d Serra das Vertentes of southern Minas Geraes and
the Serra do Mar, and extending from the Serra da Bocaina, near the
city of Sao Paulo, eastward to Cape Frio and the coastal plain north
of that point. It includes a small part of eastern Sao Paulo, the
greater part of the state of Rio de Janeiro, a small corner of
Espirito Santo, and a narrow strip along the southern border of Minas
Geraes. It is traversed by two mountain chains, the Serra da
Mantiqueira and Serra do Mar, and the broad, fertile valley of the
Parahyba do Sul which lies between them, and which slopes gently
toward the east from a general elevation exceeding 2000 ft. in Sao
Paulo. This region is the smallest of the _chapadao_ divisions of the
great plateau, and might be considered either a southward extension of
the Sao Francisco or an eastward extension of the Parana _chapadao_.
It is one of the most favoured regions of Brazil, having an abundant
rainfall, extensive forests of valuable timber, and large areas of
fertile soil. The mountain slopes are still masses of dense forest,
though their lower elevations and neighbouring valleys have been
cleared for cultivation and by dealers in rosewood and other valuable
woods. This elevated valley is noted for its fertility and was once
the principal coffee-producing district of Brazil.

[Illustration: BRAZIL

Scale, 1:17,000,000]

Rivers.

Outside the two great river systems of the Amazon and river Plate (Rio
de la Plata), which are treated under their respective titles, the
rivers of Brazil are limited to the numerous small streams and three
or four large rivers which flow eastward from the plateau regions
directly into the Atlantic. The Amazon system covers the entire
north-western part of the republic, the state of Amazonas, nearly the
whole of Para and the greater part of Matto Grosso being drained by
this great river and its tributaries. If the Tocantins-Araguaya basin
is included in the hydrographic system, the greater part of Goyaz and
a small part of Maranhao should be added to this drainage area. The
Tocantins is sometimes treated as a tributary of the Amazon because
its outlet, called the Rio Para, is connected with that great river by
a number of inland channels. It is an entirely separate river,
however, and the inland communication between them is due to the
slight elevation of the intervening country above their ordin