Economic zones of Brazil. Natural conditions and resources of brazil - geography

natural conditions Brazil

Brazil is diverse in natural conditions. On it stand out: the Amazonian lowland and the Brazilian plateau, which differed in relief, moisture conditions, vegetation, etc. In general, natural conditions are favorable for living and farming.

Natural resources Brazil

Brazil is extremely rich in natural resources. Among them, the main place belongs to forest resources - moist equatorial forests, which occupy 2/3 of the country's territory and are actively used at present. IN recent times these forests are subjected to ruthless destruction, which leads to a change in the entire natural complex as a whole. The Amazonian forests are called the "lungs of the planet", and their extermination is a problem not only in Brazil, but throughout the world.

Mineral resource base of Brazil

About 50 types of mineral raw materials are mined here. These are, first of all, iron, manganese ores, bauxites and non-ferrous metal ores. The main reserves are concentrated in the eastern part of the country on the Brazilian plateau. In addition, Brazil has oil and potash salts.

Water resources of Brazil

represented by a huge number of rivers, the main of which is the Amazon ( greatest river worldwide). Almost a third of this big country occupies the Amazon River basin, which includes the Amazon itself and more than two hundred of its tributaries. This gigantic system contains a fifth of all the river waters of the world. The landscape in the Amazon is flat. The rivers and their tributaries flow slowly, during the rainy seasons they often overflow their banks and flood vast areas of tropical forests. The rivers of the Brazilian Plateau have significant hydropower potential. The largest lakes in the country are Mirim and Patos. Main rivers: Amazon, Madeira, Rio Negro, Parana, Sao Francisco.

Agro-climatic and soil resources of Brazil

Agro-climatic and soil resources are great, contributing to the development of agriculture. Brazil has fertile soil that grows coffee, cocoa, bananas, grains, citrus fruits, sugar cane, soybeans, cotton, and tobacco. Brazil occupies one of the leading places in the world in terms of cultivated land. Due to the fact that the main part of the country is located in the intertropical zone with a predominance of low altitudes, Brazil is characterized by average temperatures exceeding 20 degrees. Brazil has six types of climate: equatorial, tropical, tropical highlands, tropical Atlantic, semi-arid and subtropical. In the north-eastern outskirts of Brazil, tropical forests give way to desert areas and steppes covered with shrubs, but the wet Atlantic coasts abound with lush vegetation. Between the coastal cities of Porto Alegre in the south of the country and El Salvador in the east stretches a narrow strip of land with a width of only 110 kilometers, and immediately after it the central and southern plateaus begin. The northern regions of the country are located in the equatorial zone, and Rio de Janeiro lies just north of the Tropic of Capricorn - so the climate in most of Brazil is very warm. In the Amazon basin, the temperature is around 27 degrees all year round. The seasons of Brazil are distributed as follows: spring - from September 22 to December 21, summer - from December 22 to March 21, autumn - from March 22 to June 21, winter - from June 22 to September 21.

58.46% of Brazil's relief is formed by plateaus. The main ones in the north are Guiana, in the south - Brazilian, which occupies most of the territory and is divided into the Atlantic, Central, South and the plateau of Rio - Grande do Sul. The remaining 41% of the territory is occupied by plains, the most important of which are the Amazon, La Plata, San Francisco and Tocantins.

Bibliography

For the preparation of this work, materials were used from the site http://brasil.org.ru/" http://brasil.org.ru/

The area is 8.5 million km².

The population is 171.8 million people.

The capital is Brasilia.

The state structure is a federal republic consisting of 26 states and one Federal (capital) district. The head of state and government is the president. The legislative body is Congress.

Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world. In terms of area and population, it ranks fifth, but in terms of GNP per capita, it ranks seventieth in the world.

Most of the territory lies between the equator and the Tropic of the South. Brazil's natural resources are very rich. These include climate, water, hydropower, arable land, pastures, and metal ores. The country is poor in fuel.
The population of Brazil is racially very diverse. His ancestors were Indians, Portuguese and Negroes. The official language is Portuguese.

