Brazil of , including of water. It spans four time zones; from UTC−5 comprising the state of Acre and the westernmost portion of Amazonas, to UTC−4 in the western states, to UTC−3 in the eastern states (the national time) and UTC−2 in the Atlantic islands. Brazil is the only country in the world that has the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn running through it. Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between and in elevation. The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country. The
Tropical rain belt the lower atmosphere, the abundant moisture from the tropics loses the ability to be stored in the atmosphere. As a result, the excess moisture that cannot be held by the colder air is then turned into thunderstorms and rain showers. These thunderstorms and rain showers are usually located along the equator, but they will extend out to the Tropic of Cancer, which is the 23.5 north latitude, as well as the Tropic of Capricorn, which is the 23.5 south latitude. It is largely a manifestation of the ITCZ (pronounced "itch"). The tropical rain belt lies in the southern hemisphere of