GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



19 



extending the service along the entire coast, and even to Manaos on 

 the Amazon and Corumba on the Paraguay. The ports touched by 

 these steamers (and it is necessary to make use of them in order to 

 reach these ports, except in the case of the Amazon and Paraguay 

 rivers, where a foreign service is available) are Manaos, Belem (Para), 

 Sao Luiz (Maranhao), Parahyba, Fortaleza, Natal, Cabadello, Recife, 

 Maceio, Aracaju, Bahia, Victoria, Rio, Santos, Paranagua, Sao 

 Francisco, Itajahj^ Florianopolis, Rio Grande, Pelotas and Porto 

 Alegre. All coast shipping within Brazil has to be carried on under 

 the Brazilian flag. 



Brazil has been favoured by nature with a most wonderful system 

 of fluvial arteries. It has within its territory not only the largest 

 river basin, both in area and in length, in the world, but has also 

 perhaps more navigable rivers than any other country. The mighty 

 Amazon is navigable almost for its entire length, as are most of its 

 affluents, while in the southern part of Brazil, the Paraguay, the 

 Uruguay, and Parana rivers are all navigable. The Republic has 

 over 10,000 miles of navigable waterways open to river steamers and 

 ocean-going vessels, and 20,000 miles additional which are navigable 

 for light-draft and flat-bottom boats only. Several steamship com- 

 panies maintain a regular service between points on these rivers, 

 plying on the Amazon river, and on the Araguara river from the city 

 of Belem (Para) to inland points. The Guama. Tocantins, and Sao 

 Francisco rivers also have regular steamer traffic ; on the latter we 

 travelled 11 days. 



The Railways of Brazil at the end of 1920 measured 

 28,555,095 klm., or 15,346,934 miles ; they were distributed as 

 follows : — ■ 



BRAZILIAN RAILWAYS IN THE VARIOUS STATES 

 December 31st, 1920 



STATES 



KILOMETRES 



Amazonas 



Para . . 



Maranhao 



Piauhy . 



Ceara . . 



Rio Grande do Norte 



Parahyba do Norte . 



Pernambuco . . 



Alagoas 



Sergipe . 



Bahia . . 



8,281 

 398,182 

 412,352 

 26,000 

 932,494 

 323,329 

 328,822 

 832,448 

 326,801 

 298,923 

 1,757,895 



KILOMETRES 



Espirito Santo 

 Districto Federal . . 

 Rio de Janeiro 

 Minas Geraes 

 Sao Paulo . . 

 Parana 



Santa Catharina . . 

 Rio Grande do Sul 

 Matto Grosso 

 Goyaz 



609,376 

 173,896 

 ,620,344 

 ,613,793 

 ,656.772 

 ,110,267 

 ,074,568 

 ,701,738 

 ,167,035 

 181,779 



Total 



28,555,095 



Some of these lines belong to the Federal Government, others to 

 various State Governments : about 6,000 klm. are owned by private 

 companies and about 10,000 klm. are leased. 



The progress of railway construction is shown by the following 

 figures :- 



