Brazil (Listeni/brəˈzɪl/; Portuguese: Brasil [bɾaˈziw] [9]), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: República Federativa do Brasil, About this sound listen (help·info)[10]), is the largest country in both South America and the Latin American region. It is the world's fifth-largest country, both by area and population.[11] Brazil is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world, and the only one in the Americas.[12]
Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 mi).[13] It borders all other South American countries except Ecuador and Chile and occupies 47.3 percent of the continent of South America.[14] Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats.[13] This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries, and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection.