son, Dom Pedro, later Pedro I, the regent of Brazil. In 1891, and Brazil officially became the United States of Brazil (Brazil, 1998, CD ROM).
The 8,547,404 square kilometers that comprise Brazil occupy much of the South American continent. It is located inland from the East Coast of South America (Brazil, 1998, CD ROM).
Brazil's climate ranges from wet and tropical at the mouth of the Amazon to much drier and cooler in the southeast. Winter temperatures as low as -6? C (22? F) are occasionally recorded in the extreme south (Brazil, 1998, CD ROM).
The main topography of Brazil includes the Brazilian plateau, a vast highland region in the southeast; the Amazon River Basin of forested lowlands, swamps, and floodplains; and the Guiana Highlands in the extreme northwest. Much of the coast is fringed by a narrow plain. The Amazon River is navigable by oceangoing ships for about 3700 km (Brazil, 1998, CD ROM )
The nuclear family. Women head at least one in 10 households and overall, women who head households are more likely than other women to be widowed and to be employed; they are also likely to be older, to be less educated and to have more children. Female-headed households are about as likely as or more likely than male-headed households to be wealthy (Women still..., 1997, 143).
The extended family. In the European sectors of Brazil, among the older settlers, the concept of the extended family is still apparent. However, it is not a strong social force.
Dynamics of the family: Parental roles. The increasing number of single family households suggest that parental roles are changing: "Brazil's millions of poor people--as well as social grou
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