Climate and Geographical Features

Brazil lies within the tropical zone. The climate of Brazil varies significantly from the mostly tropical North (the equator traverses the mouth of the Amazon) to temperate zones below the Tropic of Capricorn (23°27' S latitude), which crosses the country at the latitude of the city of São Paulo. There are four distinct climatic regions: the Amazon Basin, the Brazilian plateau, the coastlands within the tropics and the southern states.

The largest area in the world is the Amazon Basin with an equatorial climate. There is no dry season and in some places the rainfall can exceed 2000 mm (80") and there is no real dry season. The temperatures range between 27 - 32 °C / 80 - 90 °F. While in the southern region night temperatures fall below 10 °C (50 °F), making it extremely uncomfortable. Humidity is high, during the day and this is very unpleasant.

Another very large region is the Brazilian Plateau. As this lies south of the Amazon Basin
and at a moderate altitude, it has an unusual climate. There is a very distinct wet season at the time when the sun is soaring high, with almost all the rainfall (about 1500 mm / 60") falling between October and April.

The dry northeast of the region has a much lower average rainfall (in some places less than 750 mm / 30"), but it is also very irregular from year to year, causing prolonged droughts. The tropical east coast (including Rio de Janeiro) has a characteristically hot tropical climate, even though there are significant differences in the season of greatest rainfall from north to south.

Near the mouth of the Amazon all months are wet, but the greatest rainfalls occur from December to May (in excess of 300 mm / 12" per month). Further south (eg Recife) the wettest months are May to August, although amounts tend to be lower. Further south still (at Rio) the wettest period is November to April. Nowhere on this coast do maximum temperatures rise so high as to be uncomfortable, but the combination of warmth and high humidity can be unpleasant at night. Daytime heat is often tempered by sea breezes, but temperatures never drop very low. Frost is unknown on the coast, but in the hills occasional frosts may damage the coffee crop.

The southern states have a warm temperate climate, although on the coast a distinct cooler season can produce frosts. Winter has a real significance in this region, and the difference between the seasons is determined by temperature rather than rainfall. The area is often affected by invasions of cold air from the Antarctic, but during summer, temperatures can rise to levels similar to the tropical regions. The region has a healthy and pleasant climate with an average of 8-9 hours of sunshine a day in summer. On the higher land, frosts are common, but snow is very rare. Inland the wettest months are during the summer in contrast to the coast.