Geografia Humana do Brasil

Abstract

This is the first chapter of the Monography on the Human Geography of Brazil, written by the well! known geographer P. Deffontaines, who has been staying for many years in Brazil, as Professor of S. Paulo University, and lately of the University of Rio de Janeiro.
The title of this chapter, "Nature's elements and the battle of man", betrays the importance of the matter therein dealt with; and the author, by pointing out the chief characteristics of the picture of Brazilian nature, and the consequent attitudes of its inhabitantman -, does very appropriately begin his work, in which he is universally recognized as a great authority.
The author starts by calling attention to the immensity of Brazil's territory, which being a single and continuous whole, with no uninhabitable regions – represents an enormous potential of space, wherein there must be established an adequate scale of values for the consideration of its elements, all of which have, as a rule, enormous dimensions.
The author writes an outline of the history of the soil of Brazil, wherein he endorses the disputed theory of Wegener, and considers the territory of Brazil a broken off piece of the present African continent, displaced westwards; he emphazises the importance of the ancient crystalline soils, gneiss, granite, schists and others, occupying more than one third of the surface of Brazil; he points out the fact that the country has remained emerged throughout geological eras, which accounts for the exceptional importance of erosion and decomposition phenomena; he discriminates between the eastern part of the country, along the maritime border – made up of masses of older, crystalline and heavily creased rocks -, and the western part, more tabular in shape, formed by the table-lands wherein dominate sedimentary formations.
The relief of the country is next studied, and the author believes the relief of Brazil to be due, essentially, to faults and erosion; the Serra do Mar (chain of mountains) - which extends for more than 3.000 Km. along the coast – the author considers the product of a fault - due to the displacement of South America from Africa -, and, as regards its form, the author classifies the Serra as a "half mountain", such as Table Mountain in South Africa or the Cévennes in France, that is, a mountain with a single slope, up which one reaches the interior highlands of the country; as regards erosion – which the author considers very important, because the territory of Brazil remained emerged, as a rule – it gave rise to particular forms of relief, such as the "sugar loaves" of crystalline rocks, porphyrous gneiss – sharply pronounced and charming elevations which occur in warm and humid climates -, and such as the "half oranges", rounded forms, similar to spherical surfaces, which sometimes occur together in great numbers, forming veritable undulations.
The author deals next with the attitude of man toward the mountain, and examines the various functions which the mountain performs in Brazil: a) the mountain as a barrier, presenting a slope which renders difficult the access to the heart of the country- as is the case with the Serras do Mar and Mantiqueira – and the author points out the singularity of the difficulty of access being, as a rule, due more to the forest than to relief, wherefore the first penetrations occurred through the passes where the forest vegetation was less hostile, and not through the lower passes; b) the mountain as mine, mining having constituted the first motive for European colonization of the mountains, specially in the State of Minas Gerais; c) the mountain as a pasture-ground, this function of the mountain – very important as a rule -, having but a relatively slight importance in Brazil; d) the mountain as a summer residence, due to the proximity of the mountain ranges to the large coastal cities and important sea-ports; e) the mountain from the industrial standpoint, specially when equipped with hydroelectric plants, the potential of energy, stored up by the high mountains, being remarkable in a zone of such high rain-fall.
The Brazilian climate is next studied, there being, according to the author, four chief climatic zones, the large equatorial zone, the semi-arid north~eastern zone, the coastal zone, the central zone; as regards the attitude of man, the author considers Brazil one of the most wonderful examples of the battle of man with climate,.specially in the north-eastern zone, where - contrasting with the hostile climate - population is one of the densest in the country.
The author examines the hydrographic network of Brazil, which he esteems one of the most complete in the world, and emphasized the important function of rivers in the penetration of the country, pointing out the fact that the American continent was where, after Europe, the whites first attained the central portions.
The author studies next the brazilian coast, discriminating the coastal types, the northern, with its marshes, the north-eastern, with its reefs, the eastern, with its small cliffs- called "barriers" -, the southern where the sea contacts. the mountain; and- regarding the action of man- the author calls attention to the important fact that Brazil is an essentially maritime country, notwithstanding her great continental mass, the major part of the Brazilian population being concentrated along the coastal fringe.
The vegetation is next the matter for interesting considerations, wherein the author studies the Braz1banforest in ih various functions: a) the forest as a crop zone, tendering to man – by simple extraction – fruit for his nourishment, timber for building purposes, medicinal products and many others; b) the forest as a tillage zone, exercising a pronounced agricultural function in the country, because the establishment of husbandry is effected at the expense of the forest, which disappears to give place to the fertile field; e) the forest as a fuel producer, this being an important function in a country unprovided with reserves of good and abundant coal,.or with oil deposits.
The author closes the first chapter of his monography, by commenting on the curious fact that Brazil – a country so rich in abundant forest reserves- has not generalized the use of timber dwellings, as well as on the no less curious fact that Brazil still imports foreign timber, and concludes by calling for a policy of reforestation, with appropriate and varied species.