Brazil - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Brazil. note 1: largest country in South America and in the Southern Hemisphere; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador; most of the Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, extends through the west central part of the country; shares Iguaçu Falls (Iguazú Falls), the world's largest waterfalls system, with Argentina

note 2: cassava (manioc) the sixth most important food crop in the world -- after maize, rice, wheat, potatoes, and soybeans -- probably originated in the west-central part of Brazil; pineapples are probably indigenous to the southern Brazil-Paraguay region

note 3: Rocas Atoll, located off the northeast coast of Brazil, is the only atoll in the South Atlantic. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 72 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Brazil
Location Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Geographic coordinates 10 00 S, 55 00 W
Map references South America
Tarrain mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Natural Resources alumina, bauxite, beryllium, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, niobium, phosphates, platinum, tantalum, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Natural Hazards recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south
Irrigated Land 69,029 sq km (2017)
Major rivers (by length in km) Amazon river mouth (shared with Peru [s]) - 6,400 km; Río de la Plata/Paraná river source (shared with Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay [m]) - 4,880 km; Tocantins - 3,650 km; São Francisco - 3,180 km; Paraguay river source (shared with Argentina and Paraguay [m]) - 2,549 km; Rio Negro river mouth (shared with Colombia [s] and Venezuela) - 2,250 km; Uruguay river source (shared with Argentina and Uruguay [m]) - 1,610 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers Amazon Basin, Guarani Aquifer System, Maranhao Basin
Land Boundaries 16,145 km
Border Countries Argentina 1,263 km; Bolivia 3,403 km; Colombia 1,790 km; French Guiana 649 km; Guyana 1,308 km; Paraguay 1,371 km; Peru 2,659 km; Suriname 515 km; Uruguay 1,050 km; Venezuela 2,137 km
Coastline 7,491 km
Climate mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Area
Total Area
Land Area 8,358,140 sq km
Water Area 157,630 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than the US
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin
Elevations
Highest point Pico da Neblina 2,994 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 320 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 32.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 8.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 23.5% (2018 est.)
Forest 61.9% (2018 est.)
Other 5.2% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The vast majority of people live along, or relatively near, the Atlantic coast in the east; the population core is in the southeast, anchored by the cities of São Paolo, Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro

People and Society

In Brazil, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Mixed 45.3%, White 43.5%, Black 10.2%, Indigenous 0.6%, Asian 0.4% (2022 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.61% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 13.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 10.3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2.1 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 1.74 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.85 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 80.5% (2019)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 55.9% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 6% of GDP (2019 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Brazilian | Brazilian(s)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 52.8%, Protestant 26.7% (Evangelical 25.5%, other Protestant 1.2%), African-American cultist/Umbanda 1.8%, other 3%, agnostic/atheist 0.6%, none 13.6%, unspecified 1.4% (2023 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 19.6% (male 22,025,593/female 21,088,398)
15-64 years 69.5% (male 75,889,089/female 77,118,722)
65 years and over 10.9% (2024 est.) (male 10,251,809/female 13,677,901)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 43.1
Youth dependency ratio 29.4
Elderly dependency ratio 13.7
Potential support ratio 7.3 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 35.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 34 years
Female 36.1 years
Urbanization
Urban population 87.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.87% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 22.620 million São Paulo, 13.728 million Rio de Janeiro, 6.248 million Belo Horizonte, 4.873 million BRASÍLIA (capital), 4.264 million Recife, 4.212 million Porto Alegre (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.75 male(s)/female
Total population 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 14.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 11.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 76.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 72.6 years
Female 80.1 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.8% of population
Improved: rural rural: 96.9% of population
Improved: total total: 99.4% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 3.1% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 94.1% of population
Improved: rural rural: 63.6% of population
Improved: total total: 90.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 5.9% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 36.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 9.8% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Vectorborne diseases dengue fever, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
Water contact diseases schistosomiasis
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 6.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 3.84 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 12.8% (2020 est.)
Male 16.2% (2020 est.)
Female 9.4% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Brazil’s rapid fertility decline since the 1960s is the main factor behind the country's slowing population growth rate, aging population, and fast-paced demographic transition.  As of 2023, Brazil’s total fertility rate – the average number of children born per woman – was 1.75, below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to prevent a population decrease.   The 2022 national census showed that population growth had slowed more than expected.  Factors behind the decrease include fewer births as couples marry later and more women work, an increase in the mortality rate as the population ages, the Zika epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as economic troubles and the emigration of young people. The current window of opportunity to benefit from a demographic bonus – when the working-age population exceeds the number of children and the elderly combined – is expected to close around 2035, ten years earlier than expected. 

Well-funded public pensions have nearly wiped out poverty among the elderly, and Bolsa Familia and other social programs have lifted tens of millions out of poverty. More than half of Brazil’s population is considered middle class, but poverty and income inequality levels remain high; the Northeast, North, and Center-West, women, and black, mixed race, and indigenous populations are disproportionately affected. Disparities in opportunities foster social exclusion and contribute to Brazil’s high crime rate, particularly violent crime in cities and favelas.

Brazil has traditionally been a net recipient of immigrants, with its southeast being the prime destination. After abolishing slavery in 1888, the last country in the Americas to do so, Brazil sought Europeans (Italians, Portuguese, Spaniards, and Germans) and later Asians (Japanese) to work in agriculture, especially coffee cultivation.  Lebanese and Syrian immigrants arrived at the end of the 19th century and focused on trade and later commerce. Between 2011 and 2020, the largest immigrant groups came from Venezuela, Haiti, Bolivia, Colombia, and the US. Since Brazil’s economic downturn in the 1980s, emigration to the United States, Paraguay, Europe, and Japan has been rising but is negligible relative to Brazil’s total population. The majority of these emigrants are well-educated and middle-class. Fewer Brazilian peasants are emigrating to neighboring countries to take up agricultural work. 

All Important Facts about Brazil

Want to know more about Brazil? Check all different factbooks for Brazil below.

Brazil is found in South America