For the intrepid traveller, Brazil is also synonymous with the interior basins of the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, which remains sparsely populated and is inhabited by the few remaining Brazilian Indians.
The Brazilian population, growing at slightly above one per cent currently stands at 184 million. Nearly 67% of the population falls in the working age group, a ratio that will grow over the coming decades.
Portuguese is spoken by 98% of the population. Ethnically, more than half the population is white. Roman Catholics form four-fifths of the population.
President Luiz Inacio ‘Lula’ de Silva, once a shoe shine boy, led the Workers’ Party to victory in the 2002 elections. This marked the first time in four decades that a left-wing president came to power in Brazil.
