[ad_1]
Brazil has been hit by a series of corruption scandals that have shaken its political core
Activists in favor of the dismissal of President Dilma Rousseff participate in a demonstration in a separate area of the Congress by a closing of the Congress, in Brasilia, on April 15, 2016.
Brazilian legislators on Friday launched a heated debate over the dismissal, which could overthrow President Dilma Rousseff, in a political crisis threatening to destabilize the country months before the organization of the Olympic Games. / AFP PHOTO / ANDRESSA ANHOLETE
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Brazil, holding the last presidential elections on Sunday (October 28th), is a giant of size and economy, but has been hit by a series of corruption scandals that have shaken its political core.
Here are some highlights of the country:
Amazon: the "lungs of the earth"
Brazil is the largest country in Latin America. It extends over 8.5 million square kilometers and covers nearly half of the continent.
It comprises about 60% of the Amazon rainforest, the largest in the world and an essential element in the exchange of CO2 in oxygen.
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 47% of the 208 million inhabitants that Portugal has are Portuguese-speaking.
Forty-three percent are white and nearly 9 percent black.
The largest Catholic nation in the world has hosted tens of thousands of Venezuelans fleeing the crisis in their country, an influx that has fueled tensions.
Soap opera scandals
After 300 years of Portuguese colonial rule, Brazil gained independence in 1822 and became a monarchy.
A major importer of African slaves, he abolished slavery in 1888, the last country in the Americas to do so.
A republic was created in 1889 and the army took power in 1964, imposing a dictatorship until 1985, when the civil regime was reestablished.
The dominant political figure in the country's modern history is the popular but divisive Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Workers Party (PT), which in 2003 became Brazil's first left-wing president, re-elected in 2006.
As part of its social programs, 29 million Brazilians have emerged from poverty.
Her hand-picked successor, Dilma Rousseff, became the first woman president in 2010. She was indicted in 2016 for allegedly engaging in financial evil.
The current president, the unpopular Michel Temer, was also involved in corrupt acts but escaped the impeachment procedure and did not participate in the polls.
The series of corruption scandals, mainly related to contracts with the oil giant Petrobras, spared no political party and could not be compared to the very famous "novelas" or soap operas of Brazil.
The saga saw Lula jailed in April 2018, preventing him from running for office while he was a longtime favorite.
Instead, the second round will pit Lula's protégé and former Education Minister, Fernando Haddad, with the former far-right captain, Jair Bolsonaro, the favorite.
Economic giant
As the largest economy in Latin America, Brazil relies on abundant natural resources and a vibrant industrial sector, including automotive manufacturing, civil aviation, household goods and textiles.
It is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of coffee, sugar, orange juice, beef, poultry, ethanol fuel, soy and iron.
But it experienced a recession in 2015 and 2016, when its economy contracted by nearly 7%, returning to growth of 1% in 2017.
Despite some success in reducing poverty, the inequality of wealth remains high. There are thousands of impoverished slums or slums in the country. A quarter of the population of Rio de Janeiro lives in such areas.
It's also one of the most violent countries in the world, with 30.8 homicides per 100,000 people in 2017, according to the Brazilian NGO Forum of Public Safety.
Football and carnival
Brazil is the only country to have won the Football World Cup five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) and has produced legends such as Pele, Ronaldo and Neymar.
He is also known for his abundance of musical styles, from samba to funk and bossa nova.
The annual Carnival of Dancers and Excessive Tanks Rio would be the largest in the world, with about six million people, including about 1.5 million tourists, who took part in February this year.
She reports to the city about $ 1.06 billion in tourism revenue, according to the mayor's office. – Rappler.com
Source link
