Final answer:
Petrobras is the largest Brazilian petroleum company in the southern hemisphere and a significant contributor to Brazil's economy. The Recôncavo basin is a key region for its oil and gas production. Petrobras' success helps solidify Brazil's status as an economic powerhouse, particularly in South America.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Brazilian petroleum company that is the largest in the southern hemisphere is Petrobras. Petrobras is known for its significant contributions to Brazil's economy and its status within the global marketplace. Brazil is a leader in various economic sectors, which include agriculture and industry, and has been identified as one of the top ten economies in the world.
With its abundance of natural resources, Brazil has a strong industrial base supported by sectors such as automotive manufacturing and agricultural exports. The country is a major exporter of commodities like soybeans, coffee, and orange juice.
The Recôncavo basin, notably, has been a prime source of petroleum since 1939, with over 1.6 billion barrels of oil and 70 billion km³ of gas produced by 2012. Beyond energy resources, Brazil's southern regions also contribute to its wealth with high-tech industries and skilled labor.
Petrobras has played a central role in this economic development, especially since it was ranked as Latin America's second largest corporation after PEMEX in 2009. The company's petroleum operations are a significant part of Brazil's industrial activities and contribute to the country's position as an economic powerhouse in South America as well as in the international arena.