01.01.02. Key geographical and demographic characteristics | Brazil

01.01.02. Key geographical and demographic characteristics | Brazil

10 Feb 2022

Brazil’s geography is mostly continental, with a few small islands that are economically and geographically closely connected with the mainland. The five geographic regions in the country are different in terms of demography. For instance, while the southeast region (that covers 11% of the Brazilian territory) accounts for 43% of the population and 56% of the gross domestic product; the north region (containing most of the Amazon forest) is the second poorest region, after the northeast region, and has the lowest population density (3.9 people per Km2) (Paim et al., 2011). In general, Brazil has a population density of 24.66 inhabitants per square kilometre. Around 76% of the Brazilian population live in urban areas which correspond to 26% of the municipalities; whereas about 60% of the municipalities are considered rural and encompass 17% of the population (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, 2012).

 

References:

Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. (2012). Nova proposta de classificacao territorial mostra um brasil menos urbano. https://agenciadenoticias.ibge.gov.br/agencia-noticias/2012-agencia-de-noticias/noticias/15007-nova-proposta-de-classificacao-territorial-mostra-um-brasil-menos-urbano

Paim, J., Travassos, C., Almeida, C., Bahia, L., & Macinko, J. (2011). The Brazilian health system: History, advances, and challenges. The Lancet, 377(9779), 1778–1797. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60054-8