MOVING TO BRAZIL

Our Moving to Brazil Guide is available from upon request.

The Moving to Brazil Guide is available online and has been created to help expatriate families moving to Brazil.

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KEY FACTS

Official Name: Federative Republic of Brazil

Capital City: Brasília

Type of Government: Federal republic

Official Languages: Portuguese

Area: 8,511,965 sq. km/ 3,286,470 sq. mi

Population: 198.7 million

Religion: Roman Catholic

Currency: Real (R$)

Number of Time Zones: 4 time zones; most of the population lives in zones Greenwich Mean Time (GMT ) minus 3 hrs.; and Eastern Standard Time (EST) plus 2 hrs. Daylight saving time observed in EST zone region from November to mid-February

Weights and Measures: Metric system

Country Domain: .br

Country Tel Code: 55

AT A GLANCE

Brazil is one of the largest, most populous, and most topographically varied countries in the world. It is a country of diverse cultures. One hears the influences of Africa in Brazil’s music, tastes the different cultures in its food, and experiences numerous religious festivals throughout the year. Rio is famous as a major tourist destination, while São Paulo is the fourth largest city in the world and covers an area twice the size of Los Angeles.

Brazil contains the world’s largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon, which occupies about 40 percent of Brazil’s area.

Throughout the centuries, the country has prospered with its abundant natural resources and arable land. Important products have been coffee, sugar cane, and, eventually, rubber.

Politics

Brazil is a federal republic of 26 states and a federal district. It is governed by a president and a national congress, Congresso Nacional, composed of a Senate with 81 members – three members from each state – and a Chamber of Deputies with 517 members – based on population. The President and Deputies are elected for a four-year term; Senators are elected for eight years. The legal system is based on Roman law. The Federal Supreme Court is composed of 11 justices appointed by the president following approval of the Senate.

Economy

Today, Brazil’s economy is the strongest in South America, with large agrarian, mining, and manufacturing sectors and a thriving tourist industry. Brazil is the world’s top producer of many agricultural products and has abundant natural resources.

Brazil’s economic potential is immense. The government continues to promote privatization, deregulation, and legislation in the hope of attracting increased foreign investment. Recent difficulties with a falling Real, banking problems, a growing deficit, corruption, and high inflation have hampered the progress of fiscal reforms. There is also opposition to the government’s tight fiscal and monetary policy which was required to obtain a loan from the International Monetary Fund, IMF, following the economic downturn in the late 1990s.

Although Brazil may still be vulnerable to cycles of a boom and bust, current economic reform has brought some stability and growth to the economy – as well as lower inflation rates and a rebound in unemployment.

UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE

Family

Family is of particular importance in Brazil. The Brazilian family is traditionally a strong unit that embraces children and the elderly. Children tend to live at home until they marry; and the elderly or feeble are cared for by the family. The father is the head of the family, a figure of authority, but women and children often work outside of the home to help support the family. The extended family group, known as the parentela, may include hundreds of individuals. This social structure gives Brazilians a strong sense of belonging and of support. Nepotism is, perhaps, an outgrowth of this situation and is not considered a stigma.

Culture

Soccer and samba, Rio and rain forest, carnival and Candomblé, natural wonders and overcrowded slums, colonial cities and modern skyscrapers Brazil offers a rich diversity of peoples, places, and experiences. Connected by the common bond of the Portuguese language and culture, the Brazilians, in spite of their differences in status and wealth, celebrate their commonality. They are spontaneous, friendly, and full of enthusiasm. Regional differences emphasize either national themes, both nativist and Afro-Brazilian, or Euro-international.

Popular culture predominates in this media-oriented society with a thriving music industry and a highly developed television industry that produces numerous “soap operas,” telenovelas, distributed throughout the world.

Class, described in economic terms, and status are very important in Brazil, often determining what job a person will have. Bias exist regarding color and gender. However, any kind of prejudice or negative attitude towards a person for his or her ethnic makeup, cultural traditions, religion, or language can be heavily punished by the law.

Hierarchy

Many businesses in Brazil are family-owned. Family members hold positions of authority, but the decision-making is reserved for the founder of the company. In other businesses, the top executive is unlikely to delegate authority. He or she, while willing to accept colleagues’ opinions, will ultimately make the decisions.

The decision-maker or top executive usually is the person who motivates the employees. Personal loyalty and respect characterize the worker’s relationship to his/her superior. Successful managers are those who are paternalistic, showing interest in the employees of the firm. As an executive you may be approached for personal favors since it is assumed that you have connections.

Attitudes toward foreigners

Personally, foreigners will find Brazilians friendly and welcoming. The surest way to establish communication is to show an appreciation for Brazil and its culture and to try to speak Portuguese; Brazilians appreciate such gestures.

Attitudes toward women

A certain amount of machismo pervades Brazilian culture, and businesswomen should be aware of the attitude of male dominance. Brazilian women continue to occupy subordinate positions. The primary responsibility of women in Brazil is considered to be to care for the home and the family.

Attitudes toward work

Brazilian workers possess both the capacity for hard work and a willingness to learn. Paternalistic labor legislation and active unions affect the attitude of the individual worker.

Information provided in association with Living Abroad