BRAZIL NUT

( Bertholletia excelsa ) also called Para nut, butternut, cream nut, or castanea edible seed of a large South American tree (Bertholletia excelsa) found in the Amazonian forests of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. The Brazil nut is particularly well known in the Brazilian state of Par, where it is called castanha-do-par (Par nut) and is grown as one of the major commercially traded nuts in the world. The tree itself grows wild in stands in the Amazon River basin, where it will often tower over its neighbours, reaching heights of 49 metres (160 feet) or more, with its crown spreading over 30 metres (100 feet) in diameter. The buttressed trunk is usually less than 2 metres (6.6 feet) across, but 3-metre (10-foot) specimens have been observed. Brazil nuts cannot, however, be cultivated in pure stands because of the tree's complex ecological requirements. The hard-walled fruits of the tree are spherical pods, 818 cm (37 inches) in diameter, that resemble large coconuts hanging at the ends of the tree's thick branches. A typical 15-cm (6-inch) pod can weigh up to 2.7 kg (5 pounds), and a mature tree will produce more than 300 pods. From January to June the pods ripen and fall to the ground, where they can be harvested. The woody pod contains 1224 nuts, or seeds, that are arranged like the sections of an orange. The seeds are taken out, dried in the sun, then washed and exported while still in the shell. The brown shell is very hard and has three sides. High in fat and protein, the whitish meat tastes somewhat like almond or coconut and is so rich in oil that Brazil nuts will burn like a candle when lit. The oil is often used in shampoos, soaps, hair conditioners, and skin care products. The sweet nuts are an important source of protein and calories for tribal, rural, and even urban Brazilians. Amazonians also use the empty pods as containers and brew the bark to treat liver ailments. The Brazil nut tree belongs to the plant family Lecythidaceae, as do other tropical trees valued for their fruit and nuts (see cannonball tree, anchovy pear, and monkey pot). The economy Large iron mine in the Serra dos Carajs, Par state, Brazil. The sheer extent of Brazil's primary resources has made its economy, despite its relative lack of development, one of broad international significance. It is one of the world's leading agricultural nations and is especially well-known as the world's most prominent coffee-producer. Brazil is also important for what it has not yet fully exploitedits vast mineral and hydroelectric potential, its hardwood forests, and millions of acres of soil, most of which could be fertile given adequate water and fertilizer. As its manufacturing sector develops, Brazil also has taken a significant place among the world's industrial producers, its iron ore production having grown to a high world ranking. The city of So Paulo has become one of the world's major industrial and commercial centres. Despite the vastness of its land and the richness of its resources, Brazil's economic history can be largely characterized as a string of boom-and-bust periods. This was the result of being oftentimes heavily dependent on one or two major agricultural products, the markets for which were highly sensitive to fluctuations in the world economy and politics. This cyclical aspect of the economy began with the export of brazilwood in the early colonial times and was continued with the sugar boom of the 16th century, the mineral boom of the 18th century (paced especially by gold and diamond mining), the coffee boom beginning in the mid-19th century, and the rubber boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In reaction to this background of economic fluctuation, based on a largely agricultural economy, Brazilian governments of the 20th century have placed heavy emphasis on programs designed to diversify the nation's production. In the process, industry has been heavily encouraged, and by the late 20th century manufacturing accounted for the largest single sector of the gross domestic product. The economy has gone through periods of remarkable growth since the mid-20th century, but serious economic problems persist and have been aggravated by political turmoil. Income distribution continues to be uneven, as it was in colonial times, with the large poor segment receiving the smallest share. Inflation, at times skyrocketing, coupled with periods of recession and one of the world's largest foreign debts became characteristic elements of the nation's economic difficulties in the late 20th century. Resources Brazil has an abundance of resources, which, with suitable management, could continue to yield generously for generations to come. Improved transportation has made more of these resources accessible either for export or for use by Brazil's burgeoning industries and growing population. The people Ethnic groups Unloading goods in Belm, the capital of Par state, Brazil. In Brazil the peoples of mixed race are increasing, while those of separate racial stocks are declining. The country has long been a melting pot for people of all races and a wide range of cultures. Although social interactions have not always been without strife and exploitation, the tolerance of the Portuguese Brazilians for other peoples and official policies that favoured assimilation have minimized conflicts. The Portuguese language and the Roman Catholic religion were other unifying factors. Where assimilation has not taken place, it has generally been regarded in Brazil as the choice of a particular group and not the result of any exclusionist government policy or reaction by the population. A case in point is the intransigence of a small minority of the some 200,000 remaining Indian tribal peoples, who have persistently rebuffed overtures of the National Indian Foundation. Indians Although none of Brazil's native Indian groups achieved the high levels of civilization and wealth of those in the Andes and Central America, the tropical forest peoples were, nevertheless, superbly adapted to their environment. From them, the Portuguese traders and early settlers learned techniques of tropical crop cultivation, especially the growing of corn (maize) and cassava, a starchy root that remains a Brazilian staple. They learned to sleep in hammocks, which are still preferred to beds by many in the more northerly regions, and to make dugout canoes and the sailing rafts, jangadas, that continue to be used along the northeastern coast. Perhaps one-third of all Brazilians have some Indian ancestors, a fact that is particularly apparent among the people living within and to the west and north of the northeastern region. As long as the Portuguese settlers limited their activities to barter, their relationship with the Indians remained peaceful. But it changed quickly when the colonizers decided to use the indigenous population as manual workers. Incapable of submitting to the economic and social constraints of the plantation system, the Indians died or fled. They took refuge in the most distant and inaccessible areasin the forest regions between the rivers of the Amazon Basin or in the savannas of the Mato Grosso. They did not, however, find themselves completely sheltered there, for, from the 16th to the 18th century, the Portuguese organized bandeiras (expeditions or raids), launched from So Paulo or the northeastern towns, to hunt down Indians and enslave them. These raids contributed to the decimation of the Indian tribes, as did simple contact with whites, since the Indians had no immunity to European diseases (influenza, measles, smallpox).