How is Brazil's Population Distributed?

Brazil was founded in the year 1500 by a group of Portuguese settlers led by Pedro Alvares Cabral. It was named after Brazilwood, named by the settlers. This is because of the plants ember like red bark, which in Portuguese is 'Brasa'. Brazil has the fifth largest population in the world with about 184,101,109 spread out over a complete land area of 8,456,510 sq km; this gives it an average population density of roughly 21 people per square kilometre. Considering a large portion of Brazil is uninhabitable due to extreme conditions this is quite incredible.

Brazil is split into five main areas.

Brazil can be divided into 5 main segments, the region with the highest population and density is the south-east. This is the most industrialized part of Brazil containing the three largest cities in all of Brazil, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro. These three cities make up the golden triangle of Brazil. Belo Horizonte is the least favourite tourist destination as it is the industrial centre with most car factories such as FIAT and FORD making a business off its large metallurgic industry.

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Sao Paulo has the 3rd largest skyline of skyscrapers, losing only to Hong Kong and New York.

This is the most metropolitan area in Brazil with the world's largest fleet of helicopters. Sao Paulo is known as the bad boy of Brazil's cities as it has never had a mayor last longer than 3 years and an extreme crime rate. The last is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's most overcrowded city.

It has literally run out of space to grow, with a high crime rate and huge favelas districts. However, it is also the most popular tourist destination because of its pleasant climate and beautiful beach. The south-east has the best climate, the best flat, fertile land and is the job centre of Brazil. Businesses go here in hope of appealing to the millions of suppliers and consumers that are based there.

The north-east, similarly has a very large population, however they are much more spread out meaning that the population there is less dense. This region holds about 30 per cent of the population of Brazil however it has many problems. The most dire of which would be the drought that is causing most of the problems of the region. Due to the heat the farms have no fertile soil and the family cannot make a living or get by, many people migrate due to the lack of rain. The major cities of the area are Salvador, which was the early capital and Recife. Salvador was the early capital of Brazil and the city keeps expanding due to the amount of people migrating in from the villages and towns. It is a major port which exports sugar cane and diamonds, which were the cause of the cities wealth.

Recife is another major port, which exports cotton, sugar cane and coffee. These cities are growing at a very high rate as they both have ample supplies of water. Many people come here in hope of finding a job and marriage partners; the sheer amount of people there seems to be enough of a magnet for so many people to migrate. The government support is helpful as it brings in many resources and many businesses feel comforted by the government help; perhaps it makes them feel like nothing can go wrong?

The north is dominated by the Amazon Rainforest; this is a sparsely populated area except around the river and the few cities. The river contains one fifth of the worlds fresh-water supply and is essential to all life nearby. The main cities are Belem and Manaus. The cities grew from the rubber industry however have reached a problem as less and less people migrate into the north. The area is full with natural resources with silver, gold, diamonds, ores and mahogany, which sells at a very high price at the Brazilian ports. The electricity is produced by the hydro-electricity plant at Tucurui. They are trying to encourage people in the area by reducing taxes in an area however with so few there it is though to be a waste of time by most people.

The area roughly west of the centre of Brazil is known as the Mato Grasso, it is not the most pleasant place even though the current capital, Brasilia is there. Most office-workers make a trip to the coast for the weekends. Brasilia is 1200km away from Rio however some few people migrate from there to Brasilia because it less crowded and less populated. With just over double the amount of people in the North it really is less populated. A reason might be that just north-west of the Mato Grasso is a harsh desert; this tends to put people from the beautiful coastlines off moving.

The south has the second highest population density and holds the largest dam in Brazil, at Itaipu dam the electricity made there every day is enough to power Ireland for 14 hours. There are a lot of businesses here, mainly in the cities of Porto Alegre and Caxias do Sol; many people migrate here as it is not as crowded as the south-east. It is probably the best place to live in Brazil with flat, fertile soil and spectacular views and beaches.

Most of the population live in the south-east of Brazil because of the large cities which provide everything that people need in terms of social, economic and physical needs. Not everyone lives in the cities however each year millions of people are migrating into cities, it is most likely because of the jobs, potential marriage partners, businesses and a wide array of nutritional choices which can be found no where else. However this can lead to complications because the cities will run out of room, in the case of Rio de Janeiro it already has run out of room to grow, after this point the city will just become overcrowded as congestion and crime rates will rise substantially.

In conclusion, the population of Brazil is unevenly spread. Over half of all people live in the south or south-east of Brazil and pretty soon the numbers are going to affect the way the country is run.