Brazil

Geography :

Brazil covers almost half of South America and is the nation's largest continent. It covers 2.965 km (4772 km) north-south, 2.691 km (4331 km) east-west, and borders every nation on the continent except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil can be divided into the Brazilian Highlands, or plateau, in the south and the Amazon River basin in the north. Over a third of Brazil is drained by the Amazon and its more than 200 tributaries. The Amazon is navigable for ocean-going vessels in Iquitos, Peru, 2,300 kilometers (3,700 miles) upstream. Southern Brazil is drained by the system Plata Paraguay, Uruguay and Parana rivers.

History : 

Brazil is the only Latin American nation that derives its language and culture of Portugal. The native inhabitants consist mainly of nomadic Tupi -Guarani Indians. Adm. Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed the territory of Portugal in 1500. Early explorers brought back a wood that produced a red dye , pau -brasil , from which the country has received its name. Portugal began colonization in 1532 and has made ​​the area a royal colony in 1549.

During the Napoleonic Wars , King João VI , fearing the advancing French armies, fled to Portugal in 1808 and set up his court in Rio de Janeiro. João was drawn home in 1820 by a revolution , leaving his son as regent . When Portugal tried to reimpose colonial rule , the prince declared the independence of Brazil September 7, 1822 , becoming Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil . Harassed by his parliament, Pedro I abdicated in 1831 in favor of his five year old son , who became emperor in 1840 ( Pedro II). The son was a popular monarch, but accumulated , and in 1889 , following a military revolt discontent , he abdicated . Although the republic was proclaimed , Brazil was ruled by military dictatorships until a revolt permitted a gradual return to stability under civilian presidents .

President Wenceslau Braz cooperated with the Allies and declared war on Germany during World War I World War II , Brazil again cooperated with the Allies , welcoming Allied air bases , patrolling the South Atlantic , and participate in the invasion of Italy after declaring war on the Axis powers .

After a military coup in 1964 , Brazil had a series of military governments. General João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo became president in 1979 and promised a return to democracy in 1985. The election of Tancredo Neves , 15 January 1985, the first civilian president since 1964 , has brought a wave of national optimism , but when Neves died a few months later, the vice-president José Sarney became president. Collor de Mello won the elections in late 1989 , pledging to lower market economy hyperinflation. When Collor faced impeachment by Congress because of a corruption scandal in December 1992 and resigned , Vice President Itamar Franco assumed the presidency .

A former finance minister , Fernando Cardoso, won the presidency in an election in October 1994 with 54 % of votes. Cardoso sold belonging to inefficient government monopolies in telecommunications , electricity , port, mines, railways, and banking industries.

In January 1999, the Asian economic crisis spread to Brazil. Rather than support the currency through financial markets, Brazil chose to float the currency , which sent the real fall, at a time as much as 40%. Cardoso was highly appreciated by the international community to quickly turn around the economic crisis in his country. Despite his efforts, however, the economy remained weak throughout 2001, the country also faces an energy crisis . The IMF offered Brazil a supplementary aid package in August 2001. And in August 2002 , to ensure that Brazil would not be hindered by neighboring catastrophic economic problems of Argentina , the IMF agreed to lend Brazil a phenomenal 30 billion over fifteen months.