Brazil. Brazil Today. The urban poor. Democratic government

As the sun rises on Rio de Janeiro, another day begins in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Soon, sunbathers will flock to the world-famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. In the business district—also the center of Brazilian finance—stock market traders are already at their computer terminals. Along the city boulevards, shopkeepers prepare to open their elegant boutiques.

Bustling with activity by day, Rio de Janeiro quickens its pace even more after the sun sets. Festive partymakers crowd the city's exciting nightclubs, and colorful street festivals light up the darkness.

With its breathtaking setting, fascinating sights, and unique character, Rio de Janeiro is like Brazil itself, seemingly larger than life. Brazil—sprawled across almost half a continent and charged with an energy all its own—is a land that captures the visitor's imagination.

Brazil is South America's largest country in area, and it has more people than all the other countries combined. The course of its mighty Amazon River is longer than the highway route between New York City and San Francisco. Almost half of Brazil is covered by the largest tropical rain forest on earth. In other parts of the country, miles and miles of dry, grassy plains stretch across the countryside.

Cloud-capped mountains rise north of Brazil's forests and border the Atlantic Ocean in the southeast. The low plateaus of central and southern Brazil have fertile farmlands and lush grazing areas. Broad, white beaches line glistening seashores on the nation's Atlantic coast.

The forests, rivers, and mountains of Brazil have restricted inland travel, and the country's vast interior remains little developed. About 80 per cent of all Brazilians live within 200 miles (320 kilometers) of the Atlantic coast. One of the largest cities in Brazil's interior is Brasilia, the nation's capital. It was built about 600 miles (970 kilometers) from the coast to help draw Brazilians inland.

Brazil is a land of many contrasts. Upper-class landowners enjoy the luxuries of modern life, while the nation's rural poor live in small huts made of mud or adobe with dirt floors and roofs of thatched palm leaves or clay tile. Brazil is a major industrial nation and a tremendous economic power, yet it has a staggering amount of debt. Every day, more of its precious rain forest is cleared for development, threatening not only the survival of animals and plant species, but also the wellbeing of our entire planet.

Despite its problems, however, Brazil has a spirit of warmth and liveliness unequaled on the South American continent. From the sandy beaches on its east coast to the tropical rain forests of the interior, this huge country offers much to see, explore, and appreciate.

Brazil Today. Brazil’s great natural resources have made the country a potent and growing economic power. The nation's fertile farmland yields a huge coffee and banana crop, and its forests provide timber, nuts, and other products. Brazil's mines produce large quantities of iron ore, manganese, and other minerals needed by industry, while its rivers generate huge amounts of electricity.

Brazil ranks among the largest, most populated countries in the world. Brazil is home to about half the population of South America. The country was named after the brazilwood trees that grow there

Despite rapid industrial growth in the mid-1900's, Brazil is still making the difficult change from a developing to a developed country. Serious economic problems trouble the nation, including widespread poverty and unemployment. The military regime that ruled Brazil from the mid-1960's to the mid-1 980's borrowed huge amounts of money from other nations to finance industrial development. As a result, Brazil's foreign debt has reached astronomical proportions of more than $100 billion.

The urban poor. Although the middle class is growing, a huge and widening gap still exists between the few who are enormously rich and the great mass of poor citizens. This extremely uneven distribution of wealth has been a serious obstacle to social progress.

Part of the problem stems from land policies dating from the 1600's, when wealthy plantation owners acquired huge tracts of land. In the 1980's, half of the land suitable for farming remained in the hands of just 1 per cent of the people.

Rural people with no land to farm continue to migrate to the cities, hoping to find work and a better life. But because many of these people are unskilled and uneducated, they can get only low-paying jobs—if they can find work at all. With little or no income, these rural migrants are forced to live in urban slums known as favelas.

Houses in the favelas are generally shabby shacks made of cardboard, metal, or wood. Because of the poor sanitation, many people suffer from diseases. Many parents abandon their children because they cannot afford to feed them. Millions of Brazilian children live on the streets—begging, stealing, or working long hours just to survive.

Democratic government. In 1985, Brazil returned to a civilian government after 21 years of military rule. When military leaders first took over the Brazilian government in 1964, the country's economy flourished. But the mid-1970's brought a worldwide business slump, and Brazil's economic growth slowed down. By 1979, the military administration faced such problems as high inflation rates and labor unrest.

Military rule ended in January 1985 when the electoral college elected a civilian president, Tancredo de Almeida Neves. But Neves died only three months later, and Jose Sarney, who had been elected vice president, was named president. A constitutional amendment passed by Congress in 1985 provided for the direct election of future presidents by the people. In December 1989, the people elected Fernando Collor de Mello president.

In late 1992, minutes after his Senate impeachment trial began and facing criminal charges for corruption, Collor resigned his post. Itamar Franco became the new president. In December 1994, Collor was acquitted of corruption charges. Fernando Cardoso was elected president in 1995 and 1998. A previous finance minister, Cardoso was credited with reducing inflation and the deficit.