Geography of Brazil

Brazil belongs to the 5 largest countries of the world. It covers an area of more than 8,5 million km². It has about the size of the USA without Alaska. Distances are enormous: 4320 km from North to South and 4326 km from West to East. It is the largest country of South-America, comprising more than half of this continent. Brazil has boundaries with all South American countries except for Chile and Ecuador.

Since 1960, Brasília is the capital of Brazil. It was built in the 1950-ties in the middle of the country. Before that, Rio de Janeiro was Brazil's capital. The largest city is São Paulo. Other important cities are: Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Manaus, Salvador de Bahia, Recife, Porto Alegre, Belém and Goiânia.

Geological subdivision
This vast country is subdivided in 4 geological units:

• The coastal area is the area that was colonised first. Most Brazilian cities are located near the coast and many of these cities have historical city centres. The coastline is characterised by beautiful beaches. Behind the coastline is a beautiful, mountainous area that was once covered with  Atlantic rainforest (mata atlântica) that is the home of many endangered species.
• In the Northwest is the Amazon basin. This vast area is bordered by the Andes in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia and by the Guiana Highlands in the North. The area is covered by tropical rainforest. It is intersected by the Amazon river and its more than 1000 tributaries. The Amazon river is the widest river of the world and perhaps even the longest.
• The middle of Brazil is covered by the vast Planalto or Brazilian Highlands. This area is located between 500 and 1000 meters above sealevel. It is mainly covered by Cerrado (Brazilian savannah) although the valleys may be covered by lushy vegetations.
• The South of Brazil consists of the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. From Paraná towards the south, a subtropical climate is found. In the extreme South of Brazil, even snow may fall but this is a rare exception.

The highest peak in Brazil is the Pico da Neblina on the border between Brazil and Venezuela. This mountain has an altitude of 3014 meters and belongs to the Guiana Highlands.

Political subdivision
Brazil is a federal state which is subdivided in 26 states and a federal district (Distrito Federal ). These states are generally grouped in 5 regions: