Size: Brazil covers about 8,511,965 square kilometers. Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada, the USA, and China).

Population: Brazil has the 5th largest population of any country in the world (after China, India, the USA, and Indonesia). The population of Brazil is about 201,103,330 (as of July, 2010).

Government: Brazil is a federal republic that is divided into 26 states (estados) and 1 federal district.

Official Language: Portuguese

Education: Girls and boys in Brazil go to school for an average of 14 years.

Literacy Rate: About 88.6% of the adults in Brazil can read and write. About 88.4% of the men and 88.8% of the women are literate.

Religion: Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4%.

Flag: Brazil's flag is a deep green banner with a yellow diamond enclosing a night-blue, star-studded Southern Hemisphere sky. The sky depicts 27 white, five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District); the stars are arranged in the pattern of the night sky over Rio de Janeiro on November 15, 1889 (this is the date when the last Emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro II, was deposed, and the republic was proclaimed). The stars in view include the constellations Southern Cross (also called Crux), Scorpius, Canis Major and others. A banner across the sky reads, "ORDEM E PROGRESSO," which means "order and progress" in Portuguese.

Climate: Brazil's climate is mostly tropical, but temperate in the south.

Rainforest: The Amazon Rainforest stretches across the north of Brazil. Sixty percent of the Amazon Rainforest is in Brazil; this the biggest rainforest in the world.

Major Rivers: The major rivers in Brazil are the Amazon, the Paraná and its major tributary, the Iguaçu, and the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and Tapajós rivers.

Mountains: Central and southern Brazil are mountainous.

Highest Point: The highest point in Brazil is Mt. Pico da Neblina (3,014 meters or 9,735 ft), on the border with Venezuela. Pico da Neblina means "Misty Peak" in English.

Lowest Point: The lowest point in Brazil is the Atlantic Ocean, at sea level.

Natural Resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber.

Major Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment.