Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Landscapes of Brazil
Larger than the US (excluding Alaska) and bordering
10 of the 12 other South American countries, Brazil
is home to a wide variety of breathtaking landscapes,
from vast swamps to desert, and thick rainforest to
metropolitan cityscapes. Covering over 2 million sq
miles (3.5 million sq km) and embracing over 40
percent of Brazilian territory, the Amazon rainforest
is the most dominant landscape in Brazil and the
best known. Although massive and spectacular, the
Amazon Basin is only one biome out of several
in Brazil, each with its own distinct scenery,
fascinating wildlife, and climate.
KEY
The Amazon rainforest
The Pantanal
The
sertão
The
cerrado
Mata Atlântica
International border
Peak
The Northern Highlands in
Amazônia
are impressive
mountains, strung along
the frontier with Venezuela
and Guyana.
0ÓCODA.EHLINA
FTM
The Amazon rainforest
(see pp260-61)
, one of the most
complex ecosystems in the world, is characterized by vast
expanses of dense forest, with a wide range of vegetation.
Large areas, such as the buriti palm-dominated
igapós
, are
annually flooded by the waters of the Rio Negro.
The Pantanal
(see pp320-21)
, an immense
wetland, is the largest seasonally flooded area
on the planet, inundating as much as two-thirds
of its total area for half the year, during the
rainy season. Dotted with small, forested
elevations, the southern Pantanal is used for
cattle grazing during the dry season.
THE WET & THE DRY SEASON
During the wet season, which lasts
from December to March, the rising
rivers inundate the flat land. This process
creates
cordilhieras
(isolated islands)
amid vast lakes and flowering shrubs.
However, it is during the dry season
(May to September), that wildlife is at its
most spectacular in the Pantanal. During
this time, the ponds teem with fish, and
thousands of birds flock around the
water holes.
The Pantanal in the wet
season, near Porto Jofre
The Pantanal with tiny
forests in the dry season
