| Country name | conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil conventional short form: Brazil local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil local short form: Brasil etymology: the country name derives from the brazilwood tree that used to grow plentifully along the coast of Brazil and that was used to produce a deep red dye |
| Government type | federal presidential republic |
| Capital | name: Brasilia geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) note: Brazil has four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands etymology: name bestowed on the new capital of Brazil upon its inauguration in 1960; previous Brazilian capitals had been Salvador from 1549 to 1763 and Rio de Janeiro from 1763 to 1960 |
| Administrative divisions | 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins |
| Independence | 7 September 1822 (from Portugal) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 7 September (1822) |
| Constitution | history: several previous; latest ratified 5 October 1988 amendments: proposed by at least one third of either house of the National Congress, by the president of the republic, or by simple majority vote by more than half of the state legislative assemblies; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote by both houses in each of two readings; constitutional provisions affecting the federal form of government, separation of powers, suffrage, or individual rights and guarantees cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2020 (2021) |
| Legal system | civil law; note - a new civil law code was enacted in 2002 replacing the 1916 code |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 4 years |
| Suffrage | voluntary between 16 to 18 years of age, over 70, and if illiterate; compulsory between 18 to 70 years of age; note - military conscripts by law cannot vote |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Jair BOLSONARO (since 1 January 2019); Vice President Antonio Hamilton Martins MOURAO (since 1 January 2019); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jair BOLSONARO (since 1 January 2019); Vice President Antonio Hamilton Martins MOURAO (since 1 January 2019) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 October 2018 with runoff on 28 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2022) election results: 2018: Jair BOLSONARO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 46%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 29.3%, Ciro GOMEZ (PDT) 12.5%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 4.8%, other 7.4%; percent of vote in second round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 55.1%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 44.9% 2014: Dilma ROUSSEFF reelected president in second round; percent of vote - Dilma ROUSSEFF (PT) 51.6%, Aecio NEVES (PSDB) 48.4%; note - on 12 May 2016, Brazil's Senate voted to hold an impeachment trial of President Dilma ROUSSEFF, who was then suspended from her executive duties; Vice President Michel TEMER took over as acting president; on 31 August 2016 the Senate voted 61-20 in favor of conviction and her removal from office; TEMER served as president for the remainder of ROUSSEFF's term, which ended 1 January 2019 |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of: Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members each from 26 states and 3 from the federal district directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 8-year terms, with one-third and two-thirds of the membership elected alternately every 4 years) Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) elections: Federal Senate - last held on 7 October 2018 for two-thirds of the Senate (next to be held in October 2022 for one-third of the Senate) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 7 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2022) election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PMDB 7, PP 5, REDE 5, DEM 4, PSDB 4, PSDC 4, PSL 4, PT 4, PDT 2, PHS 2, PPS 2, PSB 2, PTB 2, Podemos 1, PR 1, PRB 1, PROS 1, PRP 1, PSC 1, SD 1; composition - men 70, women 11, percent of women 13.6% Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PT 56, PSL 52, PP 37, PMDB 34, PSDC 34, PR 33, PSB 32, PRB 30, DEM 29, PSDB 29, PDT 28, SD 13, Podemos 11, PSOL 10, PTB 10, PCdoB 9, NOVO 8, PPS 8, PROS 8, PSC 8, Avante 7, PHS 6, Patriota 5, PRP 4, PV 4, PMN 3, PTC 2, DC 1, PPL 1, REDE 1; composition - men 462, women 51, percent of women 9.9%; total National Congress percent of women 10.4% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Federal Court or Supremo Tribunal Federal (consists of 11 justices) judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president and approved by the Federal Senate; justices appointed to serve until mandatory retirement at age 75 subordinate courts: Tribunal of the Union, Federal Appeals Court, Superior Court of Justice, Superior Electoral Court, regional federal courts; state court system |
| Political parties and leaders | Avante [Luis TIBE] (formerly Labor Party of Brazil or PTdoB) Brazilian Communist Party or PCB [Ivan Martins PINHEIRO] Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Michel TEMER] Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Cristiane BRASIL] Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy FIDELIX da Cruz] Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Marcos Antonio PEREIRA] Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Tasso JEREISSATI] Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Carlos Roberto SIQUEIRA de Barros] Christian Democracy or DC [Jose Maria EYMAEL] (formerly Christian Social Democratic Party or PSDC) Christian Labor Party or PTC [Daniel TOURINHO] Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO] Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI] The Democrats or DEM [Jose AGRIPINO] (formerly Liberal Front Party or PFL) Free Homeland Party or PPL [Sergio RUBENS] Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz PENNA] Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS [Eduardo MACHADO] National Mobilization Party or PMN [Telma RIBEIRO dos Santos] New Party or NOVO [Moises JARDIM] Party of the Republic or PR [Alfredo NASCIMENTO] Patriota [Adilson BARROSO Oliveira] (formerly National Ecologic Party or PEN) Podemos [Renata ABREU] (formerly National Labor Party or PTN) Popular Socialist Party or PPS [Roberto Joao Pereira FREIRE] Progressive Party or PP [Ciro NOGUEIRA] Progressive Republican Party or PRP [Ovasco Roma Altimari RESENDE] Republican Social Order Party or PROS [Euripedes JUNIOR] Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge Abdala NOSSEIS] Social Democratic Party or PSD [Guilherme CAMPOS] Social Liberal Party or PSL [Luciano Caldas BIVAR] Socialism and Freedom Party or PSOL [Luiz ARAUJO] Solidarity or SD [Paulo PEREIRA DA SILVA] Sustainability Network or REDE [Marina SILVA] United Socialist Workers' Party or PSTU [Jose Maria DE ALMEIDA] Workers' Cause Party or PCO [Rui Costa PIMENTA] Workers' Party or PT [Gleisi HOFFMAN] |
| International organization participation | AfDB (nonregional member), BIS, BRICS, CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, CPLP, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, LAS (observer), Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OECD (enhanced engagement), OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Nestor Jose FORSTER, Jr. (since 23 December 2020) chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700 FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827 email address and website: http://washington.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/Main.xml consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hartford (CT), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Douglas A. KONEFF (since July 2021) embassy: SES - Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, 70403-900 - Brasilia, DF mailing address: 7500 Brasilia Place, Washington DC 20521-7500 telephone: [55] (61) 3312-7000 FAX: [55] (61) 3225-9136 email address and website: BrasilliaACS@state.gov https://br.usembassy.gov/ consulate(s) general: Recife, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo branch office(s): Belo Horizonte |
| Flag description | green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress); the current flag was inspired by the banner of the former Empire of Brazil (1822-1889); on the imperial flag, the green represented the House of Braganza of Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil, while the yellow stood for the Habsburg Family of his wife; on the modern flag the green represents the forests of the country and the yellow rhombus its mineral wealth (the diamond shape roughly mirrors that of the country); the blue circle and stars, which replaced the coat of arms of the original flag, depict the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15 November 1889 - the day the Republic of Brazil was declared; the number of stars has changed with the creation of new states and has risen from an original 21 to the current 27 (one for each state and the Federal District) note: one of several flags where a prominent component of the design reflects the shape of the country; other such flags are those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea, and Vanuatu |
| National symbol(s) | Southern Cross constellation; national colors: green, yellow, blue |
| National anthem | name: "Hino Nacional Brasileiro" (Brazilian National Anthem) lyrics/music: Joaquim Osorio Duque ESTRADA/Francisco Manoel DA SILVA note: music adopted 1890, lyrics adopted 1922; the anthem's music, composed in 1822, was used unofficially for many years before it was adopted |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