Over 80% of the population is concentrated in a 300-kilometer zone along the Atlantic coast south of the equator. The hinterland is among the least populated in the world. For Brazil, as well as for other countries Latin America characteristic there is a huge gulf between wealth and poverty. The main problems are illiteracy, unsanitary conditions, diseases, hunger, etc.

Economy of Brazil

In the 70s of the XX century. Brazil has taken a notable step forward in industrial development. Today, steel and aluminum are smelted in the country, vehicles (cars, ships, aircraft), electrical engineering, tractors and weapons, petroleum products and pharmaceuticals, and paper are produced. As before, a significant role is played by the food, textile, leather and footwear sectors. Industrial exports include steel, cars, tractors, shoes, etc.; import - industrial equipment, chemicals, fertilizers.

Brazil has already become an important industrial power in the world. But in its structure industrial production traditional areas prevail and there are almost no newest - science-intensive ones. Brazil exports industrial products to underdeveloped countries. The Brazilian domestic market is rather narrow-minded, and this is what is holding back further development industry. Brazil is the largest international financial debtor among developing countries.

The mining industry plays a significant role. Iron, manganese and chromium ores, tin, bauxites, gold, diamonds and semi-precious stones, magnesite, asbestos, kaolin, gypsum, etc. are mined. Brazil ranks first in the world for iron ore reserves and is one of its largest exporters. The main barn is the Brazilian Shield, especially the state of Minas Gerais. Recently, new rich sources of mineral raw materials have been identified in the Amazon.

The weak point of the Brazilian economy remains energy. Half of the required energy carriers are delivered. Hence the attention to the rich mountainous tributaries of the Amazon and the rivers that flow from the Brazilian Highlands. A number of hydroelectric power plants have already been built on the San Francisco River. HPP "Itaipu" on the Parana River on the border with Paraguay with a capacity of 12.6 million kW and competes with the largest HPPs in the USA and Canada. The lack of oil contributed to the growth of the production of alcohol from sugar cane and its use as a fuel for motor vehicles.

Agricultural activity still plays a leading role in the country's economy. Most of the employed work on large plantations and ranches owned by corporations and individual landlords. Small farms can barely feed their owners.

Brazil is one of the largest exporters of agricultural products. Export from Brazil has its own history and stages: in the XVI century. a valuable tree dominated it, in the 18th century - cotton, in the 19th century. - natural rubber, cocoa, in the XX century. - coffee. IN modern conditions characteristic feature Brazil is a constant diversity of the export structure. Coffee, cocoa, cane sugar, cotton and tobacco remain important, but new products compete with them - soybeans and oilcake, tomatoes, oranges, bananas, feed and meat. Coffee occupies a special place in the life of Brazil and its export. It provides 1/5 of the country's export earnings and provides 1/4 of the world coffee market.

Regions of Brazil

The most contrasting areas of Brazil are its Southeast and West and the Amazon.

The southeast (the states of Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais) is 11% of the territory and 43% of the inhabitants of the country. The Southeast accounts for 2/5 of agricultural production, 3/5 of mining and 3/4 of the manufacturing industry of the country. Those. the area is the core of the Brazilian economy. largest cities- Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Rio de Janeiro served as the capital for two hundred years (until 1960). Today, its subway has 11 million inhabitants. It is a large financial, commercial, transport, industrial and tourist center. Nearby is Santa Rita - the Brazilian "electronics valley". Rio de Janeiro is world famous for its picturesque landscapes, beaches, sporting events and colorful carnivals. At the same time, it was the slums of Rio de Janeiro (Portuguese for “faveli”) that became the epitome of Latin American squalor.

Sao Paulo (17 million inhabitants) located 80 km from the coast. At one time it was the capital of the "coffee" boom. Its modern development was determined by the "Brazilian miracle" of the second half of the 20th century. Sao Paulo is the largest banking, administrative, commercial and industrial center of the country. It is often referred to as "Brazilian New York" or "Brazilian Chicago". The industrial face is represented by all areas that exist in Brazil, but the main one is mechanical engineering, and in it the automotive industry. The central part of Sao Paulo is built up with skyscrapers and highways.

The West and the Amazon account for 2/3 of the territory of Brazil, and 13% of the population lives here. The west is the western part of the Brazilian Plateau, occupied by the savannah (campos), the Amazon is the Amazon River basin with an impenetrable equatorial forest (selva). After the Second World War, the Brazilian government made a lot of efforts aimed at the development of this part of the country. In 1960, 1000 km north of Rio de Janeiro, a new ultra-modern capital was built, which was named Brasilia. The Trans-Amazon Highway and other highways were laid, new airports and ports were opened on the Amazon and its tributaries. Many new farms and ranches have been established in the cleared areas of the selva.

Brazil is a large country with a rich list of natural resources. Brazil's geographic location helps the country to afford minimal imports of foreign goods. Brazil really has a lot of its forests, reservoirs and minerals. Consider the wealth of the Brazilian state in more detail.

Fresh water reserves

The Amazon River flows through Brazil. It is the largest in the country and contains strategic reserves of fresh water.

The hydropower reserves of the state can be estimated at 120 million kW. This figure is not too large in relation to the area of ​​the country, the Brazilian government is working to increase the number of hydroelectric power plants..

There are almost no lake reservoirs in these territories. But other large rivers successfully replenish fresh reserves countries.

Land riches

The Brazilian state is located in several climatic zones. Agriculture is well developed there.

Brazilians can boast that sugarcane, coffee and traditional cocoa are grown on their lands. There are also many fruits and vegetables on agricultural land, which, due to the climate, ripen almost all year round. Grain stocks in the country are quite impressive.

Only 20% of the land is allocated for agricultural needs in the state. But even these percentages are enough to get excellent yields.

brazilian forests

The championship in the amount of forest resources belongs to Russia, but Brazil is the second country in the world where there are more forests than anywhere else on the globe.

The equatorial type forests occupy 5 million square kilometers in Brazil. In addition, a quarter of all known to science plant species.

Not only sugar is produced from sugar cane in the state. Ethanol is successfully produced from it, which is used as automotive fuel. So the Brazilians cover a fifth of the society's need for their own fuel.

Natural resources

The mineral resources of the country include the following:

  • manganese ore;
  • Iron ore;
  • Bauxite;
  • Zinc ore;
  • Uranus;
  • Tantalum;
  • Nickel;
  • Tungsten;
  • Zinc;
  • And much more.

In the Southern states of the state, impressive reserves of gold are hidden underground. Emeralds, sapphires and diamonds are also mined in Brazil.

alternative energy

In Brazil, in addition to standard methods of generating energy, solar energy is also being actively developed. Wind farms are also regularly built on Brazilian lands. So far, these areas are in the initial stage of development, but today they are actively being introduced into major centers states.

Brazil is a sunny and multiethnic country capable of providing its citizens with all the resources necessary for life. Natural values ​​are also harvested on its territories, which are successfully exported to neighboring states.

mineral, water, recreational resources Brazil

Together with Russian Federation, USA, Canada, China and Australia Brazil is among the group of countries with the largest mineral reserves. It is known that Brazil has the richest, although not yet well explored, mineral deposits. The reserves of iron ore in Brazil are estimated at 48 billion tons, of which 18 billion lie in the Carajas mountain range, in the east of the Amazon in the state of Para. The Carajas field has been in operation since 1985. The reserves of iron ore found in Brazil to date will be enough to satisfy the demands of the entire world community for this type of natural resource in the next 100 years (taking into account modern level and planned growth rates). In addition to iron ore, Brazil has found reserves of manganese ores (208 billion tons), 2 billion tons of bauxite, 53 million tons of nickel, the amount of which may increase to 400 million tons. Of great importance is also the recently confirmed fact of the presence of a large deposit of uranium ore - 265 thousand tons, with a high content of uranium (1.3%) in the states of Minas, Gerais and Goias. Brazil has reserves of potassium, phosphate, tungsten (which is used in the smelting of durable steels), cassiterite (tin ore), lead, graphite, chromium, gold, zirconium, and the rare radioactive mineral thorium. Several large oil fields have been discovered in Brazil (Basia dos Campos, Basia dos Santos), which are estimated at 2-2.5 billion barrels, coal - 21 billion tons.

