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 federal republic

National capital Brasilia

Administrative divisions 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distritofederal); 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 over18 and under 70 years of age

Executive branch
chief of state : President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995); Vice PresidentMarco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995); note - the president is both the chiefof state and head of government
head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995); Vice PresidentMarco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995); note - the president is both the chiefof state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular votefor four-year terms; election last held 3 October 1994 (next to be held NAOctober 1998)
election results: Fernando Henrique CARDOSO elected president; percent of vote - FernandoHenrique CARDOSO 53%, Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 26%, Eneas CARNEIRO 7%, OrestesQUERCIA 4%, Leonel BRIZOLA 3%, Espiridiao AMIN 3%; note - second direct presidentialelection since 1960

Legislative branch bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the FederalSenate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three members from each state or federaldistrict elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-yearterms; one-third elected after a four year period, two-thirds elected afterthe next four-year period ) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados(513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-yearterms)
elections: Federal Senate - last held 3 October 1994 for two-thirds of Senate (nextto be held October 1998 for one-third of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies- last held 3 October 1994 (next to be held October 1998)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - PMBD 28%, PFL 22%, PSDB12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT 6%, PTB 6%, other 12%; seats by party - NA; Chamberof Deputies - percent of vote by party - PMDB 21%, PFL 18%, PDT 7%, PSDB 12%,PPR 10%, PTB 6%, PT 10%, other 16%; seats by party - NA
note: party totals since the fall of 1994 have changed considerably due toextensive party-switching

Judicial branch Supreme Federal Tribunal, judges are appointed for life by the presidentand confirmed by the Senate

Political parties and leaders Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Paes DE ANDRADE, president];Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jose JORGE, president]; Workers' Party or PT [JoseDIRCEU, president]; Brazilian Workers' Party or PTB [Rodrigues PALMA, president];Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA, president]; Brazilian ProgressiveParty or PPB [Espiridiao AMIN, president]; Brazilian Social Democracy Partyor PSDB [Artur DA TAVOLA, president]; Popular Socialist Party or PPS [RobertoFREIRE, president]; Communist Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Joao AMAZONAS, chairman];Liberal Party or PL [Alvaro VALLE, president]; Progressive Reform Party orPPR [Esperido AMIN, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftistWorkers' Party are critical of government's social and economic policies

International organization participation AfDB, AG (observer), BIS (pending member), 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, MTCR, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG,UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNU, UPU,WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA
chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700
FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827
consulate(s) general : Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (PuertoRico), and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission : Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY
embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal
mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
telephone: [55] (61) 321-7272
FAX : [55] (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 celestialglobe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the FederalDistrict) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globehas a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)

NOTE: The information regarding Brazil on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Brazil Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Brazil Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.