Roraima is a Brazilian state located in the North region from the country. It is home to the northernmost point of the national territory, Mount Caburaí. Inserted in the Amazon biome, both vegetation cover and climate vary from one area of the state to another, differing mainly between west and east. Roraima is the least populated and least populated state in Brazil.
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General data for Roraima
- Region: North
- capital: Good view
- Government: Antônio Oliverio Garcia de Almeida (2018-2022)
- Areaterritorial: 223,644,527 km² (IBGE, 2019)
- Population: 631,181 inhabitants (IBGE, 2020)
- Densitydemographic: 2.01 inhab/km² (IBGE, 2010)
- spindle: GMT -4 hours (Amazon Standard Time)
- Climate: predominantly Tropical Humid
Roraima geography
The state of Roraima is in the extreme north of Brazilian territory, making up the northern region of the country. It borders, to the south, with the Amazons, in a small southeast strip with the For
; to the east and northeast, with the Guyana; and to the west and northwest, with the Venezuela. It has a territorial extension of 223,644,527 km² and is in the scope of the biome Amazon.The northernmost point of Brazil is located in Roraima, that is, the northernmost point of Brazil: Mount Caburaí, where the source of the Ailã River is located.
Roraima climate
The altitude and continentality are the main climatic factors acting in Roraima, which provides climate variations in different areas of the state. Two types are predominant:
- the Humid Tropical, to the east;
- the Equatorial, to the west of the territory.
In the northeast of Roraima, temperatures are milder due to the higher altitudes. It is the region with the lowest rainfall (1,500 mm per year) and a well-defined dry season, which lasts, on average, four months.
In the central and western portions of the state, both rainfall and temperature are higher. The maximum can reach 38 ºC, with the exception of the elevated areas on the Venezuelan border and on the northern portion of the Guyana border. Annual rainfall can exceed 2,500 mm in some areas, and the dry season is short-lived.
Roraima Vegetation
Roraima's vegetation cover is quite heterogeneous and divides into three distinct groups. The first corresponds to forests, with the occurrence of dense rainforest to the south, characteristic of the Amazon cover, and open rainforest to the west.
The landscape transforms into the central areas of the state, and the dense vegetation gives way to general fields, also known as savannas or plowed Roraima. They are marked by the presence of species of varying sizes, such as buriti, caimbé, muricizaeiros, paricaranas and grasses.
To the north, where there are higher elevations, the vegetation cover is constituted by grasses and trees spread over the land.
Roraima relief
With the exception of the north of the state, the relief from Roraima is little bumpy and has medium elevations which are between 200 m and 400 m. Close to its international borders, the state is located in the Guyana plateau, where its highest elevations are found. Mount Roraima is the highest point in the state, at 2,875 meters.
The lands located in the center-south of the state, on the other hand, are in the domain of plains and lowlands of the Amazon, following the classification of Aziz Áb’Sáber.
Roraima Hydrography
The Branco river basin is the main one in the state and covers a total of 83% of its territory|1|. In addition to Branco, which is 563 km long, 13 other rivers make up the Roraima hydrographic network: Água Boa from Univiní, Ailã, Ajarani, Alalaú, Catrimani, Cauamé, Itapará, Mucajaí, Surumu, Tacutu, Uraricoera, Urubu and Xeruini.
Demographics of Roraima
Roraima is the least populous state in Brazil. Its current population is 631,181 inhabitants, according to estimates by the IBGE (2020). The unit is also the least populated in the federation, with demographic density of 2.01 inhab/km², according to the last Census (2010).
The state's urbanization rate was 76.55% in 2010. The municipality with the largest number of inhabitants is the capital, Boa Vista, which currently has 419,652 people or 66.48% of the entire population of Roraima. São Luiz is the least populated city in Roraima, with 8,110 inhabitants (IBGE, 2020).
According to the latest IBGE Census, Roraima has the second largest indigenous population in the North region, which was 55,922 people in 2010. Of these, 83.2% lived on indigenous lands.
Life expectancy at birth was 72.4 years in 2019, and the state's infant mortality rate was 16.7 per thousand live births in the same year, the same as recorded for Amazonas.
