Anyone who knows Brazil, even just from a physical map, knows how green the country is. After all, the Amazon River — the largest in the world — flows through this vast nation, which covers nearly half the land area of South America. Where there’s water and a temperate climate, there’s also going to be a lot of green, of course. So it’s no coincidence that the name “Brazil” comes from the Portuguese term for a particular tree: Back in the 16th century, colonists gave the name Pau brasil to one of the trees they used for wood (the biological designation is caesalpinia echinata). They later named the whole country after the tree. The tree, which was a key Brazilian export for a time, is known in Germany simply as the Brazilwood tree. Now subject to environmental protection, the carob was declared the national tree of Brazil in 1978.  Brazil is also amazingly green in another way. In fact, even the most die-hard environmental activist would be favorably impressed by Brazil’s energy mix today, with the country drawing nearly equal parts of its energy requirement from fossil fuels and renewable sources.