YOU CHOSE ... 'República Federativa do Brasil' is the South American country name derived from an exploitable wood 'pau-brasil.' Fleet commander Pedro Álvares Cabral claimed this land, where an estimated 2-6 million indigenous people lived (today fewer than 200,000), for Portugal in 1500. Belongings from inhabitants date back more than 3500 years. CONTINUE REPÚBLICA FEDERATIVA DO BRASIL TODAY* flag - green with large yellow diamond in center bearing blue celestial globe with 27 white 5-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in same pattern as night sky over Brazil; globe has white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress) [flag info borrowed from cia site] Government - Federal republic President - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Area - 8,514,215 sq km (3,286,487 sq mi) Map - map by Lonely Planet Population - 175 million Capital city - Brasília People - 55% European descent, 38% mulatto, 6% African descent (according to the 1980 census). In reality, these figures are skewed by whiteness being equated with social stature in Brazil. Language - Portuguese Religion - 70% Roman Catholic; also a significant proportion who either belong to various cults or practice Indian animism GDP - US$650 billion GDP per head - US$4060 Inflation - 8% (1999) Major industries - Textiles, shoes, chemicals, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, motor vehicles and parts, arms, soya beans, orange juice, beef, chicken, coffee, sugar Major trading partners - EU, Central and South America, Asia, USA history - history by Lonely Planet *these details borrowed from Lonely Planet