tory Burch, Llc., Prada, Miu Miu and among others. All these facts point out the astonishing growth of luxury goods' consumption in Brazil.[80]

The Iguatemi Faria Lima, in Faria Lima Avenue, is the Brazil's oldest mall, opened in 1966.[

 

Sony VPCF11H4E Keyboard81] The Jardins neighborhood is regarded among the most sophisticated places in town, with upscale restaurants and hotels. The New York Times once compared Oscar Freire Street to Rodeo Drive.[82] In Jardins there are many luxury car dealers. One of the world's best restaurants as elected by The World's 50 Best Restaurants Award, D.O.M.,[83] is located there.

 

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Changes in urban fabrics in the region of Jardins, Pinheiros district: side by side, vertical areas and low houses.

São Paulo has a history of actions, projects and plans related to urban planning that can be traced to the governments of Antonio da Silva Prado, Baron Duprat, Washington and Luis Francisco Prestes Maia. However, in general, the city was formed during the 20th century, Sony VPCF22M0E Keyboard

 

Sony VPCF11F4E Keyboard growing from village to metropolis through a series of informal processes and irregular urban sprawl.[84]

Thus, São Paulo differs considerably from other Brazilian cities such as Belo Horizonte and Goiânia, whose initial expansion followed determinations by a plan, or a city like Brasília, whose master plan had been fully developed prior to construction.[85] Sony VPCF22C5E Keyboard

 

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The effectiveness of these plans has been seen by some planners and historians as questionable. Some of these scholars argue that such plans were produced exclusively for the benefit of the wealthier strata of the population while the working classes would be relegated to the traditional informal processes. Sony VPCF12D4E Keyboard

 

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In São Paulo until the mid-1950s, the plans were based on the idea of "demolish and rebuild", including former Mayor Prestes Maia São Paulo's road plan (known as the Avenues Plan) or Saturnino de Brito's plan for the Tietê River. Sony VPCF12E4E Keyboard

 

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In 1968 the Urban Development Plan proposed the Basic Plan for Integrated Development of São Paulo, under the administration of Figueiredo Ferraz. The main result was zoning laws. It lasted until 2004 when the Basic Plan was replaced by the current Master Plan.[86] Sony VPCF12H4E Keyboard

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That zoning, adopted in 1972, designated "Z1" areas (residential areas designed for elites) and "Z3" (a "mixed zone" lacking clear definitions about their characteristics). Zoning encouraged the growth of suburbs with minimal control and major speculation.[87] Sony VPCEB1B4E Keyboard

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Education[edit]

 

Main article: Education in Brazil

 

 

The Law School of the University of São Paulo.

São Paulo has a system of public and private primary and secondary schools and a variety of vocational-technical schools. More than nine-tenths of the population are literate and roughly the same proportion of those age 7 to 14 are enrolled in school. There are more than 578 universities in the whole state of São Paulo.[88] Sony VPCEB1E0E Keyboard

 

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Educational institutions[edit]

Main articles: Health in Brazil and Rede São Paulo Saudável

São Paulo is the largest health care hub in Latin America. Among its best hospitals are the Albert Einstein Israelites Hospital, ranked as the best in Latin America and the Hospital das Clínicas,

 

Sony VPCEB2M0E Keyboardthe largest in the region. The private health care sector is very large and most of Brazil's best hospitals are located in the city. As of September 2009, the city of São Paulo had:[89]

32,553 ambulatory clinics, centers and professional offices (physicians, dentists and others);

217 hospitals, with 32,554 beds;

137,745 health care professionals, including 28,316 physicians.

 

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Institute of Cancer of São Paulo is the largest hospital of cancer in Brazil.[90]

Municipal health[edit]

The municipal government operates public health facilities across the city's territory, with a grand total of 770 basic health care units (UBS), ambulatory and emergency clinics and 17 hospitals. The Municipal Secretary of Health has 59,000 employees, including more than 8,000 physicians and 12,000 nurses. Sony VPCEB1E8E Keyboard

 

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More than 6,000,000 citizens uses these facilities, which provide drugs at no cost and manage an extensive family health program (PSF – Programa de Saúde da Família).

The Rede São Paulo Saudável (Healthy São Paulo Network) is a satellite-based digital TV corporate channel, developed by the Municipal Health Secretary of São Paulo, bringing programs focused on health promotion and health education, which may be watched by citizens seeking health care in its units in the city. Sony VPCEB1E9E Keyboard

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The network consists of two studios and a system for transmission of closed digital video in high definition via satellite, with about 1,400 points of reception in all health care units of the municipality of São Paulo.

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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2013)

Adoniran Barbosa was a famous samba singer and composer who became successful during São Paulo's early radio era. Born in 1912 in the town of Valinhos, Barbosa was known as the "composer to the masses", particularly Italian immigrants living in the quarters of Bela Vista, Sony VPCEB1J8E Keyboard

also known as "Bexiga" and Brás, as well as those who lived in the city's many 'cortiços' or tenements. His songs drew from the life of urban workers, the unemployed and those who lived on the edge. His first big hit was "Saudosa Maloca" ("Shanty of Fond Memories" – 1951), wherein three homeless friends recall with nostalgia their improvised shanty home, which was torn down by the landowner to make room for a building. His 1964 Trem das Onze Sony VPCEB1M0E Keyboard

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Sony VPCEB2E4E Keyboard ("The 11 pm Train"), became one of the five best samba songs ever, the protagonist explains to his lover that he cannot stay any longer because he has to catch the last train to the Jaçanã suburb, Sony VPCEB1S0E Keyboard

 

Sony VPCEB2E1R Keyboard for his mother will not sleep before he arrives home. Another important musician with a similar style is Paulo Vanzoline. Vanzoline is a PhD in Biology and a part-time professional musician. He composed a song depicting a love murder scene in São Paulo called "Ronda".

 

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In the late 1960s, a psychedelic rock band called Os Mutantes became popular. Their success is related to that of other tropicalia musicians. The group were known as very paulistanos in their behaviour and clothing. Os Mutantes released five albums before lead singer Rita Lee departed in 1972 to form another group called Tutti-Frutti. Sony VPCEB1S1R Keyboard

 

Sony VPCEB2C4E KeyboardAlthough initially known only in Brazil, Os Mutantes became successful abroad after the 1990s. In 2000, Tecnicolor, an album recorded in the early 1970s in English by the band, was released with artwork designed by Sean Lennon.

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Ibirapuera Auditorium.

In the early 1980s, a band called Ultrage a Rigor (Elegant Outrage) emerged. They played a simple and irreverent style of rock. The lyrics depicted the changes in society and culture that Brazilian society as a whole were experiencing at the time. Sony VPCEB1Z0E Keyboard

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Sony VPCEB2A4E KeyboardA late punk and garage scene became strong in the 1980s, perhaps associated with the gloomy scenario of unemployment during an extended recession. Bands originating from this movement include Ira!, Titãs, Ratos de Porão and Innocentes. Sony VPCEB3A4E Keyboard

 

IBM Thinkpad X201S Keyboard In the 1990s, drum and bass arose as another musical movement in São Paulo, with artists such as DJ Marky, DJ Patife, XRS, Drumagick and Fernanda Porto.[91] Many heavy metal bands also originated in São Paulo, such as Angra, Torture Squad, Korzus and Dr. Sin. Famous electro-pop band Cansei de Ser Sexy, or CSS (Portuguese for "tired of being sexy") also has its origins in the city. Sony VPCEB3A4R Keyboard

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Classical music is renowned in the city. Many of the most important classical Brazilian living composers, such as Amaral Vieira, Osvaldo Lacerda and Edson Zampronha, were born and live in São Paulo. Local baritone Paulo Szot has won international acclaim and a Tony Award nomination for his performance in a 2008 revival of South Pacific. Sony VPCEB3B4R Keyboard

