Table of Contents INTRODUCTION TO BRAZIL POLITICS Conclusion In this project I collected, analyzed and evaluated evidence to help me decide whether Brazil is a developed country or a developing country. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIntroduction to BrazilBrazil is the largest and most influential country in South America with a population of approximately 176 million of inhabitants, which is greater than the combined total of the entire rest of the continent. Brazil occupies almost half of South America. The 6,448 km long Amazon River runs through northern Brazil and is the second largest in the world, and the Amazon basin is the largest river basin in the world. The river and more than a thousand tributaries drain an area of ​​6,150,000 km and transport a fifth of the planet's fresh water to the sea. To the northeast, Brazil has arid deserts and to the south rolling meadows. The Amazon rainforest covers more than a thousand tributaries. third of Brazil and its exploitation has become a major environmental problem. Brazil borders the Atlantic Ocean to the east with the following countries to the north and west: - French Guiana; Venezuela; Argentina and Uruguay. Brazil is located between 5° north and 30° south of the equator. It is therefore possible to stand with one leg in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere! In the north of Brazil, with Macap and the mouths of the Amazon on its line. Brazil's correct title is "Federal Republic of Brazil" and its 26 states are administered from its capital, Bras, which was purpose-built and today has a population of between 1 and 1.9 million people. However, São Paulo has 17 million inhabitants. (See population map). The highest point in Brazil is Pico da Neblina, which is 3,014 m (9,888 ft) above sea level. Brazil's primary language is Portuguese, and its primary religion is Catholic Christianity. Brazilian society is a dynamic and diverse mix of cultures. The Brazilian part of the Amazon basin, which occupies half of the country, benefits from a model equatorial climate. The 150 to 200 cm of rain are distributed throughout the year, even if certain periods are wetter than others depending on the region. (See precipitation map) Temperatures are high, with almost no seasonal variation, but almost never exceed 38 (100). The Brazilian plateau, which occupies most of the rest of the country, has much greater thermal amplitudes. Rain falls mainly between October and April. However, the Northeast, Brazil's least productive region, is very dry and has suffered severe drought in recent years, which has compounded its problems. (See precipitation map) Southern states have hot summers and cool winters, with risk of frost. The currency used in Brazil is the “Real”. 1 real = 100 centavos. The average salary per person per year is approximately $570. The following evidence I have collected describes how Brazil may have become a developed country. EconomyBrazil has one of the world's leading economies and is now the ninth richest country in the world. the world. Economic reforms in the 1990s brought some stability to the country's finances. Reforms included privatization and the opening of its markets. During the 1960s and 1970s, GDP grew by an average of 11% per year. At that time, the country was experiencing massive industrial growth, but then the boom and bust pattern hit and Brazil went bankrupt! He becamethe largest debtor in the world. The economy has undergone major diversification and industrialization, and today Brazil is a major producer of cars and computers. In fact, the Brazilian automotive industry is being hailed as the success story of the decade. Economic reform, initiated in 1990, allowed Brazil to reschedule its debts, but a sharp recession followed in 1990-1992. The launch of the new currency, the re, in 1994 was the fifth attempt at monetary stabilization since 1986. It contributed to the dramatic reduction in inflation from around 50% per month in 1994 to around 80% per year in 1995 and at less than 20% per year in 1995. % per year in 1996. Economic growth of 5.7% in 1994 was the highest since 1986. This strengthened regional confidence and facilitated the launch of MERCOSUR, the common market with neighboring Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. In 1995, a divisive Congress blocked constitutional reforms. of the tax and social security system, but ultimately agreed to end state monopolies in sectors such as telecommunications and oil, thereby relaunching the government's privatization program. Rio de Janeiro is a major city on the east coast and, although not the largest, it was once the capital of Brazil. It was in this area that the first Portuguese settlers (who always claimed to have discovered it) landed and immediately began cultivating this rich soil. At that time the region consisted only of rainforest, but over the centuries it was cleared and today is the political and economic heart of Brazil. Many people enjoy the white sand beaches of Copacabana, overlooked by Sugarloaf Mountain. Many centuries of colonization, conflict and slavery, as well as mass immigration from Europe have made Brazil a country full of many different races and cultures. Located halfway between Salvador in the north and Porto Alegre in the south, and occupying only 7.7 percent of Brazil's total. region, Rio De Janeiro supports more than 30 percent of its population. Rio's annual carnival takes place over five days during which parades, balls, street dancing and samba and bossa nova music fill the streets. Brazil is also revered for its footballing prowess, having won the World Cup five times. Vast sugarcane plantations meant that alcohol production was enormous, and when oil became scarce and expensive in the early 1970s, many people used industrial alcohol as fuel. the vehicle they then