Brazil lies on either side of the Equator (0°), with part of the country in the northern hemisphere but most of it is to be found in the southern hemisphere. Brazil is found between the latitude lines of about 5° north and 33° south, and the longitude lines 74° west and 35°east.
Amazon Rainforest - NASA
Brazilian topography is diverse, including hills, highlands, mountains, plains, scrublands, savannas, rainforests, and a long coastline. The extensive low-lying Amazon Rainforest covers most of Brazil’s terrain in the north, whereas small hills and low mountains occupy the south. Along the Atlantic coast there are several mountain ranges, with a highest altitude of roughly 2,900 metres (9,500 ft). The highest peak is the 3,014 metres (9,735 ft) Pica da Neblina (Misty Peak).
Iguacu Falls
Brazil’s major rivers include the Amazon, the largest river in terms of volume of water, and the second-longest in the world; the Paraná, and its major tributary, the Iguaçu River, where the Iguaçu Falls are located. Several small islands and atolls in the Atlantic Ocean are also part of Brazil.
Brazil is divided into five natural regions.
North – Tropical rainforest.
Brazil - Map of North Region
This is the largest region of Brazil, corresponding to 45.27% of the national territory. Its demographic density is the lowest in the country, with only 2,92 inhabitants per km2.
This region provides the ideal conditions for tropical rainforests to grow as it lies on the Equator, where the Sun’s rays are concentrated, and this produces high temperatures and high rates of evaporation leading to heavy rainfall.
This region is home to the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazon rainforest. More than 1/3 of all species in the world live here. The region is home to about 2.5 million insect species, tens of thousands of plants, and some 2000 birds and mammals.
The diversity of plant species in the rainforests of the Amazon is the highest on earth with some experts estimating that one square kilometre may contain over 75,000 types of trees and 150,000 species of higher plants. One square kilometre of Amazon rainforest can contain about 90,790 tonnes of living plants. This constitutes the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world. One in five of all the birds in the world live in the rainforests of the Amazon.
Most of Brazil has moderate rainfall of 1,000 to 1,500 millimeters a year, with most of the rain falling in the summer (between December and April), south of the Equator. The Amazon region is notoriously humid, with rainfall generally of more than 2,000 millimeters per year, getting as high as 3,000 millimeters in parts of the western Amazon. Despite high annual precipitation, the Amazon rain forest has a three-to-five-month dry season, the timing of which varies according to location north or south of the Equator.
Northeast – semi-arid.
Brazil - Map of Northeast region (almost a desert)
This region represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory and has about 51 million people, which represents 28.9% of the total number in the whole country. Most of the population lives in the urban area. The biggest cities are Fortaleza, Salvador and Recife, which all have a population above a million inhabitants.
This region can be found between the Equator and 10° south and so temperatures remain nearly uniform throughout the year and are typically tropical, often extremely hot in the west. From January to June, there is rain from the rising air at the Equator but for the rest of the year the region is affected by dry sinking air from the south, which causes drought-like conditions and marks this area out as being distinctive for its low rainfall compared to other parts of Brazil.
Central west – Tropical grassland.
Brazil - Map of Central West Region
The Central-west region is where Brazil’s national capital, Brasilia, is situated. This region is right in the heart of Brazil, representing 18.86% of the national territory.
With the move of the country's capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia in the 60s, the construction of roads and railways to the interior of the country made the accesses easier, speeding up the population settling and contributing significantly to its development.
This region is found between 10° and 20° south and so temperatures are high all year and with a wet and dry season. There is sufficient rainfall for tropical grasslands to grow.
South-east – subtropical forest.
Brazil - Map of South-East Region
The Southeast region of Brazil is the richest region of the country and is responsible for approximately 60% of the Brazilian GDP and contains three of the four largest cities: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte.
This region is between 20° and 30° south. There is high rainfall in this region throughout the year as the temperatures are cooler than at the Equator. In subtropical climates the winters are relatively warm, but not as hot as the summer season. These climates rarely - if ever - see frost or snow, and plants such as palm, citrus and many broadleaf evergreens flourish.
South – temperate grassland and forest.
Brazil - Map of South Region
The Southern region of Brazil covers 576,300.8 km ² and is the smallest portion of the country. The region received large amounts of European immigrants during the 19th century, who largely influenced its demography. The main ethnic groups of Southern Brazil are Brazilians of Portuguese, German and Italian descent.
This region is between 25° and 35° south. The climate here is relatively similar to the south of the UK – it is quite wet, the temperature varies between 10° and 25°C and it falls as low as freezing on some occasions. Here the vegetation is shrubs and deciduous trees.
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