A former Portuguese colony that gained independence in 1822, Brazil is by far the largest and most populous country in South America. About the size of the US and with a population of 188 million, the country has been a stable democracy since the army peacefully handed power back to the people in 1985. The current president (in power since 2003) is the left-leaning reformer Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, known both affectionately and unaffectionately as Lula. Brazilians return to the polls in October 2006. Lula is expected to win again.

In the last decade or so, Brazil has survived several continent-wide economic up and downs but, unlike some of its neighbors (such as Argentina), has thrived without suffering complete economic meltdown. Industry and agriculture dominate the economy, though manufacturing, service and information sectors are also powerful. The total economy of Brazil is larger than all other South American countries combined.

The real, Brazil's currency, has spent the last few years gaining on other western currencies, making shooting in the country slightly more expensive. A US dollar buys a little more than two reais these days, compared to about three per US dollar at the beginning of the millennium.

There are two kinds of people in Brazil: rich and poor. The Portuguese-speaking Brazilians own about 65 million cell phones and about 30 million of them are online. Brazil has a long history of immigration, much of which in the 17th to 19th centuries was attributed to slaves brought over from Africa by the Portuguese. Since then, a relatively relaxed attitude towards intermarriage and more modern immigration has produced a staggeringly diverse population of whites and Mediterraneans (who combine to make up about half the population), multi-racial (about 40%) with the rest made up of blacks, Arabs, Japanese and native Amerindians.

Depending on where you are at any particular moment, Brazil might not appear to be a third world country, but it is. Parts of Brazil are very dangerous and there is widespread corruption. While these issues are being addressed as never before, poverty and the great divide between rich and poor remains a huge problem.

RIO DE JANEIRO AND SÃO PAULO
Brazil's largest and most famous cities are just two of 11 with multimillion populations - most of which most non-Brazilians have never even heard of. São Paulo has a population of about 18 million - Rio, 'just' 10. In terms of production and advertising in general, Rio is akin to Los Angeles and São Paulo to New York. Although the larger agencies and some production companies have offices in both centers, São Paulo is home to more work, clients, money, local production and is the real ad center. Rio sees more international production and tourism. Rio is also better known for feature films, both those that are locally produced and courtesy of visiting productions. JL