BRAZIL BRAZIL

The territory of Brazil is formed by two large natural regions, towards the north lies the Amazon lowland, corresponding to the basin of the Amazon River, which comprises about two-thirds of the surface of the country, and is covered by a dense and impenetrable rainforest. To the north of the Amazon basin are the relifs of the massif of Guayana and Serra do Imeri, this last along the border with Venezuela, where is the highest mountain of Brazil, Pico da Neblina (2,994 metres). In the eastern area of the country, is the Sertão, an area of arid highlands that extend over many states in the north-east of Brazil: Bahia, Sergipe, Alagoas, Pernambuco, Paraiba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceara, Piaui and the northern part of the state of Minas Gerais. In central and eastern zone is instead a series of vast plateaus, whose heights vary from an average of 700 to 1200 metres. To the east is the plateau of Brazil, cut by deep valleys and with some mountain ranges as the Chapada Diamantina, Serra do Espinhaço, Serra of Mantiqueira and Serra do Mar, with peaks not exceeding 3,000 meters ( Pico da Bandeira, 2,890 meters, Agulhas Negras, 2,787 meters). In the central area is the vast plateau of Mato Grosso, consisting of vast grasslands and large wooded areas that slope toward the Amazon lowland. To the west of Mato Grosso lies the Pantanal, the largest wetland of the world, a vast alluvial plain that covers 150,000 sq km on the border between Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. Much of the Brazilian territory is included in the basins of the Amazon and the Rio de la Plata-Paraná rivers. The most important river is the Amazon, 6,400 km long (second in the world after the Nile), it flows, after crossing the Amazon rainforest, from west to east and ends in the Atlantic Ocean, its river basin (7,050,000 sqkm) is the largest in the world, and occupies the territory of five countries: Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador. Also very important are its numerous tributaries such as Rio Negro, Japurá, Putumayo, Purus, Madeira, Tapajós, the Xingu and Tocantins. Among other rivers in the country are Parana, Sao Francisco and Parnaíba. Along the border with Argentina are the biggest waterfalls of the world, the Iguaçu falls, more than 270 waterfalls that drop from various heights, the maximum height is 90 meters, on a front of about 3 km. 

Brazil is a country with enormous natural resources, agriculture is one of its main economic sources, are grown coffee (the first world producer, mainly in the districts of Sao Paulo, Parana, Espíritu Santo and Minas Gerais), cocoa, tobacco, cotton, bananas, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, wheat, barley, sisal, sugar cane, soybeans, oranges, corn, peanuts, rice, tropical fruits, grapes, vegetables, cassava. Very rich are mineral resources, the country is one of the first producers in the world regarding the extraction of iron, rock crystal, chromium, mica, tin, zirconium, beryl; notable is the production of gold, manganese, diamonds, precious stones (marine waters, amethysts, topazes), magnesite, cassiterite, bauxite, nickel, uranium, titanium, asbestos, phosphates, tungsten, manganese, tin. Huge resources are forestry, Brazil is among the timber top producers of the world, there are produced large amounts of precious wood such as cedar, pine and rosewood of Paraná, forests also are produced rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), wax of carnauba, medicinal plants, vegetable oils and resins. Very important is the fishing industry, mainly prawns, lobsters and sardines. The farming has spread to almost all regions of the country, but it's particularly important in states of the South, remarkable is the quantity of cattle (one of the first in the world for the number of animals), but are also bred sheep, goats, horses, pigs and poultry. Among livestock products are meat, wool, milk. Very important is the hydroelectric potential in the country, Brazil is the third largest hydropower producer in the world after China and Canada, there are huge hydropower stations, like that of Itaipú (14GW), along the Parana River, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, or that of Ilha Solteira (3.4 GW), always on the Rio Parana, and the Tucuruí power station (8.3 GW) on the Tocantins River. Brazil had recently rapid industrial development which has led to a considerable development of the mining and quarrying sector, which is connected to the steel industry; important is also the mechanical industry (cars, aircraft, agricultural machinery) many are the industry linked to the processing of agricultural products in particular industries of meat processing, textile and tobacco industries. The industries have their greatest concentration in the south-east of the country, particularly in the districts of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre.