Brazil is divided up into twenty-seven states.
Acre
Acre (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈakɾi]) is one of the 27 states of Brazil. It is situated in the southwest of the Northern Region, bordering Amazonas to the north, Rondônia to the east, Bolivia to the southeast and the Ucayali Region of Peru to the south and west. It occupies an area of 152,581.4 km2, being slightly smaller than Tunisia.
Its capital is the city of Rio Branco. Other important places include: Cruzeiro do Sul, Feijó, Sena Madureira, Senador Guiomard and Tarauacá. This state is the western extreme of the North Region of Brazil, with a one hour time difference from Brasília (DF). In it is located the last Brazilian population to see the sun rise, on the Serra da Moa, on the Peruvian border. The intense extractive activity, which reached its height in the 20th century, attracted Brazilians from many regions to the state.
From the mixture of sulista, paulista, nordestino, and indigenous traditions arose a diverse cuisine, which unites sun-dried meat (carne-de-sol) with Arapaima (pirarucu), a typical fish of the region. Such dishes are seasoned with tucupi, a sauce made from manioc. Fluvial transport, concentrated on the Juruá and Moa rivers, in the western part of the state, and the Tarauacá and Envira Rivers in the northwest, is the principal form of circulation, especially between November and June, when the rain leaves the BR-364 impassable, which connects Rio Branco to Cruzeiro do Sul.
Alagoas
Alagoas is one of the 27 states of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti. Its capital is the city of Maceió.
It is made up of 102 municipalities and its most populous cities are Maceió, Arapiraca, Palmeira dos Índios, Rio Largo, Penedo, União dos Palmares, São Miguel dos Campos, Santana do Ipanema, Delmiro Gouveia, Coruripe, Marechal Deodoro, and Campo Alegre.
Next to last Brazilian state in area (larger only than Sergipe) and 16th in population, it is one of the greatest producers of sugarcane and coconuts in the country and has an economy based on cattle raising.Land of the sururu (or Charru Mussel), lagoon shellfish which serves as food for the coastal population, and of coconut water, Alagoas also possesses some of the country’s richest folklore.
Initially, the Alagoano territory constituted the southern part of the Captaincy of Pernambuco and only gained its autonomy in 1817. It’s occupation pushed the expansion of the captaincy’s sugarcane farming, which required new areas of cultivation, southward. Thus arose Porto Calvo, Alagoas (now Marechal Deodoro) and Penedo, nuclei which guided the colonization, economic, and social life of the region for a long time.
The Dutch invasion in Pernambuco was extended to Alagoas in 1631. The invaders were expelled in 1645, after intense fighting in Porto Calvo, leaving the economy totally disorganized. The escape of African slaves during the Dutch invasion created a serious labour shortage problem on the sugar plantations. Grouped in villages called quilombos, the Africans were only completely dominated at the end of the 17th century with the destruction of the most important quilombo, Palmares.
During the empire, the separatist and republican movement the Confederation of the Equator (1824) received the support of noteworthy Alagoano figures. Throughout the 1840s, political life was marked by the conflict between the lisos, conservatives, and the cabeludos, liberals.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Alagoano hinterland lived through the pioneering experience of Delmiro Gouveia, a Pernambucano entrepreneur who installed the Estrela thread factory, which came to produce 200 spools daily. Delmiro Gouveia was killed in October 1917 in circumstances still unclarified, after being pressured, according to rumor, to sell his factory to competing foreign firms. After his death, his machines would be destroyed and thrown into Paulo Afonso Falls.
Nicknamed the Land of the Marshals (Terra dos Marechais), for being the birthplace of Deodoro da Fonseca and Floriano Peixoto, Alagoas gave the country numerous illustrious Brazilians among whom are the anthropologist Arthur Ramos, the maestro Hekel Tavares, the philologist Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, the poet Jorge de Lima, the jurists Pontes de Miranda and Marcos Bernardes de Mello, besides the writers Lêdo Ivo and Graciliano Ramos.
