Brazil is among the developing countries in the world. When ranked in terms of nominal GDP, Brazil is the 6th largest in the world. Brazil has a relatively free-market economy. Its economy is considered among the fasted growing in the world with an annual GDP of about 5%. The GDP is averaged at a rate of 0.8% with the highest value having been recorded in 2010 and the lowest in 2008.
According to Index Mundi, “personal income per capita refers to a measure of average income within an economic aggregate including a country and a city” (2012, p. 1). For the case of Brazil, personal income per capita has undergone variations in increasing order. According to the information from Index Mundi (2012), personal income per capita from 2009 to 2011 was US dollars 10,800, 11,300, and 11,600 respectively. The average income per person in 2009 was approximately $760 per month. However, jobs in Brazil are payable on an hourly basis and the average income per hour in 2011 was $15.
Distribution of wealth in Brazil assumes a distorted pattern favoring the few capitalists. According to Pochmann (2012), 75% of wealth is concentrated in the hands of only 10% of the population. At the same time, 25% of the population is considered as poor since their monthly income is below $750. The southern part of the country has a fair distribution of resources with a Gini of the coefficient of 0.58 whereas the northern part has a Gini of the coefficient of 0.64. This distribution of wealth is distorted because of the Gini of coefficient higher than the standards one, which is 0.4.
Brazil is an agricultural country and is further endowed with natural resources. In the first place, there are natural forest resources. Forests are tapped for timber. There are also mineral resources including mercury, chromium, mica, gold, graphite, iron ore, bauxite, tin, quartz, petroleum, diamonds, phosphates, graphite, copper, oil, and zinc. Majority of these minerals are located in the northern region (Cateora & Graham, 2011).
Surface transport in Brazil was a problem in the 1970s but has been improved in the last two decades. The total railway network has been improved and expanded broad, narrow, dual, and standard gauges. The total network is 29,295km with a third of the same being electric. At the same time, there are 100 tramways or street railways in operation. Road network is extensive in Brazil. The road network covers 1,751,868 km and is well distributed in the country.
However, 94.5% of the network is unpaved. The country has several pipeline systems for transporting industrial and petroleum products. The country is served by 30 ports in the Indian Ocean, two on the Amazon River and an international waterway called Columbia. There are 140 cars for every 1000 people. The public usage rate of land transport is one trip per day per capita (International Transport Statistics Database, 2012).
The communication system is well developed in Brazil. The country has a good internet system with approximately 34.5% of the population using the internet on a daily basis. There are over 340 newspapers with a circulations rate of about 2.6millions per day. There are over 40milllions cellular phones in use. At the same time, landlines are well supplied in urban and sub-urban areas (Country Data, 2012).
The working condition in Brazil varies depending on the employer. The employer-employee relationship is guarded by laws and trade unions. There are special laws for protecting teenager aged between 14 and 18. The rest are protected by unions. There are several thousands of unions protecting workers in Brazil. Salaries depend on the occupation. The mean earning is $750 per month. Brazil is among the best paying nation in the world for its top executives. Top executives earn about BBR 45,000 per month. Employees are properly represented in the management through their unions (Pielow, 2010).
References
Cateora, P. & Graham, J. (2011). International marketing. 15 edn. New York, NY: Irwin McGraw Hill. Web.
Country Data. (2012). Brazil:transportation and communications. Web.
Index Mundi. (2012). Brazil GDP- per capita (PPP). Web.
International Transport Statistics Database. (2012). Transport in Brazil. Web.
Pielow, C. (2010). Brazil Surprises with the best salaries in the world for high level executive positions. Web.