Demographics of Brazil
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[[Image:Brazilian States by Population.svg|thumb|right|210px|[[List of Brazilian states by population|Map of Brazilian states by population]].]]
[[Image:Brazilian States by Population density.svg|thumb|right|210px|[[List of Brazilian states by population density|Map of Brazilian states by population density]].]]
'''[[Brazil]]''''s population is very diverse, comprising many races and [[ethnic group]]s. In general, Brazilians trace their origins from four sources of [[Human migration|migration]]: [[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Amerindians]], [[European ethnic groups|European]]s, [[Africa]]ns and [[Asia]]ns.
[[Brazil]] has conducted a periodical population census since 1872. Since 1940, this census has been carried out [[Wiktionary:decennial|decennially]]. Scanned versions of the forms for each census distributed in Brazil since 1960 are available on-line from [[IPUMS]] International.<ref>{{cite web | title=Census Questionnaires | work=IPUMS International | url=http://www.ipums.org/international/source_materials.html | accessdate = 2005-12-17}}</ref>
[[History of Brazil|Historically]] Brazil’s population always experienced large degrees of ethno-religious [[intermarriage]], mutual [[cultural assimilation|assimilation of cultures]], [[syncretism]] and, above all, racial [[miscegenation]].
==Largest cities==
{{main|List of largest cities in Brazil}}
{{Largest cities of Brazil}}
Cities in Brazil, except for the state of [[São Paulo]], are usually not arranged in a single network, but rather on various ''export paths'' to seaside [[port]]s. Some geographers have called this an "archipelago" of cities,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cafecreole.net/archipelago/Karen_Dialogue.html |title=Karen Dialogue |date= |quote=The Latitude of the Fiction Writer: A Dialogue |accessdate = 2007-07-19}}</ref> and the most important cities are on the coast or close to it. State capitals are also each the largest city in its state, except for [[Palmas]], the new capital of the recently created state of [[Tocantins]], and [[Florianópolis]], the capital of [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]]. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo state]] ([[Campinas]], [[Santos (São Paulo)|Santos]] and [[Paraíba Valley]]), [[Minas Gerais]] ([[Vale do Aço|Steel Valley]]), [[Rio Grande do Sul]] ([[Porto Alegre|Sinos Valley]]), and Santa Catarina ([[Vale do Itajaí|Itajaí Valley]]).
[[São Paulo]] and [[Rio de Janeiro]] are far larger than any other Brazilian city. São Paulo's influence in most economic aspects can be noted in a national (and even international) scale; other Brazilian metropolises are second tier, even though Rio de Janeiro (partially due to its former status as the national capital) still host various large [[List of Brazilian companies|corporations' headquarters]], besides being Brazil's cultural center with respect to soap operas and [[Cinema of Brazil|film production]].
==Migrations==
===Immigration===
{{main|Immigration to Brazil}}
<table width="790" border= "1" align="center" cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0>
<TR colspan = "2" align="middle">
<TD colspan="11">'''Immigration to Brazil, by [[Ethnic group]]s, periods from 1500 to 1933'''<BR>Source: Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics ([[IBGE]])</TD>
</Tr>
<TR colspan = "2" align="middle">
<TD> </TD>
<TD colspan="10"><center>'''Period'''</center></TD>
</TR>
<TR align="middle">
<TD>'''Ethnic group'''</TD>
<TD>1500-1700</TD>
<TD>1701-1760</TD>
<TD>1761-1829</TD>
<TD>1830-1855</TD>
<TD>1856-1883</TD>
<TD>1884-1893</TD>
<TD>1894-1903</TD>
<TD>1904-1913</TD>
<TD>1914-1923</TD>
<TD>1924-1933</TD>
</TR>
<TR align="middle">
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">Africans</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">510,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">958,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">1,720,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">618,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
</TR>
<TR align="middle">
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">Portuguese</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">100,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">600,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">26,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">16,737</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">116,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">170,621</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">155,542</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">384,672</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">201,252</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">233,650</TD>
</TR>
<TR align="middle">
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">Italians</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">100,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">510,533</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">537,784</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">196,521</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">86,320</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">70,177</TD>
<TR align="middle">
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">Spaniards</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">113,116</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">102,142</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">224,672</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">94,779</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">52,405</TD>
</TR>
<TR align="middle">
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">Germans</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">5,003</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">2,008</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">30,000</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">22,778</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">6,698</TD>
<TD>33,859</TD>
<TD>29,339</TD>
<TD>61,723</TD>
</TR>
<TR align="middle">
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">Japanese</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">11,868</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">20,398</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">110,191</TD>
</TR>
<TR align="middle">
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">Syrians and Lebanese</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">96</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">7,124</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">45,803</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">20,400</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">20,400</TD>
</TR>
<TR align="middle">
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">Others</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">-</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">66,524</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">42,820</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">109,222</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">51,493</TD>
<TD bgcolor="#ffffff">164,586</TD>
</TR>
</table>
Immigration has been a very important [[demography|demographic]] factor in the formation, structure and history of the population in Brazil, influencing [[culture]], [[Economic system|economy]], [[education]], [[Race (classification of human beings)|racial]] issues, etc. Brazil has received the third largest number of immigrants in the [[Western Hemisphere]], after the [[United States]] and [[Argentina]].
Brazil's structure, legislation and settlement policies for arriving immigrants were much less organized than in [[Canada]] and the United States at the time. Nevertheless, an Immigrant's Hostel (''Hospedaria dos Imigrantes'') was built in 1886 in São Paulo, and quick admittance and recording routines for the throngs of immigrants arriving by ship at the seaports of [[Vitória]], [[Rio de Janeiro (city)|Rio de Janeiro]], [[Santos (São Paulo)|Santos]], [[Paranaguá]], [[Florianópolis]] and [[Porto Alegre]] were established. The São Paulo State alone processed more than 2.5 million immigrants in its almost 100 years of continuous operation. People of more than 70 different nationalities were recorded.
Following the trend of several other countries in the [[Americas]], which encouraged immigration from many countries, Brazil quickly became a [[melting pot]] of races and nationalities, probably the second largest in the world after the USA, but being peculiar in the sense of having the highest degree of intermarriage in the world. Immigrants found a strong social and cultural [[tolerance]] toward [[inter-racial marriage]], including large numbers of [[Mulatto]]es (white and black), [[Caboclo]]s (Indian and White) and mixed European, African and Indian people, though it was not accompanied by an entire lack of racism. Correspondingly, the same mentality reflected in low psychological and social barriers regarding intermarriage between Europeans, [[Middle Easterners]] and Asians of several origins, as well as between people of different [[religion]]s.
===History of immigration===
[[Image:Meirelles-primeiramissa2.jpg|thumb|right|The first Portuguese settlers celebrating the first [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] in [[Brazil]] among the [[Amerindian|Indians]].]]
