Key Features of Brazil's Central Plateau

The Central Plateau (Planalto Central) dominates Brazil's interior. Its defining landscapes:

• Campos (High Grasslands): Vast, rolling savanna grasslands (Cerrado biome), used for extensive cattle ranching and, increasingly, mechanized soy/corn agriculture.
• Caatingas (Scrub Woodlands): Semi-arid, thorny scrub forest in the northeastern fringe of the plateau (Sertão), adapted to irregular rainfall.
• Pantanal (Wetlands): The world's largest tropical wetland, straddling the southwestern plateau edge (Mato Grosso/Mato Grosso do Sul). Seasonal flooding supports extraordinary biodiversity.

Brasília, the federal capital, was built on the plateau in 1960 to promote interior development.