Nature

Brazil is the world champion in terms of bio-diversity.  In its immense areas, the country contains the largest forest and the most living beings on the planet.  Of the 250 thousand species of plants existing in the world, around 55 thousand can be found in Brazil.  There are eight Brazilian eco-systems:  Amazon Rainforest, Atlantic Tropical Forest, Scrub Savannah, Savannah, Pantanal Swamplands, Prairie, Pine Forest, and Coastline.  There are 524 species of mammals and 10 million species of insects  3,000 species of fish live in fresh water in Brazil, more species than those that live in the Atlantic Ocean.

Where are these gifts of nature?  A great part of the 35% of the world's forest, the Amazon Rainforest, has a top ground cover that is over 100 million years old.  Even so, this represents knowledge of only half of the species known to inhabit the thickets and rivers of the forest.

There are still two large ecological reserves in the Amazon.  Tapajos National Park, with one million hectares of tropical forest, and Pico da Neblina National Park, with 2.2 million hectares.

The Mato Grosso Pantanal Swampland, with its nearly 230 thousand square hectares, makes up another enormous refuge for thousands of animal and vegetable species.  The largest ecological reserve in the world has two cycles, rain and drought, allowing for a constant renovation and flourishing of plant and animal life.

The Atlantic Forest shelters three types of forests in its 120 thousand square kilometers.  It is estimated to contain more than 800 bird species, 180 amphibian species, and 140 mammal species, including four species of the famous golden lion monkey.

In the South of the country, Iguacu National Park has been a UNESCO Natural Landmark of Humanity since 1986.  The largest attraction of the park are the Iguacu Waterfalls, in the state of Parana, 2,700 meters wide and the spectacular fall of 72 meters of water and foam.  This ecological reserve in the Park shelters rare species, like the painted leopard, the largest feline creature in America.

At 200 million hectares, the Brazilian Savannah is the size of Western Europe.  Only becoming populated in the middle of the last century, today the Brazilian Savannah has more than 35% of its territory transformed into arable land, a large part of which is located up to 600 meters above sea level.  The majority of plant species are used in natural medicines or as food.  The region suffers a long drought, turning the landscape into an aggressive and anti-economic area, but it is renovated with the arrival of the first rainfall.

In the Brazilian Northeast, which occupies around 11% of the territory of the country, The Caatinga Scrub Savannah survives between the magnificent vegetation watered by the rains and the desolate drought that dries up the rivers and mistreats the plants and animals that live there.  Northeastern culture - films, theater, music, folklore, and holiday celebrations - tend to reflect this, focussing on socio-economic effects in the diverse climate.