Brazil - Location, size, and extent

Situated on the east-central coast of the continent, Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fourth-largest in the world in coterminous area, ranking after Russia, Canada, and China (the US is larger with Alaska, Hawaii, and the dependencies included). Occupying nearly half of the South American continent, it covers an area of 8,511,965 sq km (3,286,488 sq mi), extending 4,395 km (2,731 mi) N – S and 4,320 km (2,684 mi) E – W . Contiguous with all continental South American countries except Ecuador and Chile, Brazil is bounded on the N by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, on the NE , E , and SE by the Atlantic Ocean, on the S by Uruguay, on the SW by Argentina and Paraguay, on the W by Bolivia and Peru, and on the NW by Colombia, with a total boundary length of 14,691 km (9,108 mi). Brazil is divided into 26 states and one federal district. The federal district, including the capital of Brasília, inaugurated on 21 April 1960, is surrounded on three sides by the state of Goiás and on the fourth by Minas Gerais.

Brazil's capital city, Brasília, is located in the southeastern part of the country.