ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

PROJECT
REGION- South America/Brazil
 Geography of Brazil
Brazil has a total surface area of 8,514,877
square kilometers of which 8,459,417 square
kilometers is land and 55,460 square kilometers
is water.
Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world and
occupies almost half of the entire South
American continent.
It is the home to the Amazon rainforest.
Borders with Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia,
French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru,
Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
There are 26 states and a Federal District.
Brazil has abundant water resources.
 Brazil Natural
Iron Ore
Manganese
Resources
Bauxite
Nickel
Granite
Limestone
Clay
Sand
Tin
Gold
Platinum
Uranium
Gems
Petroleum
Phosphates
Timber
Hydroelectric Power
 MNCs in Brazil
Brazil is the home to various
multinational companies such as
Company Sector
Petrobras Oil and Gas
Vale Mining and Energy
Petrobras Distribuidora Oil and Gas
Oderbrecht Multisector
JBS Friboi Food
Ultrapar Oil and Gas
CBD Retail
Ipiranga Oil and Gas
Gerdau Metals
Electrobras Energy
 Political Stability
Brazil has a stable government which has
promoted business over a period of time
and has designed pro-business policies.
Brazil has adopted non-intervention and
peaceful settlement of conflicts with
multilateral organizations
The foreign policy of Brazil is also
favorable as Brazil trades with almost all
the countries of the world.
Brazil has a mixed economy.
 Availability of Resources
Brazil has been a natural resource
treasure since its beginning. European
settlers to South America found its
northeastern territory abundant with
trees, called brasilwood, that yielded a
vibrant red dye. The area became known
as "terra de brasil,"
Natural resources has since propelled this
nation of 200 million people to the top ties
of global market.
 Economic production in Brazil

Economic activities % of GDP produced Number of workers % of all workers

Community,
government, & 26 29,564,000 39
personal services
Manufacturing 22 9,300,000 12
Finance, insurance,
real estate, & 18 1,341,000 2
business services
Agriculture, forestry,
8 15,534,000 21
& fishing
Construction 8 4,922,000 7
Wholesale & retail
7 10,785,000 14
trade
Transportation &
5 3,168,000 4
communication
Mining 3 844,000 1

Utilities 3

Total 100 75,458,000 100

 The official language of Brazil is Portuguese;
however, there are more than 180 native
languages spoken in the country.
Brazil's literacy rate is 86.4% which is the lowest
of all South American countries.
Brazil is a diverse country with ethnic groups
including: 54% European, 39% mixed European-
African, 6% Africa, 1% other.
Brazil's most common agricultural exports today
arecoffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn,
sugarcane, cocoa, citrus and beef
 Agriculture

Brazil is a world leader in the production of livestock.

Nearly one-fifth of its workforce is employed on farms.
Nearly one-third of the land is presently used for
farming and ranching.
Brazil is the world's leading producer of coffee,
oranges, papayas, sugarcane, and sisal, and is a major
producer of bananas, cacao beans, cassava, castor
beans, pineapples, cocoa, palm kernels, cotton,
tobacco, soybeans, corn, and dry beans.
Wheat is imported in large amounts.
 Manufacturing
Roughly a sixth of the labor force is engaged in manufacturing.
The principal manufacturing areas of Brazil are in the southeast.
Among the major manufacturing industries are food processing
and the making of textiles, iron and steel, transportation
equipment, and chemicals.
Almost all the steel needed by Brazil is domestically produced.
Automobile assembly and shipbuilding are large and expanding
industrial operations.
Other important manufacturing activities include the making of
machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, aircraft, cement,
wood and paper products, rubber goods, leather products,
pharmaceuticals, plastic items, and transportation equipment.
 Forestry and Fishing

Its chief forest product is timber from a tree called the Parana
Pine. A lot of timber is made into charcoal a major fuel in
Brazil.
Other forestry products include timber, pulpwood, firewood,
fruits, oil-bearing seeds, gums, resins, waxes, fibers, and nuts.
The rubber tree is native to equatorial Brazil, and sizable
amounts of natural rubber are produced.
Forests also provide wood for making charcoal, a major fuel in
Brazil. Some of the forest products, including lumber, castor
beans, and Brazil nuts, are exported.
Commercial fishing is practiced only to a small extent, though
fish are abundant off the coast and in the Amazon River.
 Mining
The chief mining areas are in the state of Minas
Gerais and in the Amazon Basin.
In value of production, petroleum is the leading
product.
Brazil is the world's leading exporter of iron ore.
The country is also one of the world's leading
producers of tin.
Other minerals produced in large amounts
include coal, copper, limestone and marble,
phosphate rock, natural gas, bauxite,
magnesium, manganese, and gold.
 Trade

Coffee is the principal export. Sugar, soybeans, cocoa,

vegetable oils, beef, and iron ore are also important.
After the United States, Brazil is the world's largest
exporter of agricultural products.
Manufactured goods, particularly machinery, chemicals,
aircraft, motor vehicles, and textiles, are becoming
increasingly significant among the nation's exports.
Imports consist mostly of petroleum and petroleum
products, machinery, and chemicals. The chief trading
partners are the United States, Germany, and Japan.
 Transportation
Transportation is generally inadequate, but facilities are
gradually being extended and improved. Numerous obstacles,
including mountainous terrain and dense Amazon forests, have
hindered construction of a nationwide transportation network.
Most of the railway trackage is in the southeast. Trackage is
also substantial in the northeast. Most of the railways are
owned and operated by the federal government.
Highways and motor vehicles provide the chief means of
overland freight and passenger transportation.
Coastal shipping is well developed, especially in the areas
where road and railway facilities are limited.
The airplane is the only practical means of transportation
throughout much of Brazil, and extensive domestic air service
is available.
 Facts
Sex change surgeries are freeunder Brazil's
public health system since 2008
Brazilianprisonerscan reduce their sentence by
4 days for every book they read and write a
report on.
92%of all new soldcars in Brazil useethanol as
fuel, which is produced from sugar cane.
The largestpopulation of Catholicsin the world
is inBrazil: 123 million, 64% of its population.