Amapa
Amapá (Portuguese pronunciation: [amaˈpa][2]) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once considered the northernmost point of Brazil. The river’s estuary is at the extreme north of the Brazilian coast, and it is often used to describe the remote points of Brazil.
The dominant landscape of the region—90 percent of the total area—is the huge Amazon Rainforest. Unexplored forests occupy 70 percent of its territory. Another attraction is the Equator, which divides not only the state but also the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The only way to reach the state’s capital and largest city Macapá is by boat or airplane.
Amazonas
Amazonas Portuguese pronunciation: [amaˈzõnɐs]) is a state of Brazil, located in the northwestern corner of the country. It is the largest Brazilian State by area and the 9th largest country subdivision in the world.
Neighbouring states are (from the north clockwise) Roraima, Pará, Mato Grosso, Rondônia, and Acre. It also borders Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. This includes the department Amazonas in Colombia, as well as the Amazonas State, Venezuela, and the Loreto Region in Peru.
Amazonas is named after the Amazon River, and home to the highest mountain in Brazil, Pico da Neblina, a tepui which stands at 2,994 metres (9,823 ft) above sea level.
Bahia
Bahia (Portuguese pronunciation: [baˈi.ɐ])is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size. Bahia’s capital is the city of Salvador, or more properly, São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos, and is located at the junction of the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of All Saints, first seen by European sailors in 1501. The name “bahia” is an archaic spelling of the Portuguese word baía, meaning “bay”.
The state’s geographical regions comprise the Atlantic Forest. The Recôncavo region radiating from the Bay (the largest in Brazil), the site of sugar and tobacco cultivation. And the Planalto, which includes the fabled sertão region of Bahia’s far interior. Bahia is bordered, in counterclockwise fashion, by Sergipe, Alagoas, Pernambuco and Piauí to the north, Goiás and Tocantins to the west, and Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo to the south. The State of Bahia is crossed from north to south by a mountain chain which is marked, in the map, as Chapada Diamantina. This same chain receives other names, like Serra do Espinhaço, in Minas Gerais, and Borborema, in Pernambuco and Paraíba.
Ceara
Ceará (Portuguese pronunciation: [siaˈɾa][2]) is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of Fortaleza.
Literally, the name Ceará means “sings the jandaia”. According to José de Alencar, one of the most important writers of Brazil and an authority in native languages, Ceará is composed of cemo – to sing aloud, to claim – , and ara – little parakeet in a native language. There are also theories that the state name would derive from Siriará, a reference to the crabs from the seashore.
The state is best known for its extensive coastline, with 573 kilometers (356 mi) of sand. There are also mountains and valleys producing tropical fruits. To the south, on the border of Paraíba, Pernambuco and Piauí, is the National Forest of Araripe. Ceará has an area of 148,016 km². It is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba, on the south by Pernambuco state, and on the west by Piauí.
Distrito Federal
The Federal District (Portuguese: Distrito Federal, Portuguese pronunciation: [dʒisˈtɾitu fedeˈɾaw]) is set apart for Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Located in a region called Planalto Central, or Central Plateau, the Federal District is divided in 29 administrative regions. Brasilia – the location of the three branches of the Brazilian Federal Government – is the main attraction of this dry area, whose climate has only two seasons.
During the dry season (winter), the humidity can reach critical levels, mainly in the peak hours of the hottest days. The artificial lake of Paranoá, with almost 40 km2 (15 sq mi) and 500 million cubic metres (410,000 acre·ft) of water, was built exactly to minimize the severe dry climatic conditions of winter in the cerrado—savannah-like vegetation. Besides businessmen and politicians, the region also attracts mystics and there are several syncretic or spiritualistic temples mainly near nature here.
Espirito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation “ES”. Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally “holy spirit” after the Holy Ghost of Christianity. With an extensive coastline (40% of the territory is on the coast), the state has some of the country’s main ports but the beaches are the best tourist attractions. Vitória, the capital, is on an island, next to Guarapari, well known by its sands. In the extreme north is the Itaúnas part of the municipality of Conceição da Barra, whose sand dunes and forró are famous. Also on the coast, the typical gastronomy is another attraction with the moquecas capixabas and many fruits from the ocean and seafood. In the country of the state are many natural beauties, such as the parks of Pedra Azul and Alto Caparaó, and the Italian and German colonies.
With 46,180 square kilometers (17,830 sq mi), it is about the size of Estonia, or half the size of Portugal, and has a variety of habitats including coastal planes, lakes, mountain forest, mangroves and many others. The islands of Trindade and Martim Vaz, 715 kilometers (444 mi) East of Vitória in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, also belong to Espirito Santo state.
Goias
Goiás (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡoˈjas]) is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás (formerly, Goyaz) comes from the name of an indigenous community. The original word seems to have been guaiá[verification needed], a compound of gua e iá, meaning “the same person” or “people of the same origin.” Neighboring states are (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, the Federal District, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso.
The most central of the Brazilian states and the most populous of the region, Goiás is characterized by a landscape of chapadões (plateaus). In the height of the drought season, from June to September, the lack of rain makes the level of the Araguaia River go down and exposes almost 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of beaches, making it the main attraction of the State. At the Emas National Park in the municipality of Mineiros, it is possible to observe the typical fauna and flora from the region. At the Chapada dos Veadeiros the attractions are the canyons, valleys, rapids and waterfalls. Other attractions are the historical city of Goiás (or Old Goiás), 132 km (82 mi) from Goiânia, established in the beginning of 18th Century, and Caldas Novas, with its hot water wells attracting more than one million tourists per year.
Maranhao
Maranhão (Portuguese pronunciation: [maɾɐ̃ˈɲɐ̃w̃]) is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the (clockwise from east) states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent. Maranhão is described in books such as The Land of the Palm Trees, by Gonçalves Dias, and Casas de Pensão by Aluísio Azevedo.
The dunes of Lençóis are an important area of environmental preservation. Also of interest is the state capital of São Luís, designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. Another important conservation area is the Parnaíba River delta, between the states of Maranhão and Piauí, with its lagoons, desert dunes and deserted beaches or islands, such as the Caju island, which shelters rare birds.
The rivers of the state all flow northward to the Atlantic and a majority of them have navigable channels. The Gurupi River forms the northwestern boundary of the state, separating Maranhão from neighboring Pará, and the Tocantins River forms part the state’s southwestern boundary with Tocantins state. The Parnaíba River forms the eastern boundary of Maranhão, but it has one large tributary, the Balsas, entirely within the state. Other rivers in the state include the Turiassu (or Turiaçu) which runs just east of the Gurupi, emptying into the Baía de Turiassu; the Mearim, Pindaré, and Grajaú, which empty into the Baía de São Marcos; and the Itapecuru and Munim which discharge into the Baía de São José. Like the Amazon, the Mearim has a pororoca or tidal bore in its lower channel, which greatly interferes with navigation.
Quiet Beaches Draw in the Tourist
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmatu ˈɡɾosu] – lit. “Thick Bushes”) is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country. Neighboring states are (from west clockwise) Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest. A state with a flat landscape, alternating great chapadas and plain areas, Mato Grosso presents three different ecosystems: Cerrado, Pantanal and the Amazon Rainforest.
The vegetation of the open pasture covers 40% of the state, and the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, with its caves, grottos, tracks and waterfalls, is one of its great tourist attractions. In the north is the Amazonian forest, with a biodiversity covering half of the state. The Xingu National Park and the Araguaia River are in Mato Grosso. Further south, the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, is the habitat for almost a thousand species of animals, with many aquatic birds.
Located in the Mato Grosso is the Chapada dos Guimarães, a unique and beautiful environment made from sandstone mountains and their subsequent erosion. The terrain of the Mato Grosso is varied and includes cliffs, canyons, and beautiful waterfalls.
The biologically rich Pantanal, one of the world’s largest wetland/prairie ecosystems, is also located within this state. Much environmental degradation has occurred to the Pantanal within the past few decades, and it shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. The Pantanal can be compared to the Everglades in Florida, as both share much in common, habitat wise, although the Pantanal is of much larger scale.
Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmatu ˈɡɾosu du ˈsuɫ]) is one of the states of Brazil.Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising. Bisected in the south by the Tropic of Capricorn, Mato Grosso do Sul generally has a warm and humid climate, and is crossed by numerous affluents of the Parana River.
The state is also famous for its natural beauty and is a major destination for domestic and international tourism. The Pantanal lowlands cover 12 municipalities and presents an enormous variety of flora and fauna, with forests, natural sand banks, savannahs, open pasture, fields and bushes. The city Bonito, in the mountain of Bodoquena, has prehistoric caverns, natural rivers, waterfalls, swimming pools and the Blue Lake cavern.
The name “Mato Grosso do Sul” literally means “Thick Forest of the South” in Portuguese, a name inherited from its northern neighbour state of Mato Grosso, of which it was part until the 1970s. It is not uncommon for people to mistakenly refer to Mato Grosso do Sul as simply “Mato Grosso”. Other names that were proposed, at the time of the split and afterwards, include “Pantanal” (a reference to its best known geographical feature) and “Maracaju” (a reference to the Maracaju mountain range that crosses the state from north to south).
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈminɐz ʒeˈɾajs])[2] is one of the 26 states of Brazil, ranks as the second most populous, the third by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state’s capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte, is a major urban and finance center in Latin America, and stands as the third largest urban aglomeration in Brazil, after the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, born in Belo Horizonte, being one of them.
The main producer of coffee and milk in the country, Minas Gerais is known for its heritage of architecture and colonial art in historical cities such as Ouro Preto, Diamantina, Tiradentes and Mariana. In the south, the tourist points are the hydro mineral spas, such as Caxambu, São Lourenço, São Thomé das Letras, Monte Verde and the national parks of Caparaó and Canastra. The landscape of the State is marked by mountains, valleys, and large areas of fertile lands. In the Serra do Cipó, Sete Lagoas, Cordisburgo and Lagoa Santa, the caves and waterfalls are the attractions. Some of Brazil’s most famous caverns are located there.
Para
Pará (Portuguese pronunciation: [paˈɾa]) is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of (clockwise from north) Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.
Pará is the most populous state of the northern region with a population of over 6 million. It is the second largest state of Brazil in area, second only to Amazonas (it was the third until Mato Grosso do Sul broke away from Mato Grosso in 1977). Its most famous icons are the Amazon River and the Amazon Rainforest.
Pará produces rubber (extracted from natural rubber tree groves), tropical hardwoods such as mahogany, and minerals such as iron ore and bauxite.
Every October, Belém receives tens of thousands of tourists for the year’s most important religious celebration, the procession of the Círio de Nazaré. Another important attraction of the capital is the marajó-style ceramics, based on pottery from the extinct Marajó indigenous culture, whose designs have gained considerable international fame.
Paraiba
Paraíba (Tupi: pa’ra a’íba: “bad to navigation”; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ([paɾaˈiba]) is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíba is the third most densely populated state of the Northeast; João Pessoa, the sea-bordered state capital, and Campina Grande, in the interior, rank among the fifteen-largest municipalities in the Northeast of Brazil.
Paraíba is most populated along the Atlantic coast, which extends as far as Ponta do Seixas, the easternmost point of the Americas. The state is a touristic and industrial hotspot; it is known for its cultural heritage, amenable climate and geographical features, ranging from the seaside beaches to the Borborema Plateau. It is named after the Paraíba river.
Some of the most notable Brazilian writers and poets are from Paraíba like Augusto dos Anjos, José Américo de Almeida, José Lins do Rego and Pedro Américo, the last being also known for his historical paintings.
Parana
Paraná (Portuguese pronunciation: [paɾaˈna]) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay, with the Paraná River as its western boundary line. Cut by the Tropic of Capricorn, Paraná has what is left of the araucaria forest, one of the most important subtropical forests in the world.