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IBM Thinkpad X200 KeyboardThe São Paulo State Symphony is one of the world's outstanding orchestras; their artistic director beginning in 2012 is the noted American conductor Marin Alsop. In 1952 Heitor Villa Lobos wrote his Symphony No. 10 ('Ameríndia') for the 400th anniversary of Sao Paolo: an allegorical, historical and religious account of the city told through the eyes of its founder Jose de Anchieta. Sony VPCEB3C4R Keyboard

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Music halls and concert halls[edit]

 

 

Credicard Hall.

São Paulo's most important opera houses are: Sao Paulo Municipal Theater, Theatro São Pedro and Alfa Theater, for the symphonycs concerts there is the Sala São Paulo,one of the best ones in the all world, when we talk about acoustics, the latter being the headquarters of OSESPthe best orchestra in all Latin America. Sony VPCEB3D4R Keyboard

 

IBM Thinkpad SL400 KeyboardThe city also hosts several music halls. The main ones are: Credicard Hall, HSBC Music Hall, Olympia, Via Funchal, Villa Country, Kezebre Rock Bar, Arena Anhembi and Espaco das Américas. The Sambadrome hosts musical presentations as well. Sony VPCEB3E1R Keyboard

 

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Other facilities include the new Praça das Artes, with the Municipal Conservatory of Music Chamber Hall and others venues, like, Cultura Artistica, Teatro Sérgio Cardoso with a venue for only dance performances and Herzog & DeMeron's Centro Cultural Luz, for Ballet, Opera, theater and concerts, with three huge halls. The auditorium of the Latin-American Cultural Center, The Mozarteum, holds many concerts through the year. Sony VPCEB3E4R Keyboard

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Literature[edit]

 

 

Mário de Andrade Library.

Main article: Literature of Brazil

 

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2013)

São Paulo was home to the first Jesuit missionaries in Brazil, in the early 16th century. They wrote reports to the Portuguese crown about the newly found land, the native peoples and composed poetry and music for the catechism, creating the first written works from the area.

 

IBM Thinkpad SL510 KeyboardThe literary priests included Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta, living in or near the colony then called Piratininga. They also helped to register the Old Tupi language, lexicon and its grammar. Sony VPCEB3G4E Keyboard

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In 1922, the Brazilian Modernist Movement, launched in São Paulo, began to achieve cultural independence. Brazil had gone through the same stages of development as the rest of Latin America, but its political and cultural independence came more gradually.

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Victor Civita Latin American Library.

Brazilian elite culture was originally strongly tied Portugal. Gradually writers developed a multi-ethnic body of work that was distinctively Brazilian. The presence of large numbers of former slaves added a distinctive African character to the culture. Sony VPCEB4A4E Keyboard

 

IBM Thinkpad E125 KeyboardSubsequent infusions of immigrants of non-Portuguese origin broadened the range of influences. Mário de Andrade and Oswald de Andrade were the prototypical modernists. With the urban poems of "Paulicéia Desvairada" and "Carefree Paulistan land" (1922), Mário de Andrade established the movement in Brazil. His rhapsodic novel Macunaíma (1928), Sony VPCEB4C4E Keyboard

with its abundance of Brazilian folklore, represents the apex of modernism's nationalist prose through its creation of an offbeat native national hero. Oswald de Andrade's experimental poetry, avant-garde prose, particularly the novel Serafim Ponte Grande (1933) and provocative manifestos exemplify the movement's break with tradition. Modernist artists and writers chose the Municipal Theatre of São Paulo to launch their Modernist manifesto. Sony VPCEB4D4E Keyboard

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IBM Thinkpad E220S KeyboardThe site happened to be a bastion of European culture with Opera and classical music presentations from Germany, France, Austria and Italy. They defied the high society that frequented the venue and who insisted on speaking only foreign languages such as French, behaving as if Brazilian culture did not matter. Sony VPCEB4J1R Keyboard

 

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Theaters[edit]

 

 

Municipal Theatre of São Paulo, "Teatro Municipal de São Paulo."

