Economy of Brazil compared to only US$2 billion per year last decade, remarkable growth. The agricultural sector, locally called the "agronegócio" (agro-business), has also been remarkably dynamic: for two decades this sector has kept Brazil among the most highly productive countries in areas related to the rural sector. The agricultural sector and the mining sector also supported trade surpluses which allowed for massive currency gains (rebound) and external debt paydown. Due to a downturn in Western economies, Brazil found itself in 2010 trying to halt the appreciation of the real. Data from the Asian Development Bank and the Tax Justice Network show the
Name of Brazil Name of Brazil The name "Brazil" is a shortened form of "Terra do Brasil", "land of Brazil", a reference to brazilwood, given in the early 16th century to the territories leased to the merchant consortium led by Fernão de Loronha for commercial exploitation of brazilwood for the production of wood dyes for the European textile industry. The term for the brazilwood tree in Portuguese, "pau-brasil", is derived from "brasa" ("ember"), a reference to the colour, formed from medieval Latin "brasa", from Old French "brese", "ember, glowing charcoal", in turn from a West Germanic "*brasa"). The land of what became Brazil