at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 38.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.94 years
male: 58.54 years
female: 67.56 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.13 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian
Ethnic groups: white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish,
Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes
Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 80%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.3%
male: 83.3%
female: 83.2% (1995 est.)
@Brazil:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
Data code: BR
Government type: federative republic
Capital: Brasilia
Administrative divisions: 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1
federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas,
Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato
Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana,
Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do
Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
Constitution: 5 October 1988
Legal system: based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70;
compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January
1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1
January 1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 4 October 1998
(next to be held NA October 2002)
election results: Fernando Henrique CARDOSO reelected president;
percent of vote - 53%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional
consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three
members from each state or federal district elected according to the
principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected
after a four year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year
period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513
seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Federal Senate - last held 4 October 1998 for one-third of
Senate (next to be held NA October 2002 for two-thirds of the Senate);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 4 October 1998 (next to be held NA
October 2002)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PMDB 27, PFL 20, PSDB 16, PT 7, PPB 5, PSB 3, PDT 2,
PPS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PFL 106, PSDB 99, PMDB 82, PPB 60, PT 58, PTB 31, PDT 25, PSB
19, PL 12, PCdoB 7, other 14
Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal, 11 judges are appointed for
life by the president and confirmed by the Senate
Political parties and leaders: Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or
PMDB ; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Jose
Carlos MARTINEZ, president]; Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB
; Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB
; Brazilian Progressive Party or PPB [Paulo
MALUF, president]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Joao AMAZONAS,
chairman]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT ;
Liberal Front Party or PFL ; Liberal
Party or PL ; Popular Socialist Party
or PPS ; Worker's Party or PT [Jose DIRCEU,
president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: left wing of the Catholic
Church, Landless Worker's Movement, and labor unions allied to leftist
Worker's Party are critical of government's social and economic
policies
International organization participation: AfDB, BIS, CCC, ECLAC, FAO,
G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, NAM
(observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rubens Antonio BARBOSA
chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 238-2700
FAX: (202) 238-2827
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony S. HARRINGTON
embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito
Federal Cep 70403-900 Brazil
mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
telephone: (61) 321-7272
FAX: (61) 225-9136
consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
consulate(s): Recife
Flag description: green with a large yellow diamond in the center
bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one
for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern
as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band
with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)
@Brazil:Economy
Economy - overview: Possessing large and well-developed agricultural,
mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs
that of all other South American countries and is expanding its
presence in world markets. In the late eighties and early nineties,
high inflation hindered economic activity and investment. The Real
Plan, instituted in the spring of 1994, sought to break inflationary
expectations by pegging the real to the US dollar. Inflation was
brought down to single digit annual figures, but not fast enough to
avoid substantial real exchange rate appreciation during the
transition phase of the Real Plan. This appreciation meant that
Brazilian goods were now more expensive relative to goods from other
countries, which contributed to large current account deficits.
However, no shortage of foreign currency ensued because of the
financial community's renewed interest in Brazilian markets as
inflation rates stabilized and the debt crisis of the eighties faded
from memory. The maintenance of large current account deficits via
capital account surpluses became problematic as investors became more
risk averse to emerging market exposure as a consequence of the Asian
financial crisis in 1997 and the Russian bond default in August 1998.
After crafting a fiscal adjustment program and pledging progress on
structural reform, Brazil received a $41.5 billion IMF-led
international support program in November 1998. In January 1999, the
Brazilian Central Bank announced that the real would no longer be
pegged to the US dollar. This devaluation helped moderate the downturn
in economic growth in 1999 that investors had expressed concerns about
over the summer of 1998. Brazil's debt to GDP ratio of 48% for 1999
beat the IMF target and helped reassure investors that Brazil will
maintain tight fiscal and monetary policy even with a floating
currency. The economy is expected to push growth up to 3% in 2000.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.057 trillion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.8% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,150 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 36%
services: 50% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 17.4% (1990 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 47.9% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1999)
Labor force: 74 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry
27%
Unemployment rate: 7.5% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $151 billion
expenditures: $149 billion, including capital expenditures of $36
billion (1998)
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin,
steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and
equipment
Industrial production growth rate: -2.6% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 316.927 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 4.92%
hydro: 91.02%
nuclear: 0.99%
other: 3.07% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 336.242 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 41.5 billion kWh
note: imports electricity from Paraguay (1998)
Agriculture - products: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn,
sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef
Exports: $46.9 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: manufactures, iron ore, soybeans, footwear,
coffee
Exports - partners: US 18%, Argentina 13%, Germany 5%, Netherlands 5%,
Japan 4% (1999)
Imports: $48.7 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemical products,
oil, electricity
Imports - partners: US 23%, Argentina 12%, Germany 10%, Japan 5%,
Italy 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $200 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.012 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 real (R$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: reals (R$) per US$1 - 1.804 (January 2000), 1.815
(1999), 1.161 (1998), 1.078 (1997), 1.005 (1996), 0.918 (1995)
note: from October 1994 through 14 January 1999, the official rate was
determined by a managed float; since 15 January 1999, the official
rate floats independently with respect to the US$
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Brazil:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 19 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4 million (1997)
Telephone system: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 64 earth stations
international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations -
3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east),
connected by microwave relay system to MERCOSUR Brazilsat B3 satellite
earth station
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91
are collocated with AM stations) (1999)
Radios: 71 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 138 (1997)
Televisions: 36.5 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 197 (1999)
@Brazil:Transportation
Railways:
total: 27,882 km (1,122 km electrified); note - excludes urban rail
broad gauge: 4,057 km 1.600-m gauge
narrow gauge: 23,489 km 1.000-m gauge
dual gauge: 336 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (1999
est.)
