Brazil - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Brazil, it was the country name derives from the brazilwood tree that used to grow plentifully along the coast of Brazil and that was used to produce a deep red dye. The Government system in this country is the federal presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
National symbols
Southern Cross constellation; national colors: green, yellow, blue.
The flag
The National flag of Brazil has 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 diamond shape roughly mirrors that of the country); 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).
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note: one of several flags where a prominent component of the design reflects the shape of the country; other such flags are those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea, and Vanuatu
The National Anthem
| Title | "Hino Nacional Brasileiro" (Brazilian National Anthem) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Joaquim Osorio Duque ESTRADA/Francisco Manoel DA SILVA |
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note: music adopted 1890, lyrics adopted 1922; the anthem's music, composed in 1822, was used unofficially for many years before it was adopted
More about the government of Brazil
| Date of Independence | 7 September 1822 (from Portugal) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Independence Day, 7 September (1822) |
| Legal system | civil law; note - a new civil law code was enacted in 2002 replacing the 1916 code |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest ratified 5 October 1988 |
| Amendments | Proposed by at least one third of either house of the National Congress, by the president of the republic, or by simple majority vote by more than half of the state legislative assemblies; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote by both houses in each of two readings; constitutional provisions affecting the federal form of government, separation of powers, suffrage, or individual rights and guarantees cannot be amended; amended many times, last in 2023 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | yes |
| Citizenship by descent only | yes |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 4 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (since 1 January 2023) |
| Head of government | President Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (since 1 January 2023) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the president |
| Elections/appointments | president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a single consecutive term and additional terms after at least one term has elapsed); election last held on 2 October 2022 with runoff on 30 October 2022 (next to be held on 4 October 2026) |
| Election results | 2022: Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (PT) 48.4%, Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 43.2%, Simone Nassar TEBET (MDB) 4.2%, Ciro GOMES (PDT) 3%, other 1.2%; percent of vote in second round - Luiz Inácio LULA da Silva (PT) 50.9%, Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 49.1% 2018: Jair BOLSONARO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 46%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 29.3%, Ciro GOMEZ (PDT) 12.5%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 4.8%, other 7.4%; percent of vote in second round - Jair BOLSONARO (PSL) 55.1%, Fernando HADDAD (PT) 44.9% |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of: Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members each from 26 states and 3 from the federal district directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 8-year terms, with one-third and two-thirds of the membership elected alternately every 4 years) Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open party-list proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) |
| Elections | Federal Senate - last held on 2 October 2022 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held on 4 October 2026 for two-thirds of the seats) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 2 October 2022 (next to be held on 4 October 2026) |
| Election results | Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - PL 25.4%, PSB 13.7%, PT 12.1%, PSD 11.4%, Progressistas 7.6%, Brazil Union 5.5%, PSC 4.3%, Republicans 4.3%, MDB 3.9%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PL 8, Brazil Union 5, PT 4, PP 3, Republicans 2, PSD 2, MDB 1, PSB 1, PSC 1 note - composition of the Federal Senate as of March 2024 - seats by party - PL 13, Brazil Union 12, MDB 10, PSD 10, PT 9, Progressistas 7, Podemos 6, PSDB 4, Republicans 3, PDT 2, Cidadania 1, PSB 1, PSC 1, PROS 1, REDE 1; composition - men 67, women 14, percentage women 17.3% Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PL 16.6%, PT 12.1%, Brazil Union 9.3%, PP 8%, PSD 7.6%, MDB 7.2%, Republicans 7%, PSB 3.8%, PDT 3.5%, PSOL 3.5%, Podemos 3.3%, PSDB 3%, Avante 2%, PSC 1.8%, SD 1.6%, Cidadania 1.5%, Patriota 1.4%, PTB 1.3%, NOVO 1.2%, PCdoB 1.1%, PV 0.9%, PROS 0.7%, REDE 0.7%, other 0.9%; seats by party - PL 99, PT 69, Brazil Union 59, PP 47, MDB 42, PSD 42, Republicans 40, PDT 17, PSB 14, PSDB 13, Podemos 12, PSOL 12, Avante 7, PCdoB 6, PSC 6, PV 6, Cidadania 5, Patriota 4, SD 4, NOVO 3, PROS 3, REDE 2, PTB 1; composition - men 423, women 90, percentage women 17.5%; total National Congress percentage women 17.5% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Federal Court or Supremo Tribunal Federal (consists of 11 justices) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Justices appointed by the president and approved by absolute majority by the Federal Senate; justices appointed to serve until mandatory retirement at age 75 |
| Subordinate courts | Tribunal of the Union, Federal Appeals Court, Superior Court of Justice, Superior Electoral Court, regional federal courts; state court system |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro VIOTTI (since 30 June 2023) |
| Chancery | 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 238-2700 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 238-2827 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/embaixada-washington |
| Consulate(s) general | Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hartford (CT), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley BAGLEY (since 3 February 2023) |
| Embassy | SES - Avenida das Nações, Quadra 801, Lote 03, 70403-900 - Brasília, DF |
| Mailing address | 7500 Brasilia Place, Washington DC 20521-7500 |
| Telephone | [55] (61) 3312-7000 |
| FAX | [55] (61) 3225-9136 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://br.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Recife, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo |
| Branch office(s) | Belo Horizonte |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 23 (15 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Brasilia (c); Historic Salvador de Bahia (c); Historic Ouro Preto (c); Historic Olinda (c); Iguaçu National Park (n); Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis (c); Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes (c); Central Amazon Conservation Complex (n); Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves (n); Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity (m) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Brazil
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Brazil
Want to know more about Brazil? Check all different factbooks for Brazil below.