It is believed that the Americas were settled by three migratory waves from Northern Asia. The Native Brazilians are thought to descend from the first wave of migrants, who arrived in the region around 9000 BC. The main Native Brazilian groups are the [[Tupi]]-[[Guarani]], the [[Jê]], the [[Arawaks]] and the Caraibas ([[Caribs]]). The [[Tupi]]-[[Guarani]] nation, originally from the [[Paraná river]] basin and also the main of Native-[[Paraguay]]an nations, had spread all along the Brazilian coastline from South to North and got to be known by the Portuguese as "Os Índios da Língua Geral" ("The Indians of the General Language"); the [[Jê]] nation occupied most of the interior of the country from [[Maranhão]] to [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]]. The [[Arawaks]] and the [[Caribs]], the last ones to get in contact with the Portuguese, lived in the North and Northwest of Brazil.
The [[Europe]]an [[immigration to Brazil]] started in the 16th century, with the vast majority of them coming from [[Portugal]]. In the first two centuries of colonization, 100,000 Portuguese arrived in Brazil (around 500 colonists per year). In the 18th century, 600,000 Portuguese arrived (6,000 per year).<ref>[http://imigrantes.no.sapo.pt/page6brasilEstat.html Sapo.pt] Imigrantes</ref> The first region to be settled by the Portuguese was [[Northeast Region, Brazil|Northeastern Brazil]], followed by the [[Southeast Region, Brazil|Southeast region]]. The original Amerindian population of Brazil (between two and five million) has in large part been exterminated or assimilated into the Portuguese population.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/brazil/35.htm Contry Studies] Brazil</ref> The [[Mameluco]]s (or [[Caboclo]]s, a mixed race between [[Whites]] and Amerindians) have always been present in many parts of Brazil.
Another important ethnic group, [[Africa]]ns, first arrived as [[slavery|slaves]]. Many came from [[Guinea]], or from [[West Africa]]n countries - by the end of the eighteenth century many had been taken from [[Kingdom of Kongo|Congo]], [[Angola]] and [[Mozambique]] (or, in [[Bahia]], from [[Nigeria]]). By the time of the end of the [[slave trade]] in 1850, around three to five million slaves had been brought to Brazil–37% of all slave traffic between Africa and the Americas. Nowadays, there are still immigration waves coming from the African continent, from countries such as [[Cape Verde]] and [[Sierra Leone]].
[[Image:Alemães2.jpg|thumb|right|A paiting showing the arrival of the first [[Germans|German]] [[immigrant]]s to [[Southern Brazil]].]]
The largest influx of European immigrants to Brazil occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. According to the ''Memorial do Imigrante'' statistics data, Brazil attracted nearly 5 million immigrants between 1870 and 1953.<ref name="Memorial 1870/1907">{{cite web |title=Entrada de imigrantes no Brasil - 1870/1907 |date= |url=http://www.memorialdoimigrante.sp.gov.br/historico/e1.htm |language=Portuguese |accessdate = 2007-06-20 }}</ref><ref name="Memorial 1908/1953">{{cite web |title=Entrada de imigrantes no Brasil - 1908/1953 |date= |url=http://www.memorialdoimigrante.sp.gov.br/historico/e2.htm |language=Portuguese |accessdate = 2007-06-20 }}</ref> These immigrants were divided in two groups: a part of them was sent to [[South Region, Brazil|Southern Brazil]] to work as small [[farm]]ers. However, the biggest part of the immigrants was sent to [[Southeast Region, Brazil|Southeast Brazil]] to work in the [[coffee]] [[plantation]]s. The immigrants sent to Southern Brazil were mainly [[Germans]] (starting in 1824, mainly from [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], [[Pomerania]], [[Hamburg]], [[Westphalia]], etc) and [[Italians]] (starting in 1875, mainly from the [[Veneto]] and [[Lombardia]]). In the South, the immigrants established rural communities that, still today, have a strong cultural connection with their ancestral homelands. In south east Brazil, most of the immigrants were Italians (mainly from the [[Veneto]], [[Campania]], [[Calabria]] and [[Lombardia]]), Portuguese (mainly from [[Beira Alta]], [[Minho (province)|Minho]] and [[Alto Trás-os-Montes]]), [[Spaniards]] (mainly from [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] and [[Andalusia]]).
Notably, the first half of the 20th century saw a large inflow of [[Japanese people|Japanese]] (mainly from [[Honshū]], [[Hokkaidō]] and [[Okinawa]]) and [[Arab]] (from [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]]) immigrants. These Arab immigrants were—and still are—wrongly called "[[Turkish people|Turks]]" by many [[Brazilian people|Brazilian]]s because their original countries were still under Turkish rule back in the day Arab immigration to Brazil began. The number of actual [[Turkish people|Turks]] who immigrated to Brazil was in fact very small.
===Emigration===
In the second half of the 1980s, Brazilians from various socioeconomic levels started to emigrate to other countries in search of economic opportunities. High inflation and low economic growth in the 1980s, signs of what became known as the "[[lost decade]]" in [[Latin America]], followed by the government's unsuccessful liberal economic policies in the 1990s, meant that even educated Brazilians could make more money doing low-skilled work abroad.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Brazilian day.jpg|thumb|right|Brazilian immigrants celebrating the ''"Brazilian Day Festival"'' in the streets of [[New York City]].]] -->
In the 1990s, near 1.9 million Brazilians were living outside the country, mainly in the [[United States]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Japan]],<ref>FT.com, [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/70f96792-360f-11dc-ad42-0000779fd2ac.html "Signs betray ‘hidden workers’ of Japan"], retrieved 20 July 2007.</ref> but also in [[Italy]], [[Portugal]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]], [[Switzerland]], [[Germany]], [[Belgium]], [[Spain]] and [[Israel]]. However, there were no specific policies implemented by the government to encourage or discourage this emigration process.<ref name="Shaping Brazil">Amaral, Ernesto F. (2005) [http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?id=311 "Shaping Brazil: The Role of International Migration"], Migration Policy Institute website. Retrieved [[13 June]] [[2007]].</ref>
The 2000 Brazilian Census provides some information about the high number of migrants returning to Brazil. Of those who reported residing in another country less than 10 years before the 2000 census, 66.9 percent were Brazilians. If only the returning migrants (former Brazilian immigrants) are considered, 26.8 percent of Brazilians came from Paraguay, 17 percent came from Japan, and 15.8 percent came from the United States.<ref name="Shaping Brazil"/>
==Ethnic groups==
{{main|Ethnic groups in Brazil}}
[[Image:Brasileiros.jpg|right|thumb|[[Brazilian people|Brazilian ethnic diversity]].]]
In part, the population descends from early [[European ethnic groups|European]] settlers—chiefly [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]]; [[African]] ([[Yoruba people|Yoruba]], [[Ewe (people)|Ewe]], [[Akan people|Akan]], [[Bantu]], and others), and assimilated indigenous peoples (mostly [[Tupi]] and [[Guarani]], but also of many other [[List of ethnic groups|ethnic groups]]). Trans-ethnic marriages and concubinates have been common and well accepted ever since the first Portuguese settlers arrived. Starting in the late 19th century Brazil received substantial immigration from several other countries, mainly what are now the countries of [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[Spain]], [[Poland]], [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]] (mostly Christians), [[Ukraine]], [[Japan]], the [[People's Republic of China]] and [[Korea]]. [[Jewish]] people, both from [[Ashkenazi]] and [[Sephardi]] origin, form considerably large communities, especially in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
The descendants of more recent European [[immigrant]]s, particularly the [[Germans]], [[Italians]] and [[Poles]], are mainly concentrated in the southern part of the country, in the states of [[Rio Grande do Sul]], [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]], [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]], and the most populate, [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]]; these states have a large majority of people of European descent. In the rest of the country, most of the [[White (people)|white]] population is of older [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] settler stock. In the mid-southern states of [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Espírito Santo]], [[Minas Gerais]], [[Goiás]], [[Mato Grosso do Sul]] and in the Federal District of [[Brasilia]], the number of whites is somewhat equal to the number of [[Afro-Brazilian]] and mixed race Brazilians.
