Country Trading Profiles Brazil - General information

Political outline | Living conditions | Useful resources | Communications

Political outline

Executive Power: The president is both Head of State and Head of the Government; he holds executive power. He (and the vice-president) is elected by universal suffrage for a four year term. He appoints the Council of Ministers.
Legislative Power: The legislative power is bicameral. The parliament, called National Congress, is made up of two houses: the Senate (upper house), which has 81 members (3 members for each of the 26 provinces and for the federal district, elected according to the majority principle, for an 8 year term) ; and the Chamber of Deputies (lower house), which has 513 seats (and whose members are elected by proportional representation for a four year term). Each of the 26 States, and the federal district of Brazilia, has a separate legislature and administration. Brazilians enjoy considerable political rights.
Main political parties: Fifteen political parties are represented in the National Congress. As it frequently happens that a politician changes parties, the proportion of seats of a given party in Congress changes regularly. The main political parties are as follows:
- The PT (Workers' Party, center-left)
- The Democrats
- The PMDB(Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, center)
- The PSDB (Brazilian Social Democratic Party, center-left)
- The PCdoB ( Brazilian Communist Party, left-wing)
Current political leaders: President: Dilma ROUSSEFF (since 1 January 2011) – PT
Vice President: Michel Temer (since 1 January 2011) - PT
Next election dates: Presidential: October 2014
Legislative: October 2014
Senate : October 2014 (for 1/3 of the members)

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions: There is no major health risk if you are traveling in large Brazilian cities. If you go to the interior, particularly in the Amazon region, you must be vaccinated against yellow fever and protected against malaria. For further information, consult the World Health Organization's dossier: International Travel and Health.
International hospitals: The American Hospital in São Paulo. It is not advisable to go to a public hospital in Brazil. Apart from the language barrier, the quality of healthcare is only average, and there are endless waiting times. It is better to go to a doctor for slight problems or to a private clinic if the problem is more serious.
For further information on sanitary conditions: Ministry of Health
World Health Organization
For further information on safety conditions: The advice of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The US State Department
Contact your Embassy: Embassy of Greece in Brazil
SES, Avdas Nacoes, Qd805
70450-900 Brasilia DF
Phone: (005561) 4436573
Fax : 4436902
info@emb-grecia.org.br http://www.emb-grecia.org.br

Emergency numbers

Police	190
Ambulance	192
Firemen	193

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Recife, Brasilia, Rio, Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre (GMT-3 in winter, GMT-2 in summer)
It is %T:%M %A in Salvador, Fortaleza (GMT-3)
It is %T:%M %A in Manaus (GMT-4)
Summer time period: Summer time from October to February.

Map of the time zone

Type of climate: A tropical area but there are 5 different climatic regions in Brazil. The climate is very mild in Sao Paulo and Brasilia, on average 19°C, and it is hot in Rio de Janeiro. It is better to visit the south of Brazil between September and November. The tropical climate in the north allows visiting all year, but be careful of the rainy season from December to March and the very high temperatures which go with it. The ideal time to visit Amazonia is the dry season, from June to September.

For further information: National Meteorological Institute (Inmet)

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Useful resources

To find an accommodation: Hostel Brazil Pousada Hoteis.com
HotelInSide.com.br
To find an apartment: Property in Brazil
Directory of real estate agencies
RT Imobiliaria
Imovelnobrasil

Expatriates.com Brazil
Green acres
To find a job: Recruitment website
Manager online
People consulting

Communications

Telephone codes: To make a call from Brazil to Greece: dial 00 (or +) 30
To make a call to in Brazil from Greece: dial 00 (or +) +55
Mobile telephone standards: The network accepts bi-band telephones. You can buy a local chip without a subscription.
Internet suffix: .br

COUNTRY TRADING PROFILES

General Information

Political outline

Living conditions

Health and safety

Emergency numbers

Time difference and climate

Map of the time zone

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Useful resources

Communications