RIO JANEIRO (674,972), the capital and principal city, though a
poor-looking place, is situated on a magnificent harbour--one of the
very finest in the world. About 1500 vessels, with tonnage amounting
to 2,500,000 tons, enter Rio Janeiro with foreign trade annually. Nine
thousand miles of railway have been built in Brazil and 3500 more are
in course of construction, and 12,000 miles of telegraph routes have
been built. Rio Janeiro is the chief railway centre, but other centres
are RIO GRANDE DO SUL, in the temperate regions of the south, and
BAHIA and PERNAMBUCO, in the tropical regions. The public (national)
debt of Brazil is not far short of $1,000,000,000, bearing interest
(a great part of it) at from four to six per cent. per annum.