 

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Many historians believe that the first theatrical performance in Brazil was held in São Paulo. The Spanish Jesuit missionary José de Anchieta (1534–1597) Sony VPCEB4B4E Keyboard

 

IBM Thinkpad E420S Keyboard wrote short plays that were performed and watched by the Tupi–Guarani natives. In the second half of the 19th century a cultural, musical and theatrical life emerged. European ethnic groups began holding performances in some of the state's rural cities. The most important period for the art in São Paulo was the 1940s. Sony VPCEB1A4E Keyboard

 

IBM Thinkpad E420 Keyboard São Paulo had had a professional company, Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia, (Brazilian Theater of Comedy), along with others. During the 1960s, major theater productions in São Paulo and Brazil were presented by two groups. Teatro de Arena began with a group of students from Escola de Arte Dramática (Drama Art School), Sony VPCEB2H4E Keyboard

 

IBM Thinkpad E425 Keyboard founded by Alfredo Mesquita, in 1948. In 1958, the group excelled with the play "Eles não usam black tie" by Gianfrancesco Guarnieri which was the first in the history of the Brazilian drama to feature labor workers as protagonists.

 

 

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After the military coup of 1964, plays started focusing on Brazilian history (Zumbi, Tiradentes). Teatro de Arena and Teatro Oficina supported the democratic resistance during the military dictatorship period, marked by its censorship. The Tropicalist movement began there. A number of plays represented historic moments, notably "O Rei da Vela", "Galileu Galilei" (1968), "Na Sela das Cidades" (1969) and "Gracias Señor" (1972). IBM Thinkpad E525 Keyboard

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Last but not least, it's famous district of Bixiga, concentrates the most large number of theaters, almost 30, if we count the theaters that are currently closed, for refurbishing or another reason, some of the most importants, are, Renault, Brigadeiro, Sony VGN-FZ39VN Keyboard

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Zaccaro, Bibi Ferreira, Maria della Costa, Ruth Escobar, Opera, TBC, Imprensa, Oficina, Àgora, Cacilda Becker, Sérgio Cardoso, do Bixiga, Bandeirantes, to mention only the most important!

Museums[edit]

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Ipiranga Museum, "Museu do Ipiranga."

Museu Paulista[edit]

Popularly known as "Ipiranga Museum", the first monument built to preserve the memory of the Independence of Brazil, opened on September 7, 1895, with the name of Museu de Ciências Naturais (Natural Science Museum). In 1919, Sony VGN-FZ31ZR Keyboard
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it became a history museum. Reflecting the architectural influence of the Versailles Palace in France, the Ipiranga's collection, with approximately 100,000 pieces, comprises works of art, furniture, clothing and appliances that belonged to those who took part in Brazilian history,
Sony VGN-FZ31M Keyboardsuch as explorers, rulers and freedom fighters. Its facilities house a library with 100,000 books and the "Centro de Documentação Histórica," Historic Documentation Center, with 40,000 manuscripts.

Fundação Cultural Ema Gordon Klabin[edit]

The Ema Gordon Klabin Cultural Foundation opened to the public in March 2007. Its headquarters is a 1920s mansion. It houses 1545 works, including paintings by Marc Chagall, Pompeo Batoni, Pierre Gobert and Frans Post, Brazilian modernists Tarsila do Amaral, Di Cavalcanti and Portinari, period furniture, decorative and archaeological pieces. Sony VGN-FZ31ER Keyboard
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Memorial da América Latina[edit]

Stretching over 78,000 square meters, Memorial da América Latina (Latin America's Memorial) was conceived to showcase Latin American countries and their roots and cultures. It is home to the headquarters of Parlamento Latino-Americano SONY VGN-FZ21S Keyboard
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– Parlatino (Latin American Parliament). Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, Memorial has an exhibition pavilion with permanent exhibition of the continent's craftwork production; a library with books, newspapers, magazines, videos, films and records about the history of Latin America; and an 1,679-seat auditorium. Sony VGN-FZ Keyboard

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Museu da Imigração e Memorial do Imigrante[edit]

 

 

Memorial of the Immigrant, "Memorial do Imigrante."