Brazil has one seventh of the world's forest resources. The bulk of the forests are concentrated in the Amazon and the Atlantic coastal zone. The development of the timber industry is hampered by a poorly developed transport infrastructure.

Brazil is one of the world's largest producers precious stones such as diamonds, aquamarines, topazes, amethysts, tourmalines and emeralds.

Brazil has one of the longest water systems in the world, which includes eight river basins (water resources). The Amazon and Tocantins-Araguaia basins, in the north, account for 56% of all water resources countries. The Amazon is the largest river in the world in terms of water volume and the second longest (6.577 km) after the Nile, with 3.615 km flowing through Brazil. For 3.885 km. the river is navigable, which allows ocean-class ships to enter the Peruvian port of Iquitos. The Paraná-Paraguay river system covers the southwestern part of the state of Minas Gerais, and extends further south. Merging with the Argentine Rio da Prata, near Buenos Aires, this system reaches the Atlantic Ocean. The Uruguay River, also part of the Prata basin, flows through the territory of the two southernmost states of Brazil. San Francisco is the largest river system in the country, entirely within its borders. Its length before confluence with Atlantic Ocean is equal to 1.609 km. Just like the Parana and Tocantins rivers, it originates in the Central Plateau. In the upper reaches, the river is navigable for small-tonnage vessels. Navigation for large-tonnage vessels is open only for 277 km. in the lower reaches of the river.

The concept of real resort areas has not yet found its application (recreational resources). The tourist complex is limited to several large and expensive hotels in Rio de Janeiro, mountain resorts in Minas Gerais. The main entertainment centers are located in the city centers or nearby. The number of foreign tourists visiting Brazil lags far behind the number of domestic tourists. Brazilians move around the country by road, although air transport is in high demand during holidays and vacations.

Economic zones of Brazil

Chapter 1. Natural resource potential of Brazil

Brazil has a huge amount of minerals. There are reserves of manganese ores, nickel, bauxite, iron and uranium ore. In Brazil, potassium, phosphates, tungsten, cassiterite, lead, graphite, and chromium are mined. There is also gold, zirconium and a rare radioactive mineral - thorium.

Brazil accounts for 90% of the world's production of diamonds, aquamarine, topaz, amethyst, tourmaline and emerald.

The mineral resources of Brazil are diversified: oil, natural gas, coal, iron (one of the richest reserves in the world) and manganese ores, chromites, titanium raw materials (ilmenite), copper, lead, bauxite (third place in the world in terms of reserves), zinc, nickel, tin, cobalt, tungsten, tantalum, zirconium, niobium (first place in the world in terms of columbite reserves), beryllium (first place in the world in terms of reserves), uranium, thorium, gold, silver, platinum, phosphates, apatites, magnesite, barite , asbestos, graphite, mica, salt, soda, diamonds, emeralds, amethysts, aquamarines, topazes, crystal quartz (first place in the world in terms of reserves), marble. In terms of reserves of iron, beryllium and niobium ores, rock crystal, bituminous shale, bauxite, ores of rare earth elements, Brazil occupies one of the leading places among the industrialized countries of the world.

Brazil has (2001) relatively small proven reserves of oil (1.1 billion tons) and natural gas (230 billion cubic meters). About 150 deposits have been discovered. The largest are Don Juan, Agua Grande, Arakas, Karmopolis, Sirizinho, Namorado, etc. In the Amazon, a large sedimentary basin of Solimões has been discovered, promising in terms of possible oil and gas reserves.

