razil is the largest country in South America. The total area is 3,300,171 sq. mi. The capital is Brasilia.  The main physical features of Brazil are the Brazilian Highlands in the southeast; the Amazon River Basin of impenetrable forested lowlands, swamps, and flood plains; and the Guiana Highlands in the extreme northwest.

Brazil's climate ranges from wet and tropical at the mouth of the Amazon to much drier and cooler in the southeast. Winter temperatures as low as 22° F are occasionally recorded in the extreme south. The plant life of Brazil is highly diversified, particularly in the Amazon Basin. Brazilian forests provide immense timber reserves and are a potential source for pharmaceutical products. Vegetation is less dense in the highlands, giving way to cacti and other spiny plants in dry sections of the plateau region; coniferous trees thrive in temperate areas.

The population of Brazil is 167,660,687 (1997 estimate), 79 percent of which lives in urban areas. People of European descent, primarily Portuguese, account for 54 percent of the population; mulattos and mestizos, with African-European and European-Native American ancestry, total 39 percent. People of African-Native American descent, Asian descent, and pure Native American descent form much smaller parts of the population.

Most Brazilians are Roman Catholics, with some combining worship of African deities with Christian religious practices. Native Americans generally follow traditional religions. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. Education is free and compulsory, and 83 percent of adults can read. The government provides support for higher education. Brazil is known for its music, which fuses African and Portuguese elements. The samba and the bossa nova originated in Brazil. The country also has a rich literature.

Once a predominantly agricultural nation, Brazil has had a diversified modern economy since the 1980s. However, chronic inflation and a massive foreign debt pose severe economic problems. Important agricultural exports include coffee, oranges for making concentrate, soybeans, and cocoa. Sugarcane grown for alcohol fuel production is also important, as is beef. Recent decades have seen significant lumbering.

Mineral resources in Brazil are extensive, with gold and coal under heavy production; the country is the world's second-largest producer of iron ore. Other important mineral products include tin, quartz crystal, and industrial-grade diamonds. Brazil produces significant amounts of petroleum but imports more than half of its oil. Major manufactured products include machinery and transportation equipment, processed foods, textiles and clothing, and chemicals. Some 92 percent of electricity is generated by hydroelectric facilities. The basic unit of currency is the real.

Under the 1988 constitution, Brazil's chief executive is the president, who is elected for a nonrenewable four-year term. The Brazilian National Congress consists of an 81-member Senate serving eight-year terms and a 513-member Chamber of Deputies serving four-year terms. The twenty-six states have their own local governments. In reaction to previous repressive legislation, the constitution outlaws torture, provides for popular votes on major issues, forbids most censorship, and guarantees rights to privacy and to strike. The Brazilian military, however, retains the right to intervene in politics to preserve law and order