Short facts about the geography of Brazil
| Location: |
Eastern South America, bordering the
Atlantic Ocean |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
10 00 S, 55 00
W |
| Map
references: |
South
America |
| Area: |
total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq
km
water: 55,455 sq km
note: includes Arquipelago
de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and
Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo |
| Area -
comparative: |
slightly smaller than the
US |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 14,691 km
border countries: Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia
3,400 km, Colombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay
1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200
km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone:
24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive
economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12
NM |
| Climate: |
mostly tropical, but temperate in
south |
| Terrain: |
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in
north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal
belt |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico da Neblina
3,014 m |
| Natural
resources: |
bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese,
nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower,
timber |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures:
22%
forests and woodland: 58%
other: 14% (1993
est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
28,000 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
recurring droughts in northeast; floods
and occasional frost in south |
| Environment
- current issues: |
deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys
the habitat and endangers the existence of a multitude of plant and animal
species indigenous to the area; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao
Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution
caused by improper mining activities
note: President CARDOSO in
September 1999 signed into force an environmental crime bill which for the first
time defines pollution and deforestation as crimes punishable by stiff fines and
jail sentences |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol |
| Geography -
note: |
largest country in South America;
shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and
Ecuador | Source: World Factbook |
