Brazil, officially Federative Republic of Brazil, federal republic, the largest nation in South America, occupying nearly one half of the entire area of the continent. It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and the Atlantic Ocean; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by Uruguay; on the west by Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru; and on the north-west by Colombia.

Population
	157,872,000
	(1996 estimate)
Population Density
	19 people/sq km
	(48 people/sq mi)
	(1996 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
	78% Urban
	22% Rural
Largest Cities
	Sao Paulo9,842,059
	Rio de Janeiro5,547,033
	Salvador2,174,072
	Belo Horizonte2,060,804
	(1993 estimate)
Ethnic Groups
	22% Mulatto
	15% Portuguese
	12% Mestizo
	11% Italian
	11% black
	10% Spanish
	19% Other
	including Germans, Japanese, and Native Americans
Languages
Official Language
	Portuguese
Other Languages
	Native American languages, German, Japanese, Italian
Religions
	90% Roman Catholicism
	 6% Protestantism
	 4% Other