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Brazil's Population Imbalance: Why So Few People Live In The Interior Of The Country
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Apr 2, 2025
Listen to the Amazon Rainforest podcast episode here: https://linktr.ee/geographyiseverything Substack: https://geographyiseverything.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geographybygeoff/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@geographybygeoff Linktree for everything: https://linktr.ee/geographybygeoff Brazil is a HUGE country! And despite popular ideas, it's not comprised entirely of the Amazon Rainforest. Despite this, the majority of all Brazilians still live just 50 miles from the coast, illustrating a huge population imbalance for a country that has over 214 million people! So why do so many Brazilians live near the coast? Stock footage and royalty-free music is acquired from www.storyblocks.com and www.artlist.io. Brazilwood photo by Fopseh - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52214919 Caatinga photo by Ivandro batista de q…, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52964033 Caatinga photo by Sabrinafelicia - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60550483 Animation support provided by DH Designs (needahittman.com)
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Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world by area size, and seventh by population
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Despite this, the majority of all Brazilians live within just 50 miles of its expansive coastline
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And while it might seem like the Amazon rainforest is the primary reason for this, the vast tropical
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region doesn't actually take up that much space in Brazil. So why don't more Brazilians live within the interior of the country
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Welcome to another episode of Geography by Jeff. Brazil is a huge country with a surprisingly varied geography
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And within this country is about 214 million people, of which over half live very near the coast
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This leaves the vast majority of Brazil with relatively very few people
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And as usual, there's a geographic reason for this. But first, this week's podcast episode is all about the Amazon rainforest
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Often called the lungs of the Earth, this particular rainforest has a huge effect on how the planet manages itself
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If you want to learn more about the incredible geography of this huge tropical area
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then click this link or check out the description below. Brazil is a huge country today
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but its story doesn't actually start with the country of Brazil. Instead, it begins long before the arrival of Europeans
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with the native peoples who had lived there for a millennia prior. Despite popular ideas at the time that the New World was largely untouched
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thousands of indigenous groups such as the Tupi, Guarani, and Yanomami had established complex societies within the country we know today
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each with their own traditions, languages, and relationships with the land. Even as late as 2007, there still existed an estimated 67 tribes
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that are uncontacted within the country, though this number has likely changed in the years since
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But while indigenous peoples ruled the area we know today as Brazil for thousands of years
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the course of the country's history changed dramatically in the early 1500s with the arrival
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of Portuguese explorers led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral. The European colonizers were primarily
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interested in the economic potential of the land, particularly the lucrative trade in Brazilwood
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from which the country likely acquired its name. The Portuguese claimed Brazil as a colony and
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began to exploit its resources, setting off a wave of conflict and change that would reshape the
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region. And of course, the indigenous peoples suffered greatly during this period of European
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colonization, facing diseases, forced labor, and displacement. The Portuguese would expand their
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interest to sugar plantations, which necessitated a large workforce. When indigenous labor proved
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insufficient, they turned to the transatlantic slave trade, importing millions of Africans to
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work under brutal conditions. The mingling of indigenous, European, and African cultures
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would create a unique blend that would come to define Brazilian identity today
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As time went on, other European powers also tried to stake their claims in Brazil
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leading to various territorial disputes, particularly with the Spanish who claimed much of Central and South America
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This led to the Treaty of Tordesillas, wherein Pope Alexander VI dictated to both Spain and Portugal
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that everywhere east of a meridian line he drew on a map would belong to Portugal and everywhere west would belong to Spain But the map he drew on was fairly crude and not at all accurate As such the Portuguese and Spanish colonies in South America would eventually settle into
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their current boundaries. This is why people in Brazil speak Portuguese, and the rest of South America, all former
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Spanish colonies, speak Spanish as their primary languages. By the early 1800s, Brazil was beginning to become an independent entity with its own
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identity, culture, and economy. Seeing this progress and sensing that they would not be safe from Napoleon in Europe
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in 1808, the Portuguese royalty established their court in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro for the next 15 years
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But as with most other countries in the Western Hemisphere, ideas of enlightenment and revolution had also reached the shores of Brazil
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And so, in 1822, Dom Pedro I, the son of the Portuguese king
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declared Brazil's independence and became the country's first emperor. During this time, Brazil transitioned from a colony to an independent empire and eventually
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to a republic in 1889. Throughout this period, the country continued to grapple with deep social and economic inequalities
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a legacy of its colonial past. Brazil's history is deep and complex, certainly more so than I can cover in just a few minutes
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But in the background of all this history is the country's incredible geography and
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how it impacted the country's development. But before we get to the geography of Brazil, if you're enjoying this video, hit that subscribe
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button. More fun geography videos are just a single click away. Brazil is a huge country that dominates the South American landscape
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both in terms of area and diversity of geographic features. It is the fifth largest country in the
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world, stretching over 3.3 million square miles, making it only a little bit smaller than China's
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3.6 million and the United States 3.5 million square miles. And within all this space is Brazil's
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incredible geographic diversity. The Amazon rainforest is perhaps Brazil's most iconic geographic feature. It serves as the world's largest tropical rainforest and contains a dizzying array
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of biodiversity. But despite being overwhelmingly conflated with Brazil, the Amazon rainforest only
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accounts for about 47% of Brazil's total land area, about 1.5 million square miles. And much
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of the rainforest is in the far northwestern part of the country. Due to its role in carbon
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sequestration, the forest is often referred to as the lungs of the earth. Within the Amazon
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rainforest is the mighty Amazon River and its tributaries, which are the lifeblood of the region
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creating a complex network that supports countless species of plants and animals
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The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by far, with an average discharge of about
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224,000 cubic meters per second. Put this number in perspective, the next largest river would be
