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Brazil Listeni/br?'z?l/ (Portuguese: Brasil, IPA: [b?

a'ziw]),[7] officially the


Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: Repblica Federativa do Brasil, About t
his sound listen (helpinfo)),[8] is the largest country in both South America and
the Latin American region. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geo
graphical area and by population.[9] It is the largest Portuguese-speaking count
ry in the world, and the only one in the Americas.[10]
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4
,655 mi).[11] It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and C
hile and occupies 47.3 percent of the continent of South America.[12] Its Amazon
River basin includes a vast tropical forest and is the scene of debates over de
forestation.
Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing of explorer
Pedro lvares Cabral in 1500, who claimed the area for Portugal. Brazil remained
a Portuguese colony until 1808, when the capital of the empire was transferred f
rom Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro after French forces invaded Portugal. In 1815, it w
as elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of P
ortugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Its independence was achieved in 1822 with the
creation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitution
al monarchy and a parliamentary system. The country became a presidential republ
ic in 1889, when a military coup d'tat proclaimed the Republic, although the bica
meral legislature, now called Congress, dates back to the ratification of the fi
rst constitution in 1824. An authoritarian military junta had led the nation fro
m 1964 until 1985. Brazil's current Constitution, formulated in 1988, defines it
as a federal republic.[13] The Federation is composed of the union of the Feder
al District, the 26 states, and the 5,564 municipalities.
The Brazilian economy is the world's seventh largest by nominal GDP and the seve
nth largest by purchasing power parity, as of 2012.[14][15] A member of the BRIC
group, Brazil until 2010 had one of the world's fastest growing major economies
, with its economic reforms giving the country new international recognition and
influence.[16] Brazil's national development bank (BNDES) plays an important ro
le for the country's economic growth.[17] Brazil is a founding member of the Uni
ted Nations,[18] the G20, CPLP, Latin Union, the Organization of Ibero-American
States, the Organization of American States, Mercosul and the Union of South Ame
rican Nations. Brazil is one of 17 megadiverse countries, home to a variety of w
ildlife, natural environments, and extensive natural resources in a variety of p
rotected habitats.[11] Brazil is a regional power in Latin America and a middle
power in international affairs,[19] with some analysts identifying it as an emer
ging global power.[20] Brazil has been the world's largest producer of coffee fo
r the last 150 years.[21]
The economy of the resource-rich nation had been booming until 2010 but stagnati
on followed and a recession is now underway, along with inflation and charges of
corruption and the bankruptcy of a major oil business. Angry demonstrators in 2
014 complained beforehand at the high $11.5 billion (USD) cost of sponsoring the
FIFA World Cup, but Brazilians took pride in its smooth functioning. Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff faced a conservative challenger for her re-election bid
in the October 26, 2014, runoff,[22] but managed to secure a re-election with j
ust over 51% of votes.[23]

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