The flag of Brazil consists of green with a yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue globe and 27 white stars. The globe represents the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the day the republic was declared. The number of stars corresponds to Brazil's 26 states and the federal district. Brazil gained a large territory through treaties with Spain and Portugal in the 15th century and the Iberian Union of 1580-1640. The country transitioned from a Portuguese colony to an independent empire in 1822 and a republic in 1889 without civil war, due to the influence of Emperor Pedro II. Brazil has a federal presidential representative democratic republic government with 26 states and a federal district.

2. Flag Description
Green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue
celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars; the globe has a
white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO
(Order and Progress); the current flag was inspired by the
banner of the former Empire of Brazil (1822-1889); on the
imperial flag, the green represented the House of Braganza of
Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil, while the yellow stood for the
Habsburg Family of his wife; on the modern flag the green
represents the forests of the country and the yellow rhombus its
mineral wealth; the blue circle and stars, which replaced the
coat of arms of the original flag, depict the sky over Rio de
Janeiro on the morning of 15 November 1889 - the day the
Republic of Brazil was declared; the number of stars has
changed with the creation of new states and has risen from an
original 21 to the current 27 (one for each state and the Federal
District)

3. History of BRAZIL

4. In 1494, the "Treaty of Tordesillas" between Spain and Portugal
settled the dispute about lands yet to be discovered. According to
the treaty, territories lying east of an imaginary north-south line
located 370 leagues west of Cape Verde Islands would belong to
Portugal, and lands to the west of that imaginary line would be
under Spanish control.

5. On April 22, 1500, a Portuguese navigator called Pedro
Alvares Cabral reached the shores of Brazil. The country
took its name from “brazilwood”, a redwood tree commonly
found along the Brazilian coastline that was ordinarily used
to dye garments back in Europe.

6. How did Brazil
acquire such a large
territory?

7. In 1578, the King of Portugal died and left no successor.
Seizing this opportunity to claim the throne in Lisbon for
himself, the Spanish King Philip II united Spain and
Portugal, which remained under his rule from 1580 to 1640.

8. In 1640, the Duke of Bragança, later Joao IV, was able to
reclaim the Portuguese Crown, with the assistance of
England and Holland. The lands that had been occupied
west of the original Tordesillas remained in Portuguese
hands afterwards.

9.  In the beginning, Brazil’s economy relied primarily on sugar production
and the exploitation of gold and precious stones, along with cattle ranching
and other agricultural activities.
 The discovery of gold brought migrants from the coastal plantations over
to the interior of the country together with new immigrants from Portugal.
The boom in gold and diamond mining, like that of sugar, was followed by
the rise of another important source of wealth for which Brazil is well
known today – coffee growing. Coffee plantations drew even more foreign
immigrants to the country.

10. How did Brazil
become independent
from Portugal?

11. In the first decade of the 19th century, France's attempt to dominate
Europe met with English resistance, and, as consequence, Napoleon
tried to prevent other countries from trading with England. Claiming
neutrality, Portugal continued to honor previous trade treaties with
England. But France and Spain signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau in
1807 and agreed to divide Portugal between them. Soon after that ,
Napoleon ordered an invasion of Portugal.
Before Napoleon’s troops could reach Portugal, Queen Maria I and her
son, Prince João VI (see picture above) left the country and sailed to
Brazil.
In 1821 Joao VI returned to Portugal because of political pressures
from Portugal, leaving Pedro, the Crown Prince, in Rio as "Regent
Viceroy ".
On September 7, 1822, Pedro the Crown Prince declared independence
from Portugal and had himself crowned Emperor of Brazil, under the
name Pedro I.

12. Flag of the
Brazilian Empire
(1822-1889)
Brazilian Currency
during the Monarchy.
Pedro II's reign lasted
from 1840 to 1889

13. When did
Brazil become
a Republic?
Brazil remained a monarchy for almost 70 years, that is,
from 1822 to 1889. The transition from Monarchy to
Republic took place without bloodshed. The absence of
an “independence war” in Brazil is largely credited to
the positive influence of the “enlightened” monarch
Pedro II, who succeded Pedro I. Brazil became a
federal republic in November 15, 1889.