There are three main oil and gas fields on the Brazilian shelf: Campos, Santos and Espirito Santo. Less promising basins are Sergipe Alagoas, Potiguar and Ceara. The Brazilian basin with the largest hydrocarbon reserves is considered to be the Campus ocean basin with an area of ​​about 100,000 km2. The proven reserves of natural gas in it are estimated at 105 billion cubic meters. The main proven oil reserves of the country are concentrated here. Each of the seven deep water oil fields contains up to 100 million tons of oil and condensate. Probable reserves of oil and gas basins at the end of 1999 were estimated at 1.5 billion tons of oil. There are 4 giant oil and gas fields in the Campus basin (proven reserves in brackets, million tons): Albacore (about 270), Marlin (270), Barracuda (110) and Marlin Sul and the giant Roncador oil field (356).

The main oil reservoirs are associated with turbidite sands of shelf origin, occurring both in the lower and upper parts of the modern continental slope, or with peripheral turbidites of the open sea, transported through the straits to the lower part of the continental slope. There are close similarities between the NGBs on both sides of the Atlantic, especially the southern parts of the Campus and Kwanza-Cameroon basins.

All oil and gas fields in eastern Brazil were formed on divergent passive continental margins, the tectonic development of which is complicated by rifting processes. Oil and gas traps are usually of the stratigraphic type and are most often confined to submerged horst blocks. Salt diapirism phenomena are developed in the zone of modern deep and superdeep shelf.

In 2003, Petrobras made the largest gas discovery in the country. The reserves of the new field are estimated at 70 billion cubic meters. m, which increases the total volume of gas reserves in Brazil by 30%. The field is located on the shelf of the province of Paulo, at a distance of 137 km from the coast at a sea depth of 485 m. The production potential of the pioneer well is 3 million cubic meters. m of gas per day. In 2002, the total volume of natural gas reserves in Brazil is estimated at 231 billion cubic meters. m.

The oil shales of Brazil are confined to the Permian Irati formation, represented by mudstone and limestone facies with basalt and diabase intrusions. The deposits are San Matheus do Sul, San Gabriel and Don Pedro. Brazil's hard coal reserves are small - 2 billion tons (25% is coking coal). The country's iron ore reserves account for about 26% of the reserves of developed Western countries. The main part of the ores is associated with the Precambrian itabirites of the Brazilian Platform. The main industrial deposits (over 25 billion tons) are concentrated in the Minais-Gerais iron ore basin, within the so-called "iron ore quadrangle".

Provision of chromium ore extraction with their proven reserves, calculated according to maximum level production in the period 1995-1997, taking into account losses during mining and enrichment in Brazil, is 33 years.

In 2000, Brazil ranked 5th in terms of explored uranium reserves (262 thousand tons, a 7.8% share in the world). The main deposits of uranium ores are concentrated in the Serra di Jacobina mountains, together with gold-bearing conglomerates (Jacobina deposit).

In terms of explored tin reserves at the end of the 20th century, Brazil ranks first in America and second in the world (after China). In terms of total tin reserves, Brazil ranks first in the world. In terms of tin resources, Brazil ranks first among the countries of the world - 12.6% of world resources (6 million tons). About 40% of the total proven reserves are found in alluvial deposits located in 15 tin ore regions of the country. Alluvial placers predominate.

The Pitinga ore cluster is located in the tin-bearing area of ​​Mapuera (State of Amazonas). Ore veins and stockworks are localized in albitized granites. Ores are complex, they include cassiterite, columbite, tantalite, pyrite, cryolite, fluorite. Reserves of primary tin ores - 1.19 million tons; sir. the metal content in ores here is 0.141%.

The ores also contain 6 million tons of cryolite, 4 million tons of zircon (average content 1.5%), industrial concentrations of columbite-tantalite (average content of Ni pentoxide 0.223%, Ta pentoxide - 0.028%), fluorite, and yttrium, mainly in xenotime . The main reserves are concentrated in weathering crusts and placers that have arisen due to them and occupy an area of ​​about 250 km2.

