ducts,
oil

Imports - partners:
US 20%, Argentina 9.8%, Germany 8.7%, Japan 5.2%, China 4.4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$49.3 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$214.9 billion (2003)

Economic aid - recipient:
$30 billion IMF disbursement (2002)

Currency:
real (BRL)

Currency code:
BRL

Exchange rates:
reals per US dollar - 3.0771 (2003), 2.9208 (2002), 2.3577 (2001),
1.8301 (2000), 1.8147 (1999)
note: from October 1994 through 14 January 1999, the official rate
was determined by a managed float; since 15 January 1999, the
official rate floats independently with respect to the US dollar

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Brazil

Telephones - main lines in use:
38.81 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
46,373,300 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 64 earth stations
international: country code - 55; 3 coaxial submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to
Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM
stations) (1999)

Radios:
71 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
138 (1997)

Televisions:
36.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.br

Internet hosts:
3,163,349 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
50 (2000)

Internet users:
14.3 million (2002)

Transportation Brazil

Railways:
total: 29,412 km (1,610 km electrified)
broad gauge: 4,907 km 1.600-m gauge (942 km electrified)
standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge
dual gauge: 396 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km
electrified) (2003)
narrow gauge: 23,915 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)

Highways:
total: 1,724,929 km
paved: 94,871 km
unpaved: 1,630,058 km (2000)

Waterways:
50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2004)

Pipelines:
condensate/gas 244 km; gas 10,739 km; liquid petroleum gas 341 km;
oil 5,212 km; refined products 4,755 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto
Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, Vitoria

Merchant marine:
tota