Hospedaria do Imigrante (Immigrant's Hostel) was built in 1886 and opened in 1887. Immigrant's Hostel was built in Brás to welcome the immigrants who arrived in Brazil through the Port of Santos, quarantining those who were sick and helping new arrivals to find work in coffee plantations in Western, Sony VGN-FZ11 Keyboard

Sony VGN-FZ31E Keyboard Northern and Southwestern São Paulo State and Northern Paraná State. From 1882 to 1978, 2.5 million immigrants of more than 60 nationalities and ethnicities were guests there,[9
Sony VGN-FZ21J Keyboard2] all of them duly registered in the museum's books and lists. The hostel hosted approximately 3,000 people on average, but occasionally reached 8,000. The hostel received the last immigrants in 1978.[93] Sony VGN-FZ11M Keyboard
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In 1998 the Hostel became a museum, where it preserves the immigrants' documentation, memory and objects. Located in one of the few remaining centenarian buildings, the museum occupies part of the former Hostel. Sony VGN-FZ11S Keyboard

Sony VGN-FZ21Z Keyboard The museum also restores wooden train wagons from the former São Paulo Railway. Two restored wagons inhabit the museum. One dates from 1914, while a second class passenger car dates from 1931. The museum records the names of all immigrants who were hosted there from 1888 to 1978.[94] Sony VGN-FZ11Z Keyboard
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Museu de Zoologia da USP[edit]

Occupying an area of 700 square meters, the animals shown in this natural history museum are samples of the country's tropical fauna and were prepared (embalmed) more than 50 years ago. The animals are grouped together according to their classification: Sony VGN-SR11M Keyboard
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fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals and some invertebrates such as corals, crustaceans and mollusks. The library, specialized in zoology, has modern facilities and equipment. It has 73,850 works, of which 8,473 are books and 2,364 are newspapers, in addition to theses and maps. Sony VGN-SR19VN Keyboard

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Museu de Arte de São Paulo[edit]

 

 

São Paulo Museum of Art, "Museu de Arte de São Paulo" in Paulista Avenue.

MASP has one of world's most important collections of European art. The most important collections cover Italian and French painting schools. The museum was founded by Assis Chateaubriand and is directed by Pietro Maria Bardi. Sony VGN-SR19XN Keyboard

Sony VGN-SR59XG/H Keyboard Its current headquarters, opened in 1968, were designed by Lina Bo Bardi. Created to be a dynamic cultural center-styled area, there is always something new for the most frequent visitor. MASP organizes temporary exhibitions in different special areas, approaching the most varied subjects and supports. Sony VGN-SR21M/S Keyboard

Sony VGN-SR59VG/H Keyboard Brazilian and international exhibitions of contemporary arts, photography, design and architecture take turn during the whole year, showing a universe of image.[95]

Acervo do Palácio dos Bandeirantes[edit]

The headquarters of the State Government has an important collection of works by Brazilian artists, such as Portinari, Aldo Bonadei, Djanira, Almeida Júnior, Victor Brecheret, Ernesto de Fiori and Aleijadinho. It also gathers colonial furniture, leather and silver artefacts and European tapestry. In eclectic style, its walls are covered with panels describing the history of São Paulo.
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Museu da Imagem e do Som[edit]

