States of Brazil: capitals, data, maps and more

Brazil states, also called federative units or federation units, correspond to territorial units subnationals that, through their degree of autonomy, have government, revenue and constitution themselves.

Each state has at the head of its administration a governor, three senators (to ensure equality between states in the formulation of laws) and the number of deputies varies according to the number of inhabitants. There is also a Legislative Assembly in each federative unit. The states are made up of municipalities, and the capitals of each state house the seat of their government.

The states are distributed in the five Brazilian regions, which, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, are: North, North East, Midwest, Southeast and South.

See too: Map of Brazil: states, capitals and regions

States, capitals and acronyms

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States	capitals	Acronyms
Acre	White River	B.C
alagoas	Maceio	AL
Amapá	Macapa	AP
Amazons	Manaus	AM
Bahia	savior	BA
Ceará	strength	EC
Federal District*	Brasilia	DF
Holy Spirit	Victory	ES
Goiás	Goiania	GO
Maranhão	St. Louis	BAD
Mato Grosso	Cuiabá	MT
Mato Grosso do Sul	Large field	MS
Minas Gerais	Belo Horizonte	MG
For	Bethlehem	PAN
Paraíba	João Pessoa	PB
Paraná	Curitiba	PR
Pernambuco	Recife	FOOT
Piauí	Teresina	PI
Rio de Janeiro	Rio de Janeiro	RJ
large northern river	Christmas	RN
Rio Grande do Sul	Porto Alegre	LOL
Rondônia	Porto Velho	RO
Roraima	Good view	RR
Santa Catarina	Florianopolis	SC
Sao Paulo	Sao Paulo	SP
Sergipe	Aracaju	IF
Tocantins	palms	TO

*O Federal District is not a state, but rather an autonomous unit composed of administrative regions. It has no capital, and Brasília is its seat of government.

See too: Difference between city and municipality

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States of Brazil according to regions

The Brazilian regions correspond to the grouping of states that have similar characteristics. Let's look at the states by region:

1) States of the North Region

THE North region is composed of seven states and corresponds to the largest region in territorial extension in Brazil.

Official name: State of Acre.
Initials: B.C.
Capital:White River.
Gentile: acrean.
Territorial area: 164,123,738 km².
Number of municipalities: 22.
Population: 869,265 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 4.47 inhab/km².
Human development Index (HDI): 0,663.
Border territories: Peru, Bolivia, Amazonas and Rondônia.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): BRL 13,751,000.
natural aspects: climate - equatorial; relief — predominant Highland; vegetation — Amazon rainforest.
Economic activities:chestnut extraction, agriculture and livestock.
Curiosity: state with the highest accumulated GDP growth, according to IBGE.

→ Amapá

Official name: State of Amapá,
Initials: AP,
Capital: Macapa,
Gentile: Amapáense
Territorial area: 142,470,462 km².
Number of municipalities: 16.
Population: 829,494 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 4.69 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,708.
Border territories: French Guiana, Suriname and Pará.
GDP: BRL 14,339,000.
natural aspects: climate — equatorial; relief — coastal plain, low plateau and crystalline plateau; vegetation — Amazon Forest, swamps, mangroves (in the portion close to the coast) and cerrados (in the central portion).
Economic activities: plant extraction (Brazil nut, cassava and rice), cattle raising and trade.

→ Amazons

Official name: State of Amazonas.
Capital: Manaus.
Gentile: Amazonian
Territorial area: 1,559,168,117 km².
Number of municipalities: 62.
Population: 4,080,611 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 2.23 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,674.
Border territories: Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Acre.
GDP: BRL 89,017,000.
natural aspects: climate — equatorial; relief — depression, coastal plain and plateau; vegetation — covered by the Amazon rainforest.
THEeconomic activities: stands out the tertiary sector (commerce and provision of services).
Curiosity: the state of Amazonas is covered in its entirety by the largest tropical forest in the world, the Amazon Forest, and also encompasses the largest hydrographic basin in the world, the Amazon Basin.

