Natural Resources

      Some of Brazil's natural resources are topaz, iron ore, tin, bauxite, nickel, granit, limestone, clay, rivers, sand, gems, and timber. Hydro electrcity is very common in Brazil especially with the Amazon River. It can be made for electricity for many houses in Brazil. With bauxite they can produce about 25 metric tons of it in a year. They use this in the aluminum to create things. For manganeses, Brazil produces 2.4 metric tons in a year. .They are the only ones that produce a lot of this natrual resources, besides Australia and Africa. Another natural resource is phosphates which is a type of salt. In 2002 they have produced 5.6 metric tons in a year. One of the other resources that they have is petroleum. Petroleum is an oily substance that is thick and very flammable. Brazilians use limestone for many different objects. A few different ways is that we can use them for glass making, cemet production, chemical production, and finally for making buildings shine.

         Some of Brazil's mineral resources are topaz, iron ore, tin, gold, bauxite, nickel, granit, limestone, clay, sand, gems, and timber are the minerals. A mineral that is also found in many parts of the world is a topaz. Inside the the topaz is oxygen. Topaz is popular for making jewelry for festive outfits. When mined you can find it in large chunks. The color that is most vaulable is orange-yellow. Topaz has a varity of colors. For example there is blue, green, red, and white. Another mineral is tin. Tin has many uses for Brazilians. For instance it is used for food packaging, flatware, and to coat other metals. The tin helps keep other metals from disinagrating. Clay in Brazil is similar to what we use it for today. They use it for carving sculputures . Finally another mineral is a gem. Brazilian's use them for, of course, jewelry and surprisingly for drills.

      In conclusion many of the resources that Brazil has is very similar to how we use them today. There are probably many different ways that they can use these items for that we just don't of. Many of the resources and minerals can be mined in Brazil like us. Most of the things are very common in Brazil and others are hard to find. That is all of our natural resources and minerals that Brazil uses all of the time. 

Land is a significant natural resource for Brazil. Although fertile soil is limited, the country produces many different types of crops and livestock. Despite its importance as an agricultural producer, only 40 percent of Brazil’s land area is classified as farm land. Moreover, just 6 percent of Brazil’s total land area actually produces crops; the remainder is either grassland, woodland, or uncultivated fields. Most of the east and south have been cleared for farming, but 3.31 million sq km (1.28 million sq mi) of rain forest remain in Brazil. These rain forests produce not only timber, but also a range of products such as rubber, palm oil, charcoal, and Brazil nuts.Mineral resources are particularly important for export and as raw material for industrial use.

The most important, in terms of value of output, are iron ore and gold. Copper, zinc, bauxite, manganese, and tin are also significant. Limestone, sea salt, diamonds, and phosphates are leading nonmetallic minerals.

Flora

At present, there are approximately 315 000 known species of flora (or plants) in the world. Incredibly, about 55 000 of all of these plants are endemic to Brazil, most of them being found within the lush, abundant Amazon Forest. Not only are the actual plant species diverse and fascinating, but there is also variety in the many types of vegetation that have been established in Brazil over the centuries. These include:

• Tropical forest (found in the Atlantic Forest region) • Subtropical forest (Atlantic Forest region) • Tropical savannah (Atlantic Forest region) • Mangrove Forest (Atlantic Forest region) • Tropical dry forest (Atlantic Forest region) • Wetland (in the Pantanal region) • Savannah (found in the Cerrado region)

While adding an extraordinary natural beauty to Brazil, these plants are also very closely linked to the history, industry, economy and, indeed, future of this South American country. The vegetation also plays an integral role in the existence of the wildlife, insects and birds that occupy the area, as they are dependent on this (either directly or indirectly) for nutrition and survival.

The rainforests of Brazil are dense, lush and haunting in their enveloping magnitude. Brazil, as an area, was not affected by the Ice Age of centuries ago, and the areas of remaining rainforest were never susceptible to droughts; leaving them to grow, intertwine and develop over the ages. This has yielded a complex combination of plants that have not had the opportunity to grow anywhere else in the world. These include hundreds of exquisite orchid species and palms, which make for beautiful landscapes and fascinating finds. Scientists continue to discover new species in Brazil on a regular basis, although these numbers are offset by the numbers of species that face extinction due to deforestation and urbanisation.