The main ones are the alluvial placers of Little Madeira, Jabuti and Keyshada. Ore sands occur at a depth of about 6 m. Ore reserves in placers amount to 195 million tons, tin - 343 thousand tons with an average cassiterite content of 2.0 kg / cubic meter. m, niobium pentoxide - 435 thousand tons with an average content of Nb2O5 4.3%, tantalum pentoxide - 55 thousand tons with an average content of Ta2O5 0.3%, zirconium dioxide - 1.7 million tons. reserves of niobium pentoxide until 2000 amounted to 30 million tons of ore with an average content of 4.1% (1.2 million tons of Nb2O5).

The basis of the country's manganese ore base is the Urukum deposits (Mato Grosso do Sul state, Corumba region) with proven reserves of 15.8 million tons, Azul and Buritirama (Para state, Carajas ridge region) - 10 million tons, Serra do- Navi (Federal Territory of Amapa) - 5.8 million tons, Miguel Konge in the area of ​​the "iron ore quadrangle" and other deposits in the state of Minas Gerais, as well as a number of smaller objects in the Precambrian metamorphic strata. The largest deposits of manganese ores are associated with basement rocks. Lenses of manganese-containing spesartite rocks (gondite, carbonate rhodonite) are 10–30 m thick and 200–1000 m long.

In terms of bauxite reserves, Brazil ranks first in Lat. America (2000) and 2nd place in the world (after Guinea). Prom. bauxite deposits associated with lateritic weathering crust. Main resources are concentrated in the Amazon River basin in the state of Para (deposits of Trombetas, Paragominas and others).

Lateritic deposits of gibbite bauxite - aluminum raw materials, are located in the states of Para (municipalities of Oriximina, Paragominas, Faro, Domingo de Capim and Almairim) and Minas Gerais (mainly the municipalities of Poços de Caldas, Preto and Cataguazes). The Porto Trombetas (total reserves 1700 million tons, confirmed - 800 million tons) and Paragominas (total reserves 2400 million tons, confirmed - 1600 million tons) fields are gigantic. Deposits are usually located close to the earth's surface and are mined open way. In terms of production rates close to modern, Brazil is provided with proven reserves for 340 years.

Tungsten ores, represented by shelitovim skarnakh - deposits of Brezha, Kishaba, Malyada within the Borborem region. Deposits of nickel ores in the base of the silicate type are represented by garnierite ores. Ore bodies occur at shallow depths, about 75% of the reserves are located in the state of Goias (Nickeland deposits and others). There are several copper ore deposits in Brazil, the largest of which is Caraiba (Baya state). In Brazil, there are more than 100 small polymetallic hydrothermal deposits, explored rich tin placers.

Rare elements (beryllium, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, and others) in Brazil are found mainly in complex pegmatite ores confined to the basement.

Gold reserves were discovered in the second half of the 20th century in the Amazon basin. The predicted resources of Brazil's IHL are insignificant and amount to up to 300 tons (about 0.6% of the world).

About 35% of the world's predicted beryllium resources (up to 700 thousand tons) are concentrated in Brazil, which determines its leading (together with Russia) place in the world.

Brazil occupies the 1st place among the countries of the world in terms of predicted niobium resources. The main deposits of niobium pentoxide in the country are Arash, tapirs. The deposits are located mainly in the well-known mining regions of the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás. The ores are localized in lateritic weathering crusts of carbonatites and do not require intensive crushing. The thickness of the ore-bearing cores reaches 200 m, the covers - from 0.5 m to 40 m. The average content of Nb2O5 in ores is 2.5%. Development is carried out in an open way.

Phosphate ore resources are of great importance in Brazil, which include three main industrial types: apatite (Jacupiranga deposit), repeated apatite (genus Arasha, tapirs, Catalan) and phosphorite sedimentary deposits in the Bambui series. Particularly promising are the phosphorites of the deposit - Patus di Minas (reserves 300 million tons).