Read too: Brazilian Biomes

Official name: State of Pará.
Capital: Bethlehem.
Gentile: paraense.
Territorial area: 1,245,459 km².
Number of municipalities: 144.
Population: 8,513,497 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 6.07 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,646.
Border territories: Maranhão, Amapá, Roraima, Guyana and Suriname.
GDP: BRL 138,068,000.
natural aspects: climate — predominant equatorial; vegetation — presence of mangroves, fields, cerrados and the Amazon Forest.
Economic activities: extractivism mineral and vegetable, agriculture, industry and tourism.
Curiosities: second largest state in terms of territory in Brazil.

Official name: State of Rondônia.
Capital: Porto Velho.
Gentile: Rondônia.
Territorial area: 237,590,543 km².
Number of municipalities: 52.
Population: 1,787,279 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 7.52 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,725.
Border territories: Bolivia, Amazonas, Mato Grosso and Acre.
GDP: BRL 39,451,000.
natural aspects: climate — equatorial; relief — crystalline plateau, plateau and alluvial plain; vegetation — most of the territory is covered by the Amazon Forest, there is the presence of cerrados.
Economic activities: agriculture, livestock, food industry and plant and mineral extraction.
Curiosities: Rondônia is the only Brazilian state that bears its name in honor of a national historical figure, in this case: Marshal Rondon.

→ Roraima

Official name: State of Roraima.
Capital: Good view.
Gentile: Roraima.
Territorial area: 224,273 km².
Number of municipalities: 15.
Population: 576,568 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 2.01 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,752.
Border territories: Venezuela, Guyana, Pará and Amazonas.
GDP: BRL 11,011,000.
natural aspects: climate — equatorial and tropical wet; relief — is found in the Guianas plateau, with a part in the southern region belonging to the Amazonian plain; vegetation — predominates the Amazon Forest.
Economic activities: agriculture (rice and soy), extractivism and trade.
Curiosities: least populous state in the country, according to the IBGE, and has the lowest GDP among the states.

Official name: State of Tocantins.
Capital: Palms.
Gentile: Tocantins.
Territorial area: 277,720 km².
Number of municipalities: 139.
Population: 1,555,229 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 4.98 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,699.
Border territories: Goiás, Mato Grosso, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí and Bahia.
GDP: BRL 31,576,000.
natural aspects: climate — tropical dry; relief — plateaus in the center, south and east, mountains and plains; vegetation — cerrado, cerradão, cleared fields and equatorial forest.
Economic activities: is based on trade, agriculture and livestock.
Curiosities: the state is home to several conservation units, such as the Jalapão State Park and the Cantão State Park.

2) States of the Northeast Region

THE Northeast region it's composed by nine states, therefore, it is the region that has the largest number of federative units and also the region of longest coastline from the country.

Official name: State of Maranhão.
Capital: St. Louis.
Gentile: Maranhão.
Territorial area: 329,642 km².
Number of municipalities: 217.
Population: 7,035,055 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 19.81 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,639.
Border territories: Piauí, Tocantins and Pará.
GDP: BRL 85,286,000.
natural aspects: climate—super-humid tropical, tropical with autumn rains, and tropical with summer rains; relief — coastal lowland and plateau; vegetation — forest, fields and savannahs.
Economic activities: transformation industry (aluminum, cellulose); agriculture, plant extraction, livestock and trade.
Curiosities:Brazil's second longest coastal state and has a major tourist destination, the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park.

Official name: State of Piauí.
Capital: Teresina.
Gentile: Piauí.
Territorial area: 251,577 km².
Number of municipalities: 224.
Population: 3,264,531 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 12.98 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,697.
Border territories: Tocantins, Maranhão, Bahia, Ceará and Pernambuco.
GDP: R$41,406 billion.
natural aspects: climate — tropical hot and humid and semi-arid hot; relief — coastal and alluvial plains; vegetation — Caatinga, Cerrado and Cocais Forest.
Economic activities: textile, chemical and beverage industry, agriculture and livestock.
Curiosities: according to IBGE, Piauí is the state with the lowest number of Protestants and the highest proportion of Catholics in Brazil.

