O Brazilian territory Its main feature is its large extension, which makes it be considered as a continental-sized country, that is, it has an area equivalent to that of a continent, with 8,514,876 km² in length. By definition, any country or region that has an area larger than that of Australia (7,692,024 km²) is considered continental, as this country is equivalent to the extension, almost entirely, of the smallest continent existing on Earth, the Oceania.
Therefore, the Brazil is the fifth largest existing country, trailing Russia, Canada, China and the United States. Its area is so large that, by way of comparison, it is slightly smaller than Europe, which has about 10.5 million km². In this way, we can get an idea of how much the geographic space and also the natural environment of our country are wide and diverse, with the most distinct characteristics.
THE extension of Brazilian territory it is marked by the great distance from its extreme points of location. In the north-south direction, Brazil has a distance of 4,394 km between Monte Caburai – a point located in the state of Roraima is located in the extreme north of the country – and the Arroio Chuí, the latter located in the extreme south, in Rio Grande do South. In the east-west direction, the distance is quite similar, with 4,319 km separating the source of Rio Moa (Acre), in the extreme west, from Ponta do Seixas (Paraíba), in the extreme east.
Map of extreme points in Brazil *
In terms of position, the location of Brazilian territory is considered from several factors. Our country is located in three different hemispheres at the same time: most of it in the southern hemisphere, a small part in the northern hemisphere and all of its territory in the western hemisphere. It is cut to the north by the Equator and to the south by the Tropic of Capricorn, presenting 92% of its area in a tropical zone.
Another aspect of Brazil's geographic position is its latitudes and longitudes, that is, its coordinates which are usually measured from the Equator (latitudes) and from the Greenwich Meridian (lengths). Thus, in latitudinal terms, the Brazilian territory extends from something close to the 5th North to around 33rd South. In longitudinal terms, the range is from 35º west to a little less than 75º west. But this is if we disregard some oceanic islands located in the Atlantic, those positioned at slightly shorter longitudes.
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Due to its wide extension in the east-west direction, Brazil has a wide range of time zones, totaling four distinct regions. The first time zone is two hours behind the Greenwich Meridian (-2GMT, therefore) and covers only the Atlantic islands. The second and most important time zone (-3GMT) covers most Brazilian states, including the Federal District and the capital Brasília, and is therefore the country's official time. The third zone (-4GMT) covers some states to the west, namely: Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rondônia, Roraima and most of Amazonas. The fourth zone (-5GMT) covers a small western part of Amazonas and the state of Acre.
the borders of Brazil
In all, Brazil has 23,102 km of borders, 15,735 km of which are composed of land borders and 7,367 km are maritime borders. In South America, Brazil borders almost all countries on the continent, with the exception of only from Chile and also from Ecuador, which represents the entire range of terrestrial limitations of our parents.
Brazil borders almost every country in South America
In oceanic areas, the Brazilian borders extend throughout the Atlantic Ocean and are formed almost entirely by beaches and completely habitable regions, raising the tourist potential Brazilian. It is worth remembering that, in addition to terrestrial space, Brazil holds sovereignty over 12 miles beyond the coast (Sea Territorial), not to mention the contiguous zones and exclusive economic zones, which were established in treaties international.
In general, when we talk about Brazilian territory, we are talking about a very wide and privileged space, because, in addition to being one of the largest countries in the world, Brazil is also one of those with the largest livable and productive areas. This is because countries larger than ours have, in general, many inhospitable areas, such as polar, mountainous or desert regions, which practically do not exist in Brazil. Therefore, in natural terms, we can say that Brazil is a space endowed with countless riches and importance.
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* Image credits: Deyvid Aleksandr Raffo Setti / Wikimedia Commons
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena