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fiogf49gjkf0d BRAZIL IS IN THE CENTER-EAST PART OF SOUTH AMERICA, BETWEEN LATITUDES 5.16'N AND 33.45'S AND LONGITUDES 34.47'E AND 73.59'W. THE TOTAL AREA OF THE COUNTRY IS 8.511.965 SQ. KM, WHICH CORRESPONDS TO 1.66% OF THE TERRESTRIAL GLOBE, 5.77% OF THE CONTINENTS, 20.80% OF THE AMERICAS AND 47% OF SOUTH AMERICA. THE GROUND AREA IS EQUIVALENT TO 8.456.508 SQ. KM AND ITS RIVERS AND LAKES OCCUPY 5.545 SQ. KM. IN THE NORTH, THE COUNTRY IS DIVIDED BY THE EQUATOR LINE, WHICH CROSSES THE STATES OF AMAZONAS, RORAIMA, PARA AND AMAPA, AND IN THE SOUTH BY THE TROPIC OF CAPRICORN, WHICH CROSSES THE STATES OF MATO MATO GROSSO DO SUL, PARANA AND SAO PAULO. THEREFORE, THE GREATEST PART OF ITS TERRITORY (93%) IS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE & IN THE INTERTROPICAL ZONE (92%). ITS HAS 23.127 KM FRONTIERS, BEING 15.719 KM WITH NEIGHBOUR COUNTRIES. (THE BIGGEST WITH BOLIVIA - 3.126 KM - AND THE SMALLEST WITH SURINAME - 593 KM). THE 7.408 KM LEFT ARE BOUNDED WITH THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.
THE PREDOMINANCE OF HUMID CLIMATE CREATES A NUMEROUS NETWORK OF RIVERS WITH HIGH VOLUMES OF WATER, FORMING BASINS CLASSIFIED INTO TWO MAIN GROUPS: PLATEAU RIVERS - WITH HUGE COURSES OF WATER DROPPING IN STEEP SLOPES, WHICH MAIN EXAMPLES ARE "PARANA", "URUGUAI" AND "SAO FRANCISCO". PRAIRIE RIVERS - WHICH ALLOW NAVIGATION THROUGH MOST OF THEIR PARTS & HAVE THEIR EXAMPLES IN THE AMAZON BASINS & "PARAGUAI" ALL THE OTHER RIVERS HAVE LESS EXTENSIVE COURSES & ARE GROUPED IN SLOPES: NORTHERN SLOPE RIVERS - PERENNIAL, OF RELATIVELY GREAT OUT-FLOW AND AUTUMN-WINTER FLOODS ("JAGUARIBE", "PARAIBA DO NORTE" AND "CAPIBARIBE", FOR INSTANCE). SOUTHEAST SLOPE RIVERS - PERENNIAL WITH SOME LOW FLUVIAL LEVELS & SUMMER FLOODS ("JEQUITINHONHA", "PARAIBA DO SUL" & "DOCE" ARE THE MAIN ONES).
SOUTHERN SLOPE RIVERS - WITH HIBRID FEATURES (PLATEAU & PRAIRIE) & SUMMER FLOODS ("ITAJAI", "TUBARAO", "GUAIBA", "CAMAGUA" & "JAGUARAO" ARE SOME EXAMPLES). THE LONGER RIVERS IN THE COUNTRY ARE; "AMAZONAS" (7.025 KM), "PARANA" (4.025 KM), "JURUA" (3.283 KM), "MADEIRA" (3.240 KM), "PURUS" (3.120 KM) AND "SAO FRANCISCO" (3.161 KM). THE LARGE EXTENSION FROM EAST TO WEST DIVIDES THE COUNTRY INTO FOUR TIME ZONES, ALL OF THEM TO THE WEST OF THE GREENWICH MERIDIEN, WITH DELAYED SCHEDULES IN RELATION TO IT. POLITICALLY, BRAZIL IS DIVIDED INTO 26 STATES & THE FEDERAL DISTRICT OF BRASILIA, WHERE THE CAPITAL OF THE NATION IS LOCATED. THE STATES ARE DIVIDED INTO FIVE REGIONS, EACH WITH ITS OWN DISTINCT FEATURES. BECAUSE OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL CONTRAST AMONG THE REGIONS, SOMETIMES IT SEEMS THAT EACH OF THEM IS A COUNTRY WITHIN A COUNTRY. DISTRIBUTION OF THE STATES AMONG THE REGIONS:
NORTH REGION - "ACRE", "AMAZONAS", "PARA", "RONDONIA", "RORAIMA", "TOCANTINS", AND "AMAPA". IT'S LOCATED WITHIN THE GUIANAS TO THE NORTH, THE BRAZILIAN PLATEAU TO THE SOUTH, THE ANDES TO THE WEST AND THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE EAST. THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN PEAK CAN BE FOUND ON THE BORDER OF VENEZUELA AND IS CALLED "PICO DA NEBLINA", WHICH RISES TO 3.014 M. THE "FLORESTA TROPICAL DA AMAZONIA" - AMAZON RAIN FOREST - CONTAINS THE LARGEST PART OF TROPICAL FOREST IN THE WORLD, COVERING LARGE AREAS IN 9 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, BEING 60% IN BRAZIL. AT THE HEART OF THIS REGION LIES THE AMAZON RIVER, THE SECOND LONGEST IN THE WORLD, WITH THOUSANDS OF TRIBUTARIES AND 23.000 KM THAT CAN BE NAVIGATED BY LARGE BOATS.
NORTHEAST REGION - "MARANHAO", "PIAUI", "CEARA", "PERNAMBUCO", "RIO GRANDE DO NORTE", "PARAIBA", "ALAGOAS", "SERGIPE" AND "BAHIA". THE COASTLINE GOES FROM "MARANHAO" TO THE SOUTH OF "BAHIA" & ITS WIDTH CAN BE UP TO 200 KM. "SAO FRANCISCO" IS AN IMPORTANT RIVER IN THE REGION & "SALVADOR", "FORTALEZA" & "RECIFE" ARE THE BIGGEST CITIES WITH BEAUTIFUL BEACHES. "FERNANDO DE NORONHA" AND "ATOL DAS ROCAS" ARE WONDERFUL ISLANDS IN THE NORTHEAST. SOUTHEAST REGION - "SAO PAULO", "MINAS GERAIS", "RIO DE JANEIRO" AND "ESPIRITO SANTO". THIS AREA IS THE MOST MOUNTAINOUS PART OF THE ATLANTIC PLATEAU, WHERE "SERRA DA MANTIQUEIRA", "SERRA DO MAR" & "SERRA DO ESPINHACO" CAN BE DETACHED AS MOUNTAIN CHAINS "DEDO DE DEUS" IN "NATIONAL PARK OF TERESOPOLIS" & "PAO DE ACUCAR" (SUGAR LAOF), BESIDES THE BEACHES, ARE SOME BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN RIO. THE OLD MOUNTAINOUS CITIES IN "MINAS GERAIS" ALSO ILLUSTRATE THE NATURAL FEATURES OF THE REGION. SOUTH REGION - "PARANA", "SANTA CATARINA" & "RIO GRANDE DO SUL". FIRST TWO STATES & NORTH OF "RIO GRANDE DO SUL" ARE CHARACTERIZED BY ATLANTIC PLATEAU CLOSE TO THE COAST & THE MERIDIONAL PLATEAU IN THE INTERIOR. THE REMAINDER OF "RIO GRANDE DO SUL" IS MARKED BY PRAIRIES KNOWN AS "PAMPAS GAUCHOS". THE EUROPEAN STYLE OF REGION CAN BE NOTICED IN SOME BEAUTIFUL CITIES SUCH AS "BLUMENAU", "GRAMADO" & "CAXIAS DO SUL". WEST REGION - "GOIAS", "MATO GROSSO", "MATO GROSSO DO SUL" AND "BRASILIA", THE FEDERAL DISTRICT. THE PREDOMINANT RELIEF IS A VAST OLD PLATEAU PLANED BY EROSION. IT IS THE LESS POPULATED REGION OF THE COUNTRY, ALTHOUGH MANY PEOPLE MOVED TO BRASILIA AFTER IT WAS BUILT. TO THE WEST OF "MATO GROSSO DO SUL" & THE SOUTHWEST OF "MATO GROSSO" IS THE "PANTANAL MATOGROSSENSE", THE WORLD'S LARGEST WETLANDS & THE HOME OF THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF WILDLIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA. WHEN THE FLOODWATERS RECEDE IN MARCH, THE "PANTANAL" BECOMES AN ORNITHOLOGIST'S PARADISE WITH HUNDREDS OF SPECIES TO BE SEEN.
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