=Money= is more complicated and bothersome than in any of the other countries, the unit being of 1000 instead of 100 parts, as is usual. Thus the milreis, written 1$000, equals 1000 reis as the name indicates. The milreis of gold is equal to 54.6 cents, but exchange varies, and the paper in common use varies from its ordinary value, 33.3 cents, to half that or even less in disturbed conditions. A conto of reis, a term often used, is 1000 milreis, and is written with a colon, thus: 5 contos, 20 milreis, and 300 reis would be written 5:20$300. =The Metric System= is legal and compulsory, but in some places, the old Portuguese measures persist; these differ from the Spanish. A vara in Peru is less than a yard, but in Brazil it is 1.111 metre, or 1.215 yard. A libra is 4.695 kilos; an alquiere varies from 24 to 160 litres. Other variety exists in the same or in different places. CHAPTER XLVI BRAZIL: PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Brazil presents in physical characteristics more variety than is generally supposed. As the great Amazon Basin is in striking contrast to the immense Andean Range, the entire country is thought of as hot. Since it extends from 5° 10′ N. Lat. to 33° 45′ S. Lat. with the widest part near the equator, the greater portion of the territory is evidently in the torrid zone, 11° only in the temperate, with more than twice that in the tropics. However, in this comparatively low country, there is happily a variation in altitude sufficient to affect the climate and to give rise to variety in productions; to which diversity the 11° in the temperate zone also contribute. The territory may be considered as in four general sections: the Amazon Basin, the Plata (the two almost connected over low elevations), the Coastal Belt, and a mass of mountains and highlands along the coastal states, extending also at a lower level across to Bolivia. In addition there are the Guiana Highlands at the north. THE COASTAL BELT The coastal section is largely a low-lying sandy tract, varied by swamp lands overgrown with palms or other verdure, and slopes covered with dense tropical vegetation. Without deep indentations in the form of gulfs and bays there is a considerable number of good harbors. In the far south two large lakes have been created which are connected with the ocean. The coastal strip varies in width from one to 100 miles. THE GUIANA HIGHLANDS