Brazil–United States relations
Brazil United States
Continent South America North America
Population 210,620,000 325,013,000
Area 8,516,000 km ( 3,288,000 sq mi ) ( 86% the size of the U.S . ) 9,826,630 km ( 3,794,066 sq mi )
Population Density 24.66/km ( 63.1/sq mi ) 31/km ( 80/sq mi )
Capital Brasília Washington , D.C
Largest City São Paulo - 12,040,000 ( 21,242,939 Metro ) New York City - 8,491,079 ( 20,092,883 Metro )
Government Federal presidential constitutional republic Federal presidential constitutional republic
First Head of State Emperor Pedro I President George Washington
Current Head of State President Jair Bolsonaro President Donald Trump
First Head of Government Emperor Pedro I President George Washington
Current Head of Government President Jair Bolsonaro President Donald Trump
Official languages Portuguese None at federal level ( English de facto )
GDP ( nominal ) US $ 2.139 trillion ( $ 10,224 per capita ) US $ 18.569 trillion ( $ 57,468 per capita )
Ambassador Sérgio Amaral William Popp
Country comparison
Brazil-United States relations are the bilateral relations between Brazil and the United States. Relations have a long history. The United States was the first country to recognize Brazilian independence, and Brazil was the only South American nation to send troops to fight alongside the Allies in World War II. Though never openly confrontational towards each other, the two countries have had relatively-distant relations, with brief periods of co-operation. While Brazilian-American relations strengthened significantly after the election of Dilma Rousseff as president of Brazil in 2010 and the recent deterioration of Brazil-Iran relations, there has been a period of tension in relations over the June 2013 revelation of US mass surveillance programs in Brazil after there had been proof of American spying on Rousseff. Rousseff cancelled a scheduled visit to the US in September, 2013 in protest over such revelations. This tension receded somewhat in 2014 after it became clear that US President Barack Obama had not been directly involved in surveillance programs. Relations have improved markedly since Rousseff's state visit on June 30, 2015 to the United States, nearly two years after she had canceled a previous visit to the United States over the spying scandals. In 2019 with the victory of Jair Bolsonaro, the two countries approached again, signing deals in the areas of research, security and defense, Bolsonaro and Trump are considered regional allies. In addition, the two countries share membership in a variety of international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organization of American States, the G8+5, and the Group of 20. Brazil is one of the most pro-American nations in the world. According to a global opinion poll, 65% of Brazilians viewed the US favorably in 2014, increasing to 73% in 2015.