One important type of soil in Brazil is the Terra Rossa which occurs in the state of São Paulo. This soil is dark red and contains plenty of humus. It is an excellent soil in which to grow coffee trees. In the Amazon Basin, the most fertile alluvial soils occur where the rivers flood regularly and leave nutrient-rich alluvium over large stretches of flood plain. Under the tropical rainforest is the latosol. This soil is closely related to the forest vegetation. It becomes infertile laterite once deforestation occurs due to the leaching caused by heavy rainfall.
Natural vegetation
Tropical rainforest is the main vegetation in Brazil covering over 60% of the country. Many of the trees have straight trunks that don’t branch until a height of 30 m or more forming a thick shady canopy. The majority of the trees have smooth, thin bark because they do not need protection from water loss or freezing temperatures. It also makes it difficult for plant parasites to grip the trunks. Although the majority of the Amazon rainforest within Brazil is still well preserved, more than 90% of the Atlantic coast forest has been destroyed by human activity.