At the border with Argentina is the National Park of Iguaçu, considered by UNESCO as a World Heritage site and the spectacle of the Cataratas do Iguaçu attracts about 700 thousand tourists per year. At only 40 km (25 mi) from there, at the border with Paraguay, the largest dam in the world was built, the Hidroelétrica de Itaipu. The State Park of Vila Velha near the city of Ponta Grossa, is another attraction, with great rocky formations sculpted by the erosion of rain and wind. Curitiba, the capital, is famous for its high quality of life, compared to the Brazilian average, and the Ilha do Mel, next to the historical Paranaguá, is another destination for eco-tourists.
Paraná is bounded on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay, with the Paraná River as its western boundary line.
Pernambuco
Pernambuco (Portuguese pronunciation: [pɛʁnɐ̃ˈbuku][2]) is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about 187 kilometers (116 mi) of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the Region, as Porto de Galinhas, Carneiros and Calhetas. In 1982 the city of Olinda, the second oldest Brazilian city, was declared a Historical and Cultural Patrimony of Humanity by the UNESCO.
Recife, the Capital of State and Olinda have one of the most traditional and best carnaval of Brasil. Both have Portuguese architecture, with centuries-old casarões and churches, and kilometers of beaches and much culture. Pernambuco also has the archipelago Fernando de Noronha. The proximity of the Equator guarantees an entire year of sun, with average temperatures of 26 °C (79 °F).
Pernambuco comprises a comparatively narrow coastal zone, a high inland plateau, and an intermediate zone formed by the terraces and slopes between the two. Its surface is much broken by the remains of the ancient plateau which has been worn down by erosion, leaving escarpments and ranges of flat-topped mountains, called chapadas, capped in places by horizontal layers of sandstone. Ranges of these chapadas form the boundary lines with three states–the Serra dos Irmãos and Serra Vermelha with Piauí, the Serra do Araripe with Ceará, and the Serra dos Cariris Velhos with Paraíba.
The coastal area is fertile, and was formerly covered by the humid Pernambuco coastal forests, the northern extension of the Atlantic Forests (Mata Atlântica) of eastern Brazil. It is now place to extensive sugar cane plantations. It has a hot, humid climate, relieved to some extent by the south-east trade winds. The middle zone, called the agreste region, has a drier climate and lighter vegetation, including the semi-deciduous Pernambuco interior forests, where many trees lose their leaves in the dry season.
The inland region, called the sertão is high, stony, and dry, and frequently devastated by prolonged droughts (secas). The climate is characterized by hot days and cool nights. There are two clearly defined seasons, a rainy season from March to June, and a dry season for the remaining months. The interior of the state is covered mostly by the dry thorny scrub vegetation called caatinga. The Rio São Francisco is the main water source for this area.
Brazilian Palm Gives Shade and Beckons to Tourist
Piaui
Piauí (Portuguese pronunciation: [pjaˈwi] or [pi.awˈi]) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country. Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km (41 mi), and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland. The reason for this is, unlike the rest of the area, Piauí was first colonised inland and slowly expanded towards the ocean, rather than the other way around. In the Southeast of the State, the National Park of Serra da Capivara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park has more than 400 archaeological sites and the largest concentration of rock paintings in the world, in a landscape dominated by canyons and caatinga.
Piauí is bounded on the west by Maranhão, on the east by Ceará, Pernambuco and Bahia, and on the south by Tocantins. It has a short Atlantic coastline on the north. The Parnaíba River forms the boundary with Maranhão throughout its entire length, the state lies almost entirely within the basin of the Parnaíba and its tributaries. Part of the state on the Atlantic coast and along the lower Parnaíba is low, swampy, and historically malarial. South of this the country rises gradually to a high plateau with open campos.
