| These maps are
provided for convenience, since many investors will not be familiar with the
various states or cities of Brazil. Although the majority of the
economic activity of Brazil is concentrated in the south (such as from Belo
Horizonte south), and in the many major cities along the coast, there
continue to be efforts to promote development in the poor northeast region
and the interior.
Executives may be unaware of many business locations
beyond the well-known cities of São Paulo and Rio de
Janeiro, including numerous cities with populations in excess of 1 million.
Some cities such as Curitiba have achieved international recognition for
their efficient public transportation and other services, while others have
been unable to cope with rapid growth for the development and maintenance of
basic infrastructure needs.
There are many locations with significant
clusters of foreign investment, even though their names may not be familiar
to executives outside of Brazil. This includes many investments from
Japan, as well as a very large number of Japanese immigrants, plus many
investors and immigrants from Europe. |
The
American Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo is one of the largest in the world
(if not the largest), given the many US investors in the country, and can be
very helpful to US executives who are trying to evaluate their business
opportunities. There are also large Chambers from other countries.
It is a country where, as one executive put it wryly during the 1980's era
of hyperinflation, "The only thing you can predict about Brazil is that the
sun will come up tomorrow. Everything beyond that is pure
speculation."
The level of foreign investment activity in the
country has grown dramatically in recent years as the economic picture
improved, but once again, it is anybody's guess what the future will bring,
other than more surprises.
In the long term, however, Brazil remains a major
potential destination of foreign direct investment as one of the largest and
most dynamic economies in the world, with vast natural and human resources,
despite many social problems and economic disparities between regions. |
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