Museu da Imagem e do Som (Image and Sound Museum) preserves music, cinema, photography and graphical arts. MIS has a collection of more than 200,000 images. It has more than 1,600 fiction videotapes, documentaries and music and 12,750 titles recorded in Super 8 and 16 mm film. MIS organizes concerts, cinema and video festivals and photography and graphical arts exhibitions. Sony VGN-SR21RM/H Keyboard
 

The Zoological Park of São Paulo is the largest in Brazil. Located in an area of 824,529 m2 (8,875,156 sq ft) of original Atlantic Forest, it has approximately 4 miles of walkway. It is located at headwaters of the historic stream of Ipiranga, Sony VGN-SR29VN Keyboard
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on the south side of the city. It hosts more than 3,200 animals, 102 species of mammals, 216 species of birds, 95 species of reptiles, 15 species of amphibians and 16 species of invertebrates, in enclosures that replicate the natural habitats of these animals. The Zoo's farm of 572 ha produces vegetables used to feed the various animals and provide material to the enclosures where the animals stay. Sony VGN-SR41M/P Keyboard

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The zoo also counts a nursery for rejected puppies and incubators for hatching eggs of birds and reptiles. Its library of more than four thousand volumes is open to the public. Its partnerships with other state, federal and foreign research institutions include researches that aim to facilitate the preservation of endangered species. Sony VGN-SR41M/S Keyboard

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São Paulo also has a Safari Zoo located in its southeastern side, in the district of Cursino.

Aquarium[edit]

The Aquário de São Paulo (São Paulo Aquarium) is one of the largest aquaria in Latin America, with an area of 9,000 square meters and 2 million liters of water. It has approximately 3,000 specimens of about 300 species of animals. It is located in the Ipiranga neighbourhood.

Events[edit] Sony VGN-SR41M/W Keyboard
 

 

 

São Paulo Art Biennial. The second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennial.

The city of São Paulo hosts approximately 90 thousand events every year, featuring arts, business, fashion and beyond.[97]

Carnaval[edit]

 

 

Allegory of the Gaviões da Fiel samba school during the Carnaval of São Paulo. The school also represents one of the football teams of the city, S.C. Corinthians.

Main article: Brazilian Carnaval Sony VGN-SR51MF/P Keyboard
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Carnaval is a traditional celebration held every year. The parade of samba schools in São Paulo is the Anhembi Sambadrome, designed by Oscar Niemeyer. The Special Group parade of samba schools happens on Friday and Saturday of carnaval week. Schools that participated in the carnaval in 2012: Unidos de Vila Maria; Rosas de Ouro; X9; Vai Vai; Águia de Ouro; Camisa Verde e Branco; Império de Casa Verde; Dragões da Real; Acadêmicos do Tucuruvi; Gaviões da Fiel; Mancha Verde; Tom Maior; Pérola Negra; Mocidade Alegre. Sony VGN-SR39VN/S Keyboard
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Cultural Turn[edit]

Cultural Turn is an annual event held since 2005 by the Municipality, promoting 24 hours of non-stop cultural activities held each May. The event was inspired by the annual event named Nuit Blanche in Paris, with many entertainment events held throughout the night. The activities include music shows, dance shows, Sony VGN-SR29VN/S Keyboard

Sony VGN-SR45H/P Keyboardclassical and orchestra presentations, theater plays, cinema, poetry, anime/comics fans meetings and acrobatic performances. The event takes place in several parts of the downtown area, as well as some cultural centers, clubs and selected schools. In 2010, according to São Paulo Municipality, the event attracted around 4 million people.
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Art Bienal[edit]

The São Paulo Art Biennial attracted almost 1 million people in 2004. It represented a wide range of artistic positions. Its aims include an intensification of the North-South dialogue inside Brazil and promoting links between non-European cultures along a South-South orientation.[98] Sony VGN-SR29XN/S Keyboard

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Fashion Week[edit]

 

 

Daiane Conterato at São Paulo Fashion Week.

