More about Brazil.
Brazil's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. In general, Brazilians trace their origins from four sources of migration: Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians.
Brazil has conducted a periodical population census since 1872. Since 1940, this census has been carried out decennially. Scanned versions of the forms for each census distributed in Brazil since 1960 are available on-line from IPUMS International.
Cities in Brazil, except for the state of São Paulo, are usually not arranged in a single network, but rather on various export paths to seaside ports. Some geographers have called this an "archipelago" of cities, and the most important cities are on the coast or close to it. State capitals are also each the largest city in its state, except for Palmas, the new capital of the recently created state of Tocantins, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in São Paulo state (Campinas, Santos and Paraíba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley), and Santa Catarina (Itajaí Valley).
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are far larger than any other Brazilian city. São Paulo's influence in most economic aspects can be noted in a national (and even international) scale; other Brazilian metropolises are second tier, even though Rio de Janeiro (partially due to its former status as the national capital) still hosts various large corporations' headquarters, besides being Brazil's cultural center with respect to soap operas and film production.
Immigration has been a very important demographic factor in the formation, structure and history of the population in Brazil, influencing culture, economy, education, racial issues, etc. Brazil has received the third largest number of immigrants in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States and Argentina.
Brazil's structure, legislation and settlement policies for arriving immigrants were much less organized than in Canada and the United States at the time. Nevertheless, an Immigrant's Hostel (Hospedaria dos Imigrantes) was built in 1886 in São Paulo, and quick admittance and recording routines for the throngs of immigrants arriving by ship at the seaports of Vitória, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranaguá, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre were established. The São Paulo State alone processed more than 2.5 million immigrants in its almost 100 years of continuous operation. People of more than 70 different nationalities were recorded.
Following the trend of several other countries in the Americas, which encouraged immigration from many countries, Brazil quickly became a melting pot of races and nationalities, probably the second largest in the world after the USA, but being peculiar in the sense of having the highest degree of intermarriage in the world. Immigrants found a strong social and cultural tolerance toward inter-racial marriage, including large numbers of Mulattoes (white and black), Caboclos (Indian and White) and mixed European, African and Indian people, though it was not accompanied by an entire lack of racism.
Correspondingly, the same mentality reflected in low psychological and social barriers regarding intermarriage between Europeans, Middle Easterners and Asians of several origins, as well as between people of different religions.
In part, the population descends from early European settlers — chiefly Portuguese; African (Yoruba, Ewe, Bantu, and others), and assimilated indigenous peoples (mostly Tupi and Guarani, but also of many other ethnic groups). Trans-ethnic marriages and concubinage have been common and well accepted ever since the first Portuguese settlers arrived. Starting in the late 19th century Brazil received substantial immigration from several other countries, mainly what are now the countries of Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, Lebanon and Syria (mostly Christians), Ukraine, Japan, the People's Republic of China and Korea. Jewish people, both from Ashkenazi and Sephardi origin, form considerably large communities, especially in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
The descendants of more recent European immigrants, particularly the Germans, Italians and Poles, are mainly concentrated in the southern part of the country, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, and the most populate, São Paulo; these states have a large majority of people of European descent. In the rest of the country, most of the white population is of older Portuguese settler stock. In the mid-southern states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and in the Federal District of Brasilia, the number of whites is somewhat equal to the number of Afro-Brazilian and mixed race Brazilians.
In the Northeast, which received large masses of African slaves to work in sugarcane, tobacco and cotton plantations, people of African and mixed-race descent are dominant. The city of Salvador da Bahia, for example, is considered one of the largest black cities of the world. In the Northwest (covering largely the Brazilian Amazon), a great part of the population has distinguishable ethnic characteristics that emphasize their Amerindian roots. Other ethnic groups have merged with the Indigenous tribes there. This region is not densely populated, and "caboclos", people of mixed native and European descent, are a small part of the entire Brazilian population.
The Japanese are the largest Asian group in Brazil. In fact, Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan, with 1.5 million Japanese-Brazilians, most of them living in São Paulo. Some Chinese and Koreans also settled Brazil. Most Chinese came from mainland China, but others came from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and also from Portuguese-speaking Macau—these Chinese from Macau could speak and understand Portuguese, and it was not hard for them to adjust to Brazilian life. Those immigrant populations and their descendants still retain some of their original ethnic identity, however they are not closed communities and are rapidly integrating into mainstream Brazilian society: for instance, very few of the third generation can understand their grandparents' languages.
There are also a large number of Brazilians of Arab descent (estimated at 10 million people), most of Christian Lebanese or Syrian descent.
According to the 2006 census, White Brazilians make up 49.7% of Brazil's population, or 93.096 million people.
Whites are found in the entire territory of Brazil, although the main concentrations are found in the South and Southeastern parts of the country. White Brazilians are all people who are total or mostly descended from White immigrants.
Up to 1800, close to one million Europeans had left for Brazil, most of them colonial settlers from Portugal. The boom of the immigration occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, when nearly five million Europeans immigrated to Brazil, most of them Italians, Portuguese, Germans and Spaniards.
Although White Brazilians make up the majority of the population, a large number of them have some Amerindian and/or African ancestry (similar admixture are found in White Americans and White Argentines). Today, White Brazilians come from a very diverse background, which includes:
The Arab Brazilian population is estimated at about 10 million people, mostly Syrians and Lebanese people.
The Dutch were among the Europeans settling in Brazil during the 17th century. From 1630 to 1554, the Dutch controlled the northeast coast of Brazil, establishing their colonial capital in Recife. However, they had a minor influence in Brazil's ethnicity.
The first Germans arrived in Brazil in 1824. Most of them established themselves in rural communities across Southern Brazil, such as São Leopoldo, Novo Hamburgo, Blumenau and Pomerode. In states of the south, such as Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, they may represent as much as 35% of the population. [17]
Italians started arriving in Brazil in 1875. First they settled in rural communities across Southern Brazil. In the early 20th century, they mostly settled in the coffee plantations in the Southeast. 25 million Brazilians are of Italian origin, the largest numbers outside of Italy itself, most of them descended from Northern Italians.
Poles came in significant numbers to Brazil after 1870. Most of them settled in the State of Paraná, working as small farmers.
Most Brazilians are full or partly of Portuguese ancestry. They started arriving in 1500, the immigration grew in the 18th century and the boom occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Spaniards came in large numbers to Brazil, starting in the late 19th century. Most of them were attracted to work in the coffee plantations in the State of São Paulo. Today there is an estimated 15 million Brazilians of direct Spanish descent.
According to a survey, the main ancestries claimed by White Brazilians are:
§ 45.53% Brazilian ancestry (mostly people of distant Portuguese background).
§ 15.72% Italian
§ 14.50% Portuguese
§ 6.42% Spanish
§ 5.51% German
§ 4.80% Amerindian (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Indian)
§ 1.88% African or Black (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Black)
§ 0.72% Arab
§ 0.62% Japanese (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Japanese)
§ 0.25% Jewish
§ 4.05% others
- A. Jonathan Buhalis
Brazil's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. In general, Brazilians trace their origins from four sources of migration: Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians.
Brazil has conducted a periodical population census since 1872. Since 1940, this census has been carried out decennially. Scanned versions of the forms for each census distributed in Brazil since 1960 are available on-line from IPUMS International.
Cities in Brazil, except for the state of São Paulo, are usually not arranged in a single network, but rather on various export paths to seaside ports. Some geographers have called this an "archipelago" of cities, and the most important cities are on the coast or close to it. State capitals are also each the largest city in its state, except for Palmas, the new capital of the recently created state of Tocantins, and Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are also non-capital metropolitan areas in São Paulo state (Campinas, Santos and Paraíba Valley), Minas Gerais (Steel Valley), Rio Grande do Sul (Sinos Valley), and Santa Catarina (Itajaí Valley).
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are far larger than any other Brazilian city. São Paulo's influence in most economic aspects can be noted in a national (and even international) scale; other Brazilian metropolises are second tier, even though Rio de Janeiro (partially due to its former status as the national capital) still hosts various large corporations' headquarters, besides being Brazil's cultural center with respect to soap operas and film production.
Immigration has been a very important demographic factor in the formation, structure and history of the population in Brazil, influencing culture, economy, education, racial issues, etc. Brazil has received the third largest number of immigrants in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States and Argentina.
Brazil's structure, legislation and settlement policies for arriving immigrants were much less organized than in Canada and the United States at the time. Nevertheless, an Immigrant's Hostel (Hospedaria dos Imigrantes) was built in 1886 in São Paulo, and quick admittance and recording routines for the throngs of immigrants arriving by ship at the seaports of Vitória, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranaguá, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre were established. The São Paulo State alone processed more than 2.5 million immigrants in its almost 100 years of continuous operation. People of more than 70 different nationalities were recorded.
Following the trend of several other countries in the Americas, which encouraged immigration from many countries, Brazil quickly became a melting pot of races and nationalities, probably the second largest in the world after the USA, but being peculiar in the sense of having the highest degree of intermarriage in the world. Immigrants found a strong social and cultural tolerance toward inter-racial marriage, including large numbers of Mulattoes (white and black), Caboclos (Indian and White) and mixed European, African and Indian people, though it was not accompanied by an entire lack of racism.
Correspondingly, the same mentality reflected in low psychological and social barriers regarding intermarriage between Europeans, Middle Easterners and Asians of several origins, as well as between people of different religions.
