CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING BRAZIL CHANGING TIMES The name Brazil conjures up images of soccer carnival beautiful beaches and the Amazon rain forest But Brazil is much more Its landscapes include grassland desert and wetlands Its citizens range from indigenous tribes people who spend their lives deep in the rain forest to jet setting billionaires Brazil is also the fifth largest country in the world and has one of the fastest growing economies ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE Brazil has undergone a period of rapid economic growth in its recent history It is the largest economy in the whole of South America making it the continent s most influential country Brazil is also a rising economic power on the world stage Ranking as the eighth largest economy in the world and it is just behind the United States Japan and Germany but ahead of the UK France Italy and many other more developed countries On average with increasing earnings from industry and high employment the Brazilian people are getting richer and consuming more goods s and services The government is responding by investing more in Brazil's infrastructure such as roads and electricity supply The Brazilian Pantanal or wetlands sprawl across the western states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso covering an area of around 57 916 square miles 150 000
VENEZUELA GUYAN FRENCH GUIANA COLOMBIA SURINAME E QUATOR lanaus world's newest cities PERU B R A Z IL Brasi BOLIVIA The Pancanal Perani R CENTERS OF GROWTH Fortaleza Today Brazil s capital city is Brasilia one of the Natal Recife completed in 1960 Brazil s capital was rebuilt partly because the original Salvad capital Rio de Janeiro was overcrowded Relocating the capital also brought it to a more central location in the country However Rio remains the most visited city in the southern hemisphere It has a riving industrial and financial center and is a regional media and communications hub The majority of Brazil s industries have their base here It boasts many of their best universities But the city faces many challenges confronting the country as a whole These include balancing the needs of the growing richer middle classes with the poor and balancing economic development with protection of the environment CHILE PARAGUAY Rio de Janeiro Sio Paulo IGUACU FALLS Atlantic Ocean ARGENTINA Porto Alegre URUGUAY SPOTLIGHT ON BRAZIL SIZE 3 386 488 square miles 8 511 965 km COASTLINE 4 655 miles 7 491 km MAJOR RIVER Amazon 2 000 miles 3 218 km within the country POPULATION 202 656 788 million MAJOR LANGUAGE Portuguese MAJOR RELIGION Christianity HEAD OF STATE President Dilma Rousseff MAIN EXPORTS cars aircraft steel coffee footwear soy beans
DIVERSE LANDSCAPE LAND AND SETTLEMENTS Brazil is a country of diverse regions With a rich range of natural resources major settlements were often based around these areas Many places were first founded by European settlers in the country In particular the Portuguese colonized the country from the 16th until the 19th centuries For example Salvador in the south east region was established as a port in 1549 by the Portuguese to export sugar to Europe from plantations It was also the port into which they imported African slaves to work on plantations from the 17th century onward see page 10 Manaus in the north region developed in the late 19th century after demand grew around the world for rubber from rain forest trees to make tires and other objects Manaus lies on a tributary of the Amazon River and could easily transport rubber by boat to the Atlantic From there it was shipped to ports all over the world WEST CENTRAL AREA 19 of Brazil POPULATION 7 of Brazilian total DENSITY 9 people per 247 acres 1 km MAJOR LANDSCAPE savanna and tropical grassland Pantanal wetland CLIMATE warm subtropical MAJOR CITIES Brasilia ECONOMY agriculture including cattle breeding mining WATER FEATURES Two of the most amazing water features are in southern Brazil The majestic Iguacu Falls are made up of 275 individual falls where the Paraná River cascades over a plateau approximately 265 feet 80 m high This rushing water has been put to good use at Itaipu which has the biggest hydroelectric dam in the world and creates enormous amounts of
NORTH CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING BRAZIL AREA 46 of Brazil POPULATION 8 of Brazilian total EDENSITY 4 people per 0 386 square miles 1 km MAJOR LANDSCAPE Amazon rain forest year with 2 meters annual rainfall MAJOR CITIES Manaus ECONOMY forest products electronics NORTHEAST AREA 18 of Brazil POPULATION 28 of Brazilian total DENSITY 34 people per 0 386 square miles 1 km MAJOR LANDSCAPE саatinga scrubby desert CLIMATE hot dry summers with SOUTH frequent droughts AREA 7 of Brazil MAJOR CITIES Salvador Fortaleza POPULATION 14 of Brazilian total ECONOMY agriculture including DENSITY 49 people per 0 386 square sugar cane shipping oil miles 1 km MAJOR LANDSCAPE pampas grassland SOUTHEAST CLIMATE damp summers and dry cold winters AREA 11 of Brazil POPULATION 42 of Brazilian total MAJOR CITIES Porto Alegre ECONOMY agriculture and DENSITY 87 people per 0 386 square miles 1 kmſ manufacturing MAJOR LANDSCAPE Atlantic rain forest CLIMATE warm temperate with regular rainy seasons MAJOR CITIES São Paulo Rio de Janeiro ECONOMY services manufacturing minerals agriculture including coffee and animal
