About Brazil - Country Guide

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Brazil extends over half of South America and is the continent's largest nation. It covers an area of 4,772 km from top to bottom, and is 4,331 km wide. Brazil has borders with every nation on the continent except Chile and Ecuador.

The country may be divided into the Brazilian Highlands, or plateau, in the south and the Amazon River Basin in the north. Over a third of Brazil is drained by the Amazon and its more than 200 tributaries. The Amazon is navigable for ocean steamers to Iquitos, Peru, up to 3,700 km upstream. Southern Brazil is drained by the Plata system—the Paraguay, Uruguay, and Paraná rivers.

Brazil contains one of the last great rainforests of the world (the “lungs of the planet”). While Brasília is the capital, its largest cities are São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's vast territory covers a great variety of land and climate, for although Brazil is mainly in the tropics (it is crossed by the equator in the north and by the Tropic of Capricorn in the south), the southern part of the great central upland is cool and yields the produce of temperate lands. Most of Brazil's large cities are on the Atlantic coast or the banks of the great rivers.

The opportunities for real estate investment in Brazil are many, since recent governments have adopted highly responsible economic policies in order to trade out of the economic malaise which covers much of South America, notably neighbouring Argentina.

The strict financial reforms have born fruit for Brazil and, coupled with enlightened social reforms, have made it the most affluent country in the area. Although Brazil has received much support from the IMF, its current working-class socialist president is keen for Brazil to compete internationally and for Brazilians to live with dignity. Amongst other things this has provided a stable platform for property investment in the areas of real estate, off-plan property, investment property, holiday homes and property for rent.

Due to its largely sub-tropical climate, Brazil has become a very popular holiday spot as well as an eco-tourism destination. Brazil is popular with real estate investors because, until now, the property market has been largely undeveloped. Brazil has one of the world's largest economies, with well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors. Perhaps one fifth of the workforce is involved in agriculture. Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of coffee, and is also the world's largest producer of juice oranges.

They also produce and market soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugar cane, cocoa, cotton, tobacco, and bananas. Cattle, pigs, and sheep are the most numerous livestock. Brazil has vast mineral wealth, and is the world's largest producer of iron ore, as well as producing tin, quartz, chrome ore, manganese, industrial diamonds, gem stones, gold, nickel, bauxite, uranium, and platinum. There is extensive food processing, and the leading manufacturing industries produce textiles, shoes, chemicals, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, and machinery.

Most of Brazil's electricity comes from water power, and it possesses extensive untapped hydroelectric potential, particularly in the Amazon basin.

Brazil is the success story of South America that real estate investors want to be a part of.