This plateau region is watered by numerous tributaries of the Parnaíba, chief of which are, from south to north: the Poti, which has its source in the state of Ceará; the Longa; the Canindé and its tributary the Piauí, which is navigable for boats of 1 meter draft up to Nova York, a few miles above the mouth of the Gurguéia. The river valleys are separated by flat-topped plateaus called chapadas, including the Serra Uruçui, which lies between the Uruçui-Preto and the Gurguéia, the Serra da Capivara National Park, which lies between the Gurguéia and the Piauí, and the Chapada das Mangabeiras, which forms the southwestern boundary of the state, separating the upper basin of the Parnaíba from that of the Tocantins.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈxiu dʒi ʒaˈnejɾu]) is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state. The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast (assigned by IBGE). Rio de Janeiro share borders with all the other states in the same Southeast macroregion: Minas Gerais (N and NW), Espírito Santo (NE) and São Paulo (SW). It is bounded on the east and south by the Atlantic Ocean. Rio de Janeiro has an area of 43,653 km². Its capital is the city of Rio de Janeiro, which was the capital of the Portuguese Colony of Brazil from 1763 to 1815, capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves from 1815 to 1822, and capital of independent Brazil from 1822 to 1960.
The state’s largest cities are Rio de Janeiro, São Gonçalo, Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu, Belford Roxo, Niterói, São João de Meriti, Campos dos Goytacazes, Petrópolis, Volta Redonda, Magé, Itaboraí, Macaé, Mesquita, Cabo Frio, Nova Friburgo, Barra Mansa and Angra dos Reis.
Rio de Janeiro is the smallest state in the Southeast macroregion and one of the smallest in Brazil. It has, however, the third longest coastline in the country (second only to those of Bahia and Maranhão).In the Brazilian flag, the state is represented by the Beta star in the Southern Cross (β = Mimosa).
The state is part of the Mata Atlântica biome and is made up of two distinct morphological areas: a coastal plain, known as baixada, and a plateau, which are disposed in parallel fashion from the shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean inland towards Minas Gerais. The coastline extends 635 kilometers and is formed by the bays of Guanabara, Sepetiba, and Ilha Grande. There are prominent slopes near the ocean, featuring also diverse environments, such as restinga vegetation, bays, lagoons and tropical forests.
Most of the state however consists of highlands, often higher than 1000 m, formed by several mountain chains like the Serra do Mar which separates Rio from the state of São Paulo. The highest point of the state, the Pico das Agulhas Negras (Black Needles Pëak) is located in the Serra da Mantiqueira which forms the physical border with neighbouring Minas Gerais.
Its principal rivers are the Guandu, the Piraí, the Paraíba do Sul, the Macaé and the Muriaé.
Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte (lit. “Great River of the North”, in reference to the mouth of the Potengi River, Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁi.u ˈɡɾɐ̃d͡ʒi du ˈnɔʁt͡ʃi]) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal.
It is the land of the folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo and, according to NASA, it has the purest air in the Americas. Its 410 km (254 mi) of sand, much sun, coconut palms and lagoons are responsible for the fame of beaches. Rocas Atoll, the only such feature in the Atlantic Ocean, is part of the state. The main economic activity is tourism, followed by the extraction of petroleum (the second largest producer in the country), agriculture, fruit growing and extraction of minerals, including considerable production of seasalt, among other economic activities.
The state is famous for having many popular attractions such as the Maior cajueiro do mundo (world’s largest cashew tree), the dunes and the dromedaries of Genipabu,[6] the famous beaches of Ponta Negra, Maracajaú and Pipa’s paradise, the Carnatal the largest off-season carnival in Brazil,[8] the Forte dos Reis Magos is a medieval fortress,[9] the hills and mountains of Martins,[10] the Dunas Park the second largest urban park in the country,[11] and several other attractions. The state is also closest to the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (Portuguese pronunciation: [hiw ˈɡɾɐ̃dʒi du suw] ( listen);[2] lit. “Great River of the South”) is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay.
In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine producing center in Brazil, the attraction is Italian gastronomy. Besides the European influence, the gaúchos, or inhabitants of Rio Grande do Sul, strongly cultivate the traditions of the Pampas — region of the border with Uruguay and Argentina — such as drinking mate (known as chimarrão drunk in special gourd cups), eating the typical barbecue, known as churrasco, and the traditional clothes are the bombachas (baggy trousers), boots and large hats. Although the majority of the population dresses non-traditionally, there is[citation needed][says who?] a widespread value for tradition and culture, which renders the image of “cultural zealots” sometimes attributed[by whom?] to the gaúchos.Rio Grande do Sul is bordered to the north by the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Uruguay, and to the west by Argentina.
