Map of South America
Flag of Brazil
Geography of Brazil
Brazil takes up 50% of the continent of South America. The only countries in the world that are larger are Russia, Canada, the People's Republic of China, and the United States. Brazil the longest country in the world, and spans across 3 time zones.
Brazil has six major ecosystems: the Amazon Basin, a tropical rainforest system; the Pantanal, bordering Paraguay and Bolivia, a tropical wetland system; the Cerrado, a savanna system that covers much of the center of the country; the Caatinga or thorny scrubland habitat of the Northeast; the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) that extends along the entire coast from the Northeast to the South; and the Pampas or fertile lowland plains of the far South.
Brazil has six major ecosystems: the Amazon Basin, a tropical rainforest system; the Pantanal, bordering Paraguay and Bolivia, a tropical wetland system; the Cerrado, a savanna system that covers much of the center of the country; the Caatinga or thorny scrubland habitat of the Northeast; the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) that extends along the entire coast from the Northeast to the South; and the Pampas or fertile lowland plains of the far South.
The Amazon
The Amazon Basin is huge area surrounding the largest river in Brazil, and one of the longest in the world, is the Amazon. The tropical rainforest that covers the Amazon Basin makes up almost half of the rainforests on Earth.
A tropical rainforest is a forest of tall trees with year-round warm weather. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 34C or drops below 20C. Almost all rain forests lie near the equator. Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface, but produce 40% of Earth's oxygen. They are like the lungs of the Earth. About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants. More than 1,400 varieties of tropical plants are thought to be potential cures for cancer.
Many animals live in the canopy of the rainforest, or tops of the trees. There is so much food available at this level that some animals never go down to the forest floor. The canopy is so thick that it blocks out most light from hitting the ground of the forest floor.
One in ten known species in the world lives in the Amazon Rainforest. This is the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world. The Amazon is mostly unexplored, and there are many types of plants and animals that have never been discovered before.
There are still many indigenous tribes that call the Amazon Rainforest their home. They live in a traditional way, and hunt and gather their food. Unfortunately, modern cities are starting to grow into the Amazon area, and this causes many changes. In many of the tribal people's homes, you will find many modern things like TV and computers. This connects them to the rest of the world and gives them access to different kinds of information, but at the same time changes their traditional way of life. There is also a lot of deforestation, or cutting down of the trees in the forest. Because the cities and populations are growing, they need more land to build homes and grow food. Deforestation causes many problems in the Amazon, including the extinction of many plant and animal species.
Check out this cool insect that was recently discovered in the Amazon!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/troll-haired-insect-suriname-planthopper-larsen_n_4309720.html
A tropical rainforest is a forest of tall trees with year-round warm weather. The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets higher than 34C or drops below 20C. Almost all rain forests lie near the equator. Rainforests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface, but produce 40% of Earth's oxygen. They are like the lungs of the Earth. About 1/4 of all the medicines we use come from rainforest plants. More than 1,400 varieties of tropical plants are thought to be potential cures for cancer.
Many animals live in the canopy of the rainforest, or tops of the trees. There is so much food available at this level that some animals never go down to the forest floor. The canopy is so thick that it blocks out most light from hitting the ground of the forest floor.
One in ten known species in the world lives in the Amazon Rainforest. This is the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world. The Amazon is mostly unexplored, and there are many types of plants and animals that have never been discovered before.
There are still many indigenous tribes that call the Amazon Rainforest their home. They live in a traditional way, and hunt and gather their food. Unfortunately, modern cities are starting to grow into the Amazon area, and this causes many changes. In many of the tribal people's homes, you will find many modern things like TV and computers. This connects them to the rest of the world and gives them access to different kinds of information, but at the same time changes their traditional way of life. There is also a lot of deforestation, or cutting down of the trees in the forest. Because the cities and populations are growing, they need more land to build homes and grow food. Deforestation causes many problems in the Amazon, including the extinction of many plant and animal species.
Check out this cool insect that was recently discovered in the Amazon!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/troll-haired-insect-suriname-planthopper-larsen_n_4309720.html
Assignment:
Find a strange and interesting animal, plant, insect, or reptile that lives in the Amazon Rainforest. Print off a picture and write a short paragraph describing it. Read the example for inspiration.
The Jesus Lizard
This lizard is named so because of its ability to run across water when in danger. These lizards spend most of their time on trees that are close to a body of water because when threatened, these lizards jump in the water and can run across the water’s surface at a very fast speed of 1.5 meters per second.
This lizard is found in tropical rain-forests as far north as Mexico, Central America, and South America. It is commonly found in the Amazon Rainforest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhsxo7vY8ac
Brazil's Largest Cities
Most people in Brazil live in cities. For every 100 people in the country, 81 live in a city.
Sao Paulo
Population: 11,244,369
Sao Paulo is well known for its architecture and culture. It is located in Southwestern Brazil on a plateau. It is 70 km from the ocean and has an unpredictable climate.
Population: 11,244,369
Sao Paulo is well known for its architecture and culture. It is located in Southwestern Brazil on a plateau. It is 70 km from the ocean and has an unpredictable climate.
Rio de Janeiro
Population: 6,323,037
Rio is one of the most visited cities in the southern hemisphere. It is known for its natural settings, carnaval celebrations, samba and bossa nova music, and many beautiful beaches.
Population: 6,323,037
Rio is one of the most visited cities in the southern hemisphere. It is known for its natural settings, carnaval celebrations, samba and bossa nova music, and many beautiful beaches.
Brasilia
Population: 2,562,963
Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. It is located in the center of the country. It is well known for its modernist architecture, and is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The Brazilian president lives in Brasilia.
Population: 2,562,963
Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. It is located in the center of the country. It is well known for its modernist architecture, and is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The Brazilian president lives in Brasilia.
Carnaval!
Carnaval is Brazil's most famous holiday. It usually happens in February, before the Christian holiday of Lent. During Lent, people must give up eating meat and other things to show their faith to their religion. Carnaval is the last chance to have some fun before Lent starts. All over the world people have big parades with lots of music, dancing, and street performances. In Brazil, however, it is one of the world's most famous Carnaval celebrations. In Rio, the Carnaval parade attracts millions of tourists every year. People from Rio spend the whole year preparing for the parade. They build beautiful floats, practice their dances, and construct amazing costumes. The famous samba schools have musical concerts in the street, and the whole city participates.