Resources. Brazil is a very large country with many mineral resources. Among the important mineral resources are iron ore, manganese, gold, diamonds, and bauxite. Manganese is a metal similar to iron. Bauxite is the ore from which aluminum is made.
Brazil also raises many important farm products. More coffee is raised in Brazil than in any other country. This industry supplies many workers with jobs. Brazil also raises sugar cane, cacao, (from which comes cocoa and chocolate), cotton, rice, corn, potatoes, and wheat.
Animals of commercial value raised in Brazil include hogs, cattle, and sheep. Cattle are raised in the south and south-central states. Sheep are raised in the Sertão Region.
Brazil's numerous rivers and streams provide a home for fish and furnish water power to make electricity. They also form an important network of water transportation to carry goods from the interior to the coastal ports.
In recent years, persons and industries moved into South America's interior. They cut down trees and leveled some of the rain forests, especially near the Amazon. In 1992, Brazil held an "Earth Summit" to discuss ways to solve this problem. People from 176 countries were there.
