BRAZIL Chapter 3 The North- Lost in the Amazon Have you ever heard about Amazon rainforest? Let us learn together! The equatorial North, also known as the Amazon or Amazônia, is Brazil's largest region with total landmass of 3,869,638 square kilometers, covering 45.3 percent of the national territory. Way too big and enormous!! It is also the least inhabited part of the country. 31 BRAZIL The region has the largest rainforest of the world and is called Amazon. The word Amazon refers to the women warriors who once fought in inter-tribe in ancient times in this region of today's North Region of Brazil. It is also the name of one of the major river that passes through Brazil and flows eastward into South Atlantic. This river is also the largest of the world in terms of water carried in it. There are also numerous other rivers in the area. It is one fifth of all the earth's fresh water reserves. There are two main Amazonian cities: Manaus, capital of the State of Amazonas, and Belém, capital of the State of Pará. 32 BRAZIL Over half of the Amazon rainforest( more than 60 per cent) is located in Brazil but it is also located in other South American countries including Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Bolivia, Suriname and French Guiana. The Amazon is home to around two and a half million different insect species as well as over 40000 plant species. There are also a number of dangerous species living in the Amazon rainforest such as the “Onça Pintada” (Brazilian Puma) and anaconda. Scientists have described between 96,660 and 128,843 invertebrate species in Brazil alone. More than 1/3 of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest. To date, an estimated 33 BRAZIL 438,000 species of plants of economic and social interest have been registered in the region with many more remaining to be discovered or catalogued. This constitutes the largest collection of living plants and animal species in the world. One in five of all birds in the world live in the rainforests of the Amazon. The diversity of plant species is the highest on earth with some experts estimating that one square kilometer may contain over 75,000 types of trees and 150,000 species of higher plants. To date, at least 40,000 plant species, 3,000 fish, 1,294 birds, 427 mammals, 428 amphibians, and 378 reptiles have been scientifically classified in the region. Do you know why Amazon is a rainforest? Tropical rainforests are forests with tall trees, warm climates, and lots of rain. In some rainforests it rains more than one inch nearly every day of the year! And the largest rainforest in the world is the Brazilian Amazon. 34 BRAZIL Typical “ rainforests” are called with the name because of humidity that one finds in the tropical and equatorial forests, but it surely does not mean that there is raining all the time, but they have more rains as compared to the other forests. It is to remember that these kinds of forests are always located near or on equator and are very hot. They have high temperatures because this heat is related to the portions of water that evaporate into the air because of dense population of trees. These forests also keep the water for its roots, branches and soil and this makes it more humid and wet, thus experts give these kind of forests as tropical or equatorial forests. 35 BRAZIL A rainforest is typically like that of a forest having trees but that it is of bigger sizes and have denser branches and trees . It is usually dark, even during the day, in a rainforest. The tree sizes up to 120 feet. The bio-diversity one can experience here is unparalleled. And the most amazing part is that all this apparent chaos is actually a very balanced system, a product of millions of years of evolution and natural selection. States in The North The North region of Brazil includes the states of Rondônia, Acre, Amazonas, Roraima, Pará, Amapá, and, as of 1988, Tocantins (created from the northern part of Goiás State, which is situated in the Center-West). Rondônia, previously a federal territory, became a state in 1986. The former federal territories of Roraima and Amapá were raised to statehood in 1988. State of Rondônia: Rondônia has borders in the west with the state of Acre, to the north with the state of 36 BRAZIL Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. The capital of Rondônia is Porto Velho. The state was named after one of the famous military man of Brazil, Marshal Rondon. He was most famous for his exploration of Mato Grosso and the Western Amazon Basin, and his lifelong support of Brazilian indigenous populations. The state is major exporter of Coffee and Cocoa. It is also an important region for animal husbandry, specifically cattle. Two reasons have brought Rondônia to the headlines of newspapers in Brazil and the world: the fast development of what just a few decades ago was a region lost in the middle of the jungle, and the ecological problems that the development brings along. State of Acre: The state of Acre is situated in the southwest of the Northern Region, bordering Amazonas to the north, Rondônia to the east, Bolivia to the southeast and the Ucayali Region of Peru to the south and west. Its capital is the city of Rio Branco. Other important places include: Cruzeiro do 37 BRAZIL Sul, Feijó, Sena Madureira, Senador Guiomard and Tarauacá. The state's name is derived from that of the Rio Acre, which seems to be of Indian origin. Covered by tropical rainforest, Acre produces the highest-quality rubber in Brazil. State of Amazonas: The state of Amazonas is located in northwestern corner of Brazil. It is the largest Brazilian State by area and the 9th largest country subdivision in the world. The capital of state of Amazonas is Manaus. It borders from the north Roraima, Pará, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Acre. It also borders Peru, 38 BRAZIL Colombia and Venezuela. Amazonas is named after the Amazon River, and home to the highest mountain in Brazil, Pico da Neblina, which stands at 2,994 metres (9,823 ft) above sea level. An etymological alternative put forward by historian Karl Lokotsch, the name derives from an indigenous word, amasunu, that means "sound of water, water rumbles”. State of Roraima: Roraima is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of 39 BRAZIL Venezuela and Guyana. The capital of the state is Boa Vista. Roraima is the Brazilian state with the fewest municipalities, 15 in total. It is also famous for Mount Roraima, which includes the triple border point of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. State of Pará: The state of Pará is the second largest state of Brazil, in area, second only to Amazonas. It is also the most populous Northern state. It borders the states (clockwise) Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital and largest city is Belém. Its most famous icons are the Amazon River and the Amazon Rainforest. Pará produces rubber (extracted from natural rubber tree groves), tropical hardwoods such as mahogany, and minerals such as iron ore and bauxite.One of the biggest mines of the world is located in the Crajás Valley, in Pará. Círio de Nazaré is one of the most important religious celebrations and tourist attraction in 40 BRAZIL the city of Belém, capital of Pará This event happens on the second Sunday of every October, and It is known to be the biggest religious event of the Western Hemisphere. Another important attraction of the capital is the marajó-style ceramics, based on pottery from the extinct Marajó indigenous culture, whose designs have gained considerable international fame. State of Amapá: Amapá is another state of the north region 41 BRAZIL which is bounded on the north by a small portion of Suriname and by French Guiana, on the northeast by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south and west by the Brazilian state of Pará, and on the southeast by the Amazon River. Formerly a part of Pará state, Amapá was created as a territory in 1943 and became a state in 1988, with its capital at Macapá. The 90 percent of the state' s total area is the Amazon Rainforest. Unexplored forests occupy 70 percent of its territory. The state's capital and largest city Macapá can only be reached by boat or airplane. 42 BRAZIL State of Tocantins: This is the state whose name means "Toucan's beak" in one of the native language of the region. It is a new state and is developing slowly and building its important resources: the rivers Araguaia and Tocantins, the largest hydro basin entirely inside Brazilian territory. It also has the characteristics of Amazon. The Ilha do Bananal, in the southwest of the State, is the largest fluvial ( produced or found in river) island in the world. Tocantins is also home to the Araguaia National Park and the Carajás Indian reserves. Another highlight is the Jalapão, about 250 kilometers from the capital, Palmas. There, the rivers create true oases in the dry landscape, attracting many eco-tourists to the region. People of the North Most of the population living in the north have centered in urban areas.