In part, the population descends from early European settlers — chiefly Portuguese; African (Yoruba, Ewe, Bantu, and others), and assimilated indigenous peoples (mostly Tupi and Guarani, but also of many other ethnic groups). Trans-ethnic marriages and concubinage have been common and well accepted ever since the first Portuguese settlers arrived. Starting in the late 19th century Brazil received substantial immigration from several other countries, mainly what are now the countries of Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, Lebanon and Syria (mostly Christians), Ukraine, Japan, the People's Republic of China and Korea. Jewish people, both from Ashkenazi and Sephardi origin, form considerably large communities, especially in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
The descendants of more recent European immigrants, particularly the Germans, Italians and Poles, are mainly concentrated in the southern part of the country, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, and the most populate, São Paulo; these states have a large majority of people of European descent. In the rest of the country, most of the white population is of older Portuguese settler stock. In the mid-southern states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and in the Federal District of Brasilia, the number of whites is somewhat equal to the number of Afro-Brazilian and mixed race Brazilians.
In the Northeast, which received large masses of African slaves to work in sugarcane, tobacco and cotton plantations, people of African and mixed-race descent are dominant. The city of Salvador da Bahia, for example, is considered one of the largest black cities of the world. In the Northwest (covering largely the Brazilian Amazon), a great part of the population has distinguishable ethnic characteristics that emphasize their Amerindian roots. Other ethnic groups have merged with the Indigenous tribes there. This region is not densely populated, and "caboclos", people of mixed native and European descent, are a small part of the entire Brazilian population.
The Japanese are the largest Asian group in Brazil. In fact, Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan, with 1.5 million Japanese-Brazilians, most of them living in São Paulo. Some Chinese and Koreans also settled Brazil. Most Chinese came from mainland China, but others came from Taiwan and Hong Kong, and also from Portuguese-speaking Macau—these Chinese from Macau could speak and understand Portuguese, and it was not hard for them to adjust to Brazilian life. Those immigrant populations and their descendants still retain some of their original ethnic identity, however they are not closed communities and are rapidly integrating into mainstream Brazilian society: for instance, very few of the third generation can understand their grandparents' languages.
There are also a large number of Brazilians of Arab descent (estimated at 10 million people), most of Christian Lebanese or Syrian descent.
According to the 2006 census, White Brazilians make up 49.7% of Brazil's population, or 93.096 million people.
Whites are found in the entire territory of Brazil, although the main concentrations are found in the South and Southeastern parts of the country. White Brazilians are all people who are total or mostly descended from White immigrants.
Up to 1800, close to one million Europeans had left for Brazil, most of them colonial settlers from Portugal. The boom of the immigration occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, when nearly five million Europeans immigrated to Brazil, most of them Italians, Portuguese, Germans and Spaniards.
Although White Brazilians make up the majority of the population, a large number of them have some Amerindian and/or African ancestry (similar admixture are found in White Americans and White Argentines). Today, White Brazilians come from a very diverse background, which includes:
The Arab Brazilian population is estimated at about 10 million people, mostly Syrians and Lebanese people.
The Dutch were among the Europeans settling in Brazil during the 17th century. From 1630 to 1554, the Dutch controlled the northeast coast of Brazil, establishing their colonial capital in Recife. However, they had a minor influence in Brazil's ethnicity.
The first Germans arrived in Brazil in 1824. Most of them established themselves in rural communities across Southern Brazil, such as São Leopoldo, Novo Hamburgo, Blumenau and Pomerode. In states of the south, such as Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, they may represent as much as 35% of the population. [17]
Italians started arriving in Brazil in 1875. First they settled in rural communities across Southern Brazil. In the early 20th century, they mostly settled in the coffee plantations in the Southeast. 25 million Brazilians are of Italian origin, the largest numbers outside of Italy itself, most of them descended from Northern Italians.
Poles came in significant numbers to Brazil after 1870. Most of them settled in the State of Paraná, working as small farmers.
Most Brazilians are full or partly of Portuguese ancestry. They started arriving in 1500, the immigration grew in the 18th century and the boom occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Spaniards came in large numbers to Brazil, starting in the late 19th century. Most of them were attracted to work in the coffee plantations in the State of São Paulo. Today there is an estimated 15 million Brazilians of direct Spanish descent.
According to a survey, the main ancestries claimed by White Brazilians are:
§ 45.53% Brazilian ancestry (mostly people of distant Portuguese background).
§ 15.72% Italian
§ 14.50% Portuguese
§ 6.42% Spanish
§ 5.51% German
§ 4.80% Amerindian (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Indian)
§ 1.88% African or Black (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Black)
§ 0.72% Arab
§ 0.62% Japanese (self-declared Whites who claimed to be part Japanese)
§ 0.25% Jewish
§ 4.05% others
- A. Jonathan Buhalis
