North
The
equatorial North, also known as the Amazon or Amazônia,
includes, from west to east, the states of Rondônia,
Acre, Amazonas, Roraima, Pará,
Amapá, and, as of 1988, Tocantins (created from the northern part
of Goiás State, which is situated in the Center-West). Rondônia,
previously a federal territory, became a state in 1986. The former federal
territories of Roraima and Amapá were raised to statehood in 1988.
With
3,869,638 square kilometers, the North is the country's
largest region, covering 45.3 percent of the national
territory. The
region's principal biome is the humid tropical forest, also known as
the rain forest, home to some of the planet's richest
biological diversity. The North
has served as a source of forest products ranging from "backlands
drugs" (such
as sarsaparilla, cocoa, cinnamon, and turtle butter) in the colonial
period to rubber and Brazil nuts in more recent times. In the mid-twentieth
century,
nonforest products from mining, farming, and livestock-raising became
more important, and in the 1980s the lumber industry boomed. In 1990,
6.6 percent
of the region's territory was considered altered by anthropic (man-made)
action, with state levels varying from 0.9 percentin Amapá to
14.0 percent in Rondônia.
In
1996 the North had 11.1 million inhabitants, only 7 percent
of the national total. However, its share of Brazil's
total had grown rapidly
in the 1970s
and early 1980s as a result of interregional migration, as well as
high rates of natural increase. The largest population
concentrations are
in eastern Pará State
and in Rondônia. The major cities are Belém and Santarém
in Pará, and Manaus in Amazonas. Living standards are below
the national average. The highest per capita income, US$2,888, in the
region
in 1994, was
in Amazonas, while the lowest, US$901, was in Tocantins.
Northeast
The
nine states that make up the Northeast are Alagoas, Bahia,
Ceará,
Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio
Grande do Norte, and Sergipe. The former federal territory of Fernando
de Noronha was incorporated
into Pernambuco State in 1988. For planning or ecological purposes,
Maranhão
west of 44° W longitude, most of which until recently was covered
with "pre-Amazon" forest
(that is, transition from the cerrado or caatinga to tropical forest),
is often included in the Amazon region.
The
Northeast, with 1,561,178 square kilometers, covers 18.3
percent of the national territory. Its principal biome
is the semiarid
caatinga region, which
is subject to prolonged periodic droughts. By the 1990s, this
region utilized extensive irrigation. In an area known
as the forest zone
(zona da mata),
the Atlantic Forest, now almost entirely gone, once stretched
along the coastline as far north as Rio Grande do Norte.
Sugar plantations
established
there in
colonial times persisted for centuries. Between the mata and
the sertão
lies a transition zone called the agreste, an area of mixed
farming. In 1988-89, 46.3 percent of the region had been
subjected to anthropic activity, ranging
from a low of 10.8 percent in Maranhão to ahigh of 77.2
percent in Alagoas. Because its high rates of natural increase
offset heavy out-migration, the Northeast's large share of the
country's total population
declined only slightly
during the twentieth century.
In
1996 the region had 45 million inhabitants, 28 percent
of Brazil's total population. The population
is densest
along the coast, where eight of the nine state capitals are
located, but is
also spread
throughout the interior. The major cities are Salvador, in
Bahia; Recife, in Pernambuco; and Fortaleza, in Ceará. The region
has the country's largest concentration of rural population,
and its living standards are the lowest
in Brazil. In 1994 Piauí had the lowest per capita income
in the region and the country, only US$835, while Sergipe had
the highest
average
income
in the region, with US$1,958.
Southeast
The
Southeast consists of the four states of Espírito
Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo.
Its total area of 927,286 square kilometers corresponds
to 10.9 percent of the national territory. The region
has the largest
share of the country's population, 63 million in 1991,
or 39 percent of the national total, primarily as a result
of internal migration since the mid-nineteenth
century until the 1980s. In addition to a dense urban network,
it contains the megacities of São Paulo and Rio
de Janeiro, which in 1991 had 18.7 million and 11.7 million
inhabitants in their metropolitan areas, respectively.
The region combines the highest living standards in Brazil
with pockets of
urban poverty. In 1994 São Paulo boasted an average
income of US$4,666, while Minas Gerais reported only US$2,833.
Originally,
the principal biome in the Southeast was the Atlantic
Forest, but by 1990 less than 10 percent of the
original forest
cover remained
as a result
of clearing for farming, ranching, and charcoal making.
Anthropic activity had altered 79.5 percent of the region,
ranging
from 75 percent in
Minas Gerais to 91.1 percent in Espírito Santo. The region has most of Brazil's industrial
production. The state of São Paulo alone accounts
for half of the country's industries. Agriculture, also
very strong,
has
diversified and now uses modern
technology.
South
The
three states in the temperate South - Paraná,
Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina - cover 577,214
square
kilometers, or 6.8 percent of the
national territory. The population of the South
in 1991 was 23.1 million, or 14 percent of the country's
total. The region is almost as densely settled
as the Southeast, but the population is more concentrated
along the coast. The major cities are Curitiba and Porto
Alegre. The inhabitants of the South
enjoy relatively high living standards. Because
of its industry and agriculture, Paraná had
the highest average income in 1994, US$3,674, while
Santa
Catarina, a land of
small farmers
and small
industries, had
slightly less,
US$3,405.
In
addition to the Atlantic Forest and pine woods, much
of which were cleared in the post-World War II period,
the South
contains pampa grasslands, similar
to those of Argentina and Uruguay, in the
extreme south. In 1982, 83.5 percent of the region had
been altered by anthropic
activity, with the highest level
(89.7 percent) in Rio Grande do Sul, and
the lowest (66.7 percent) in Santa Catarina. Agriculture
- much of which, such as rice
production, is carried out
by small farmers - has high levels of productivity.
There are also some important industries.
Center-West
The
Center-West consists of the states of Goiás, Mato
Grosso, and Mato Grosso do Sul (separated from Mato Grosso
in 1979), as well as the Federal
District, site of Brasília, the
national capital. Until 1988 Goiás
State included the area that then became
the state of Tocantins in the North.
The
Center-West has 1,612,077 square kilometers and covers
18.9 percent of
the national
territory. Its
main biome
is the cerrado
, the tropical
savanna
in which natural grassland is partly
covered with twisted shrubs and small
trees. The
cerrado was
used for low-density
cattle-raising
in
the past but
is now also used for soybean production.
There are gallery forests along the
rivers and streams
and
some larger
areas of forest,
most of which
have been
cleared for farming and livestock.
In the north, the cerrado blends into tropical
forest. It
also includes
the Pantanal
wetlands in
the west,
known for their
wildlife, especially aquatic birds
and caymans. In the early 1980s, 33.6 percent
of the region
had been
altered
by anthropic
activities,
with
a low of 9.3 percent
in Mato Grosso and a high of 72.9 percent
in Goiás (not including Tocantins).
In
1996 the Center-West region had 10.2 million inhabitants,
or 6 percent of Brazil's total population. The average
density is low, with concentrations
in and around the cities of Brasília, Goiânia, Campo Grande, and
Cuiabá. Living standards are
below the national average. In 1994
they were
highest
in the Federal
District, with per
capita income
of
US$7,089 (the
highest in the nation), and lowest
in Mato Grosso, with US$2,268.
