THE SIZE OF BRAZIL 
with birds of beautiful plumage. I have been asked in 
all seriousness whether I found the Andes quite flat— 
great prairies (the person had heard of the Argentine 
pampas and got mixed up)—or whether “it” was 
merely a large lagoon! 
I could quote dozens more of these extreme cases of 
ignorance, but of one thing I am certain, and that is, that 
there are few people in the British Isles who realize the 
actual size of the great Brazilian Republic. 
Brazil is 8,524,778 square kilometres — with the 
territory of the Acre newly acquired from Bolivia, 
8,715,778 square kilometres — in extent; that is to say, it 
covers an area larger than the United States of North 
America, Germany, Portugal, Greece, and Montenegro 
taken together. 
Some of the States of the Republic are larger than 
some of the largest countries in Europe: such as the 
State of the Amazonas with 1,894,724 square kilometres; 
the State of Matto Grosso with 1,378,784; the State of 
Para with an area of 1,149,712 square kilometres; the 
State of Goyaz with 747,311; the State of Minas 
Geraes with 574,855; the Acre territory, 191,000 square 
kilometres. 
There are fewer people still who seriously appreciate 
the great importance of that beautiful country — with no 
exception the richest, the most wonderful in the world; 
to my mind undoubtedly the continent of the future. 
Incalculable is the richness of Brazil in mineral wealth. 
Magnificent yellow diamonds are to be found in various 
regions, those of Minas Geraes and Matto Grosso being 
famous for their purity and extraordinary brilliancy; 
agates, moonstones, amethysts, emeralds, sapphires, 
rubies, topazes, and all kinds of beautiful rock crystals 
are plentiful. Gold exists in many regions on the central 
plateau — but particularly in Minas Geraes and Matto 
Grosso; and platinum in the States of Sao Paulo, 
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