ABSTRACT
Brazil in South America is one of the largest countries in the world, covering an area of approximately 8.5 million km2 and consisting of 190 million inhabitants (about 80% living in the urban areas). Divided into ˆve geographic regions (north, northeast, south, southeast, and central west), Brazil is mostly a tropical country, but extends well into the subtropical zone. Due to the continental dimensions, Brazil possesses a very wide climatic diversity, inuenced by its geographical conˆguration, its signiˆcant coastal extension (8512 km), and the dynamics of air masses within its territory [1].