Brazil has the world's largest deposits of precious and ornamental stones: rock crystal, jewelry beryl, topaz, tourmaline, amethyst, agate; also known prom. deposits of emerald, diamond, noble opal, etc. Jewelry beryl, topaz and tourmaline are found in granite pegmatites, common in the states of Minas Gerais (diamantino diamond-bearing region), Bahia.

The main deposits of high-grade sheet mica - muscovite are associated with outcrops of the Archean basement and form the Brazilian mica region. In Brazil also childbirth. barite (Ilha Grande, Miguel Calmon), potash salt (Contiguleba), rock salt (Maceio), fluorite (Salgadinho, Catunda), magnesite (Iguatu), graphite (Itapaserica, San Fidelis), asbestos (Ipanema), bentonite (Lapsis, Bravo).

The Amazonian lowland lies in the region of the equatorial and subequatorial climate. The temperature is 24 - 28C all year round, precipitation is 2500 - 3500 mm per year. The Amazon River is the largest in the world in terms of basin size (7.2 million sq. km) and water content. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers - Maranion and Ucayali. The length of the Amazon from the source of Marañon is 6400 km, and from the source of Ucayali - more than 7000 km. The Amazon flows into the Atlantic Ocean, forming the world's largest delta (over 100 thousand square kilometers) and funnel-shaped mouths - sleeves covering the huge island of Marajo.

In the lower reaches, the width of the Amazon reaches 80 km, and the depth is 1335 m. Selva - humid equatorial forests of the Amazonian lowland. This is over 4 thousand species of trees, which is 1/4 of all species existing in the world. Animals, each in its own way, have adapted to their existence in the midst of a dense forest intertwined with vines. Monkeys - howler monkey, capuchin, marmosets, slender-bodied saimiri spider monkeys with a muzzle coloring resembling a skull - spend their whole lives on trees, holding on to branches with a strong tail. Even tree porcupine and anteater, raccoon and marsupial opossum have tenacious tails. Cats - jaguars and ocelots - feel confident in the forest thicket. Not a hindrance forest thickets and for bats. Bakers and tapirs prefer swampy river floodplains. The capybara, the largest rodent in the world, is kept near the water. Amphibians and reptiles are diverse, including poisonous snakes (bushmasters, coral asps, rattlesnakes), boas - boas, huge anacondas. In the rivers, caimans and flocks of bloodthirsty piranha fish lie in wait for a careless victim. Predatory harpies soar above the forest, vultures urubu carrion eaters; multi-colored parrots fly in the crowns of trees; and toucans sit on the branches - the owners of a huge beak. The smallest birds on earth - hummingbirds - flash in the air with bright colorful sparks and hang over the flowers.

To the east of the Amazon, the green forest sea is gradually replaced by stony woodlands - caatinga. Poor soils barely cover the rocks, there is almost no grass. Everywhere there are thorny semi-bushes and all kinds of cacti. And above them are dry-loving shrubs and trees, columnar cacti and tree-like spurges. Bottle trees grow at some distance from each other, like skittles. These thickets are almost devoid of foliage and offer no shelter at all from the burning rays of the sun or from rainstorms. During the winter-spring dry period, which here lasts 8-9 months, precipitation is less than 10 mm per month. Wherein average temperature air is 26 - 28 C. At this time, many plants shed their leaves. Life stops until the autumn rains, when more than 300 mm of precipitation falls per month with an annual amount of 700 - 1000 mm. As a result of rains, the water level in the rivers rises rapidly. Floods are regularly repeated, destroying houses and washing away the fertile layer of soil from the fields.

Brazil is diverse in natural conditions. It stands out: the Amazonian lowland and the Brazilian plateau, which differed in relief, moisture conditions, vegetation, etc. In general, the natural conditions are favorable for the population and the economy.

