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South America · Card 003

Brazil

Brazil is a country in South America. Its capital is Brasília.

Find Brazil

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: Brasília
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: Brazilian real (BRL)
Population: 212.8 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 8,515,767 km²3,287,954.67 square miles
Independence: 1822from Portugal

Brazil in context

South America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Brasília; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

Brazil contains the Amazon lowlands, extensive upland plateaus and a long Atlantic coast. Much of the Amazon basin is comparatively low, while the Brazilian Highlands occupy large areas farther east and south. Major rivers connect distant inland regions.

The Pantanal is a seasonally flooded wetland system, distinct from the dense forests of the Amazon. Other regions include the Cerrado savanna, dry northeastern landscapes and remnants of Atlantic forest. Brazil’s size makes any single landscape description incomplete.

Climate & seasons

Much of Brazil is tropical, but the south is more temperate. Rainfall varies greatly between the humid Amazon, seasonally wet central areas and the drier northeast.

Water & habitats

Seasonal flooding is central to many river and wetland ecosystems. Forests, savannas and drylands have different rainfall patterns and ecological processes. Land use in one catchment can affect water and sediment far downstream.

Flag

Green with a large yellow diamond in the center, showing a blue celestial globe with 27 five-pointed white stars; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

Portuguese is the official language and the main language of national public life. Brazilian Portuguese has distinctive regional varieties and differs in some usage from European Portuguese.

Community and regional languages

Many Indigenous languages are spoken, including Tikuna, Guaraní varieties and Yanomami languages. German, Italian, Japanese and other community languages also have regional roots. Brazilian Sign Language, Libras, has legal recognition.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Culture & everyday life

Capoeira circles

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian practice combining movement, music and elements of combat and dance. Two players interact inside a circle while others sing, clap and play instruments. Masters teach physical techniques alongside the circle’s customs, musical repertoire and history.

Sources: UNESCO · Capoeira

History & independence

Brazil’s Indigenous peoples lived in diverse societies before Portuguese colonisation. Plantation agriculture and mining relied heavily on enslaved African labour. In 1822, Pedro declared independence from Portugal, and Brazil became an empire; fighting and diplomatic recognition followed. Slavery was abolished in 1888 and a republic proclaimed in 1889. Military rule from 1964 to 1985 was followed by civilian government and the 1988 constitution.

1822
Independence from Portugal is declared
1888
Slavery is abolished
1889
Brazil becomes a republic
1988
The current democratic constitution is adopted

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Brazil has South America’s largest economy, with a broad service sector, manufacturing, agriculture and mineral production. Soybeans, coffee, beef, iron ore and oil are important exports. Industry includes vehicles, aircraft, machinery and food processing. Its large domestic market supports diverse businesses, while inequality, infrastructure needs and environmental pressures remain major challenges.

Industry and production

Vehicles, aircraft, machinery, steel, food processing, petroleum production and mining.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

212.82025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	95,375,651	95.376
1980	121,207,461	121.207
1990	149,143,223	149.143
2000	174,018,282	174.018
2010	193,701,929	193.702
2020	208,660,842	208.661
2025	212,812,405	212.812

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars

2.12025 · trillions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	917,211,118,029	0.917
1991	926,678,475,666	0.927
1992	921,636,677,089	0.922
1993	967,024,426,396	0.967
1994	1,023,623,112,444	1.024
1995	1,066,858,840,298	1.067
1996	1,090,424,301,690	1.090
1997	1,127,442,527,330	1.127
1998	1,131,254,386,852	1.131
1999	1,136,547,951,100	1.137
2000	1,186,419,100,641	1.186
2001	1,202,909,097,021	1.203
2002	1,239,639,467,498	1.240
2003	1,253,781,634,017	1.254
2004	1,325,999,012,758	1.326
2005	1,368,459,252,278	1.368
2006	1,422,677,453,371	1.423
2007	1,509,032,133,942	1.509
2008	1,585,905,180,197	1.586
2009	1,583,909,921,137	1.584
2010	1,703,150,236,757	1.703
2011	1,770,840,632,844	1.771
2012	1,804,861,597,828	1.805
2013	1,859,094,488,272	1.859
2014	1,868,463,501,662	1.868
2015	1,802,212,206,814	1.802
2016	1,743,173,232,417	1.743
2017	1,766,233,131,667	1.766
2018	1,797,736,844,969	1.798
2019	1,819,683,217,699	1.820
2020	1,760,056,587,795	1.760
2021	1,843,881,119,920	1.844
2022	1,899,505,377,558	1.900
2023	1,961,080,794,856	1.961
2024	2,028,136,327,872	2.028
2025	2,074,494,382,804	2.074

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.786High human developmentRank 84 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.641

20000.690

20100.748

20200.770

20230.786

75.8 yearsLife expectancy at birth

8.4 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A federal presidential republic. An elected President heads the executive. The National Congress consists of the Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate. States, the Federal District and municipalities have their own elected institutions.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Brazil.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

What is the capital of Brazil?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.