For more information see the Brazil profile.

Brazil occupies half of South America's land surface and has over half of its population. The nation's vast interior is covered by the thick Amazon rain forest, but almost the entire population lives along the Atlantic coast. In recent years Brazil has become a global economic power and is a leading industrial nation.

Unlike the rest of Latin America, which speaks Spanish, Brazil is Portuguese speaking due to its colonization by Portugal. Brazil became independent in 1822 as a kingdom and became a federal republic in 1889. Today the country has a stable multi-party democracy.

Brazil has total religious freedom, but the government still favors Catholicism slightly. Over the last few years tensions have mounted between the Catholic majority and the rapidly growing evangelical minority.