Brazil

This article is about the country. For other uses of Brazil or Brasil, see Brazil (disambiguation).

"Brazilian Republic" redirects here. For other uses, see Brazilian Republic (disambiguation).

Federative Republic of Brazil República Federativa do Brasil
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Ordem e Progresso "Order and Progress"
Anthem:  Hino Nacional Brasileiro "Brazilian National Anthem" Flag anthem:  Hino à Bandeira Nacional "National Flag Anthem"
National Seal Selo Nacional do Brasil National Seal of Brazil
Capital	Brasília 15°47′S 47°52′W
Largest city	São Paulo 23°33′S 46°38′W
Official language and national language	Portuguese
Recognized regional languages	See regional official languages
Ethnic groups (2022)	45.3% Pardo 43.5% White 10.2% Black 0.6% Indigenous 0.4% East Asian
Religion (2022)	83.6% Christianity 56.7% Catholic 26.9% Protestant 9.3% no religion 1.8% Spiritism 1.1% Afro-Brazilian religions 4.2% others
Demonym	Brazilian
Government	Federal presidential republic
• President	Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
• Vice President	Geraldo Alckmin
• President of the Chamber of Deputies	Hugo Motta
• President of the Federal Senate	Davi Alcolumbre
• President of the Supreme Federal Court	Edson Fachin
Legislature	National Congress
• Upper house	Federal Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Independence  from Portugal
• Declaration	7 September 1822
• Recognition	29 August 1825
• Republic	15 November 1889
• Current constitution	5 October 1988
Area
• Total	8,510,346 km2 (3,285,863 sq mi) (5th)
• Water (%)	0.65
Population
• 2026 estimate	214,211,951 (7th)
• 2022 census	203,080,756 (7th)
• Density	23.8/km2 (61.6/sq mi) (193rd)
GDP (PPP)	2026 estimate
• Total	$5.230 trillion (8th)
• Per capita	$24,428 (82nd)
GDP (nominal)	2026 estimate
• Total	$2.636 trillion (10th)
• Per capita	$12,313 (84th)
Gini (2024)	50.3 high inequality
HDI (2023)	0.786 high (84th)
Currency	Real (R$) (BRL)
Time zone	UTC−02:00 to −05:00 (BT)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy (CE)
Calling code	+55
ISO 3166 code	BR
Internet TLD	.br

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is also the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh-largest by population, with over 214 million people. Brazil is a federation composed of 26 states and a Federal District, which hosts the capital, Brasília. Its most populous city is São Paulo, followed by Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has the largest Lusophone population in the world and is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas, where it is the official language.

Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi), among the longest in the world. Covering roughly half of South America's land area, it borders all other countries and territories on the continent except Ecuador and Chile. Brazil encompasses a wide range of tropical and subtropical landscapes, as well as wetlands, savannas, plateaus, and low mountains. It contains most of the Amazon basin, including the world's largest river system and most extensive virgin tropical forest. Brazil has diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. It ranks first among 17 megadiverse countries, with its natural heritage being the subject of significant global interest, as environmental degradation (through processes such as deforestation) directly affect global issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

Brazil was inhabited by various indigenous peoples prior to the landing of Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500. The territory was subsequently claimed and settled by Portugal, which founded the country's first city, São Vicente, in 1532 and imported enslaved Africans to work on plantations. Brazil remained a colony until 1815, when it was elevated to a united kingdom with Portugal after the transfer of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro. Prince Pedro of Braganza declared Brazilian independence in 1822 and, after waging a war against Portugal, established the Empire of Brazil. The country's first constitution in 1824 established a bicameral legislature and enshrined principles such as freedom of religion and the press; slavery was gradually abolished until its final abolition in 1888. Brazil became a presidential republic following a military coup d'état in 1889. An armed revolution in 1930 ended the First Republic and brought Getúlio Vargas to power. Vargas' self-coup in 1937 ushered the authoritarian Estado Novo, in which he oversaw Brazil's involvement in World War II. Democracy was restored after Vargas' ousting in 1945. An authoritarian military dictatorship emerged in 1964 with support from the United States and ruled until 1985, after which civilian governance resumed. Brazil's current constitution, enacted in 1988, defines it as a democratic federal republic.

Brazil is a regional and middle power, and has been described as a rising global power. It is an emerging, upper-middle income economy and newly industrialized country, with one of the 10 largest economies in the world in both nominal and PPP terms, the largest economy in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, and the largest share of wealth in South America. With a complex and highly diversified economy, Brazil is one of the world's major or primary exporters of various agricultural goods, mineral resources, and manufactured products. The country ranks thirteenth in the world by number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Brazil is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, G4, Mercosur, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries; it is also an observer state of the Arab League and a major non-NATO ally of the United States.