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
FOCUS ON RIO A CITY GROWS In early 1502 Portuguese sailors reached South America and discovered a sheltered natural bay on the Atlantic coast At first they thought it was the mouth of a a river they could follow into the interior of the continent Even thougl the here was no river they were attracted by its beauty and warm climate They set up a colony and named the place Rio river de Janeiro January the month of discovery The settlement remained small until a conflict occurred th French traders over timber extraction from the surrounding forests After defeating the French settlers began to farm the surrounding area and the city of Sao Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro began to grow MINERAL WEALTH SPRAWLING CITY Portuguese explor In to settle Rio in the early 16th century At the start of the 18th century miners As Rio has developed and grown it has discovered gold and diamonds in the nearby needed more space for buildings and region of Minas Gerais Rio became the people Major engineering projects hav main trading port for these valuable exports removed surrounding mountains and filled and its population grew rapidly In 1763 in parts of the bay to create land Other the Portuguese moved their capital from the projects include building high rise housing port of Salvador in Bahia to Rio In 1822 and skyscrapers to fit more people on less when Brazil became independent from ad as well as merging with surroundi ing Portugal Rio remained the capital city By Small settlements such as Niteroi and Nova the late 19th century Rio was one of the Iguazu Today Rio is a vast sprawling city biggest ci ies in the world with half a mi ion made up of several zones The south zone inhabitants or cariocas It has grown steadily is the coastal strip boasting the famous since then with a population of over 6 3 beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema A million today mountain range including the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain separates this from the enter and north zones where most of Rio's housing and industry are located Extensive roads mountain tunnels and a subway link the zones together 10
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING BRAZIL The famous statue of Christ the Redeemer at the summit of Corcovado mountain overlooks the city and bay of Rio With its colonial past and centuries of The famous beaches of Rio attract tourists from immigration Rio has a richly diverse population all over the world Muyo MOD 11