Brazil is extremely rich in natural resources. Among them, the main place belongs to forest resources - moist equatorial forests, which occupy 2/3 of the country's territory and are actively used at present. Recently, these forests have been subjected to ruthless destruction, which leads to a change in the entire natural complex as a whole. The Amazonian forests are called the "lungs of the planet", and their extermination is a problem not only for Brazil, but for the whole world. Brazil's mineral resource base is diverse. About 50 types of minerals are mined here. These are, first of all, iron, manganese ores, bauxites and non-ferrous ores metals.The main reserves are concentrated in the eastern part of the country on the Brazilian plateau.In addition, Brazil has oil and potash salts.

Water resources are represented by a huge number of rivers, the main of which is the Amazon (the greatest river in the world). Almost a third of this large country is occupied by the Amazon River basin, which includes the Amazon itself and more than two hundred of its tributaries. This gigantic system contains a fifth of all the river waters of the world. The landscape in the Amazon is flat. The rivers and their tributaries flow slowly, during the rainy seasons they often overflow their banks and flood vast areas of tropical forests. The rivers of the Brazilian Plateau have significant hydropower potential. The largest lakes in the country are Mirim and Patos. Main rivers: Amazon, Madeira, Rio Negro, Parana, Sao Francisco.

Agro-climatic and soil resources are great, contributing to the development of agriculture. Brazil has fertile soil that grows coffee, cocoa, bananas, grains, citrus fruits, sugar cane, soybeans, cotton, and tobacco. Brazil occupies one of the leading places in the world in terms of cultivated land. Due to the fact that the main part of the country is located in the intertropical zone with a predominance of low altitudes, Brazil is characterized by average temperatures exceeding 20 degrees. Brazil has six types of climate: equatorial, tropical, tropical highlands, tropical Atlantic, semi-arid and subtropical.

In the north - eastern outskirts of Brazil, tropical forests give way to desert areas and steppes covered with shrubs, but the humid Atlantic coasts abound with lush vegetation. Between the coastal cities of Porto Alegre in the south of the country and El Salvador in the east stretches a narrow strip of land only 110 kilometers wide, and immediately after it the central and southern plateaus begin. The northern regions of the country are in the equatorial zone, and Rio de Janeiro lies just north of the Tropic of Capricorn - so the climate in most of Brazil is very warm. In the Amazon basin, the temperature is around 27 degrees all year round. The seasons of Brazil are distributed as follows: spring - from September 22 to December 21, summer - from December 22 to March 21, autumn - from March 22 to June 21, winter - from June 22 to September 21. 58.46% of Brazil's relief is formed by plateaus. The main ones in the north are Guiana, in the south - Brazilian, which occupies most of the territory and is divided into the Atlantic, Central, Southern and the plateau of Rio - Grande do Sul. The remaining 41% of the territory is occupied by plains, the most important among them are the Amazon, La Plata, San Francisco and Tocantins. All natural conditions and resources create very favorable conditions for economic development.

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Nicaragua in the IEO system

The Republic of Nicaragua is the largest of the Central American states (129,494 sq. km). It reaches 540 km in width and has access to the Pacific Ocean, where the length of its coastline is about 320 km...

Political-geographical and geopolitical problems of the lands of Pivdenno-Zakhidnoy Asia

The natural resource potential (NRP) of the territory is the overall productivity of natural resources, the ability to produce and sustain, as it manifests itself in the overall natural vartost...

The potential of the world economy as a global geographic system

The functioning of national economies and the entire world economy is based on economic resources(factors of production) - natural, labor, capital (in the form of real capital, i.e. in the form of means of production, and financial, i.e. ...

Natural resource potential of the world economy

Natural (natural) resources are the components of nature used by man. The natural resource potential of the world economy covers that part of them that is used by the population of the planet and economic activity...

First of all, let's define the geographical position of Estonia. It is located in the northeastern part of Europe. It is washed from the north by the waters of the Gulf of Finland, from the west - by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga...

Japanese economic model

Japan's natural resources are very limited, which is primarily due to its geographical location and landscape. Japan is located in East Asia on islands Pacific Ocean, the total area of ​​which is 372.2 thousand square meters. km...


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