Brazil is the largest country in South America and the world’s fifth largest country by geographical area (3,290,000 sq. mi) and population (192 million people) (US Department of State). With a population of 11 million people Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil. Other major cities include Rio de Janeiro (6 million), Salvador (3 million), Fortaleza, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte among others. Most of the Brazilians immigrated into the country. Indigenous Brazilians called Amerindians account for 0.3% of the population (United Nations Development Programme 5). There are several Brazilian cuisines that reflect the diversity of the country’s population. The national cuisine is the Feijoada (stew made from beans, pork and beef) while Moqueca (seafood stew) and Vapata (bread, coconut milk and shrimp) are examples of regional cuisines.
Brazil is a well developed country whose economy is the 8th largest in the world by Purchasing Power Parity. The currency of Brazil is the Real. R$ 1.95= US$1. The major exports from Brazil are electrical, automobiles, textiles, ethanol, coffee, footwear and steel (US Department of State). Brazil has numerous tourist attractions which include diverse mountains, plains, the Amazon rainforest, sandy beaches, and cultural festivals such as the carnival.
The meteoric economic growth of Brazil has brought about numerous reforms in the Brazilian health sector making it very attractive to foreign practitioners. This can be attested by the rise in life expectancy from an average of 69 in 1998 to 74 in 2011 (Brazilian Ministry of Health). Child mortality rates are at 2.1% while the birth rate stands at 17.7 births for every 1000 people. Although the provision of primary healthcare in Brazil is the responsibility of the federal government, numerous private establishments supplement provision of healthcare and offer improved working conditions for practitioners.
There are about 8000 major hospitals in Brazil to serve the entire population. Some of the challenges of being a nurse in Brazil would be the high prevalence of contagious diseases such as tuberculosis. About 50 million Brazilians are infected while 25.5% of the HIV/AIDS are also infected with TB (Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment 2). However, nurses in Brazil make a fairly good living. The average annual salary for nurses is R$ 60,000 or US$34,000. Based on these facts it would be generally beneficial to work as a nurse in Brazil.
Works cited
US Department of State-Brazil. 2012. Web. 21 April 2012. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640.htm
Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment. Brazilian Healthcare System. 2007. Web. 21 April 2012. http://www.moiti.org/pdf/Brazil%20Health%20Care%20System.pdf
Brazilian Ministry of Health: Statistics. 2011. Web. 21 April 2012. www.saude.gov.br
UNDP Human Development Report 2011. Human development index 2011 and its components- Brazil. (PDF). UNDP. 2011. Web. 21 April 2012. Print
