Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world, only Russia, China, Canada and the United States exceeding it in terms of size. It makes up almost half of the entire continent of South America, covering an area of over 8.5 million square kilometres. It is bordered by Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. In fact it shares borders with every country in South America except Chile and Ecuador, and these inland borders extend for over 15,500 kilometres. To the eastern side of Brazil lies the Atlantic Ocean, with its coastline extending for more than 7,000 kilometres.
Brazil’s geography is vast and complex and its landscapes continue to impress its visitors. Brazil is home to over 60% of the Amazon Rainforest as well as immense stretches of highlands and an endless and spectacular coastline that feature mangroves, dunes, lagoons and impressive coral reefs. It is definitely worth a visit!
The country is divided into 5 main geographic regions.
The Amazon Basin occupies more than half of Brazil’s area with the Amazon River extending for over 3,000 kilometres across the country and carrying more water into the Atlantic than any other river to any other body of water. The Amazon River holds one fifth of the world’s fresh water and during the wet season it can expand to nearly 50 kilometres at its widest point. This vast region of tropical rainforest is home to a staggering diversity of wildlife.
Pantanal
The Pantanal is a tropical wetland system, a vast region of swamps and marshes and one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the world. It covers an area of over 14,000 square kilometres, and is a mosaic of flooded grasslands, savannahs and tropical forests interspersed with lakes, lagoons, rivers and marshes, its landscape brimming with the highest concentration of wildlife in South America.
Guiana Highlands
To the north of Brazil and stretching from southern Venezuela, lies the Guiana Highlands, a vast plateau of relatively flat-topped mountains covered by rainforest. It is here that you will find Brazil’s highest point, Pico de Neblina, at 2,994 metres.
The Brazilian Highlands stretch from Rio de Janeiro north to Fortaleza, an area covered by low mountain ranges and forested river valleys with a series of higher mountains forming a natural barrier between the interior of Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean.
Southern Highlands
The Southern Highlands form the area to the south and west of Curitiba.
Brazil can also be divided up into six major ecosystems. The Amazon Basin and the Pantanal have already had a mention, but the other four ecosystems are the Cerrado – a savannah system covering much of the centre of the country; Caatinga – thorny scrubland habitat of the northeast; Atlantic Forest – extending along the entire coast and the Pampas – fertile lowland plains of the far south.
In terms of land use, agricultural land accounts for around 33% of Brazil’s land use and forest around 62%. The country’s main natural resources include bauxite, gold, iron ore, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower and timber. Brazil is also the world’s largest exporter of coffee, soy beans, orange juice, tobacco, raw cane sugar and refined sugar and the world’s third largest exporter of beef and cocoa.
The range of landscapes are impressive and offer a huge variety of experiences. These range from the incredible Amazon Basin to the wildlife rich Pantanal wetlands, the mighty Iguazu Falls, the endless expanses of coastline and beaches, the waterfalls and peaks of Chapada Diamantina National Park and the Pampas grasslands where the beef cattle graze. And we have not even mentioned the vibrant cities and fascinating historic towns that dot the country and the landscape. Brazil is definitely a force to be reckoned with!
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The Brazilian landscape is very varied. It is most well known for its dense forests, including the Amazon, the world's largest jungle, in the north. But there are also dry grasslands (called pampas), rugged hills, pine forests, sprawling wetlands, immense plateaus, and a long coastal plain.
Brazil's primary geographic challenging is consolidating control over its vast peripheral territory and connecting these regions more efficiently with its population centers and ports.
The Brazilian Highlands is a geographic region characterized by low mountains and plateaus with an average elevation of around 1,000 meters above sea level. They cover over half Brazil's landmass at 4.5 million square kilometers and stretch inward from the coastal area.
Brazil's coastal cities are isolated on flat tracts of land along the escarpment. Such geographic sequestration precludes the development of megacities and the economies of scale that are obtained by such major economic centers as New York City, London, and Tokyo.
The country of Brazil occupies roughly half of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil covers a total area of 8,514,215 km2 (3,287,357 sq mi) which includes 8,456,510 km2 (3,265,080 sq mi) of land and 55,455 km2 (21,411 sq mi) of water.
Brazil's physical features can be grouped into five main physiographic divisions: the Guiana Highlands in the North, the Amazon lowlands, the Pantanal in the Central-West, the Brazilian Highlands (including the extensive coastal ranges), and the coastal lowlands.
Brazil has one of the highest levels of inequality of land distribution in the world. Inadequate access to land by the poor and insecure land tenure are factors behind rural poverty, violence, human rights abuses, and exploitation of rural workers in conditions of servitude.
Brazil's territorial dimension as a nation was achieved before the independence by the Portuguese-Brazilian monarchy (House of Bragança) in 1822, with later some territorial expansion and disputes with neighboring Spanish ex-colonies, making Brazil the largest contiguous territory in the Americas today.
Brazil's geography is vast and complex and its landscapes continue to impress its visitors. Brazil is home to over 60% of the Amazon Rainforest as well as immense stretches of highlands and an endless and spectacular coastline that feature mangroves, dunes, lagoons and impressive coral reefs.
With record-setting fires in the Amazon dominating headlines in recent years, the global environmental imaginary of Brazil often brings up scenes of deforestation, threats of tremendous biodiversity loss, and violent displacement driven by the cattle, forestry, and agribusiness industries.
The official Portuguese name of the land, in original Portuguese records, was the "Land of the Holy Cross" (Terra da Santa Cruz), but European sailors and merchants commonly called it the "Land of Brazil" (Terra do Brasil) because of the brazilwood trade.
The Brazilian Plateau, encompassing a large area in the central part of the country, is formed by eroded crystalline rocks and sedimentary basins. In the north of the country, below the Guyana Plateau, are recent river valleys, fluvial terraces and low plateaux of Tertiary sediments.
More than 60% of Brazil is plateaued and the topography of the country is relatively flat. The Brazilian Highlands cover most of the central, eastern and southern parts of the country and have average heights under 1,220 m (4,000 ft).
Brazil is geopolitically divided into five regions (also called macroregions), by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, which are formed by the federative units of Brazil.
Rising to an average elevation of 3,300 feet (1,000 metres) above sea level, the highlands are characterized by low mountains, hilly uplands, and tabular plateaus and include Mato Grosso Plateau and Paraná Plateau.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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