Q. With reference to ‘Brazil’ which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. The equatorial rainforests of Brazil are called ‘Selvas’.
2. The dark black colour fertile land here is called ‘Terra Roxa’.
Select the correct answer from the code given below :
a) Only 2
b) Neither 1 nor 2
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Only 1
Correct Answer: d) Only 1
Question from UPPSC Prelims 2025
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: The Amazonian equatorial rainforests are commonly referred to as ‘Selvas’ in classical geography (selva/selvas meaning jungle in Portuguese/Spanish).
Statement 2 is incorrect: ‘Terra roxa’ literally means ‘purple earth’ and is a reddish to purplish, highly fertile soil derived from basalt in southern Brazil, famous for coffee cultivation—not a dark black soil. The black, very fertile anthropogenic soil in the Amazon is called ‘terra preta’, not terra roxa.
Therefore, only Statement 1 is correct.
