Chapter 1 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE Thick trees hide jaguars toucans and spider monkeys Pink river dolphins swim below the surface of winding rivers Cities dot the distant coast Welcome to Brazil one of the world’s largest countries Brazil isn’t only the largest country in South America It’s also the biggest country in the Southern Hemisphere Brazil touches every country in South America except Chile and Ecuador It also borders the Atlantic Ocean 4
Brazil has many natural resources It has minerals like gold iron nickel and platinum Farmers grow coffee oranges and soybeans Ranchers raise cattle Forests cover about three-fifths of Brazil Loggers cut down timber for construction Rows of coffee growing in Brazil 5
Regions Amazonia covers the northern region of Brazil The Amazon rain forest the largest rain forest in the world is in Amazonia The Amazon River basin brings water to the Amazon rain forest The Amazon River flows across Amazonia The Amazon is not one river It is hundreds of connected waterways It is about 4,345 miles 6,992 km long though The Amazon rain forest covers more than 2.5 million square miles 4 million sq km 6
The Espraiado Canyon is located in the Brazilian Highlands its length changes with rainfall Other major Brazilian rivers are the Tocantins Paraná and São Francisco The Brazilian Highlands cover nearly half of Brazil They cross its center east and south The Highlands contain steep cliffs flat plateaus and ravines Lowlands occupy the country’s west and center The region includes the Pantanal It is the world’s largest tropical wetland As a region of swamps and marshes the Pantanal is home to crocodiles and jaguars 7