→ Ceará

Official name: State of Ceará.
Capital: Strength.
Gentile: Ceará.
Territorial area: 149,894 km².
Number of municipalities: 184.
Population: 9,075,649 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 56.76 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,735.
Border territories: Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Pernambuco.
GDP: R$ 138,379 billion.
Natural Aspects: climate — semiarid and tropical; relief — chapadas and cuestas; vegetation — domain of the Caatinga.
Economic activities: predominance of activity in the tertiary sector (commerce and services) and great emphasis on tourism.
Curiosities: the state is known for being the birthplace of the greatest humorists in Brazil, such as Renato Aragão, Tom Cavalcante and Chico Anysio, and it is also the land of several writers, such as Rachel de Queiroz, José de Alencar and Juvenal Galeno.

Official name: State of Rio Grande do Norte.
Capital: Christmas.
Gentile: north-rio-grandense, rio-grandense-do-norte and potiguar.
Territorial area: 52,809 km².
Number of municipalities: 167.
Population: 3,479,010 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 59.99 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,731.
Border territories: Paraíba and Ceará.
GDP: R$59,661 billion.
Natural Aspects: climate — semi-arid predominates; relief — plains, plateaus and depressions; vegetation — Caatinga (occupies most of the state), Cerrado, mangroves and Atlantic forest.
Economic activities: agriculture, with emphasis on irrigated fruit production; mineral extraction; manufacturing industries, tourism and trade and services.
Curiosities: According to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the state of Rio Grande do Norte is a champion in foreign investment due to its geographic location.

Official name: State of Paraíba.
Capital: João Pessoa.
Gentile: paraibano.
Territorial area: 56,469 km².
Number of municipalities: 223.
Population: 3,996,496 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 70.77 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,722.
Border territories: Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco and Ceará.
GDP: R$59,089 billion.
natural aspects: climate — tropical humid; relief — coastal plain, Planalto da Borborema and sertaneja depression; vegetation — Atlantic Forest and Caatinga.
Economic activities: agriculture, tourism, food and textile industries, and civil construction.
Curiosities: In 2013, Paraíba was elected the best national destination.

Official name: State of Pernambuco.
Capital: Recife.
Gentile: Pernambuco.
Territorial area: 98,149 km².
Number of municipalities: 185.
Population: 9,496,294 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 96.75 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,727.
Border territories: Bahia, Piauí, Alagoas, Ceará and Paraíba.
GDP: R$167,290 billion.
natural aspects: climate — tropical humid and semiarid; relief — coastal plains, plateaus and depressions; vegetation — tropical forest, Caatinga, Cerrado and coastal vegetation.
Economic activities: agriculture, industries (naval, automobile, chemical, metallurgical) and tourism.
Curiosities: Pernambuco is the state of several cultural manifestations, such as the frevo and the maracatu.

Official name: State of Alagoas.
Capital: Maceio.
Gentile: Alagoas.
Territorial area: 27,848 km².
Number of municipalities: 102.
Population: 3,322,820 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 119.32 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,683.
Border territories: Sergipe, Pernambuco and Bahia.
GDP: R$13,751 billion.
natural aspects: climate — predominance of the semiarid; relief — coastal lowlands, Borborema plateau and alluvial plains; vegetation — tropical forest and Caatinga.
Economic activities: the basis of the economy of Alagoas is agriculture, producing sugar cane and coconut.
Curiosities: Alagoas is considered the second tourism route in the Northeast, only behind the state of Bahia.

Official name: State of Sergipe.
Capital: Aracaju.
Gentile: Sergipe or Sergipe.
Territorial area: 21,915 km².
Number of municipalities: 75.
Population: 2,278,308 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 103.96 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,702.
Border territories: Bahia and Alagoas.
GDP: R$38,687 billion.
natural aspects: climate — tropical and semiarid in some portions; relief — predominance of plains and some slightly undulating areas; vegetation — mangroves, Caatinga and tropical forest strips.
Economic activities: agriculture (sugar cane, orange and coconut) and mineral extraction.
Curiosities: the smallest Brazilian state in territorial extension.

Official name: State of Bahia.
Capital: Savior.
Gentile: Bahia.
Territorial area: 564,733 km².
Number of municipalities: 417.
Population: 14,812,617 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 26.23 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,714.
Border territories: Minas Gerais, Goiás, Tocantins, Piauí, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Espírito Santo.
GDP: R$258,649 billion.
natural aspects: climate — predominance of tropical climate; relief — plains, plateaus and depressions; vegetation — Caatinga, Cerrado and humid tropical forest.
Economic activities: industry (petrochemical, chemical, automobile), agriculture, mining and tourism.
Curiosity: Bahia is the Brazilian state with the most geographic boundaries with other states.

