Brazil to be a major player by 2026!

From BBC News:

Brazil has often been derided as the eternal country of the future. But now, it seems, that future has a date: 2026.

Brazil is stronger than before it went into recession, says Guido Mantega
At present, Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world and has the fifth-largest population as well.

But in 17 years' time, it will also be the fifth-largest economy in the world, says its finance minister, Guido Mantega.

"These figures are from the Economist Intelligence Unit," he told an audience of businessmen and journalists in London.

As he spoke, a slide showing a series of league tables outlined exactly how Brazil is expected to achieve this.

According to these projections, it will leapfrog the UK, France and Italy as early as 2011, before reaching the number five slot in 2026 with a gross domestic product of $5.721tn in purchasing power parity terms.

"If we took the World Bank figures, we would already be in fifth place in 2014," he said.

"We were more modest and took statistics that put us there in 2026, when China will already be the number one world economy."


This is interesting in that Rio has been awarded the Olympics for 2016 and the World Cup is going to Brazil in 2014. This means that Brazil's international profile will be huge for basically most of the upcoming decade. Investment in Brazil's infrastructure and economy will surely have a knock-on effect on the living conditions of some of the deprived people living in favellas.

The positive aspect of a nation having a vision is crucial. I remember how Malaysia ran the 2020 project which aims for that South East Asian nation to become a member of the developed world and helped Kuala Lumpur win the 1998 Commonwealth Games and built the Petronas Twin Towers and the Menara KL Tower. KL is a bustling, booming city. One of the jewels of the Far East.

Brazil and Rio are perhaps aiming to be the first true South American global player. A continent rich in natural deposits has for too long been exploited by the West and Multinational corporations at the expense of the local people.

Hopefully if Brazil does see its economy grow they will also feel the weight of world responsibility to protect the Amazonian rainforest and all the important species of plants, animals and birdlife that live in that ecosphere. Conservation of the Amazon is hugely important to the future of the planet. So we all have an interest in the future of Brazil.

Study Points:

1. What are the future implications of large nations such as Brazil, China and India becoming heavily industrialised by the early 21st century?
2. What are the benefits to Brazil of hosting the 2016 Olympics and 2014 World Cup?
3. How can the International Community help Brazil save the rainforest?