Brazil, officially Federative Republic of Brazil, federal republic, the largest nation in South America, occupying nearly one half of the entire area of the continent. It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and the Atlantic Ocean; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by Uruguay; on the west by Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru; and on the north-west by Colombia.

Population
        157,872,000
        (1996 estimate)
Population Density
        19 people/sq km
        (48 people/sq mi)
        (1996 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
        78% Urban
        22% Rural
Largest Cities
        Sao Paulo9,842,059
        Rio de Janeiro5,547,033
        Salvador2,174,072
        Belo Horizonte2,060,804
        (1993 estimate)
Ethnic Groups
        22% Mulatto
        15% Portuguese
        12% Mestizo
        11% Italian
        11% black
        10% Spanish
        19% Other
        including Germans, Japanese, and Native Americans
Languages
Official Language
        Portuguese
Other Languages
        Native American languages, German, Japanese, Italian
Religions
        90% Roman Catholicism
         6% Protestantism
         4% Other