Rio, 12/4/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Brazil's 8.5 million square kilometers can now be seen in a digital format. The map, on a scale of 1:1,000,000, depicts hydrographic and mineral resources in relief, the country's highway system, environmentally protected areas and Indian reserves, ports and airports, power plants and reservoirs.

The map was released yesterday by the government's statistical bureau (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). It will be available on CD-ROM. In January 2004, a copy will be delivered to the United Nations during a special ceremony.

Brazil's new digital map is part of the UN Global Mapping project which was decided on at the Eco-92 meeting in Rio. The idea is to draw up maps worldwide on the same scale with the objective of preventing ecological disasters and monitoring the environment. On a local basis, the maps permit the localization of problems as well as information on population and land distribution.

According to the IBGE, for the first time the digital map gives Brazil the exact locations of the Fernando de Noronha, São Pedro and São Paulo island groups. (AB)