Brazil - Travel Guide and Maps

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions, occupying almost half of the area of South America and extending from north of the equator to south of the Tropic of Capricorn, with great variety in the natural environment. It is a nation with immense cultural diversity, integrated by the same language. The capital is Brasília.

Brazil is the world's sixth biggest economy and growing. Its economic development has been strongly influenced by a series of economic cycles in which different resources were exploited in different parts of the country. The first commodity to be exploited was the dyewood pau brasil, from which the country takes its name. In the 16th century, the Portuguese introduced sugar cultivation, taking advantage of the good soil and tropical climate in the Northeast region. Gold was discovered in the late 17th century in what became the state of Minas Gerais.

Coffee production dominated the economy from the 19th century to the 1930s. Since the 1940s Brazilian society has undergone dramatic changes due to efforts to boost industrialization and to diversify the economy. Brazil is now one of the most industrialized nations in the world, with a rapidly modernizing economy and a largely urban population. Tropical crops and minerals remain significant exports, but manufactured goods are increasingly important.

The climate is generally tropical, but areas located at higher elevations or in the South and Southeast regions tend to be more temperate. Vegetation varies from rain forests to pine forests to savannas and semiarid scrub.

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