São Paulo Fashion Week, established in 1996 under the name Morumbi Fashion Brasil, is the largest and most important fashion event in Latin America.[99] Renamed in 2001, its two annual editions bring almost 100 thousand people to Bienal's building in Ibirapuera Park.
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Brazil first entered the international fashion circuit with the increasing reputation of famous Brazilian top models such as Isabeli Fontana, Adriana Lima, Gisele Bündchen, Alessandra Ambrosio, Fernanda Tavares, Ana Beatriz Barros, Izabel Goulart, Brenda Costa, Ana Hickmann and Evandro Soldati and designer Alexandre Herchcovitch. Sony VGN-SR31M/S Keyboard

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Gay Pride Parade[edit]

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São Paulo Gay Pride Parade, the largest of the world.

Main article: LGBT rights in Brazil

Main article: São Paulo Gay Pride Parade

The first São Paulo Gay Pride Parade took place in 1987 and attracted 20,000 people, growing to around 3.5 million visitors in 2010. It is opened by the city's mayor, running along the Paulista Avenue, accompanied by several Trio Elétricos.[100][101] Sony VGN-SR49VN/H Keyboard
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Since 2002, the Parade has also become associated with a wider long cultural program, lasting at least a month.

Pancake Cook-Off[edit]

The São Paulo Pancake Cook-Off is a cooking festival held annually in the city center.[102] Every summer, thousands of amateur chefs from across Brazil come to compete in various competitions and contests centered on the cooking of pancakes. Levono Ideapad G560 Keyboard

 

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March for Jesus[edit]

The March for Jesus is an Evangelical parade that takes place on Corpus Christi Thursday every year in Zona Norte. It is organized by Renascer em Cristo Church, a Neo-Pentecostal denomination created in the 1980s that grew significantly in the first decade of the 21st century. In 2006, more than 2 million people took part in the event, Levono Ideapad Z570 Keyboard

 

Levono Ideapad Z575 Keyboardaccording to official estimates.[103] Evangelicals from across Brazil go to São Paulo for the annual June march. The event features concerts with 30 Christian bands carried on 17 flatbed trucks performing live as participants march through Brazil's financial capital.

International Transport Industry Show[edit] Levono Ideapad Z560 Keyboard

 

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The Salão Internacional da Indústria do Transporte (FENATRAN) is held biannually in the Park Anhembi, usually in October.[ Levono Ideapad V570C Keyboard

 

Levono Ideapad B570A Keyboard104] It presents new trends for the industry related to transport, such as truck manufacturers, components for vehicles, fuel, motors and services for the industry, such as financial and insurance companies. Levono Ideapad Y560P Keyboard

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International Film Festival[edit]

The São Paulo International Film Festival is a film festival held annually since 1976.

Electronic Language International Festival[edit]

 

 

Electronic Language International Festival.

The Electronic Language International Festival is a non-profit cultural organization, whose purpose is to disseminate and to develop arts, technologies and scientific research, by means of exhibitions, debates, lectures and courses. The festival promotes a yearly meeting. Levono Ideapad V570A Keyboard

 

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Festival of Electronic Art[edit]

Every two years, Associação Cultural Videobrasil's International Electronic Art Festival brings works by artists from all over the world. In keeping with the constant transformations in media and support, the curatorship has added installations,

 

Levono Ideapad V570A Keyboardperformances, VJs, CD-ROM art and Internet art to the programme. Art shows, debates and meetings introduce new ideas and artwork, setting new guidelines for contemporary art in Brazil. Exhibitions featuring work by prominentelectronic artists are also part of the Festival.

 

Levono Ideapad G575 Keyboard Brazilian pioneers such as Rafael França and Olhar Eletrônico and international guests such as Nam June Paik, Bill Viola and Gary Hill, have featured in the event's past editions.[105] Levono Ideapad V570 Keyboard

 

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Virada Cultural 2007, in downtown São Paulo.