14.  1960
Brasília is chosen to replace Rio de Janeiro as
Brazil’s capital.
 1970s
The Trans-Amazonian Highway project encourages
settlement in the Amazon. Native species are put in
danger.
 1992
More than 100 world leaders meet in Rio de
Janeiro for the first international Earth Summit.
They discuss ways to protect the environment.
 2006
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is reelected.
 2010
Dilma Rousseff is elected Brazil’s first woman
President.

16. Geography
Area:
total: 8,514,877 sq km
country comparison to the
world: 5
land: 8,459,417 sq km
water: 55,460 sq km
highest point:
Pico da Neblina 2,994 m

17. Climate:
mostly tropical, but temperate in
south
Natural resources:
bauxite, gold, iron ore,
manganese, nickel, phosphates,
platinum, tin, rare earth
elements, uranium, petroleum,
hydropower, timber
Land use:
arable land: 8.45%
permanent crops: 0.83%
other: 90.72% (2011)

18. People & Society
Population:
202,656,788 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the
world: 6
Population growth rate:
0.8% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the
world: 137

19. Median age:
total: 30.7 years
male: 29.9 years
female: 31.5 years (2014 est.)
Sex ratio:
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female
(2014 est.)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 90.4%
male: 90.1%
female: 90.7% (2010 est.)

20. Government
Country Name:
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
Type of Government:
federal republic
Capital: Brasilia
Independence: September 7, 1822 (from Portugal)

21. Administartive Divisions: 26 states
(estados, singular - estado and 1 federal
district*
Constitution:
several previous; latest ratified 5 October
1988; amended many times, last in 2012
(2012)
Suffrage:
voluntary between 16 to under 18 years of
age and over 70; compulsory 18 to 70
years of age; note - military conscripts by
law cannot vote

22. Executive Branch
 President: Dilma ROUSSEFF
(since 1 January 2011);
 Vice President: Michel Miguel
Elias Temer Lulia (since 1
January 2011)
 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by
the president

23.  The president leads the executive branch of the federal
government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian
Armed Forces.
 Both head of state and head of government of the Federative
Republic of Brazil.
 Article 84 of the current constitution, determines that the
president has the power to:
 ~ appoint and dismiss the ministers of state;
 ~ exercise, with the assistance of the ministers of state, the
higher management of the federal administration;
 ~ start the legislative procedure, in the manner and in the
cases set forth in the constitution;
 ~ sanction, promulgate and order the publication of laws, as
well as to issue decrees and regulations for the true
enforcement thereof;
 ~ veto bills, wholly or in part;

24. Legislative Branch
Name: (bicameral) National
Congress or Congresso
Nacional
• Federal Senate or Senado
Federal (81 seats; 3 members
from each state and federal
district elected according to the
principle of majority to serve
eight-year terms; one-third and
two-thirds of members elected
every four years, alternately)
• Chamber of Deputies or
Camara dos Deputados (513
seats; members are elected by
proportional representation to
serve four-year terms

25. Chamber of Deputies & Senate

26. Judicial Branch
highest court(s): Supreme
Federal Court (consists of 11
justices)
judge selection and term of
office: justices appointed by
the president and approved by
the Federal Senate; justices
appointed to serve until
mandatory retirement at age
70
subordinate courts: Federal
Appeals Court, Superior Court
of Justice, Superior Electoral
Court, regional federal courts;
state court system

27.  Brazil elects on the national
level a head of state–
the president – and a legislature.
The president is elected to a
four-year term by absolute
majority vote through a two-
round system.
 Brazil has a multi-
party system, with such
numerous parties that often no
one party has a chance of
gaining power alone, and so
they must work with each other
to form coalition governments.
Elections in Brazil

29. Obrigado E
Obrigada

30. List of References
http://www.kidscornerbrazil.org/conte
nt/history.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil
https://www.cia.gov/library/publicatio
ns/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html