population density is high in the coastal region of Brazil
Answers
Name and locate your case study.
The country of Brazil is in the continent of South America.
Describe the main features of Brazil's population distribution.
1. The most sparsely populated region is the Amazon Basin in North Brazil.
2. The most densely populated region is the Southeast (also called the Coastal Lowlands).
3. The main cities in the Southeast include Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
4. The NE of Brazil is sparsely populated inland but is densely populated at the coast. Main cities here include Recife and Fortaleza.
5. The population tends to be denser, even in dry areas like NE Brazil and densely vegetated areas like the Amazon, along rivers.
Explain the factors of the Amazon which make it sparselv populated.
1. It is remote (far from urban centres which are important for services and employment).
2. It has limited accessibility due to dense vegetation and poor transport links.
3. Its climate has very high annual temperatures hot and high annual precipitation.
This climate means it is:
· Uncomfortable for human habitation
· Vulnerable to regular flooding.
· Unsuitable for the large-scale agriculture needed for dense populations as heavy rains lead to leaching of nutrients from the soil.
Explain why inland areas of the Northeast are sparsely populated.
1. This area, known as the Caatinga, is a rural area.
2. The climate has very high annual temperatures and low annual precipitation. There are regular droughts.
3. It is difficult to grow crops (arable farming) or farm animals (pastoral farming), as the soil is thin, rocky and infertile. The only plants, which grows well here, are thorny caatinga bushes.
4. There are few natural resources to provide raw materials for secondary industry.
5. There is little government support given to the region.
Explain why the population density increases at the coast in Northeast Brazil
1. In hot places like Northeast Brazil it is cooler at the coast.
2. As Brazil is still an LEDC, fishing is an important primary industry.
3. Ports create employment as there is importing and exporting business here.
4. Industries locate at ports to reduce transport costs (these are called break of bulk
sites).
5. There is flat low-lying relief along the coast suitable for large settlements.
6. Transport links follow the coast.
Explain whv populations increase in density next to rivers.
1. Freshwater supplies for drinking, washing and sewage disposal.
2. As Brazil is still an LEDC, fishing is an important primary industry.
3. Rivers deposit fertile alluvium on the flood plains next to them when they flood.
4. Rivers provide transport, especially for trade.
5. Industries often need large amounts of water supply
Explain why the Southeast of Brazil (the coastal lowlands) is densely populated
1. It is a largely urban area.
2. The climate has regular rainfall and warm temperatures suited to agriculture and comfortable for living in.
3. The soil is deep and fertile. This supports commercial farms producing cash crops like coffee for export.
4. The economic core of the country is here. It is called the Golden Triangle and is made of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte.
5. Major ports have been located along the coast, such as at Rio and Sao Paulo, which attracts secondary industry and therefore employment.
6. The transport infrastructure is excellent.
7. There are good supplies if raw materials in the region such as bauxite.