Brazil Geography 1997

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 daTrindade, 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 Guiana673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km,Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km

Coastline 7,491 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 theexistence 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 largecities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities

Environment - international agreements
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, ClimateChange, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Tropical Timber 94

Geography - note largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with everySouth American country except Chile and Ecuador

NOTE: The information regarding Brazil on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Brazil Geography 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Brazil Geography 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.