This is Brazil by the Numbers, a digest of the most interesting figures tucked inside the latest news about Brazil. Random numbers that help explain what is going on in Brazil. This week, we gather Brazil’s top 14 numbers of 2019!
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One complaint every 9 days
President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration has been heavily criticized for its stances on the environment and human rights. The president has become notorious for his homophobic remarks, and the government has done little to protect indigenous leaders in their conflicts with land-grabbers in the Amazon. According to research by journalist Jamil Chade, Brazil received at least 37 complaints of human rights violations from the United Nations—an average of one every nine days. Still, Brazil gathered enough support and was re-elected for a seat at the UN Human Rights Committee. As was Venezuela.
USD 1 : BRL 4.27
The Brazilian currency is going through a tough time, especially after the thrid quarter of 2019. Spot contracts for USD rose 5.77 percent against the Brazilian Real in November 2019, causing havoc among investors. The Brazilian currency then hit consecutive nominal lows in December. However, the slump was made worse by remarks from Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, who said the foreign exchange market would reach a new level in Brazil with lower interest rates. Since the first warnings in May, when the U.S. Dollar hit BRL 4.10, Brazil’s Central Bank’s decision to intervene in the depreciation of the Real have not worked, as the USD rate continued to rise, reaching some of the frightening levels we have seen this month. The bank intervened and held several dollar auctions on the spot market, but the extra liquidity wasn’t enough to balance the market.
29.5 percent more Amazon fires
According to the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), at least 9,762 square kilometers of the Amazon rainforest was deforested between August 2018 and July 2019—a rise of 29.5 percent from the previous year and the worst rate in 11 years. Moreover, a new study from NGO World Wide Fund for Nature pointed out that one in every three burning sites is related to deforestation. In eight...
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