This book presents the Brazilian natural space and environment. It describes the main environmental aspects of Brazil in relation to geology, climate, geomorphology, vegetation, fauna, water resources and environmental issues. The book presents a beautifully illustrated overview of the physical geography of the Amazon Forest, the central Brazilian savannah (Cerrado), the Cocais Forest, the semi-arid area (Caatinga), the Atlantic Forest area, the Pantanal (Brazilian wetlands), the Auraucárias Plateau, the Pampas area (South grasslands) and the Brazilian Coastal Environment (beaches and mangroves).

This book presents Brazil as a country of continental dimensions. Its territory has a large variety of rock types, geological structures and climates. The country has a large variety of landscapes, such as the humid plains of the Amazon River, the dry plateaus of the semi-arid region or the subtropical mountains of the southern region. On the coast, some plateaus and mountains, like the Serra do Mar Mountain range, formed a significant barrier front to access the hinterland of Brazil. On the other side of these coastal plateaus and mountains, there is a large collection of other plateaus, mountains, plains and depressions little altered by human interference. Thus, Brazil has a unique variety of different landscapes and extraordinary geomorphological sites. The book invites readers to learn more about the beautiful Brazilian landscapes, their complexity and vastness.

"A transnational approach to the history of a key Latin American border region"--Provided by publisher.

The Physical Geography of South America, the eighth volume in the Oxford Regional Environments series, presents an enduring statement on the physical and biogeographic conditions of this remarkable continent and their relationships to human activity. It fills a void in recent environmental literature by assembling a team of specialists from within and beyond South America in order to provide an integrated, cross-disciplinary body of knowledge about this mostly tropical continent, together with its high mountains and temperate southern cone. The authors systematically cover the main components of the South American environment - tectonism, climate, glaciation, natural landscape changes, rivers, vegetation, animals, and soils. The book then presents more specific treatments of regions with special attributes from the tropical forests of the Amazon basin to the Atacama Desert and Patagonian steppe, and from the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific coasts to the high Andes. Additionally, the continents environments are given a human face by evaluating the roles played by people over time, from pre-European and European colonial impacts to the effects of modern agriculture and urbanization, and from interactions with El Niño events to prognoses for the future environments of the continent.

An alphabetical exploration of the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of Brazil.