Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is a country in South America.It is the fifth-largest country by geographical area, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. The official language is Portuguese.Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion.Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,367 kilometres.Brazil borders every nation on the South American continent except Ecuador and Chile. Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the department of French Guiana are to the north, Colombia to the northwest, Bolivia and Peru to the west, Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest, and Uruguay to the south.Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha, Trindade and Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas.Brazil is crossed by both the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn, and as such is home to a vast array of flora and fauna, natural environments, and extensive natural resources. Its region within the tropics is, by far, the largest of any country; about twice as large as that of Australia. The Brazilian population is concentrated along the coastline and in a few large urban centers in the interior. While Brazil is one of the most populous nations in the world, population density drops dramatically as one moves inland.Brazil was a colony of Portugal from the landing of Pedro Álvares Cabral in 1500 until its independence in 1822. Initially independent as the Brazilian Empire, the country has been a republic since 1889, although the bicameral legislature dates back to 1824, when the first constitution was ratified. Its current Constitution defines Brazil as a Federal Republic.The Federation is formed by the union of the States, the Federal District, and the Municipalities.There are currently 26 States and 5,564 Municipalities.