In terms of the economy, the Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis) remains one of Brazil’s most important floral species. It can be farmed on a massive scale, but is also found growing wildly. This tree produces the material needed to produce all products made from latex. Brazil is also the home of the hardwoods, including Mahogany, which is now protected due to its popularity in both the local and the international markets.

The flora of Brazil also includes edible fruits, many of which can only be found in the rainforests. These include açaí and cupuaçu as well as guaraná, famed for being a natural source of energy.

Because of the rapid development of Brazil, however, the flora (and, therefore, fauna) of the country is under major threat. The reasons behind this include 1) deforestation, 2) pollution, 3) overpopulation, 4) industrialisation and 5) logging. There are currently almost 400 plant species that are under the threat of becoming extinct. Approximately 50 of these are critically endangered. A number of these endangered species include those used for medicinal purposes in human beings, making them even more valuable. These include:

• Pata de Vaca • Ginseng brasileiro • Arnica do Cerrado • Barbatimao • Macela • Chapeu de Couro

Fauna

Brazil is widely acclaimed for the sheer abundance and diversity of plant and animal life to which it is home. In fact, it is the residence of more unique freshwater fish and amphibian species than any other country anywhere else in the world. Only a small proportion of its endemic faunal species are included below, testifying to the scale of its beautiful animal life:

Primates • Golden Lion Tamarin  • Muriqui 

• White-whiskered Spider Monkey  • Black-bearded Saki  • Yellow-breasted Capuchin

Other Mammals • Maned Sloth  • Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo  • Hoary Fox  • Thin-spined Porcupine  • Painted Tree Rat  • Santa Catarina’s Guinea Pig

Parrots • Spix’s Macaw  • Golden Conure  • Lear's Macaw  • Blue-bellied Parrot

Other Birds • Hooded Visorbearer  • White-necked Hawk  • Crescent-chested Puffbird  • Pin-tailed Manakin  • White-naped Jay  • Seven-coloured Tanager

Reptiles • Gecko Briba  • Worm lizard Bronia  • Tropidodryas  • Sordellina  • Yellow Tegu Tupinambis duseni  • Brazilian Coral Snake Micrurus decoratus  • Cerrado Dwarf Lancehead Bothrops itapetiningae

Amphibians • Splash-backed Poison Frog Dendrobates galactonotus  • Fruit-eating Frog Xenohyla truncata  • Itatiaia Highland Frog Holoaden bradei  • Lungless caecilian Atretochoana eiselti

Freshwater Fish • Brazilian Blind Characid Stygichthys typhlops  • Green Piranha  • Santa Catarina Sabrefin  • Royal Tetra  • Slender Pike Cichlid (FishBase) • White-blotched River Stingray

Invertebrates • Hahnel's Amazonian Swallowtail  • Protomeliturga (a bee species) • Martialis heureka (a type of ant) • Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula

One of the reasons that Brazil is so abundant is such endemic species is that it is also the home of regions that can only be found in this country, which provide important ecosystems and food for various animal species. Such distinctive regions include 1) the Atlantic Forest, 2) the Caatinga region, 3) the Cerrado, 4) the impressive Amazon and 5) the Abrolhos Coral Reefs.

The general breakdown of faunal species found in Brazil is as follows (although it should be noted that these numbers are fairly dynamic; changing on a regular basis):

• Primates – 77 • Freshwater fish – more than 3 000 • Mammals – 524 • Amphibians – 517 • Butterflies – 3 150 • Birds – 1 622 • Reptiles – 468 • Invertebrates – well over 100 000

However, as many scientists continue to speculate regarding the numbers of species in the country of Brazil, they usually concede that they have discovered only some of those in existence, and that further research will certainly uncover an array of other faunal species that are currently concealed in the dense jungles and deep oceans of South America. In fact, a new insect species is discovered almost every single day.

Of course, the natural wealth of Brazil is, as always, threatened by human intervention and climatic changes. As their natural habitats continue to be destroyed by industrial development, logging and pollution, animals are also being hunted and / or slaughtered. Hundreds of species are currently endangered, many of them critically. This places an enormous pressure on the environmental and political organisations of the world to make concerted efforts to curb the destruction and protect the natural abundance and treasures of countries like Brazil.