Brazil is a country located in the Western Hemisphere between the meridians 34º47’30” and 73º59’32” and the parallels 5º16’20” North and 33º44’42” South. 90% of the country is located in the southern hemisphere.
The main characteristic of Brazil
What is the geographic position of Brazil? The country occupies half of the South American continent. It belongs to the fifth place in the world in terms of area. At the same time, Brazil borders almost all countries of South America, with the exception of Chile and Ecuador. From the east, the country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil is made up of 26 states, the number of which is marked with stars on the flag.
- Total area: 8,514 thousand sq.km.
- Land border: 15,719 km.
- The length of the Atlantic coast: 7,491 km.
Coast
With the exception of the mouth of the Amazon, the ocean coast is very little indented, along it are small islands. Only the archipelagos of Fernando de Noronha, Trinidad and Martin Vas have a remote geographic location. Brazil holds the world championship in the length of Praia do Cassino (250 km).
Climate
Located near the equator, Brazil, whose geographical position determines the presence of a tropical climate, in the southern regions further from the equator, the climate is already temperate.
Relief
Despite the gigantic size of the country, its relief is not very diverse. There are no high mountain ranges. The highest point is the summit of Cerro de la Neblina (2994 m). The country is located on two highlands: Brazilian and Guiana, the most ancient on the planet. A significant part of the territory is occupied by the Amazon plain (4.5 million sq. Km).
Economic and geographical location
Brazil has a type of economy heavily dependent on exports. The main exporters are the neighboring states of South America, the EU countries, the USA and China. Despite the fact that the country is one of the largest in the world, and its economy is well developed, the per capita income is low and puts Brazil among the poorest countries.
The most important component of the country's economy is the agricultural sector. The geographical position of Brazil, briefly described above, the climate of the country determine the favorable conditions for the fertility of the land. 20 employed in agriculture% of the population, although its share in GDP is only 5%. However, agriculture provides an opportunity for the successful functioning of the agro-industry, whose share is already 35% of GDP.
Brazil is considered to be the first model of land use by type of plantation. The geographical position of the first plantations is described precisely on the territory of this country. Since ancient times, agriculture here has been export-oriented, and domestic consumption has grown slowly. Coffee, orange juice, grains, soybeans, sugar, tobacco and cigarettes, pulp and paper, meat from cattle, pigs and poultry are the main products that Brazil produces.
Geographic location, climate and the presence of rivers led to the formation of huge forests, where the highest quality wood is found, but there are only a few high-quality trees per hectare in the rainforest, but they are also difficult to get in the impenetrable Brazilian selva. It is precisely because of the increase in the profitability of growing wood that wild forests are cleared of "useless" plants and thereby destroyed. The most popular varieties of cultivated trees are acai, cashew nuts, brazil nuts, paraguayan holly (mate), pine nuts, etc.
Another important agricultural industry is cattle breeding. For the most part, it is developed in the central and western regions of the country. Most often, cattle are bred, pig breeding is in second place (in the south of the country),then - sheep (in the northeast and south of the country).
Minerals and minerals are also rich in Brazil. The geographical location of the main deposits of minerals (gold, magnesium, nickel, iron, chromium and cob alt) is the southeast of the country. There are also oil fields in Brazil. However, most of the natural resource reserves are not yet used.
Industry in Brazil contributes 30% to the country's GDP. The main surge in the development of industry occurred in the 1960s, thanks to the import substitution program. The main industrial cities of Brazil are Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, and El Salvador was added to them after the discovery of an oil field.
The country has relatively cheap labor, so there are developing enterprises of transnational corporations. The best developed industries are metallurgy, automotive, aircraft, shipbuilding, chemical industry, especially oil refineries and rubber production, agriculture, textiles, furniture and building materials.
A significant share of the economy is the service sector. However, with the exception of the tourism and financial industries, this sector is at a low level. The situation is best in the center and in the south of the country (on the coast), that is, in the most densely populated areas. As for tourism, Brazil is the most popular country in South America among tourists. Most often people come here from Europe and the USA to relax on the beaches, see the beauty of the Amazon and have fun during the famous Brazilian carnivals.