In the Northeast, which received large masses of African slaves to work in [[sugarcane]], [[tobacco]] and [[cotton]] plantations, people of African and mixed-race descent are dominant, mostly on the coast, whereas in the semi-arid countryland (usually called ''sertão'') there's a predominance of white and Amerindian-European mixed people. Most of the black or mulatto people in the ''sertão'' are descended from freed African slaves or mulattos who fled away from the coast and worked as cowboys for semi-feudal lords. The city of [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador da Bahia]] is considered one of the largest black cities of the world.
In the Northwest (covering largely the Brazilian [[Amazon Basin|Amazon]]), a great part of the population has distinguisheable ethnic characteristics that emphasize their Amerindian roots. Other ethnic groups have merged with the Indigenous tribes there. This region is not densely populated, and "[[caboclo]]s", people of mixed native and European descent, are a small part of the entire Brazilian population.
The [[Japanese people|Japanese]] are the largest [[Asian people|Asian]] group in Brazil. In fact, Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan, with 1.5 million [[Japanese-Brazilian]]s, most of them living in [[São Paulo]]. Some [[overseas Chinese|Chinese]] and [[Koreans]] also settled Brazil. Most Chinese came from [[mainland China]], but others came from [[Republic of China|Taiwan]] and [[Hong Kong]], and also from Portuguese-speaking [[Macau]]—these Chinese from [[Macau]] could speak and understand Portuguese, and it was not hard for them to adjust to Brazilian life. Those immigrant populations and their descendants still retain some of their original ethnic identity, however they are not closed communities and are rapidly integrating into mainstream Brazilian society: for instance, very few of the third generation can understand their grandparents' languages.
There are also a large number of Brazilians of [[Arab]] descent (estimated at 10 million people) , most of [[Christian]] [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] or [[Syria]]n descent.<ref>http://www.washtimes.com/world/20050711-092503-1255r.htm</ref>
===Aboriginal Brazilians===
{{main|Indigenous peoples in Brazil}}
[[Image:Chaman amazonie 5 06.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A Brazilian Indian from the Chaman tribe.]]
The [[Amerindian]]s make up 0.4% of Brazil's population, or about 700,000 people. Indigenous peoples are found in the entire territory of Brazil, although the majority of them live in [[Indian reservation]]s in the North and Centre-Western part of the country. Aboriginal Brazilians are all people who descend from the earliest settlers of the country.
Over 60 million Brazilians possess at least one Amerindian ancestor, according to a recent mitochondrial [[DNA]] study.<ref>[http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1287189 The Ancestry of Brazilian mtDNA Lineages<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, only 0.4% of the population consider themselves to be Indians. Reasons for this include race-mixing and the loss of their identity throughout the centuries.
When the first [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] arrived in Brazil, in 1500, there were about 5 million Indians living in the country. In the mid-19th century they were only 100,000 and in the late 20th century close to 300,000.
===Blacks===
{{main|Afro-Brazilian}}
[[Image:Caetité baianas.jpg|thumb|right|[[Afro-Brazilian|Brazilians of African descent]] in [[Bahia]].]]
According to the 2006 census, Blacks are 6.9% or 12.908 million people of Brazil's population. However, the [[IBGE]] counts the [[Pardo]] group as [[Afro-Brazilian]], which gives Brazil the number of 92.069 million people of some Black African ancestry, the largest population of Black origin outside of [[Africa]].<ref name="PNAD 2005">{{cite web |title=PNAD |date=2006 |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/trabalhoerendimento/pnad2006/brasilpnad2006.pdf |language=Portuguese |accessdate = 2007-09-14 }}</ref>
[[Slavery]] in Brazil lasted for 350 years and brought nearly four million Africans to the country. Millions of Brazilians descend from Black slaves, although only twelve million are reported black by the IBGE. The number, however, is growing. According to IBGE, this trend is mainly because of the reevaluateion of the identity of historically discriminated ethnic groups.<ref name="PNAD 2005">{{cite web
|title=PNDA Census 2005 race
|date=
|url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/condicaodevida/indicadoresminimos/sinteseindicsociais2006/indic_sociais2006.pdf
|language=Portuguese
|accessdate = 2007-06-26
}}</ref>
===Asian Brazilians===
{{main|Asian Brazilian}}
[[Image:Região da Liberdade - São Paulo - Brasil.JPG|right|thumb|[[Liberdade]], [[São Paulo]], concentrates the largest [[Japanese people|Japanese]] population outside of [[Japan]].]]
According to the 2006 census, Brazilians of East Asian descent make up 0.5% or 919 thousand people of Brazil's population. Some estimates say that there are at least 1.5 million people of [[Japanese Brazilian|Japanese descent]] in Brazil, who are mostly concentrated in two states: [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]] and [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]], but smaller communities are found in the entire territory of the country. Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside of [[Japan]].<ref name="PNAD 2005">{{cite web |title=PNAD |date=2006 |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/trabalhoerendimento/pnad2006/brasilpnad2006.pdf |language=Portuguese |accessdate = 2007-09-14 }}</ref>
There are also smaller communities of [[Korean people|Korean]] and [[Chinese people|Chinese]] origin.
===Pardo Brazilians===
{{main|Mixed-race Brazilian}}
The Pardos are a mixture of Europeans with the Blacks and Amerindians, varying from light to dark, being able to have a yellowish or brown skin. Brazil does not have a category for multiracial people, but a [[Pardo]] (brown) one, which may include mixed race, [[mulatto]]s, and assimilated indigenous people ("'''[[caboclo]]s'''").<ref name=Telles>{{cite book|pages=81–84|title=Race in Another America: the significance of skin color in Brazil|author=Edward Eric Telles|chapter=Racial Classification|date=2004|publisher=Princeton University Press|id=ISBN 0691118663}}</ref><ref name=KertzerArel>{{cite book|title=Census and Identity: The Politics of Race, Ethnicity, and Language in National Censuses|author=David I. Kertzer and Dominique Arel|pages=63–64|date=2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|id=ISBN 0521004276}}</ref>
The Pardos make up 42.6% or 79.782 million people of Brazil's population. Mixed-race Brazilians live in the entire territory of Brazil. Although, according to [[DNA]] resources, most Brazilians possess a mixed-race ancestry, less than 40% of the country's population classified themselves as being part of this group.<ref>[http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0103-40142004000100004&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en#tab06 Estudos Avançados - Pode a genética definir quem deve se beneficiar das cotas universitárias e demais ações afirmativas?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===White Brazilians===
{{main|White Brazilian}}
According to the 2006 census, White Brazilians make up 49.7% of Brazil's population, or 93.096 million people.<ref name="PNAD 2005">{{cite web |title=PNAD |date=2006 |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/trabalhoerendimento/pnad2006/brasilpnad2006.pdf |language=Portuguese |accessdate = 2007-09-14 }}</ref> [[Whites]] are found in the entire territory of Brazil, although the main concentrations are found in the South and Southeastern parts of the country. White Brazilians are all people who are total or mostly descendend from White immigrants.
[[Image:Festuva.jpg|thumb|right|Members of the [[Italian Brazilian]] community with [[Lula|President Lula]], in [[Rio Grande do Sul]].]]
Up to 1800, close to one million Europeans had left for Brazil, most of them [[colony|colonial]] settlers from [[Portugal]]. The boom of the [[immigration]] occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, when nearly five million Europeans immigrated to Brazil, most of them [[Italians]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], [[Germans]] and [[Spaniards]].
Although White Brazilians make up the majority of the population, a large number of them have some Amerindian and/or African ancestry (similarly found, but with widely differing percentages of admixture are, in [[White American]]s <ref>[http://www.sitesled.com/members/racialreality/americans.html Racial Reality - White Americans<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and [[Demographics of Argentina|White Argentines]]).<ref>[http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/01/16/sociedad/s-03415.htm El 56% de los argentinos tiene antepasados indígenas<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Nowadays, White Brazilians come from a very diverse background, which includes:
*The '''[[Arab]]''' Brazilian population is estimated at about 10 million people, mostly [[Demographics of Syria|Syrian]]s and [[Lebanese people]].
*The '''[[Dutch people|Dutch]]''' were among the Europeans settling in Brazil during the 17th century. From 1630 to 1554, the Dutch controlled the northeast coast of Brazil, establishing their colonial capital in Recife. However, they had a minor influence in Brazil's ethnicity.
*The first '''[[Germans]]''' arrived in Brazil in 1824. Most of them established themselves in rural communities across Southern Brazil, such as [[São Leopoldo]], [[Novo Hamburgo]], [[Blumenau]] and [[Pomerode]]. In states of the south, such as Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, they may represent as much as 35% of the population.<ref>http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Catarina</ref>
*'''[[Italians]]''' started arriving in Brazil in 1875. First they settled in rural communities across Southern Brazil. In the early 20th century, they mostly settled in the [[coffee]] plantations in the Southeast. 25 million Brazilians are of Italian origin, the largest numbers outside of [[Italy]] itself, most of them descended from Northern Italians.
*'''[[Poles]]''' came in significant numbers to Brazil after 1870. Most of them settled in the State of [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]], working as small farmers.
*Most Brazilians are full or partly of '''[[Portuguese people|Portuguese]]''' ancestry. They started arriving in 1500, the immigration grew in the 18th century and the boom occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
*'''[[Spaniards]]''' came in large numbers to Brazil, starting in the late 19th century. Most of them were attracted to work in the coffee plantations in the State of [[São Paulo]]. Today there is an estimated 15 million Brazilians of direct Spanish descent.<ref>http://www.mae.es/es/MenuPpal/Paises/ArbolPaises/Brasil/Nota+pais/</ref>
*'''[[Ukrainians]]''' came mostly in the late 19th century. Currently they number approximately 300,000, most of whom live in a compact settlement in south central [[Paraná (state)]]<ref> [http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/south_america/brazil/about_destin/southcentralparana.html Pacific Island Travel web-site, accessed 4.8.08], taken from: ''Brazil: the Rough Guide'', by David Cleary, Dilwyn Jenkins, Oliver Marshall, Jim Hine. ISBN 1858282233 </ref>
According to a survey, the main ancestries claimed by White Brazilians are:<ref>[http://br.monografias.com/trabalhos/fora-diversidade-identidades/fora-diversidade-identidades2.shtml#_Toc143094349 Fora de foco: diversidade e identidades étnicas no Brasil - Monografias.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* 45.53% ''Brazilian'' ancestry (mostly people of distant [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] background).<ref>[http://www1.ibge.gov.br/brasil500/portugueses.html Brasil 500 anos<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* 15.72% [[Italo-Brazilian|Italian]]
* 14.50% [[Portuguese-Brazilian|Portuguese]]
* 6.42% [[Spanish Brazilian|Spanish]]
* 5.51% [[German-Brazilian|German]]
* 4.80% [[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Amerindian]] (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Indian)
* 1.88% [[Afro-Brazilian|African or Black]] (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Black)
* 0.72% [[Arab Brazilian|Arab]]
* 0.62% [[Japanese Brazilian|Japanese]] (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Japanese)
* 0.25% [[Jew]]
* 4.05% others
{{seealso|Arab Brazilian|Dutch Brazil|German-Brazilian|Italian Brazilian|Polish Brazilian|Portuguese Brazilian|Spanish Brazilian|Ukrainians of Brazil}}
==Races and ethnicities by region==
===South===
The South of Brazil is the region with the largest percentage of [[Whites]]. According to the 2005 census, people of [[European ethnic groups|European ancestry]] account for 79.6% of the population.<ref name="PNAD 2005">{{cite web |title=PNAD |date=2006 |url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/trabalhoerendimento/pnad2006/brasilpnad2006.pdf |language=Portuguese |accessdate = 2007-09-14 }}</ref> In colonial times, this region had a very small population.
The region what is now [[Southern Brazil]] was originally settled by [[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Amerindian]] peoples, mostly [[Guarani]] and [[Kaingang]]s<ref>[http://www.paginadogaucho.com.br/indi/grupo.htm Página do Gaúcho - Índios - Os grupos indígenas e sua distribuição<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Only a few settlers from [[São Paulo]] were living there. This situation made the region vulnerable to attacks from neighboring countries. This fact forced the King of [[Portugal]] to decide to populate the region. For this, settlers from the Portuguese [[Azores]] islands were sent to the coast.
To stimulate the immigration to Brazil, the king offered several benefits for the Azorean couples. Between 1748 and 1756, six thousand [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] from the [[Azores]] moved to the coast of [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]]. They were mainly newly married who were seeking a better life. At that time, the Azores were one of the poorest regions of Portugal. They established themselves mainly in the [[Santa Catarina Island]], nowadays the region of Biguaçu. Later, some couples moved to [[Rio Grande do Sul]], where they established [[Porto Alegre]], the capital. The Azoreans lived on fishing and agriculture, especially [[flour]]. They composed over half of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina's population in the late [[18th century]].<ref name = "joixqa">[http://www.terrabrasileira.net/folclore/regioes/7tipos/acores.html Imigrantes: Açorianos<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
<ref name = "joixqa"/> The state of [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]] was settled by colonists from São Paulo due to their proximity (Paraná was part of São Paulo until the mid-19th century).
