Brazil not only is marvellously rich in botanical species, but included at the beginning of the 10th century the largest area of virgin forest on the surface of the earth.
Along the coast, much of the virgin forest has been cut away, not only for the creation of cultivated plantations, but to meet the commercial demand for Brazil-wood and furniture woods.
In the middle stands the huge volcano Cherimai, clad with virgin forest and coffee plantations, and surrounded at its foot by rice fields.
Large tracts of these uplands have never been adequately explored, and consist cif virgin forest and prairie.
Although representing less value in the aggregate, the collecting of cinchona bark is one of the oldest forest industries of Bolivia, which is said still to have large areas of virgin forest to draw upon.