1. Brazil Chapter 12 World Geography
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

2. Section 1: The Land and Its Regions
World Geography
Chapter 12: Brazil
Section 1: The Land and Its Regions
Section 2: Brazil's Quest for Economic
Growth
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

3. The Land and Its Regions1
The Land and Its Regions
What environmental and economic challenges exist in the northeast?
How has urbanization affected the southeast region?
Why has the government encouraged urban growth and economic development in the Brazilian Highlands?
What are the main characteristics of the Amazon River basin ecosystem?

4. 1
Northeast Region
Sugar plantations on the coastal plain have made Brazil the world’s largest exporter of sugar.
The sertão, or interior plateau, has hard soils and bakes through year-long droughts.
Life expectancy is short because of low incomes and poor nutrition.

5. 1
Southeast Region
Rural Brazilians migrate to cities looking for a better life.
Many find no jobs or low-paying jobs, and most end up in slum communities called favelas.
Some favelas are being torn down and replaced with affordable public housing.

6. 1
Brazilian Highlands
The national government hoped to boost development of the interior region.
The Brazilian government also hoped to draw people away from the crowded coastal cities.
The new capital of Brasília, located 600 miles inland, was officially “inaugurated” in 1960.

7. 1
Amazon River Region
The Amazon River basin is the largest and least explored region in Brazil.
The Amazon River basin spreads across more than half of Brazil.
The region receives heavy rainfall: more than 80 inches (200 cm) per year.
Temperatures are constant at 80º F (27º C) or higher.
The rain forest is home to a wide variety of plants and animals.

8. Section 1 Review The sertão is a) a river valley.
b) a mineral-rich mountain range.
c) an interior plateau with poor soil.
d) a coastal area in the south.
What are favelas?
a) villages in the sertão
b) wealthy neighborhoods in the large cities
c) large commercial farms
d) slum communities in the large cities
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9. Section 1 Review The sertão is a) a river valley.
b) a mineral-rich mountain range.
c) an interior plateau with poor soil.
d) a coastal area in the south.
What are favelas?
a) villages in the sertão
b) wealthy neighborhoods in the large cities
c) large commercial farms
d) slum communities in the large cities
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10. Guided Reading Answers Section 1
1. settled in the 1500’s by Portugese, who built sugar plantations and brought enslaved Africans
2. tropical wet and dry, often has a year or more of drought
3. because of severe poverty, life expectancy and yearly incomes low
4. 17 percent percent
6. mostly humid subtropical climate and fertile soil
7. cotton, sugar cane, rice, cacao, and coffee
8. Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo
9. economically healthy but full of favelas
10. north of the southeast region, on the central plateau
11. built to boost development of the interior and became the capital in 1960
12. more than 50 percent 13. about 10 percent
14. a steep cliff that separates two level areas
15. interior plateau of northeastern Brazil
16. a poor community in a Brazilian city

11. Brazil’s Quest for Economic Growth2
Brazil’s Quest for Economic Growth
What economic challenges are faced by the urban and rural poor?
How have Brazilian government policies affected the economy?
What effects has economic growth had on the labor force in Brazil?
How has economic development contributed to environmental change?

12. Most of Brazil’s poorest live in urban favelas or the rural northeast.2
Economic Challenges
Most of Brazil’s poorest live in urban favelas or the rural northeast.
Many parents in favelas cannot afford to feed or house their children.
Homeless children work in menial jobs or beg for coins.
Many people in rural areas work on plantations or become subsistence farmers.
The harsh conditions of the sertão contribute to the poverty of farmers living there.

13. Government Policies Economic Activities2
Government Policies
Economic Activities
During the the 1940s and 1950s, the Brazilian government began building steel mills, oil refineries, and hydroelectric dams.
Brazil’s economy grew tremendously in 1950s as manufacturing increased and Brazilians began to move from rural to urban areas.
Patterns of Settlement
The government began a program to develop the interior, “planting” Brasília in the Brazilian Highlands.
A massive road-building project, with Brasília at its center, connected many areas of the country.
New roads and land grants drew many settlers to the Brazilian Highlands and Amazon regions.

14. 2
Economic Growth
Brazil ranks among the world’s leading industrial nations.
The development of gasohol, a mixture of gasoline and alcohol made from sugar cane that is used as fuel, meant Brazil no longer needed to import expensive foreign oil.
The majority of the work force has moved from agriculture to manufacturing and service industries.
Brazil now has a growing skilled, educated middle class.

15. Environmental Changes2
Environmental Changes
Challenges and Opportunities
Settlers moving to the Amazon region found that only the thick vegetation kept the soil from washing away.
In order to continue farming, farmers needed to clear more land.
New Efforts
Deforestation threatens the biological diversity of the Amazon region.
The Brazilian government is working to combat deforestation and to promote ecotourism, tourism that encourages environmental awareness.

16. Section 2 Review How did land grants and new roads affect Brazil?
a) Settlers moved into the Highlands and Amazon regions.
b) Industry stagnated and declined.
c) More people migrated into the cities in the southeast.
d) The sertão became depopulated.
Brazil is combating deforestation by
a) removing woodlands.
b) promoting ecotourism and encouraging maintenance of the forest.
c) expanding industry and building hydroelectric dams.
d) encouraging people to migrate to the cities.
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17. Section 2 Review How did land grants and new roads affect Brazil?
a) Settlers moved into the Highlands and Amazon regions.
b) Industry stagnated and declined.
c) More people migrated into the cities in the southeast.
d) The sertão became depopulated.
Brazil is combating deforestation by
a) removing woodlands.
b) promoting ecotourism and encouraging maintenance of the forest.
c) expanding industry and building hydroelectric dams.
d) encouraging people to migrate to the cities.
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18. Guided Reading Answers Section 2
1. The large plantations are owned by only a few families.
2. Most small farmers live in the sertao, where the climate is unfavorable and the soil is poor.
3. by building the county’s first steel mill and oil refinery
4. by building huge hydroelectric dams to produce electricity for industry
5. by establishing a bank that lent money for starting new businesses
6. by building Brasilia, the capital
7. by building a network of roads with Brasilia at the center
8. by giving away land and mining and prospecting permits in the Amazon region

19. 9. Manufacturing accounts for over one-third of GDP.
10. Gasohol is used as a fuel, eliminating the need to import oil.
11. Over one third of the work force is employed in manufacturing, construction, and mining.
12. Poverty in the industrial cities has increased.
13. The Amazon rain forest is gradually being destroyed.
14. a large commercial farm
15. a mix of gasoline and ethanol
16. the permanent removal of woodland
17. tourism that encourages environmental awareness and has little effect on the ecosystem