Figure 1.--The photo was taken in the Brazilian Sertão--meaning 'Hinterland'. It is inland from the coast, .the largest of the four sub-regions of Northeastern Brazil. The Sertão is basically what Australians call the Outback. It is an area of scrubby upland forest called a 'caatingas'. It is an economically poor region of the country, celebrated in Brazilian culture and folklore--an area populated by ranchers, outlaws, gold and diamond prospectors, maroon slave communities, pilgrims, prophets, messiahs, and many other colorful groups.

Brazil is by far the largest country in Latin America. About half of South America in area and population is Brazil. The most prominent geographic feature of Brazil is the Amazon River and basin and the incredible rain forest it supports as well as vast amounts oxygen. The Amazon basin is huge, about the size of the contiguous United States. It is the largest drainage basin in the world and the source of vast volumes of freshwater. It accounts for one-fifth of the world's total river flow. Brazil in the east faces the Atlantic Ocean, primarily the South Atlantic. There are 4,600 miles (7,400 km) of Atlantic coastline. The Serra do Mar (Sea Ridge) is a 1,500-kilometre-long (930 mi) system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeastern Brazil. It runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast from the state of Espírito Santo to southern Santa Catarina/northeastern Rio Grande do Sul. And the steep slope of the the Serra do Mar escarpment made it difficult to penetrate, too steep for oxcarts. And to make matters worse, it was covered by dense forests--Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest). Brazil actually got its name for one of the trees-- Brazilwood. This was a valuable export, but hardly replacing a coastal literal which could be farmed. To make matters worse- here were no navigable rivers leading down to the coast, rivers flowing out of the Serra do Mar led inland. As a result, for most of its length there is almost no coastal littoral. It was major block to inland development, a virtually impenetrable steep wall of granite. And is one of the major reasons that the vast majority of the country's population is located along in the solutheast or along the coast. Beyond the Sera do Mar was the Planalto (Plateau or Highlands). Here the volcanic enriched soil helped make it the bet place to grow coffee. Gold was discovered here, but coffee plantations proved of far greater economic importance. It was not until the railroad reached Brazil (19th century) that it was economic to get coffee beans down tp the Sera do Mar to the port of Santos for export. This resulted in the mega city of São Paulo Paulo. The vast majority of Brazil's population lives in the Planalto or on the narrow coastal region immediately adjacent to it. Brazil has more than 9,750 miles (15,700 km) of inland borders with each South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil is a vast country, stretching some 2,700 miles (4,350 km) from north to south and from east to west to form a kind of rough triangle. Within that triangle there are tropical and subtropical terrain, including wetlands, savannas, plateaus, and low mountains. Brazil contains most of the Amazon River basin. The Amazon is the world's greatest river system by volume and creates the world's most-important virgin rain forest. The country is unique among the world's largest countries, not only because of the Amazon. It contains no desert, high-mountain, or arctic environments. While there is no desert, the northeast is very arid. The Andes only a few miles to the west, however, is wear the Amazon rises and play a major role in the creation of the Amazon and its rain forest environment. Brazil is rich in natural resources. These resources and climate supporting a range of tropical agriculture (sugar, rubber, coffee, etc.) have played a major role in its economy. And agriculture in the temperate area is ideal for crops like soya. The Amazonian rain forest in particular involved Brazil in important environmental issues like climate change.

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Created: 5:38 PM 9/27/2021
Last updated: 9:10 PM 4/30/2026