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Physical Features
of Brazil
| Every place
on the earth’s surface has features that distinguish it from other
places on earth. Geographers divide theses features into either physical
and human feature. Physical features include landforms, bodies of water,
climate, natural vegetation and soil. Brazil has been both blessed and
cursed by its varied landscape. The forests, rivers, and mountains of
Brazil have long hindered travel inland, and the country's vast interior
remains little developed. Starting with it most famous physical feature,
the world's largest tropical rain forest sprawls across much of the north.
The Amazon and other enormous rivers wind through vast green forests of
towering trees and steamy jungles. Cloud covered mountains rise north of
the forests as well as bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the southeast.
South of the Amazon region, the country's interior is dominated by dry
plains extend across parts of northeastern Brazil. The low plateaus of
central and southern Brazil have fertile farmlands and lush grazing areas.
In the far west, along the border with Paraguay and Bolivia, is the
Pantanal, one of the largest swamplands in the world. And along the
Atlantic Ocean broad, white beaches are found glistening against the
ocean.
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| Topographically, the landscape of Brazil is
dominated by two major physical features. In the north lies the Amazon
River with its surrounding lowland basin of 4,000,000 sq. km. The
Amazon Basin forms the largest rain forest in the world. In contrast
to the Amazon Basin, a large plateau called the Central Plateau rises
through the South. A network of high mountains runs from the south
through the Northeast, dividing the interior from the Atlantic Ocean. |
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Another
interesting physical feature of Brazil is its river system.
Brazil has one of the world's most extensive river systems, with
five major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic Ocean.
Two of these basins, the Amazon and Tocantins-Araguaia, account for more
than half the total drainage area. The largest river system in Brazil is
the Amazon, which starts in the Andes and receives water from tributaries
that cover half of Brazil, mainly the north and west. The Amazon and its
basin has all the features of a typical river valley although on a grand
scale.
Here
are some other facts about Brazilian rivers:
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With
the exception of the Amazon, few of the larger Brazilian rivers are good
for navigation.
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Many
rivers are very short and are broken by waterfalls and rapids.
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The
longest river completely in Brazil is the Sao Francisco.
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Activity Page
Click here to go to
Physical Features Activity Page.
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