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the Meghna River in Bangladesh, with an average discharge of about 44,000 cubic meters per second
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In contrast to Amazon-slash-greenery, the northeast region of Brazil is home to the
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Katinga biome, characterized by its scrubby vegetation and arid climate. This area faces
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challenges like desertification and water scarcity. Interestingly, the Katinga is the only exclusively
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Brazilian biome which means that a large part of its biological heritage cannot be found anywhere on the planet Moving south Brazil central region is dominated by the Cerrado a tropical savanna that is rich in biodiversity but increasingly threatened by agricultural expansion
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most notably by cattle ranchers eager for more land for grazing. To the southeast, the Atlantic Forest runs along the coastline, although much of it has
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been cleared for urban development and agriculture. Despite its diminished size, the Atlantic Forest remains a hotspot for biodiversity
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The Pant, in the southwest, is another remarkable geographic feature. As the world's largest tropical wetland area, it's teeming with wildlife, including jaguars, caimans, and a variety of bird species
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The Pant serves as a critical reservoir for fresh water, and during rainy seasons, about 80% of the Pant floodplains are submerged underwater
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Finally, the country is marked by an extensive coastline that stretches over 4,300 miles
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And while this coastline has a wide array of landscapes, it's mostly identified by its bustling cities like Rio de Janeiro with its famous beaches
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Sao Paulo, while not directly on the coast, is only about 30 miles away
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Brazil has an incredibly complicated geography spread out over a huge amount of space
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But despite having so much relative space, even outside of the rainforest, the majority of Brazilians live within just 50 miles of its coastline
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Brazil's population distribution is highly skewed towards its expansive coastline, which stretches for more than 4,300 miles along the Atlantic Ocean
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In fact, more than half of the country's population lives within just 50 miles of the coast
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a phenomenon shaped by historic, economic, and climatic factors. One of the key reasons for this coastal concentration dates back to Brazil's colonial era
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When Portuguese explorers first arrived in the 1500s, They established settlements along the coast to facilitate trade and the export of valuable
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resources like sugar and Brazilwood back to Europe. These initial coastal colonies
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were the precursors to some of Brazil's modern cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro
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which have continued to grow and attract people. Economically, the coast has always been vital
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to Brazil. It's home to major ports, which serve as crucial gateways for both imports and exports
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Over time, industries have grown around these ports, creating economic hubs that generate jobs
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and attract internal migration. As we see around the world, port cities often grow much larger
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due to the need for a large employment base. In this case, Brazil really isn't that different from most other seaside countries
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But perhaps more important than the economics, the coastal areas are simply far more moderate in terms of climate
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as compared to the interior regions, making them far more attractive for settlement
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Because much of the country lies within the tropics, it tends to get very hot and exceedingly humid just miles inland from the coast
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But in the coastal regions, the presence of the ocean has a huge moderating effect
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This is the difference between a continental climate and a maritime climate
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As Brazil developed, particularly before the invention of air conditioning, being near the ocean provided a relative amount of comfort
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that simply wasn't available in the interior parts of the country. All told, over 107 million of Brazil's 214 million people live almost right on the coast
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And of these 107 million approximately 22 million live within Sao Paulo 13 million in Rio de Janeiro 4 million in Puerto Alegre 4 million in Fortaleza 4 million in Recife 4 million in
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Salvador, and 3.6 million in Curitiba. By contrast, of the interior's 106 million people
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the largest cities would be Belo Horizonte with 6 million people, Brasilia the capital with 4.6
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million, and Manaus with 2.7 million. That last city being particularly interesting because
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well, it's right in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Manaus, a city situated in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, was founded in 1669 as a
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Portuguese fort. But while it was established hundreds of years ago, it would take a while
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for it to truly grow into a city. Manaus came into prominence during the late 1800s rubber boom
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becoming a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Its grandiose Amazon theater, an opera house built during this period
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remains a testament to the city's once lavish lifestyle and continues to be a major tourist attraction today
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But the decline of the rubber industry led to a downturn in Manaus' fortunes
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and it would take about 50 years for the city to experience a resurgence in population
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The establishment of a free economic zone in 1967 attracted domestic and international companies
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transforming Manaus into a significant industrial center. For example, the mobile phone companies LG, Nokia, Samsung, Siemens, and BenQ all operate
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manufacturing plants in the city. Now despite its industrial profile, something more commonly associated with coastal cities
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Manaus continues to be completely surrounded by the Amazon rainforest, making it a gateway
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destination for the expansive region. The city serves as a starting point for expeditions into the jungle, attracting tourists eager
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to experience the Amazon's biodiversity. Research institutions and universities in Manaus are also at the forefront of studies related to tropical ecology, climate change, and conservation
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Finally, Manaus' location along the Amazon River makes it an essential transportation hub, facilitating the movement of goods and people in a region where roads are often impractical
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The port of Manaus is one of the busiest inland ports in the world, linking remote areas of the Amazon with other parts of Brazil and international destinations
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In fact, traveling by water or air is basically the only way to really get to Manaus from anywhere else in the country
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While Brazilian Route 319 will take you much of the way, in order to cross the vast Amazon River, those in vehicles will need to take a ferry
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Boa Vista is the only semi-major city in Brazil directly connected to Manaus by land transportation
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Today, Manaus is home to about 2.7 million people, making it the largest city located directly within the Amazon rainforest
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This would be followed by Bolem with about 2.2 million people and Boa Vista with about 420,000 people
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Brazil is an incredible country to behold. And despite popular conception, it's home to more than just the Amazon rainforest
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Still, most people in the country have made their home on the coast, which makes sense given that it's definitely
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the most comfortable place to live. Exploring Brazil was incredibly fun. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe to my channel
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If you wanna watch more of my videos, you can click here. And if you want to listen to the podcast, click here
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Thanks for watching. See you next time
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