Brazil
Brazil is the largest country in South America covering nearly half of the continent and is divided into 26 states and Federal Districts. Brazil’s twenty-six states are further divided into five regions North, Northeast, Southeast, South, and Center-West. Each of these five major regions have a distinct ecosystem and differ greatly in population and economic activity. (Briney, 2010) The total population in Brazil was last recorded at 196.7 million people in 2011 as reported by the World Bank. According to data released by the Brazilian institute of Geography and Statistics 84.36 percent of this population is urban. ("Brazil in numbers," 2010) Brazil has the greatest variety of animals of any country being home to the Amazon Rainforest which makes it a popular location for tourism. There are also dry grasslands, rugged hills, pine forest, sprawling wetlands and a long coastal plain that stretches 4655 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil currently has the sixth largest economy in the world and the largest in continental South America. (“Trading economics brazil”, 2013)
The North is made up of eight states and greatly comprised of the Amazon. It is the country’s largest region with 2,404,481 square miles, covering 45.3 percent of the national territory. It makes up only 7 percent of the nation’s population with only 15.9 million inhabitants. This region’s principal biome is the tropical forest, also known as the rain forest and is home to some of the planet’s richest biological diversity. This region has been known to produce products such as cocoa, cinnamon, and turtle butter in the early times to rubber and Brazilian nuts in the more modern times. Living standards in this region are below the national average with per capita income ranging from $901-$2888 in US dollars. ("Geography of brazil,”)
The Northeast is made up of nine states and accounts for 28 percent of Brazil’s total population with 53 million inhabitants. This region is 970,071 square miles and covers 18.3 percent of the national territory. It’s ecologically forest and is included in the Amazon region. Its biome is semiarid “caatinga” which means white forest and is subject to prolonged periodic droughts. This region has the country’s greatest rural population, and the lowest living standards with per capita income ranging from $835-$1958 in US dollars. ("Geography of brazil,”)
The Southeast consists of four states and accounts for 39 percent of Brazil’s total population with 80 million inhabitants. The region is 576,188 square miles and covers approximately 11 percent of the national territory. The biome in the region was originally Atlantic Forest but major deforestation has occurred clearing the land for farming, ranching, and charcoal making. Industrial production in this region is the greatest with Sao Paulo accounting alone for half of the country’s industry. This region is very diverse and technologically advanced thriving with the highest living standards and having an average income of $2,833-4,666 in US dollars. ("Geography of brazil,”)
The South consists of three states and accounts for 14 percent of Brazil’s total population with 27.3 million inhabitants. This region is 358,664 square miles and covers 6.8 percent of the national territory. Most of this region’s population is dense coastal population and is industrialize. The biome in this region is mainly pampa grasslands much of which is used for agriculture production mostly by small farmers producing crops such as rice. Because of the industry and agriculture in this region, the South has a high average income of US $3,405-3,674. ("Geography of brazil,”)
The Center-West consists three states and is the home of the national capital Brasilia. There are approximately 14 million inhabitants in this region making up six percent of Brazil’s total population. This region is 1,001,698 square miles and covers 18.9 percent of the national territory. The biome in this