Highways:
total: 1.98 million km
paved: 184,140 km
unpaved: 1,795,860 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 50,000 km navigable
Pipelines: crude oil 2,980 km; petroleum products 4,762 km; natural
gas 4,246 km (1998)
Ports and harbors: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus,
Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador,
Santos, Vitoria
Merchant marine:
total: 174 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,964,808 GRT/6,403,284
DWT
ships by type: bulk 34, cargo 28, chemical tanker 5, combination
ore/oil 9, container 10, liquified gas 10, multi-functional large load
carrier 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 59, refrigerated cargo
1, roll-on/roll-off 11, short-sea passenger 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 3,277 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 541
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 20
1,524 to 2,437 m: 138
914 to 1,523 m: 346
under 914 m: 32 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2,736
1,524 to 2,437 m: 73
914 to 1,523 m: 1,306
under 914 m: 1,357 (1999 est.)
@Brazil:Military
Military branches: Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes naval air
and marines), Brazilian Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 47,732,285 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 32,029,873 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 1,830,195 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $13.408 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY99)
@Brazil:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: two short sections of boundary with Uruguay
are in dispute - Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada) area of the
Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the islands at the confluence of the Rio
Quarai and the Uruguay River
Illicit drugs: limited illicit producer of cannabis, minor coca
cultivation in the Amazon region, mostly used for domestic
consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to
control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian,
Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for the US and Europe;
increasingly used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air
transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related
violence and weapons smuggling
______________________________________________________________________
BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Geography
Location: Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about
one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 71 30 E
Map references: World
Area:
total: 60 sq km
land: 60 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 698 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in
elevation)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Natural resources: coconuts, fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest
and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian
Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
@British Indian Ocean Territory:People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 3,000 native inhabitants, known as the Chagosians
or Ilois, were evacuated to Mauritius before construction of UK-US
military facilities; in 1995, there were approximately 1,700 UK and US
military personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors living on the island
(July 2000 est.)
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none
abbreviation: BIOT
Data code: IO
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; administered by a
commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in
London
Legal system: NA
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner David Ross MACLENNAN (since NA 1994);
Administrator Don CAIRNS (since NA); note - both reside in the UK
cabinet: NA
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and
administrator appointed by the monarch
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Flag description: white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the
flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped
section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half
of the flag
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Economy
Economy - overview: All economic activity is concentrated on the
largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities
are located. Construction projects and various services needed to
support the military installations are done by military and contract
employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There
are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands.
Electricity - production: NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by the US military
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephone system: separate facilities for military and public needs
are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including
connection to the Internet
international: international telephone service is carried by satellite
(2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Transportation
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield
on Diego Garcia
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: Diego Garcia
Airports: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease
on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: the Chagos Archipelago is claimed by
Mauritius and Seychelles
______________________________________________________________________
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
@British Virgin Islands:Introduction
Background: First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon
after (1672) annexed by the English. The economy is closely tied to
the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US
dollar is the legal currency.
@British Virgin Islands:Geography
Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 150 sq km
land: 150 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 33%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources
(except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the
islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchment)
Geography - note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico
@British Virgin Islands:People
Population: 19,615 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 2,022; female 1,975)
15-64 years: 75% (male 7,517; female 7,102)
65 years and over: 5% (male 545; female 454) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.34% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 15.86 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 4.59 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 12.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.2 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.44 years
male: 74.57 years
female: 76.35 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander
Ethnic groups: black 90%, white, Asian
Religions: Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God
7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%,
other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981)
Languages: English (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
@British Virgin Islands:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI
Data code: VI
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: Road Town
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Territory Day, 1 July
Constitution: 1 June 1977
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA)
head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995;
appointed after the death of former Chief Minister H. Lavity STOUTT)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of
the Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the
monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the
members of the Legislative Council
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members
are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9
electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 20 February 1995 (next to be held NA February
2000)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VIP
6, CCM 2, UP 2, independents 3
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the
High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal; (one judge of the
Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High
Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary
Jurisdiction
Political parties and leaders: Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [E.
Walwyn BREWLEY]; Independent People's Movement or IPM [Omar HODGE and
Allen O'NEAL]; United Party or UP ; Virgin Islands
Party or VIP
International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB,
ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO
(associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK)
Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in
the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked
on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll
bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
@British Virgin Islands:Economy