With the development of [[cattle]] in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, [[Africa]]n slaves began arriving in large numbers. By 1822, [[Black people|Black]]s were 50% of Rio Grande do Sul's population. This number decreased to 25% in 1858 and to only 5.2% in 2005. Most of them came from [[Angola]].<ref>[http://www.riogrande.com.br/historia/colonizacao6.htm RS VIRTUAL - O Rio Grande do Sul na Internet - História - Colonização - Negros - A história dos gaúchos sem história<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
After independence from Portugal (1822) the Brazilian government started to stimulate the arrival of a new wave of immigrants to settle the South. In [[1824]] they established [[São Leopoldo]], a [[Germany|German]] community. Major Schaeffer, a German who was living in Brazil, was sent to Germany in order to bring immigrants. From [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], the Major brought the immigrants and soldiers. Settlers from [[Germany]] were brought to work as small [[farmer]]s, because there were many land holdings without workers. To attract the immigrants, the Brazilian government had promised large tracts of land, where they could settle with their families and colonize the region. The first years were not easy. Many Germans died of tropical disease, while others left the colonies to find better living conditions. The German colony of São Leopoldo was a disaster. Nevertheless, in the following years, a further 4,830 Germans arrived at São Leopoldo, and then the colony started to develop, with the immigrants establishing the town of [[Novo Hamburgo]] (''New Hamburg''). From São Leopoldo and Novo Hamburgo, the German immigrants spread into others areas of [[Rio Grande do Sul]], mainly close to sources of rivers. The whole region of Vale dos Sinos was populated by Germans. During the 1830s and part of the 1840s German immigration to Brazil was interrupted due to conflicts in the country ([[War of the Farrapos]]). The immigration restarted after 1845 with the creation of new colonies. The most important ones were [[Blumenau]], in 1850, and [[Joinville]] in 1851, both in [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina state]]; these attracted thousands of German immigrants to the region.
In the next five decades, other 28 thousand Germans were brought to Rio Grande do Sul to work as small farmers in the countryside.<ref>[http://www.mre.gov.br/CDBRASIL/ITAMARATY/WEB/ingles/consnac/imigra/alemaes/index.htm Germans<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Until 1914, it is estimated that 50 thousand Germans settled in this state.
Another immigration boom to this region started in 1875. Communities with Italian immigrants were also created in southern Brazil. The first colonies to be populated by Italians were created in the highlands of Rio Grande do Sul ([[Serra Gaúcha]]). These were [[Garibaldi (city)|Garibaldi]] and [[Bento Gonçalves (city)|Bento Gonçalves]]. These immigrants were predominantly from [[Veneto]], in northern [[Italy]]. After five years, in 1880, the great numbers of Italian immigrants arriving caused the Brazilian government to create another Italian colony, [[Caxias do Sul]]. After initially settling in the government-promoted colonies, many of the Italian immigrants spread themselves into other areas of [[Rio Grande do Sul]] seeking further opportunities. They created many other Italian colonies on their own, mainly in highlands, because the lowlands were already populated by Germans and native ''gaúchos''. The Italian established many vineyards in the region. Nowadays, the wine produced in these areas of Italian colonization in southern Brazil is much appreciated within the country, though little is available for export. In 1875, the first Italian colonies were established in [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]], which lies immediately to the north of Rio Grande do Sul. The colonies gave rise to towns such as [[Criciúma]], and later also spread further north, to [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]].
A significant number of [[Poles]] have settled in Southern Brazil. The first immigrants arrived in 1869 and until 1920, it is estimated that over 60,000 Poles migrated to Brazil, 95% of whom were peasants. The State of [[Paraná (state)|Paraná]] received the majority of Polish immigrants, who settled mainly in the region of [[Curitiba]], in the towns of Mallet, Cruz Machado, São Matheus do Sul, Irati, and União da Vitória. [[Russians]] and [[Ukrainians]] are present as well.
===Southeast===
The [[Southeastern Brazil|Southeastern region]] of Brazil is the ethnically most diverse part of the country. [[Whites]] make up 58.8% of its population, and those of mixed-race and African descent make up, together, 40.2%. It has the largest percentage of [[Asian Brazilian]]s, composing 0.8%, and small [[Amerindian]] community (0.2%).
Southeast Brazil is home to the oldest Portuguese village in the [[Americas]], [[São Vicente, São Paulo]], established in 1532.<ref>[http://www.rankbrasil.com.br/maismais/turismo/saovicente/default.asp RankBrasil - Livro Dos Recordes Brasileiros - Os melhores e maiores do Brasil<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The region, since the beginning of its colonization, is a [[melting pot]] of Whites, Indians and Blacks. The Amerindians of the region were enslaved by the Portuguese. The race mixing between the Indian females and their White masters produced the [[Bandeirante]], the colonial inhabitant of [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]], who formed expeditions that crossed the interior of Brazil and greatly increased the Portuguese colonial territory. The main language spoken by these people of mixed Indian/Portuguese heritage was [[Língua geral]], a language that mixed [[Tupi]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] words.
In the late [[17th century]] the Bandeirantes found [[gold]] in the area that nowadays is [[Minas Gerais]]. A [[gold rush]] took place in Brazil, and thousands of Portuguese colonists arrived during this period. The confrontation between the Bandeirantes and the Portuguese for obtaining possession of the mines led to the [[Emboabas' War]]. The Portuguese won the war. The Amerindian culture declined, giving space to a stronger Portuguese cultural domination. In order to control the richness, the Portuguese Crown moved the capital of Brazil from [[Salvador, Bahia]] to [[Rio de Janeiro]]. Thousands of African slaves were brought to work in the gold mines. They were landed in Rio de Janeiro and sent to other regions. By the late [[18th century]], Rio de Janeiro was an "African city": most of its inhabitants were slaves. No other place in the world had so many slaves, since the end of the [[Roman Empire]].<ref>[http://www.pdt-rj.org.br/colunistas.asp?id=40 Pdt - Rj<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 1808 the Portuguese Royal Family, fleeing from [[Napoleon]], took charge in Rio de Janeiro. Some 15 thousand Portuguese nobles moved to Brazil. The region changed a lot, becoming more European.
After independence and principally after 1850, Southeast Brazil was "inundated" by [[Europe]]an [[immigrant]]s, who were attracted by the government to replace the African slaves in the [[coffee]] plantations. Most immigrants landed in the [[Port of Santos]] and have been forwarded to the coffee farms within São Paulo. The vast majority of the immigrants came from [[Italy]]. Brazil attracted nearly 5 million immigrants between 1870 and 1953. The large amounts of [[Italians]] are visible in many parts of Southeast Brazil. Their descendants are nowadays predominant in many areas. Northeast São Paulo is 65% Italian, for example.<ref>[http://www.lorenzato.org.br/nordeste%20em%20busca%20de%20investidores.asp Fundação Lorenzato<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The arrival of immigrants from several places of Europe, the [[Middle-East]] and [[Asia]] produced an ethnically diverse population. The city of [[Bastos]], in São Paulo, is 11.4% [[Japanese-Brazilian|Japanese]]. The city of São Paulo is home to the largest Japanese population outside of [[Japan]] itself.
<ref>[http://www.visitesaopaulo.com/english/city/itineraries-saopaulo.htm São Paulo é tudo de bom - Turismo, eventos e entretenimento na cidade de São Paulo<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Northeast===
The population of [[Northeast Brazil]] is a result of an intensive race mixing, which has occurred in the region for more than four centuries. According to the 2006 census people of [[Mixed-race Brazilian|Multiracial]] background make up 62.5% of the population. Those of total or predominantly Black ancestry account for 7.8%.
This region didn't have much effect from the massive European immigration that took place in Southern Brazil in the late 19th century and first decades of the 20th century. The Northeast has been a poorer region of Brazil since the decadence of sugar cane plantations in the late 17th century, so its economy didn't demand immigrants. Despite of that, there are several descendants of Spaniards, Italians and, most noticeably, Arabs (mostly from [[Syria]] and [[Lebanon]]).
The ethnic composition of the population starts in the [[16th century]]. The Portuguese settlers rarely brought women, which led to relationships with the Indian women. Later, interracial relationships occurred between Portuguese and African females. The coast, in the past a place to the arrival of millions of Black slaves (mostly from modern-day [[Angola]], [[Nigeria]] and [[Benin]]) to embrace the plantations of [[sugar-cane]], is where nowadays there is a predominance of [[Mulatto]]es, those of Black and White ancestry. [[Salvador, Bahia]] is considered the largest Black city outside of Africa, with over 80% of its inhabitants being [[Afro-Brazilian|African-Brazilians]]. In the interior, there is a predominance of Indian and White mixture.<ref>[http://www.colegioined.com.br/CF//patio/surpresas/regioes_brasil/nordeste.htm Regiões do Brasil<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===North===
[[Northern Brazil]], largely covered by the [[Amazon rainforest]], is the Brazilian region with the largest [[Amerindian]] influences, both in culture and ethnicity. Inhabitated by diverse indigenous tribes, this part of Brazil was reached by Portuguese and [[Spanish people|Spanish]] colonists in the 17th century, but it started to be populated by non-Indians only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exploitation of [[rubber]] used in the growing industries of automobiles, has emerged a huge migration to the region. Many people from the poor Northeast Brazil, mostly [[Ceará]], moved to the Amazon area. The contact between the Indians and the northeastern rubbers created the base of the ethnic composition of the region, with its mixed-race majority.
===Central-West===
The [[Central-West Region, Brazil|Central-West]] region of Brazil was inhabitated by diverse Indians when the Portuguese arrived in the early 18th century. The Portuguese came to explore the precious stones that were found there. As it was a far away region, very few African slaves were brought to this area. Who, in fact, worked as slaves in the gold mines were the local Indians. The contact between the Portuguese and the Indians created a mixed-race population. Until the mid-20th century, Central-West Brazil had a very small population. The situation changed with the construction of [[Brasilia]], the new capital of Brazil, in [[1960]]. Many workers were attracted to the region, mostly from northeastern Brazil.
A new wave of settlers started arriving from the 1970s. With the mechanization of agriculture in the South of Brazil, many rural workers of [[Germany|German]] and [[Italy|Italian]] origin migrated to Central-West Brazil. In some areas, they are already the majority of the population.
==Education and health==
{{main|Education in Brazil|Health care in Brazil}}
[[Image:Universidade Federal do Parana 4 Curitiba Parana.jpg|thumb|right|[[Universidade Federal do Paraná|Federal University of Paraná]], in [[Curitiba]].]]
The Federal Constitution of 1988 and the 1996 ''General Law of Education in Brazil'' (LDB) attributed to the Federal Government, [[States of Brazil|states]], [[Brazilian Federal District|Federal District]] and [[List of cities in Brazil|municipalities]] the responsibility of managing the Brazilian educational system, considering three educational public systems as a basis for collaboration between these federal systems. Each of these public educational systems is responsible for its own maintenance, which manages funds as well as mechanisms and sources for financial resources. The new Constitution reserves 25% of state and municipal taxes and 18% of federal taxes for education.<ref name = "kqvyop">Japan Bank for International Cooperation report, November 2005, [http://www.jbic.go.jp/english/oec/environ/report/pdf/brazil.pdf "Sector Study for Education in Brazil"], retrieved 28 February 2007</ref>
As set out by the [[Politics of Brazil|Brazilian Constitution]], the main responsibility for basic education is attributed to the states and municipalities. Hence, a historical feature of Brazilian [[basic education]] is its extremely decentralized nature, which gives great organizational autonomy to sub-national governments (27 states and 5,546 municipalities) in organizing their educational systems. Early childhood education, from 0-6 years, is under exclusive responsibility of the municipalities. Responsibility for compulsory [[primary education]] from 1st to 9th grades is shared between states and municipalities. Kindergarten and pre-school education are the responsibility of local levels of government, whereas secondary schools are under the responsibility of the states. Maintenance of the system, including salaries, the definition of teacher career structures and supervision of early childhood, primary, and secondary levels (which make up basic education) is decentralized, and these levels are responsible for defining their respective curriculum content.
[[Higher education]] starts with undergraduate or sequential courses, which may offer different specialization choices such as academic or vocational paths. Depending on the choice, students may improve their educational background with ''Stricto Sensu'' or ''Lato Sensu'' postgraduate courses. Higher education has three main purposes: teaching, research and extension, each with their own specific contribution to make to a particular course. Diplomas and certificates are proof of having passed through higher education.
In 2003, the literacy rate was at 88 percent of the population, and the youth literacy rate (ages 15–19) was 93.2 percent.<ref name = "kqvyop"/> However, Brazilian annalists tend to approach these favorable numbers with suspicion, considering the generally poor levels of performance displayed by students, especially in the public school network.
According to [[Politics of Brazil|Brazilian Government]], the most serious health problems are:<ref>Ministério do Planejamento website, [http://www.planejamento.gov.br/planejamento_investimento/conteudo/radarsocial/saude.htm "Saúde" (fact sheet, 2002)], retrieved [[12 June]] [[2007]].</ref>
* Childhood mortality: about 2.51% of childhood mortality, reaching 3.77% in the northeast region.
* Motherhood mortality: about 73.1 deaths per 100,000 born children in 2002.
* Mortality by non-transmissible illness: 151.7 deaths per 100,000 habitants caused by heart and circulatory diseases, along with 72.7 deaths per 100,000 habitants caused by cancer.
* Mortality caused by external causes (transportation, violence and suicide): 71.7 deaths per 100,000 habitants (14.9% of all deaths in the country), reaching 82.3 deaths in the southeast region.
==Religion==
{{main|Religion in Brazil}}
[[Image:BentoXVI-1-09052007.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pope Benedict XVI]] in his official visit to Brazil, in May, 2007.]]
According to the [[IBGE]] census: 74% are [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] (about 130 million); 15.4% are [[Protestant]]s (about 28 million); 7.4% consider themselves [[Agnosticism|agnostics]], [[Atheism|atheists]] or without a religion (about 12 million); 1.3% are followers of [[Spiritism]] (about 2.2 million); 0.3% are followers of African traditional religions such as [[Candomblé]] and [[Umbanda]]; 1.7% are members of other religions. Some of these are [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] (1,100,000), [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Latter-day Saints]] (600,000),<ref>[http://www.lds.org.br/brz_mn_item.asp?v_section=2&v_item=8&v_mask=POREMMADEE Igreja no Brasil]</ref> [[Buddhism]] (215,000), [[Judaism]] (150,000), and [[Islam in Brazil|Islam]] (27,000) and some practice a mixture of different religions, such as Catholicism, Candomblé, and indigenous American religions.<ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Religion in Brazil | work = | publisher = IBGE | date = 2000 | url = http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/censo2000/populacao/religiao_Censo2000.pdf | format = pdf | doi = | accessdate = 2007-04-24 }}</ref>
Brazil has the largest [[Roman Catholicism in Brazil|Roman Catholic]] population in the world.