3) Midwestern States

THE Midwest region it's composed by three states, which stand out in agriculture and mineral extraction.

Official name: Goias state.
Capital: Goiania.
Gentile: Goiás.
Territorial area: 340,111 km².
Number of municipalities: 246.
Population: 6,921,161 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 20.35 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,769.
Border territories: Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais and the Federal District.
GDP: R$181,692 billion.
natural aspects: climate — tropical seasonal; relief — central plateau; vegetation — predominates the thick.
Economic activities: Mining and greater emphasis on agriculture.
Curiosity: Goiás stands out in the musical field, being the birthplace of numerous country singers, such as Zezé Di Camargo and Luciano, Leandro and Leonardo, Bruno and Marrone, Cristiano Araújo, among others.

Read too: History of Goiás

Official name: State of Mato Grosso.
Capital: Cuiabá.
Gentile: Mato Grosso.
Territorial area: 903,378 km².
Number of municipalities: 141.
Population: 3,441,998 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 3.81 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,772.
Border territories: Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rondônia and Bolivia.
GDP: BRL 123,834 billion.
natural aspects: climate — predominance of tropical, super-humid and tropical; relief — crystalline plateaus, southern plateau and alluvial plain; vegetation — wetland Mato Grosso.
Economic activities: mining and agriculture.
Curiosity: one of the main attractions of the state is the ecotourism in places such as the Pantanal and Chapada dos Guimarães.

Official name: State of Mato Grosso do Sul.
Capital: Large field.
Gentile: sul-mato-grossense or southern-mato-grossense.
Territorial area: 357,145 km².
Number of municipalities: 79.
Population: 2,748,023 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 7.69 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,766.
Border territories: Bolivia, Paraguay, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Paraná and São Paulo.
GDP: R$91,866 billion.
natural aspects: climate — tropical or tropical in altitude; relief — plateaus and plateaus; vegetation — predominance of the Cerrado.
Economic activities: agriculture (soybeans, corn, cotton), mining and industry (food and cement).
Curiosities: considered the most receptive state in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Official name: Federal District.
Seat of government: Brasilia.
Gentile: Brasilian
Territorial area: 5,779 km².
Administrative regions: 31.
Population: 2,974,703 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 514.65 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,850.
Border territories: Goiás and Minas Gerais.
GDP: R$235,497 billion.
Natural Aspects: climate — tropical seasonal; relief — plateaus, plains and floodplains; vegetation — Cerrado.
Economic activities: The economy is related to the administrative function performed by the district, highlighting the industrial sector and the service sector.
Curiosity: the Federal District is a federal unit different from the others, as it is not a state, nor a municipality, but an autonomous region.

4) States of the Southeast Region

THE Southeast region it's composed by four states and represents the most economically representative region of the country.

Official name: State of Espírito Santo.
Capital: Victory.
Gentile: Espírito Santo or Espírito Santo.
Territorial area: 46,095 km².
Number of municipalities: 78.
Population: 4,016,356 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 87.13 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,778.
Border territories: Bahia, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
GDP: R$128,784 billion.
natural aspects: climate — tropical humid; relief — coastal lowland, plateau, hills and mountains, and alluvial plains; vegetation — Atlantic Forest.
Economic activities: mining (iron) and agriculture (coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, beans, fruits).
Curiosity: the state has 73 islands located on its coast.

Official name: Minas Gerais state.
Capital: Belo Horizonte.
Gentile: miner.
Territorial area: 586,522 km².
Number of municipalities: 853.
Population: 21,119,536 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 36.01 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,787.
Border territories: São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás and the Federal District, Bahia, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.
GDP: R$ 544,634 billion.
natural aspects: climate — subtropical, tropical and tropical semi-humid; relief — predominance of plateaus and depressions; vegetation — the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest predominate.
Economic activities: Agriculture, mineral extraction and the service sector (retail trade).
Curiosity: Minas Gerais is the state with the largest number of municipalities in Brazil.