began to build.PoliticsBrazil is a democratic federal republic with 26 regional parliaments and a national congress.Brazil became independent from Portugal in 1822, giving the country the opportunity to develop to the best of its ability potential, and current boundaries were established.Women in Brazil have had the right to vote since 1934, and in 1993 Brazilians voted to retain directly elected presidents. In 1997, the constitution was amended to allow a president to run for office. Reformers want provisions to combat tax evasion and succeeded in 1995 in ending state monopolies and allowing foreign investment in telecommunications, oil, mining and shipping. Many also want changes to the electoral system to curb the growing involvement of smaller parties in government. In October 2002, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, won the elections and became president. A former shoeshine boy, he will lead Brazil's first left-wing government in more than 40 years. During hisinauguration in January 2003, Lula promised to carry out major political and economic reforms and to eradicate hunger. He also pledged to combat corruption and Brazil's economic woes, improve education and create 10 million jobs. He plans to rid Brazil of its reputation as the country with the largest gap between rich and poor in the world. He warned it could take him longer than his original four-year term. Plans to develop nuclear weapons have now been abandoned by the military. Industry Local industry is well developed, making Brazil a dominant position in the region. Major industries include agriculture, mining, iron and steel, motor vehicles, petroleum and mineral refining, chemicals, wood pulp and paper, machinery, food processing, consumer goods, textiles, rubber processing and fertilizers. Brazil is one of the world's largest steel producers and has significant deposits of gold, silver and iron. Agriculture and ProductsBrazil has a huge and prosperous agricultural base and produces the largest quantities of coffee and soybeans in the world. It also has immense natural resources. It also produces cereals, cassava, sugar, oranges, cocoa, rice, cotton, tobacco, bananas, rubber, wood, iron ore, bauxite, manganese, petroleum crude and natural gas, coal, chrome, nickel, tin, zinc, gold, silver, diamonds, phosphates, salt, quartz crystal, beryllium, graphite, titanium, tungsten and asbestos. ExportsTotal exported products are valued at $58.2 billion. Brazil previously built its wealth on coffee exports, but more recently on the export of sugar and its many other natural resources. Brazil is today one of the largest exporters of sugar and orange juice. Other exported products include sugar, machinery, animal feed, coffee, cocoa, iron ore, motor vehicles, soybeans and oil, oranges, iron and steel, chemicals and non-ferrous metals. Resources Under the military, Brazil commissioned several power plants from the former West Germany. The energy produced by these plants proved more expensive than expected, but the construction of the Angra-2 nuclear power plant was approved in 1996. Hydropower has been more successful, accounting for 90% of power generation. 'electricity. An agreement to build a 2,200 km gas pipeline linking Bolivia's gas fields to Brazil's industrial south was signed in 1996 and put to private tender. Ethanol is made from sugar in an attempt to reduce gasoline imports. In the agricultural sector, Brazil is the world's largest producer of coffee and the third largest producer of corn. The total amount of electricity produced is 251 billion kW/h. of this total, 93% is generated by hydroelectric energy and 6% is thermal. The total electrical capacity is 56.21 million kW. To the south, the forces of the Paran and Paraguay rivers were harnessed to form the world's largest hydroelectric project, the Itaip Dam. Regional division Brazil can be divided into 5 regions (see regional map) North, Northeast, Central West, Southeast and South. The North has several resource sites, from which the following materials are extracted:GoldBauxiteLeadCopperTinIronNickelDiamondsCommon salt (sodium chloride)OilBut the north has no industry. This is due to the enormous Amazon rainforest and the inability to build on it. In the Central West there is a similar amount of resources, whichalso include zinc, limestone and quartz. Like the North, the Center-West has no main industries. In the South, there are not as many resources as in the North and Center-West, but there are many industries. Going back to the South-East, there are a lot of resources. such as iron, nickel, oil, gold, quartz, etc. and also numerous industries including textile/clothing, iron and steel sites and a shipbuilding yard. Finally, in the northeast of Brazil, there are many resource sites and industrial sites. These include bauxite, limestone, sea salt and oil refineries, mechanical engineering, textiles and clothing. ) waterways. Old railways are becoming less and less reliable. The São Paulo metro is being expanded to accommodate the city's rapidly growing population. MediaBrazil is the largest exporter of television programs. South America's largest media market is home to thousands of radio stations and hundreds of television channels. The constitution guarantees a free press, and vigorous media debate on controversial political and social issues is common. Media ownership is highly concentrated. "Globo" and "Abril" dominate the market and have interests in newspapers, television and radio networks, and pay television operations. Follows the French system with a bachillerato (baccalaureate) at the end of secondary school. The Brazilian company has targeted ecotourism as a major growth sector. The government encourages foreign investment in tourism facilities in the Amazon.HealthA free health service is available.This chapter includes material suggesting that Brazil may not yet be a developed country, but may be still under development.PolicyReducing the budget deficit is a key objective. The government aims to significantly reduce surplus staff at all levels of government, reduce social security contributions and resolve the problem of high real interest rates. The 1988 Constitution, which detailed promises for a better future, has proven unworkable in practice. The State cannot meet its commitments in terms of social security, health and retirement. The proliferation of local governments, intended to check federal power, has led to a duplication of functions and is very expensive. The impeachment of former President Collor de Mello in 1992 for fraud underscores the depth of Brazil's corruption problem. Many are now calling for an end to parliamentary immunity: in the current system, elected officials can only be prosecuted if they have been suspended from office by a two-thirds majority of votes. The army, in power between 1964 and 1985, was responsible for human rights violations. , notably against the Amazonian Indians. His economic mismanagement left Brazil with a legacy of huge debts and inefficient state industries. Regional wealth The government faces growing pressure to redress what some see as one of the most unfair distributions of wealth in the world. Much of the country's arable land is controlled by a handful of wealthy families, a situation the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) seeks to address by demanding land redistribution. In its quest, it uses direct action protest and land occupation.SocietySocial conditions are harsh in the big cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, where a third of the population lives in favelas or slums. . In the 1970s, a major campaign was launched to relocate settlersto the Amazon region. This caused considerable damage to large areas of the rainforest. The high rate of destruction of the Amazon by loggers and ranchers remains controversial today. However, these government-sponsored migration programs have now been discontinued. Many people work in the fields for minimal wages, while a few wealthy landowners enjoy the huge profits. Ownership of consumer goods is not high. Out of 1,000 people: 278 own a television, 83 own a VCR, 13 own a computer. Lack of money, health and education force more than 500,000 girls into prostitution. Many street children are murdered by vigilante groups, who believe they are “cleaning the streets”. 90% of these murders go unpunished. Native Americans suffer prejudice from most other peoples in Brazil. Since 1900, 87 Native American groups have disappeared due to disease, starvation or the forced taking of their lands by miners, settlers and loggers. The Native American population today is estimated at only 220,000 people. Migrants from the poor northeast suffer considerable discrimination in Brazil's major cities. HealthBrazil's AIDS program has become a model for other developing countries, having successfully stabilized the rate of HIV infection and reduced the number of AIDS-related deaths. However, it is a controversial program because it involves bypassing big pharmaceutical companies to produce generic AIDS drugs. There could be up to 2,000 HIV-positive street children. The leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, accidents and violence. There are 681 patients per doctor. Only 2.8% of the GNP (Gross National Product) is devoted to health. The public health system is limited. Less than 20% of hospitals are public and private care is very expensive. The World Bank has criticized the underfunding of preventive health care. On average, only 15% of the health budget is allocated to child health, vaccination and other prevention programs. Reported cases of malaria tripled between 1980 and 1990; 90% are in the Amazon, mainly in settler towns. Leprosy and parasitic skin infections are also becoming more common, again often affecting the colons. Unfortunately, the construction of the Itaip Dam caused the lake it created and a series of waterfalls to drown, which created a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The forest contains many plants which form the basis of many valuable products, the most important of which are those for medicines. The bark of the cinchona tree provides quinine to treat malaria, for example. Other plants provide substances used in the fight against cancer. Brazil nuts are of course also famous all over the world. The constant stripping and attack of these natural resources does great harm. EconomyBrazil has a history of boom and bust, with its attempts at development hampered in the past by high inflation and one of the largest foreign debts. It had to be bailed out in times of crisis. The total value of Brazil's debt is $250 billion! ()Chaotic state finances threaten national economic stability. Foreign investment is discouraged by corruption, the fragility of economic reforms and preferences given to domestic companies in the sale of state companies. Congressional opposition is delaying urgent tax and welfare reforms and privatizations. RatesSavings and investment rates are about half those of major East Asian competitors. Despite enormous natural and economic resources, Brazil still has 32 million people living below the poverty line and has not begun to tackle the problem of homelessness and street children in Rio. , São Paulo and other major cities. An estimated one to five million families remain landless, while almost 80% of agricultural land is owned by 10% of farmers. Large wealth disparities in Brazil have widened over the past decade. Relatively low levels of unemployment mask large-scale underemployment, and the UN classifies more than 50% of the population as suffering from poverty. The many poor rural migrants who migrate to