Followers of [[Protestantism]] are rising in number. Until 1970, the majority of Brazilian Protestants were the ones of "traditional churches", mostly [[Lutheran]]s, [[Presbyterian]]s and [[Baptist]]s. Since then, numbers of [[Pentecostal]] and Neopentecostal adherents have increased significantly.
[[Islam in Brazil]] was first practiced by African slaves.<ref>Lovejoy, Paul E., ''Muslim Encounters With Slavery in Brazil'', Markus Wiener Pub., 2007. ISBN 1558763783.</ref> Today, the Muslim population in Brazil is made up mostly of [[Arab]] immigrants. A recent trend has been the increase in conversions to Islam among non-Arab citizens.<ref>US Department of State, [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71451.htm "International Religious Freedom Report 2006"], retrieved [[5 June]] [[2007]]</ref>
The largest population of Buddhists in Latin America lives in Brazil. This is mostly because Brazil has the [[Japanese people|largest Japanese population]] outside [[Japan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/latin/brazil/index.html |title=MOFA: Japan-Brazil Relations |date=January 2007 |quote=Population of Japanese descent: 1.3 million (estimated) |accessdate = 2007-06-18}}</ref>
Brazil appears as a devout country to outsiders yet in an [[IBOPE]] poll, about 8% of Brazilians declared themselves to be non-religious (with 2% declaring themselves atheists) and 58% of Catholics considered themselves "not very practicing" or "not at all practicing".<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Pesquisa de Opinião dos Católicos Brasileiros sobre Direitos Reprodutivos, Relação Igreja-Estado e temas Relacionados |work= |publisher= |date= |url=http://www.ibope.com.br/opiniao_publica/downloads/opp008_catolicos_brasileiros_nucleo1.pdf |format=pdf |doi= |accessdate = 2007-02-19}}</ref>
According to IBGE 2000 Census,<ref>{{pt icon}} [http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/censo2000/populacao/religiao_Censo2000.pdf IBGE 2000 Census]</ref> these are the biggest religious denominations in Brazil (only listed those with more than a half million members):
{{-}}
{| class="infobox" style="text-align:center; width:97%; margin-right:30px; font-size:90%"
|-
! align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | Rank
! align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | Religion
! align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | Members
! align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | Other information
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 1
| align=left | [[Roman Catholic Church]]
| align=center | 125 million
| align=left |
:* Its Charismatic Renewal branch is fast growing; the Progressive Branch (Liberation Theology) and the Conservative branch are in decline. Only 30% of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]'s membership attends the church regularly.
:* The [[Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney]] in [[Campos dos Goytacazes]] is one of the most leading [[traditionalist Catholic]] groups in the world.
:* See [[Roman Catholicism in Brazil]].
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2
| align=left style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Assemblies of God</br>''(Assembléias de Deus)''
| align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | 8.4 million
| align=left style="background:#f5f5f5;" |
:* General Convention of the Assemblies of God: 3,6 Million.
:* Affiliated with the American [[Assemblies of God]], [[Springfield, MO]].
:* National Convention of the Assemblies of God: 2,5 Million. A.k.a. Madureira Ministry of the Assemblies of God.
:* Other independent Assemblies of God: 1,9 Million, such as Bethesda Assemblies of God.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 3
| align=left | [[Baptist]]
| align=center | 3.1 million
| align=left |
:* Brazilian Baptist Convention: 1,2 Million adherents. Affiliated to US Southern Baptists:* National Baptist Convention: 1 Million. Charismatics Baptists.
:* Independent Baptist Convention: 400,000. Scandinavian Baptists.
:* Other Baptists: 400,000.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 4
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [[Christian Congregation of Brazil]]
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2.6 million
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
:* Italian-Brazilian Pentecostals
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 5
| align=left | Spiritist
| align=center | 2.2 million
| align=left |
:* These includes Kardec Spiritualist; [[Afro-Brazilian]] Sincretists, New Age, etc, but with a much larger influence than their numbers.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 6
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | Universal Church of the Kingdom of God</br>''(Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus)''
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2.0 million
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
:* Neo-Pentecostal Movement.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 7
| align=left | Foursquare Gospel Church
| align=center | 1.3 million
| align=left |
:* Classic Pentocostals in US, but second-wave pentecostals in Brazil.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 8
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [[Adventist]]s
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 1.2 million
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
:* [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]]: 900,000.
:* Promise Adventist Church: 150,000. Indigenous Pentecostal Adventists.
:* [[Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement]]: 50,000.
:* Other Adventists: 100,000.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 9
| align=left | [[Lutheran]]s
| align=center | 1 million
| align=left |
:* Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confission.
:* [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil]].
:* Other Lutherans.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 10
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [[Calvinist]]s
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 1 million
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
:* Presbyterian Church of Brazil: 450,000.
:* Independent Presbyterian Church: 300,00.
:* Congregationalists: 100,000.
:* Other Calvinists:150,000.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 11
| align=left | [[Jehovah's Witness]]es
| align=center | 638,000
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 12
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | God is Love Pentecostal Church
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 700,000
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
:* Divine Healing movement.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 13
| align=left | Independent Catholics
| align=center | 600,000
| align=left |
:* Groups like Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church and many other small ones.
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 14
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [[Anglican]]s
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 100,000
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
:* [[Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil]].
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 15
| align=left | [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
| align=center | 800,000
| align=left |
:* ("LDS Church"; see also [[Mormon]]).
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 16
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [[Buddhism]]
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 214,873
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 17
| align=left | [[Judaism]]
| align=center | 86,825
| align=left |
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 18
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [[Islam in Brazil|Islam]]
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 27,239
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 19
| align=left | [[Hinduism]]
| align=center | 2,905
| align=left |
|-
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | -
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" | [[atheism|Atheists]] and [[Agnostics]]
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 12 million
| align=left style="background:#f0f0f0;" |
:* The non-religious people.
|-
|}{{clear}}
==Languages==
{{main|Languages of Brazil|Brazilian Portuguese}}
[[Image:MPL 067.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Museum of the Portuguese Language]] in [[São Paulo]].]]
[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] is the only official language of Brazil.<ref>{{cite web | title = Portuguese, the official language of Brazil | url=http://www.brasil.gov.br/ingles/about_brazil/portuguese_language/ | accessdate = 2007-08-04 | publisher=Brazilan Government official website }}</ref> It is spoken by nearly the entire population and is virtually the only language used in schools, newspapers, radio, TV and for all business and administrative purposes. Moreover, Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in [[the Americas]], making the language an important part of Brazilian national identity.
Portuguese as spoken in Brazil has developed independently of the European mother tongue, and it has undergone fewer phonetic changes than the language spoken in Portugal,<ref>Although Brazilian Portuguese was influenced by the coastal [[Old Tupi language|Tupi language]], African languages brought by slaves, and other immigrant languages, it was isolated from the [[French language|French]] influence on Iberian Portuguese in the eighteen century. See "[http://www.deltatranslator.com/port_lang.htm#7 The Portuguese Language in the Americas]," retrieved [[4 July]] [[2007]].</ref> thus it is often said that the "[[language]] of [[Camões]]", an important Portuguese fifteenth century author, sounded closer to modern Brazilian Portuguese than to the language spoken in Portugal today, and that his work is poetically more perfect when read the Brazilian way.
