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BRAZIL
People of Brazil
Brazil is the fifth most populous country in the world and is home to
about half of South America’s population.
Populous Regions
1. Brazil has almost two hundred million people, about two-thirds as many as in the United States.
a. On the map, above the label for Brazil, write 200,000,000.
b. Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city and the world’s fourth largest urban area, is located in the
southeast. In the Atlantic Ocean, near Sao Paulo, write the city’s population: 10 MILLION.
c. Rio de Janeiro, located along the southeast coast, is the second-largest city in Brazil. In the
Atlantic Ocean, near Rio de Janeiro, write its population: 6 MILLION.
2. Roughly 80 percent of Brazil’s population lives within 200 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.
a. On a scrap piece of paper, use the scale in the map legend to measure the distance that
represents 200 miles by placing the edge of the paper at 0 and drawing a line at 200.
b. Now move the paper along the Atlantic Coast, marking 200 miles inland at several points.
c. Connect the marks to make a 200-mile wide strip along the Brazilian coastline.
d. Inside the strip, along the northern coast, write 80% POPULATION.
e. Name another city within this strip. _________________________________________
3. In 1960 the government encouraged people to move into the country’s interior by moving the
national capital.
a. Point to the symbol in the legend for a national capital.
b. Find the national capital symbol on the map and circle it.
c. What is the capital of Brazil? _________________________________________
d. Draw a line between Brazil’s current capital and Rio de Janeiro, its former capital.
e. Use the map scale. How far is the current capital from the former capital?__________________
Ethnic Composition
4. Most people in Brazil are descended from Europeans and Africans.
a. Most Brazilians of European descent live in the south. In southern Brazil, along the coast,
write EUROPEAN.
b. Most Brazilians of African descent live along the coast north of Rio de Janeiro. In northern
Brazil, along the coast, write AFRICAN.
c. Brazil’s Indians mainly live in the Amazon region. In the Amazon Basin, write INDIANS.
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