Rondonia
Rondônia (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁõˈdõniɐ]) is a state in Brazil, located in the north-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia. Its capital is Porto Velho. The state was named after Candido Rondon. A boat ride on the Rio Madeira where one can appreciate the forest of 100-year old trees and such fauna as exotic birds is one of the best attractions of the state. Two-thirds of its area is covered by the Amazon Rainforest. Other attractions are the Chapada dos Parecis and the Serra do Pacaás, a national park, and the capital, Porto Velho, which is simple and with few buildings.
The state is covered mostly with Amazon Rainforest, but about three-fifths of the state has been deforested since intensive settlement and logging began in the 1970s, speeding up deforestation even into current times. A majority of its citizens now live in urban areas. It is a main exporter of wood, as well as a significant producer of both coffee and cocoa. It is also an important region for animal husbandry, specifically cattle.
Roraima
Roraima (Tupi: Green Plateau, Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁoˈɾajmɐ][2]) is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of Venezuela and Guyana. The population is approximately 450,000 (2010) and the capital is Boa Vista. Roraima is the Brazilian state with the fewest municipalities, 15 in total.
The climate of Roraima is tropical with an annual mean temperature of 26°C (78.8°F). The state’s southern part is located in the Amazon rainforest, while the north has open grassland fields, and there is a small strip of savanna to the east. The state is rich in mineral deposits – especially gold, diamonds, cassiterite, bauxite, marble and copper. Many of these deposits are located in indigenous reserves, and illegal mining has resulted in frequent conflicts with the native population, especially the Yanomami and the Macuxi and allied groups.
The Monte Roraima National Park is located around one of the highest mountains of both Venezuela (outside of the Andes) and Brazil, and the highest in Guyana, a 2,875 m (9,432 ft) high tepui known as Monte Roraima. Only a small fraction of the mountain is in Brazilian territory, however, and the highest point of the Brazilian part is at 2,734 metres (8,970 ft).
Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈsɐ̃ta kataˈɾina] ( listen) “Saint Catherine”)[2] is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west it borders the province of Misiones, Argentina. Most of its inhabitants are descendants of Portuguese, German, and Italian immigrants.
The beaches along the coast of 561 kilometres (349 mi) are a great attraction for tourists visiting the smallest state of the South Region. Florianópolis, the capital, is on an island and is one of the Brazilian cities that receives the most foreign tourists. To the south, Garopaba is the preferred destination of surfers looking for good waves.
In the mountain region, São Joaquim is an attraction during winter because of its low temperatures. Blumenau, in the interior of Santa Catarina, is the stage for one of the biggest events of the country: the Oktoberfest, a traditional beer party originated from Germany, that happens in October. The heritage of the Italian, German and Portuguese immigrants can be seen in the architecture and the customs of the state. Joinville is Santa Catarina’s largest city.
Sao Paulo
São Paulo (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐ̃w ˈpawlu] ( listen)) is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil. The capital, São Paulo, is also the largest city in South America.
Often dubbed the “locomotive of Brazil”, the state alone is responsible for 33.9% of the Brazilian GDP, being the state with the highest GDP. In addition to increased GDP, São Paulo also has the third highest Human Development Index, the second highest GDP per capita, the second lowest infant mortality rate and the fourth lowest rate of illiteracy among the states of Brazil.
With over 40 million inhabitants, São Paulo is the most populous state in Brazil and the third most populous political unit of South America, only surpassed by that country and Colombia, ahead of all other South American countries. Sao Paulo’s capital city is ranked seventh among the largest city on the planet and its metropolitan area, with 19,223,897 inhabitants, is also the 7th biggest in the world.
Regions near the city of São Paulo are also metropolitan areas, such as Campinas, Santos, Sorocaba and São José dos Campos; other nearby cities include urban areas in the conurbation process, such as Santo André, São Bernardo, São Caetano, Diadema, Guarulhos, Osasco, Taboão da Serra and Jundiaí. The total population of these areas coupled with the capital – the so-called Expanded Metropolitan Complex – exceeds 29 million inhabitants, i.e. approximately 75% of the population of São Paulo state-wide. The metropolitan regions of Campinas and São Paulo now form the first macro-metropolis in the southern hemisphere, joining 65 municipalities that together are home to 12% of the Brazilian population.
