LEFT BEHIND
Natal is the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, an underdeveloped state that contributes less than 1% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Population
Natal: 789,896
(metropolitan area: 2.7 million)
Brazil: 186.8 million
Infant Mortality (per 1,000 births)
Natal: 36.1
Brazil: 25.1
Illiteracy Above Age 15
Natal: 21.5%
Brazil: 11%
Life Expectancy
Natal: 70.1
São Paulo: 73.9
State Contribution to national gdp
Rio Grande do Norte: 0.9%
São Paulo: 30.9%
FAST FACTS
The AASDAP logo incorporates the 14-bis, the airplane flown by aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1906 near Paris to win two European prizes for the first flights of a powered, heavier-than-air craft. The Southern Cross constellation reflects AASDAP’s goal of enabling Brazilians to “fly” in their own land.
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GLOBAL GOAL
Nations with transitional economies similar to Brazil’s are pinning development hopes
on science and technology, some investing a larger proportion of national resources.
Gross Expenditure on R&D, 2004
(in billions of U.S. dollars/as a percentage of GDP)
Brazil: $13.5/0.91%
China: $95.5/1.23%
India: $23.7/0.69%
Singapore: $2.6/2.23%
South Korea: $28.3/2.85%
Taiwan: $15/2.38%
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
