Population



Population  The population of Brazil is approximately 198.7 million and is still growing annually at a rate of about 1.2 percent. More than 85 percent of the people live in cities. Along with their greater areas, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro hold some 30 million people. Brasilia, the new capital, was completed in 1960 after having almost every detail of the city planned by the government; its population now numbers more than 2 million.

About 45 percent of the population is younger than 20. Brazilians of European (mostly Portuguese) make up 54 percent of the population, while 39 percent is of mixed heritage and 6 percent is of African descent. The indigenous population numbers only about 460,000. Many of these people live in the Amazon region (a few groups have never been contacted by modern society). Many people of mixed heritage have some indigenous blood through intermarriage. Groups of German, Italian, Lebanese, and Japanese immigrants who settled in the south maintain ethnic communities. In fact, Brazil is home to the largest cohesive community of Japanese outside of Japan. The black population descended from African slaves brought to Brazil before the 1880s; they live mostly in northeastern states like Bahia.