Independence Monuments Pull Tourist in their Direction
Sergipe
Sergipe (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɛʁˈʒipi]) (officially the State of Sergipe), is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. Aracaju is the capital and the largest city of the state.
As with most of the states in northeastern Brazil, inland Sergipe is almost entirely savanna (caatinga), and its coastline is characterized by mangroves, swamps and sandy beaches. A small strip of tropical rainforest runs down the coast.
The São Francisco River forms its northern boundary, and the drainage of the northern part of the state is northward and eastward to that river. The southern half of the state slopes eastward and is drained directly into the Atlantic through a number of small rivers, the largest of which are the Irapiranga (whose source in the state of Bahia is called Vasa Barris at its mouth), the Real and the Cotinguiba.
These streams are navigable for short distances, but are obstructed by sandbars at their mouths, and that of Cotinguiba is especially dangerous. The surface of the state resembles, in part, that of Bahia, with a zone of forested lands near the coast and beyond this forested zone lies a higher zone of rough open country, called agreste. There is a sandy belt along the coast, and the western frontier is slightly mountainous.
The land in between is very fertile, especially in the forested region where the rainfall is abundant. Further inland, the year is divided into wet and dry seasons with occasional prolonged droughts. These are pastoral areas, and the lower fertile lands are cultivated. There are no good ports on the coast because of the sandbars at the mouths of the rivers.
The capital of the state is Aracaju (pop. 479 767 in 2003), on the lower course or estuary of the Cotinguiba River, near the coast. The sandbar at the entrance to this river is exceptionally dangerous, and the port is frequented only by coasting vessels of light draught. The city is found on a sandy plain, and there are sand dunes within the city limits. The main public buildings include a large plain church with unfinished twin towers, the government palace, the legislative halls, a public school and public hospital.
The other principal towns are Estância – pop. 62,218 (in 2005) on the Rio Real river in the southern part of the state and a center for the manufacturing of cotton-based textiles, cigars, cigarettes and soap as well as an active trade center; Laranjeiras – pop. 26,452 (in 2005), located in a highly productive sugar-growing district north of the capital; Capela – pop. 27,403 (in 2005); Simão Dias – pop. 39,706 (in 2005); Lagarto – pop. 90,345 (in 2005); São Cristóvão, formerly Sergipe d’el-Rey – pop. 75,353 (in 2005), which was also the old colonial capital near the mouth of the Irapiranga; and Maruim – pop. 15,937 (in 2005).
See also List of municipalities in Sergipe (SE), Brazil.
Tocantins
Tocantins (Portuguese pronunciation: [tokɐ̃ˈtʃĩs]) is one of the states of Brazil. (From: Tukã´, Toucan + tï, beak. lit. “Toucan’s beak” in Tupi). The state was formed in 1988 out of the northern part of Goiás, and construction began on the capital, Palmas, in 1989, in contrast to most of the other cities in the state which date back to the Portuguese colonial period. It is the newest Brazilian state and, because it is still very young, it is developing slowly, building on its most important resources: the rivers Araguaia and Tocantins, the largest hydro basin entirely inside Brazilian territory.
Because it is in the central zone of the country, it has characteristics of the Amazon, but also has open pastures. The Ilha do Bananal, in the southwest of the State, is the largest fluvial island in the world. Tocantins is also home to the Araguaia National Park and the Carajás Indian reservations. Another highlight is the Jalapão, about 250 kilometers from the capital, Palmas. There, the rivers create true oases in the dry landscape, attracting many ecotourists to the region.
Tocantins forms the boundary between the Amazon Rainforest and the coastal savanna. As a result, the state’s geography is varied. Many rivers cross through the state (including one of the same name), and there are over 20 archaeologically significant sites found in Tocantin.
