The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-30
BrQzilians Take Place
On Italian Battleline

To the Americans. British, Scots,
French, Poles, New Zealanders,
South Africans, and Italians fight
ing the Nazis in Italy have been
added soldiers of a new national
ity-Brazilians The announcement
that good neighbor Brazil has land
ed a large, fully-trained force in
Europe reminds many Americans
that their giant South American
sister republic is rendering signal
service to the Allied cause.
These are the first land forces
to be sent to Europe in the two
World Wars by a Latin American
country. In the last war, Brazil
dispatched small naval units to the
European combat zone, but no
land forces. Early in this war
Brazil was the southern bulwark
against a possible Nazi thrust
across the south Atlantic. Later her
great eastern bulge served as
jumping-off place for u. S. planes
bound for the Africa-Europe-Asia
theater.
Brazil has many other distinc.
tions tucked away in it's 414-year
history as Portuguese colony, in.
dependent empire and modern re.
public. 1t is the only American
country ever to govern European
land (PortugaD, and the only one
to have a dynasty ruling on its
own soil. BraZilians are alone in
South America in speaking Portu.
guese.
Most impressive thing about the
country is it's size. Only the Soviet
Union, prewar China, and Canada
surpass Brazil as continuous po'
litical land area, says the National
Geographic Society. 1t is about
the size Of the United States and
Alaska together. All the countries
of Europe, except Norway, Sweden
and Finland, could be fitted with.
in its boundaries. BraziPs area
nearly equals that of all the rest
of South America.
With 44,000,000 citizens, Brazil
has more than twice the popula.
ton of any Latin American coun.
try. Statistically, it completely
overshadows rival Argentina
which has only 100000 inhabi.
tants. Mexico's 20 million is sec.
ond, south of the Rio Grande.
Economic geographers agree
that few, if any, political divisions
of the earth possess the potential
resources of Brazil Eighty per
cent or more of the land has been
adjudged productive. Ample rain.
fall makes possible great stands oil
rubber, coffee, timber and other
crops. Brazils Jungle far from
being wasteland, is largely exploit.
able. The largest and purest iron
ore deposits, an estimated % per
cent of the worlds total, are in
Brazips state Of Minas Gerais. 9th
err minerals, many not found else
where in commercial quantities,
abound.
Brazil's development has often
been compared to that of the Unit.
ed States. A number of unfortu.
nate geographic circumstances
hindered a quick rise of the South
| American country. It's immense
iron deposits are comparatively
untouched because of lack of coal
for coke. What coal Brazil has is
poor and is found in Rio Grande
do Sui, nearly 1000 miles from
the iron mines. The entire coun-
try annually consumes only Is per
cent as much coal, domestic or
imported, as does the city Of New
York.
Brazips physical layout prevents
easy exploitation of mineral and
vegetable riches and poses ex.
tremely difficult transportation
problems. The rivers in many
cases flow inland, only to reach
the sea by a circuitous route. The
Amazon, only extensively naviga-
BILE river that flows directly to the
sea, unhappily lies in Brazil's most
inhospitable and sparsely populat.
ed area, along the Equator.
/ The country has no deep coastal
plain as does eastern North Amer.
lea. A high mountain range fronts
tn. Atlantic. making q picturesque