Background: Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an
independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and most populous country in
South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention
in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully
ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and
agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural
resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic
power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a
pressing problem.
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Population: 186,112,794 Note: Brazil took a count in August 2000, which reported
a population of 169,799,170; that figure was about 3.3% lower than projections
by the US Census Bureau, and is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6%
for the 1991 census; estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life
expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth
rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would
otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.1% (male 24,789,495/female 23,842,715) 15-64
years: 67.9% (male 62,669,392/female 63,719,631) 65 years and
over: 6% (male 4,549,552/female 6,542,009) (2005 est.)
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