CIA Factbook The World Factbook 1994: BrazilGeography Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Area: • total area: 8,511,965 sq km • land area: 8,456,510 sq km • comparative area: slightly smaller than the US • note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo Land boundaries: total 14,691 km, Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km Coastline: 7,491 km Maritime claims: • contiguous zone: 24 nm • continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation • exclusive economic zone: 200 nm • territorial sea: 12 nm International disputes: short section of the boundary with Paraguay, just west of Salto das Sete Quedas (Guaira Falls) on the Rio Parana, is in dispute; two short sections of boundary with Uruguay are in dispute—Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada) area of the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay River Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt Natural resources: iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, phosphates, tin, hydropower, gold, platinum, petroleum, timber Land use: • arable land: 7% • permanent crops: 1% • meadows and pastures: 19% • forest and woodland: 67% • other: 6% Irrigated land: 27,000 sq km (1989 est.) Environment: • current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities • natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south • international agreements: party to—Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling; signed, but not ratified—Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Tropical Timber Note: largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador