In 1807 Rio de Janeiro became the seat of the royal government of Portugal, which had been driven from Lisbon by French emperor Napoleon I. King John VI returned to Portugal in 1821, making his son, Dom Pedro, later Pedro I, the regent of Brazil. In 1891, and Brazil officially became the United States of Brazil (Brazil, 1998, CD ROM).

The 8,547,404 square kilometers that comprise Brazil occupy much of the South American continent. It is located inland from the East Coast of South America (Brazil, 1998, CD ROM).

Brazil's climate ranges from wet and tropical at the mouth of the Amazon to much drier and cooler in the southeast. Winter temperatures as low as -6? C (22? F) are occasionally recorded in the extreme south (Brazil, 1998, CD ROM).

The main topography of Brazil includes the Brazilian plateau, a vast highland region in the southeast; the Amazon River Basin of forested lowlands, swamps, and floodplains; and the Guiana Highlands in the extreme northwest. Much of the coast is fringed by a narrow plain. The Amazon River is navigable by oceangoing ships for about 3700 km (Brazil, 1998

Secondary education. There is a good system of public schools. However, many children attend private academies.

There are several plans in effect, but the concept has not been popular. Many conservatives blame the problems with the real on the programs.

Visual arts. African music, dance, food, and religious practices have become an integral part of Brazilian culture. As shown in the capitol of Brasilia, fine art and architecture are critical to the Brazilian mentality.

United States Census Bureau Quick Facts, 1996. (1996). US Printing Office.

Types available and in demand. Brazil has more soccer leagues than any nation in the world, and soccer is a national obsession. It is said that in Brazil, people would rather belong to a soccer club than eat. In some cases, people spend as much as 40 percent of their income.

Dynamics of the family: Parental roles. The increasing number of single family households suggest that parental roles are changing: "Brazil's millions of poor people--as well as social groups looked upon as expendable, such as indigenous peoples, homosexuals, landless peasants and street children--are subject to systematic police violence" (Hecht, 1998, 32)

Eaton, T. (1996, August 17). Out of this world, in Brazil: The mystical and the bizarre find fertile ground in South. America. The Dallas Morning News, 1G.

Kraul, C. (1997, November 23). Brazilian slowdown means shake-up in United States. Los Angeles Times. D-1(2).