Brazil has the largest population in South America.
Brazil occupies nearly half of South America’s land area and is the continent’s most populous country. Its population is concentrated especially along the Atlantic coast and in major urban regions such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Salvador and Belo Horizonte. The country’s vast interior is more sparsely settled.
Brazil’s population reflects centuries of Indigenous history, Portuguese colonization, African forced migration and later immigration from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Portuguese is the official language, making Brazil distinct from most of its Spanish-speaking neighbors.
Brazil is sometimes confused with Argentina or Colombia when population rankings are considered, but neither has a population comparable to Brazil’s. Brazil is also South America’s largest country by area and contains most of the Amazon Basin, although the Amazon rainforest extends across several nations.