Vegetation of Brazil
The variety of climates together with soil and drainage conditions is reflected in Brazil's vegetation. A tropical rain forest composed of broad-leaf evergreen trees grows luxuriantly in the Amazon Basin and in those places along the Atlantic coast where the rainfall is very heavy. The rain forest is home to a great many different plant species - as many as 3,000 in a sq. mile (2.6 sq. km).
In the lowlands and plateaus of the eastern coast where rainfall is slightly less and the dry season is really dry, there is semi-deciduous forest. Here the trees are smaller than in the rain forest and they lose their leaves in the dry season. In the semi-arid northeast, the caatinga, a dry bush, predominates.
The greater portion of the central part of Brazil is covered with a woodland savannah, known as the cerrado. This is a special type of vegetation combining sparse scrub trees and drought-resistant grasses. In the south, needle-leaved pinewoods (Paran-pine) cover the highlands; grassland covers the plains near sea level .
The Mato Grosso swamp (Pantanal Mato-grossense) is a plain that covers 88,803 sq. miles (230,000 sq. km) in the western portion of the centre of the country. It is covered in tall grasses, weeds, and widely dispersed trees. It is flooded during the rainy season.
In the lowlands and plateaus of the eastern coast where rainfall is slightly less and the dry season is really dry, there is semi-deciduous forest. Here the trees are smaller than in the rain forest and they lose their leaves in the dry season. In the semi-arid northeast, the caatinga, a dry bush, predominates.
The greater portion of the central part of Brazil is covered with a woodland savannah, known as the cerrado. This is a special type of vegetation combining sparse scrub trees and drought-resistant grasses. In the south, needle-leaved pinewoods (Paran-pine) cover the highlands; grassland covers the plains near sea level .
The Mato Grosso swamp (Pantanal Mato-grossense) is a plain that covers 88,803 sq. miles (230,000 sq. km) in the western portion of the centre of the country. It is covered in tall grasses, weeds, and widely dispersed trees. It is flooded during the rainy season.