It seems Brazil is set to become famous for more things than the Amazon rainforest, its blessed variety of biodiversity, and the world-renowned beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is currently developing a reputation for being a financial powerhouse, with a booming and fast-growing economy and an increasing number of middle-class citizens than ever before.

Forget the “American dream”; the new land of opportunity is calling itself the “Brazilian dream”. Brazil or Republica Federtiva do Brasil is one of the fastest growing economies in the world at present, with its annual GDP (gross domestic product) being 5 per cent. This emerging economy which has seemingly been unaffected by the recent financial crisis is currently the world’s seventh economy, and this position is expected to rise. It has even been predicted to overtake the economies of wealthy European countries like the UK and France.

Part of the reason for Brazil’s prosperous economic surprise and transition from local to international power is due to its stable foundations in the financial crisis. It wasn’t affected as much as many other countries were and sustained an early recovery, since then, it has only been gaining strength after strength. Brazil is also solely energy-independent, so it doesn’t have to rely on others for energy; it’s also among the world’s leading producers of hydroelectric power. This is due to the many rivers and water sources found in Brazil.

Many Brazilians are happily getting used to the increased financial changes for the first time ever; the majority of Brazilian citizens are now labelled as middle-class. With this growth, many companies and investments have been looking to take advantage, especially since interest in Brazil is increasing as it gets ready to host the World Cup in 2004, and then the Olympic games in 2016.

In fact, it’s become an increasing trend for many westerners; especially Americans to move down south to Latin Americas largest and most populous country, in the search of better job prospects. According to the Brazilian Labor Ministry, 7, 550 Americans were granted work visas in 2010, which is a large rise from previous years, and a more than double rise from 2006.

This comes as no surprise, since the US among many other countries around the world have been in a constant struggle to recover from the financial crisis, with levels of unemployment higher than before. Yet Brazil has been strong in recent years and is looking to get even stronger.

The economy of Brazil is expected to do nothing but rise, and it’s expected that many people will be following the current trend and migrate to Brazil for better job opportunities.