Official name: Rio de Janeiro state.
Capital: Rio de Janeiro.
Gentile: Rio de Janeiro.
Territorial area: 43,780 km².
Number of municipalities: 92.
Population: 16,718,956 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 381.88 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,787.
Border territories: Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais and São Paulo.
GDP: BRL 640,186 billion.
natural aspects: climate — tropical and subtropical; relief — lowland and plateau; vegetation — Atlantic Forest, mangroves and high altitude fields.
Economic activities: highlight for the service sector and the industrial sector.
Curiosity: there are about 365 islands off the coast of the state, in the municipality of Angra dos Reis.

See too: Brazilian metropolises

Official name: State of São Paulo.
Capital: Sao Paulo.
Gentile: São Paulo.
Territorial area: 248,222 km².
Number of municipalities: 645.
Population: 45,538,936 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 183.46 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,826.
Border territories: Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
GDP: BRL 2,038,005,000.
natural aspects: climate—superhumid tropical and altitude tropical; relief — depression, plateau and coastal plains; vegetation — Atlantic Forest and Cerrado.
Economic activities: highlight for the service sector and the industrial sector.
Curiosity: São Paulo is the state with the largest Gross Domestic Product in the country.

5) States of the Southern Region

THE South region it's composed by three states and it is the smallest region in Brazil in terms of territorial extension.

Official name: Santa Catarina state.
Capital: Florianopolis.
Gentile: Santa Catarina.
Territorial area: 95,736 km².
Number of municipalities: 295.
Population: 6,910,553 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 72.18 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,808.
Border territories: Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Argentina.
GDP: R$256,661 billion.
natural aspects: climate — subtropical; relief — highland plateau, coastal lowland and Serra do Mar; vegetation — forests and fields.
Economic activities: industry (agribusiness, textiles, ceramics), mineral extraction and livestock.
Curiosity: The state's social indices are among the highest in Brazil and also in South America.

Official name: State of Parana.
Capital: Curitiba.
Gentile: Paraná.
Territorial area: 199,307 km².
Number of municipalities: 399.
Population: 11,348,937 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 56.94 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,796.
Border territories: Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo and Santa Catarina.
GDP: R$401,662 billion.
natural aspects: climate — subtropical; relief — plains, hills and plateaus; vegetation — Atlantic Forest.
Economic activities: agriculture (sugar cane, corn, soybeans, wheat), industry (agribusiness, automobile) and plant extraction.
Curiosity: Curitiba is known for its many green areas. There are about 50m² of green area for each inhabitant.

Official name: State of Rio Grande do Sul.
Capital: Porto Alegre.
Gentile: gaucho or sul-rio-grandense.
Territorial area: 281,730 km².
Number of municipalities: 497.
Population: 11,329,605 inhabitants.
Demographic density: 40.21 inhab/km².
HDI: 0,792.
Border territories: Santa Catarina, Argentina and Uruguay.
GDP: BRL 408,645 billion.
natural aspects: climate — humid subtropical and oceanic climate; relief — coastal plain, plateau, depression; vegetation — fields and forests, predominance of the Pampa biome.
Economic activities: agriculture, mineral extraction and industry (petrochemical, tobacco, footwear, food and construction).
Curiosity: the population of Rio Grande do Sul represents a mixture of peoples. His background represents Italian, German, Portuguese, African, Lebanese, French, Polish, Spanish and indigenous descent.

How many states does Brazil have, 26 or 27?

Many people are not sure how many states there are in Brazil. This doubt arises from the fact that the Federal District is not considered a state, but an autonomous territory made up of administrative regions rather than municipalities. The current territorial division of Brazil has then 26 states and the Federal District, altogether are 27 federative units.

Brazil's map

Brazil is located in the American continent, specifically in the South America subcontinent, being the largest country of this in territorial extension. your capital is Brasilia, seat city of the country's government. The map of the states of Brazil presents the 27 federative units (26 states and the Federal District), according to the IBGE division. To see other maps of Brazil, click here: Brazil's map.

By Rafaela Sousa
Graduated in Geography

Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:

SOUSA, Rafaela. "Brazil states"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/estados-brasil.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.