The Land

Geography

Brazil is the largest country in Latin America. Covering nearly half (47.3 percent) of South America, it occupies an area of 3,287,360 sq. miles (8,514,215.3 sq. km). It is the fifth largest country in the world, after the Russian Federation, Canada, China, and the United States of America. Except for a small number of islands, Brazil consists of a single, unbroken landmass. On a map of the globe, it can be seen that the eastern bulge of Brazil conforms to the concave curve of the west coast of Africa. According to the theory of continental drift, this is no accident. Africa and South America once abutted each other, but drifted apart over millions of years.

The Equator passes through the north of the country near Macapá; the Tropic of Capricorn passes through the south near São Paulo. Brazil’s greatest width, 2,684 miles (4,319.4 km), is almost the same as its greatest distance from north to south, 2,731 miles (4,394.7 km).

Brazil has ten neighbors: the Department of French Guiana and the countries of Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, and Colombia bound Brazil on the north. Uruguay and Argentina are on the south, and on the west are Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru. Ecuador and Chile are the only two countries of continental South America that do not share a border with Brazil. The Atlantic Ocean extends along the entire eastern side of the country, giving it a coastline of 4,578 miles (7,367 km).

Topography

The landscape of Brazil is dominated by two prominent features, the Amazon River with its surrounding lowland basin of 1,708,160 sq. miles (4,424,120 sq. km) and the Central Highlands, a plateau that rises southward from the great river. Most of the Central Highlands consists of a tableland varying in altitude from 984 to 1,640 feet (300 to 500 meters) above sea level, broken by a number of low mountain ranges and cut by deep valleys. The Highlands ascend steeply in the east forming an escarpment, where several peaks attain an altitude of 8,202 feet (2,500 meters) or more, and then drop precipitously to a narrow Atlantic coastal plain. A system of high mountain ranges runs from the south of the country to the northeast forming a continental divide between the Atlantic Ocean and the interior. Brazil's highest peak, Pico da Neblina, reaching 9,888 feet (3,014 meters), is located in the north of the state of Amazonas close to the Venezuelan border.

Rivers

With eight drainage basins, Brazil has one of the most extensive river systems in the world. The Amazon and the Tocantins-Araguaia basins in the north account for 55 percent of Brazil’s total drainage area. The Amazon River, the world’s largest river in volume of water and second longest after the Nile, is 3,915 miles (6,300 km) long, of which 2,246 miles (3,615 km) are in Brazilian territory. The river is navigable by ocean steamers as far as 2,414 miles (3,885 km) upstream, reaching Iquitos in Peru.

The Paraná-Paraguai river system drains the area from the southwestern portion of the state of Minas Gerais southward until it reaches the Atlantic through the Rio da Prata (Silver River) near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brazil’s two southernmost states are drained through the Uruguay River also into the Rio da Prata.

The São Francisco River constitutes the largest drainage basin fully located within Brazilian territory. It rises, like the Paraná and the Tocantins, in the Central Highlands of the country, and flows for over 1,678 miles (2,700 km) northward before it turns eastward into the Atlantic. Overall, the São Francisco River has almost 1,038 miles (1,670 km) of non-contiguous navigable waterways, but only the last 129 miles (208 km) of the lower river are fit for ocean-going ships.

Climate

Average Annual Temperatures
Although 90 percent of the country is within the tropical zone, more than 60 percent of the population lives in areas where altitude, sea winds, or cold polar fronts moderate the temperature. There are five climatic regions in Brazil: equatorial, tropical, semi-arid, coastal and subtropical. Plateau cities such as São Paulo, Brasília, and Belo Horizonte have milder climates, averaging 63°F (17°C). Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Salvador on the coast have warm climates balanced by the constancy of the Trade Winds. In the southern Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre and Curitiba, the subtropical climate is similar to parts of the U.S.A. and Europe with frosts occurring with some frequency.

Despite the popular image of the Amazon as a region of blistering heat, temperatures of more than 90°F (32°C) are rarely experienced there. In fact, the annual average temperature in the Amazon region is 81°F (27°C), with a seasonal variation between the warmest and the coldest months of less than 50°F (10°C). The hottest part of Brazil is the northeast where, during the dry season, between May and November, temperatures as high as 104°F (40°C) have been recorded. Along the Atlantic coast from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, mean temperature range from 73°F to 81°F (23-27°C). Inland, on higher ground, temperatures are lower, ranging from 64°F to 70°F (18-21°C). South of Rio de Janeiro, the seasons are more noticeable and the annual range of temperature greater. The average temperature for this part of the country ranges between 57°F to 72°F (14-22°C).

Average Annual Rainfall
Brazil’s most intense rainfall is found around the mouth of the Amazon River near the city of Belém, and also in the vast upper regions of the Amazon Forest, where more than 117 inches (3,000 millimeters) of rain falls every year. Another important region of heavy rainfall is along the edge of the great escarpment in the state of São Paulo. Most of Brazil, however, has moderate rainfall of between 39 to 59 inches (1,000 to 1,500 millimeters) a year, with most of the rain falling in the summer, between December and April. The winters tend to be dry. The driest part of the country is the northeast, the so-called “drought polygon,” encompassing 10 percent of the country's territory. In this region, rainfall is undependable and the evaporation rate is very high, making it difficult to raise crops. Along the coastline, south from Recife, rainfall is a consequence of the Trade Winds hitting the mountains.

Seasons

Seasons in Brazil are the reverse of those in the U.S.A. and Europe:
Spring = September 22 to December 21
Summer = December 22 to March 21
Autumn = March 22 to June 21
Winter = June 22 to September 21