cities live in favelas, or slums. Favelas are now appearing in the countryside. The rich like to drive European cars, vacation in Paris or ski in Switzerland, where most of them keep their money to avoid government audits and interference in their accounts. Brazil experienced an energy crisis in 2001. It is a country very dependent on energy. water to power its hydroelectric plants, so when they had droughts so severe that the reservoirs dried up, they had a major disaster on their hands. At that time, hydroelectric plants and reservoirs produced more than 90 percent of the country's electricity supply, and dry weather and unsafe infrastructure problems caused significant shortages. In 2002, they introduced some energy rationing, even declaring public holidays to try to keep demand for electricity from large industries low. This has led to a more immediate need to find an alternative fuel source and not keep "all your eggs in one basket", so to speak. They currently import oil from Venezuela and Argentina. Many large foreign companies have made serious bids for the rights to drill and excavate oil in the rich reserves located outside the county, 6,560 feet below the surface of the waters off the Atlantic coast from Brazil. BP Amoco, for example, won a tender for an area 186 miles from the mouth of the Amazon River. The second, third and fourth rounds of bids were even more successful, with significant investments made in Brazil's oil reserves. AidBrazil's main donors are the United States and the EU. The World Bank provided $2 billion in 1996 for environmental, basic sanitation, road construction and poverty alleviation projects. Besides official aid, much comes from NGOs (non-governmental organizations), mainly for environmental and housing projects. Education Not all children in Brazil are registered. Among those who are; 90% receive Primary, 19% receive secondary education and only 12% receive higher education. The adult literacy rate is 84.9% of all enrollees, compared to 99% in the UK. Public schools enjoyed a good reputation until the 1950s, but have declined since then. Most middle-class parents now send their children to private schools. The rich send theirs to Switzerland or France. Millions of poor people receive little education, especially those living in the Northeast and the Amazon, as well as the urban poor. Brazil's three million street children are out of school. Public courses operate on a credit basis, as in the United States.Of the 95 universities in Brazil, 55 are administered by the state. The University of Sao Paulo is the most prestigious.CommunicationsIn Brazil, only 49 people out of 1,000 own a car and only 75 people out of 1,000 own a telephone. Media Although there is no longer any official censorship, television and radio licenses are granted as political favors and State advertising is so important that it cannot fail to influence editorial policy. Media ownership is also highly concentrated: three main companies own 293 daily newspapers. There are 19 public television channels and 218 independent channels. There are 2,000 independent radio stations, but only one is state-owned. Environment Federal agencies charged with protecting the Amazon are underfunded, understaffed and accused of corruption. The Amazon rainforest contains about 90 percent of the plants and animals on the planet and constitutes the most complex ecosystem. known. However, the demands of agriculture are leading to its destruction at a rate of 4 square km (1.5 sq mi) per hour, or 35,000 square km (13,510 sq mi) per year. As a result of these massive clearings, usually for conversion to livestock pastures, vital genetic diversity is being lost. Brazil faces other environmental problems. Surface bauxite mining pollutes rivers and threatens the livelihoods of indigenous American Indians. In cities, widespread industrial pollution and untreated sewage are major problems. CrimeThe total prison population is 87,053 people. There is no death penalty. There are 2 murders and 3 rapes per 100,000 inhabitants. Urban life in Brazil can be violent. The incidence of armed robbery and drug-related crimes is increasing. Human rights violations committed by the police are frequently reported. Death squads, not controlled by the government, particularly target street children, particularly in Rio, S Paulo and Recife. Since 1985, the murder rate of street children has been increasing. However, international condemnation of these crimes has led to action in some regions. In the countryside, violent land conflicts are commonplace. Landless workers are repeatedly displaced, and indigenous peoples are driven off land where the government has, in theory, guaranteed their rights.TourismBrazil's border with Argentina and Paraguay is home to a natural wonder of the world, the immense Iguazu Falls. It is a remarkable sight, far grander than Victoria Falls in Africa or Niagara Falls in North America. Yet the rest of the world barely knows of its existence. If marketed correctly, this could become a major tourist attraction. Brazil must expand this tourism resource and do more. Its 2,000 km (1,240 miles) of Atlantic beaches, the folklore and music of the northeast coast and the annual Mardi Gras carnival in Rio de Janeiro are Brazil's main attractions. However, the increasingly wealthy and international public now controls the carnival. The largely Afro-Brazilian residents of Rio's favelas, or shanty towns, often no longer have the means to participate in the parades that stem from their culture. However, Brazilians show little interest in ecotourism, preferring to visit the Amazon for duty. free shopping area in Manaus. Brazil remains a relatively inexpensive destination for European and American tourists. Despite this, attendance is declining, going from 0.5% to 0.1% of the global market since 1970. Many.