Many Amerindian languages are spoken daily in indigenous communities, primarily in Northern Brazil. Although many of these communities have significant contact with Portuguese,<ref>{{cite web | title = Portuguese throughout the world | url=http://www.brasil.gov.br/ingles/about_brazil/portuguese_language/ | accessdate = 2007-08-04 | publisher=Brazilan Government official website }}</ref> today there are incentives stimulating preservation and the teaching of native languages. According to [[SIL International]], 133 native American languages are currently endangered. Some of the largest indigenous language groups include Arawak, Carib, Macro-Gê and Tupi.<ref>SIL International, [http://www.sil.org/americas/brasil/PortLang.htm "Línguas Indígenas do Brasil"], retrieved 12 June 2007.</ref> In 2006, the City of [[São Gabriel da Cachoeira]] in the region of Cabeça do Cachorro (Northwestern region of the State of [[Amazonas (Brazilian state)|Amazonas]]), has adopted some indigenous languages as some of its other official languages along with [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]].
Other languages are spoken by descendants of immigrants, who are usually bilingual, in small rural communities in Southern Brazil. The most important are the [[Brazilian German]] dialects, such as [[Riograndenser Hunsrückisch]] and the [[Pomeranian language]], and also the [[Talian]], based on the [[Italian Language|Italian]] [[Venetian language]]. In the city of [[São Paulo]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and [[Korean language|Korean]] can be heard in the immigrant neighborhoods, such as [[Liberdade]].
[[English language|English]] is also part of the official high school curriculum in most of the Brazilian states, but very few Brazilians are fluent. [[Spanish language|Spanish]] is understood to varying degrees by many Brazilians, especially on the borders with [[Colombia]], [[Peru]], [[Argentina]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Uruguay]]. The same applies to French, English and [[Dutch language|Dutch]] which is spoken and understood in the Brazilian cities and areas bordering [[French Guiana]], [[Guyana]] and [[Surinam]].
==Demographic Breakdown==
[[Image:Brazil-demography.png|thumb|right|Demographics of Brazil, Data of [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.]]
===Population===
According to the [[IBGE]], the Brazilian Statistics bureau, there were 186.842.147 inhabitants as of 16 May 2008.<ref> [http://www.ibge.gov.br/english/default.php#sub_populacao IBGE] </ref> But according to the 2008 CIA estimates, there were 191,908,598 inhabitants as of 1 May 2008. <ref> https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html CIA Factbook</ref> So there is a discrepancy of about 5 millions inhabitants between the two sources.
:''Note from the CIA factbook.'' Brazil conducted a census in August 2000, which reported a population of 169,799,170; that figure was about 3.3% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau, and is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
The population of Brazil is estimated based on various sources from [[1550]] to [[1850]]. The first official [[census]] took place in [[1872]]. From this year, every 10 years (with some exceptions) the population is counted.
Brazil is the sixth most populated country in the world.
[[Image:Population of brazil.svg|thumb|525px|Population of Brazil, [[1550]]–[[2005]]]]
* '''1550''' - 15,000
* '''1600''' - 100,000
* '''1660''' - 184.000
* '''1700''' - 300,000
* '''1766''' - 1,500.000
* '''1800''' - 3,250.000
* '''1820''' - 4,717,000
* '''1850''' - 7,256,000
* '''1872''' - 9,930,478
* '''1890''' - 14,333,915
* '''1900''' - 17,438,434
* '''1920''' - 30,635,605
* '''1940''' - 41,236,315
* '''1950''' - 51,944,397
* '''1960''' - 70,119,071
* '''1970''' - 93,139.037
* '''1980''' - 119,070,865
* '''1991''' - 146,917,459
* '''1996''' - 157,079,573
* '''2000''' - 169,544,443
* '''2005''' - 183,886,761
Population distribution in Brazil is very uneven. The majority of Brazilians live within 300 kilometers of the coast, while the interior in the Amazon Basin is almost empty. Therefore, the densely populated areas are on the coast and the sparsely populated areas are in the interior. This historical pattern is little changed by recent movements into the interior.
===Age structure===
[[Image:Brazil population pyramid 2005.png|thumb|[[Population pyramid]].]]
:0-14 years: 25.3% (male 24,554,254/female 23,613,027)
:15-64 years: 68.4% (male 64,437,140/female 65,523,447)
:65 years and over: 6.4% (male 4,880,562/female 7,002,217) (2007 est.)
===Population growth rate===
:0.98% (CIA 2008 estimate)<ref name = "cdixdx">
[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html CIA stats]</ref >
===Birth rate===
:16.04 births/1,000 population (CIA 2008 est.) <ref name = "cdixdx">
[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html CIA stats]</ref >
===Death rate===
:6.22 deaths/1,000 population (CIA 2008 est.) <ref name = "cdixdx"/>
===Net migration rate===
:-0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (CIA 2008 estimate)
<ref name = "cdixdx">
[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html CIA stats]</ref >
===Sex ratio===
:At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
:Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
:15-64 years: 0.983 male(s)/female
:65 years and over: 0.697 male(s)/female
:Total population: 0.976 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
===Infant mortality rate===
:Total: 27.62 deaths/1,000 live births
:Male: 31.27 deaths/1,000 live births
:Female: 23.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Note: states from the south have this rate as low as 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births, which shows an incredible difference concerning quality of life in the various regions of the country.
===Life expectancy at birth===
total population: 72.24 years
male: 68.8 years
female: 76.38 years (2007 est.)
===Total fertility rate===
:1.88 children born/woman (2007 est.)
===Nationality===
:Noun: Brazilian(s)
:Adjective: Brazilian
===Ethnic groups===
The only relatively isolated minority ethnic groups in Brazil are various non-assimilated [[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|indigenous tribes]], comprising less than 1% of the population, who live in officially delimited reservations and either avoid contact with other peoples, or constitute separate social and political communities.
The rest of the population can be considered a single "Brazilian" ethnic group, with highly varied racial types and backgrounds, but without clear ethnic sub-divisions. By physical type, a recent survey gives 53% "white", 38% "mixed", 6% "black", 1% "other".
The [[ethnic origin]]s of the Brazilians can be traced to: the [[Bantu]]; the [[Ewe people|Ewe]]; the [[German people|Germans]]; the [[Guarani]]; the [[Italians]]; the [[Japanese-Brazilian|Japanese]]; the [[Lebanon|Lebanese]]; the [[Poles]]; the [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]]; the [[Spanish people|Spaniards]]; the [[Syria]]ns; the [[Tupi]]; the [[Ukrainians]]; and the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]].
===Religions===
:Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census)
===Languages===
:Portuguese (official)
===Literacy===
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
:total population: 88.6%
:male: 88.4%
:female: 88.8% (2004 est.)
==See also==
*[[Brazil]]
*[[Ethnic groups in Brazil]]
*[[Racial democracy]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{CIA WFB 2006}}
{{Demographics of Brazil}}
{{South America in topic|Demographics of}}
[[Category:Demographics by country|Brazil]]
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