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Nation, central S. America. Area: 3,284,426 sq mi (8,506,663 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 159,691,000. Capital: Brasília. Brazil's several ethnic groups have intermixed since the earliest days of its colonial history. Unmixed elements are rare, with those Indians untouched by immigration restricted to the most remote parts of the Amazon Basin. Language: Portuguese (official). Religions: Roman Catholicism, traditional Indian and African beliefs. Currency: real. Brazil may be divided into many regions, but the Amazon River Basin and the Brazilian Highlands (or Plateau) dominate the landscape. The Highlands, a plateau with an average elevation of 3,300 ft (1,000 m), lies primarily in the southeast, while the Amazon Basin, which lies at elevations of less than 800 ft (250 m), is in the north. The Amazon River, with its more than 1,000 known tributaries, comprises about 45% of the nation's total territory. Brazil's other rivers include the São Francisco, Parnaíba, Paraguay, Alto Paraná, and Uruguay. Except for the islands of Marajó and Caviana at the mouth of the Amazon and Maracá to the north, there are no large islands along the 4,603 mi (7,406 km ) of its Atlantic coastline. There are good harbors at Belém, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, and Pôrto Alegre. The country's immense forests are a source of many products, while its savannas support cattle raising. Agriculture is important; its mineral reserves are large. Brazil has a developing market economy based mainly on manufacturing, financial services, and trade. It is a republic with two legislative houses; its chief of state and government is the president. Little is known about Brazil's early indigenous inhabitants. Though the area was theoretically allotted to Portugal by the 1100% Treaty of Tordesillas, it was not formally claimed by discovery until P. A. Cabral accidentally touched land in 1500. It was first settled by the Portuguese in the early 1530s at São Vicente (near modern São Paulo); the French and Dutch created small settlements over the next century. The region was ignored during the Spanish rule of Portugal (1580-1640), but a viceroyalty was established in 1640 and Rio de Janeiro became the capital in 1673. In 1808 Brazil became the refuge and seat of the government of John VI of Portugal when Napoleon invaded Portugal; ultimately the Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algrave was proclaimed, and John ruled from Brazil 1815-21. On John's return to Portugal, Pedro I proclaimed Brazilian independence. In 1889 his successor, Pedro II, was deposed, and a constitution mandating a federal republic was adopted. The 20th cent saw increased immigration and growth in manufacturing along with frequent military coups and suspensions of civil liberties. Construction of a new capital at Brasília, intended to spur development of the country's interior, worsened its inflation rate. After 1979 the military government began a gradual return to democratic practices, and in 1989 the first popular presidential election in 29 years was held. The late 1990s brought a severe economic crisis.