The Brazilian Highlands or Brazilian Plateau () is an extensive geographical region covering most of the eastern, southern and central portions of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, in all some 4,500,000 km² (1,930,511 sq mi) or approximately half of the country's land area. The vast majority of Brazil's population (203.062.512; ''2022 census'') lives in the highlands or on the narrow coastal region immediately adjacent to it. Ancient

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

flows gave birth to much of the region. However, the time of dramatic

geophysical Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct investigations acros ...

activity is long past, as there is now no seismic or

volcanic A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often fo ...

activity.

Erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

has also played a large part in shaping the Highlands, forming extensive

sedimentary Sedimentary rocks are types of rock formed by the cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or deposited at Earth's surface. Sedime ...

deposits and wearing down the mountains. The Brazilian Highlands are recognized for its great diversity: within the region there are several different

biomes A biome () is a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. It consists of a biological community (ecology), community that has formed in response to its physical environment and regional climate. In 1935, Art ...

, vastly different climatic conditions, many types of

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

, and thousands of animal and plant species.

Major divisions

Due to its size and diversity, the Brazilian Highlands is usually divided into three main areas: * Atlantic Plateau extending all along the eastern coast of Brazil, and including several mountain ranges. It was once almost completely covered by the Atlantic Rainforest, one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world, of which only 7.3% remains. * Southern Plateau, advancing inland in the southern and southern-central portions of the country. Sedimentary rocks covered partially by basaltic lava spills form the fertile ground known as "purple land". Large portions of this region were also covered by the Atlantic Rainforest, while araucaria highland forest and

cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

grasslands take up much of the rest of the space. * Central Plateau occupying the central portions of Brazil, with sedimentary and crystalline formations. Approximately 85% were once covered by cerrado vegetation, of which only a small portion remains intact. In addition to the plateau regions, several adjoining or enclosed mountain ranges are considered to be part of the Brazilian Highlands. Some of the most important are (from north to south): * Serra da Borborema * Chapada Diamantina *

Serra do Espinhaço Serra (Latin for " saw") may refer to: People and fictional characters * Serra (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Serra (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Serra (footballer), Portuguese footballer Jos ...

* Serra do Caparaó * Serra da Mantiqueira * Serra do Mar * Serra Geral The highest point of the Brazilian Highlands is the

Pico da Bandeira Pico da Bandeira, or Bandeira Peak ( Portuguese for ''Flag Peak'', ), is the third highest mountain in Brazil, situated on the border of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais states. It is the highest point in both states. It was considered the hig ...

in the Serra do Caparaó, 2,891 meters (9,485 ft).

References

{{Authority control Atlantic Forest Caatinga Central-West Region, Brazil Cerrado Ecoregions of Brazil Highlands Large igneous provinces Natural regions of South America Neotropical ecoregions Northeast Region, Brazil Physiographic divisions Plateaus of Brazil Regions of Brazil Southeast Region, Brazil South Region, Brazil Volcanism of Brazil

Major divisions

See also

References