See too: What is the difference between relative population and absolute population?
Roraima map
Geographical division of Roraima
The territory of Roraima is divided into 15 municipalities, which, until 2018, were grouped into four microregions by the IBGE, which, in turn, integrated two mesoregions, listed below, with their respective subdivisions:
- North of Roraima:
→ Boa Vista;
→ Northeast of Roraima.
- South of Roraima:
→ Caracaraí;
→ Southeast of Roraima.
Currently, IBGE divides the state into two intermediate geographic regionsTourist attractions: Boa Vista, to the north, and Rorainópolis-Caracaraí, to the south. Each of them is subdivided into immediate regions: Boa Vista and Pacaraima, and Rorainópolis and Caracaraí, respectively.
Roraima Economy
O Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from Roraima was BRL 13 billion in 2018 and BRL 14 billion the following year, remaining as the lowest among Brazilian states. O HDI, in turn, is the 13th in Brazil, with a value of 0.707.
O tertiary sector is what contributes with the greatest share of this value., led by the public administration. Commerce accounts for 14% of the state's GDP.
O sector secondary accounts for 11.1% of GDP of Roraima. Civil construction and public utility services are the main industrial sectors in the state. Following is the transformation industry and the extractive industry, with emphasis on lumber and mining. Roraima's industry is concentrated in the capital, Boa Vista, where the industrial district is located.
THE Roraima's agricultural sector accounts for 6% of the economy. The main crops are soy, rice, beans, cassava, corn, bananas, coffee and sugar cane. The state also has an expressive production of beef, milk and eggs.
Government of Roraima
THE the seat of the government of Roraima is in Boa Vista. The state is governed by Antonio Oliverio Garcia de Almeida (no party), and deputy governor Frutuoso Lins (no party), elected in 2018 for a four-year term. Roraima is also represented by two federal senators, eight federal deputies and 24 state deputies.
Also access: What is the role of the councilor?
Flag of Roraima
Roraima Infrastructure
One of the main highways in Roraima is the BR-174, a federal road that crosses the states of Mato Grosso, Amazonas, Roraima and links with Venezuela. The BR-401 connects the capital, Boa Vista, and Normandia and Bonfim, municipalities on the border with Guyana. Another important highway that crosses the territory of Roraima is the BR-432, in addition to state and municipal roads.
The supply of electricity is one of the infrastructure bottlenecks in Roraima, which affects both the population and the economy of the state, especially the industry. Roraima is not part of the National Interconnected System (SIN), and the energy supply is made through its thermoelectric, diesel generation and energy imports from Venezuela, which lasted until March 2019|2|. consumers face power outages and long waiting periods until service is restored.
Culture of Roraima
Roraima's culture is marked by manifestations originating from the different peoples that make up that territory: indigenous peoples, Europeans, migrants from other regions of Brazil and migrants from neighboring countries, such as the Venezuela.
O craftsmanship stands out for the pieces produced from seeds, straw, buritis, roots, among other natural materials. This activity constitutes a source of income for indigenous populations, and their work has a certificate of origin.
Between the festivities and typical dances, there are the bumba-meu-boi, the June festivals, such as the Arraial Macuxi, and the choreographies of the Cangaceiros do Tianguá. In gastronomy, some of the typical dishes are banana paçoca, cupuaçu cream and peacock bass stew. The wine made from buriti is one of the typical beverages in the state.
Read too: Cultural historical heritage - cultural products of certain societies
History of Roraima
Roraima was inhabited by indigenous populations long before the arrival of the settlers. These disputed the domain of the lands of the extreme North of Brazil between the 16th and 17th centuries, entering the area through the Branco river. The English, Dutch and Portuguese tried to settle in the region, and the latter only succeeded in the 18th century.
In 1775 Fort São Joaquim was built, northeast of Boa Vista (which had not yet been founded at the time), in an attempt to guarantee the portuguese domain over the region and prevent the advance of foreigners, especially Spaniards and Dutch. The city of Boa Vista was only founded in 1890.
In the following century, in 1943, the Federal Territory of Rio Branco was established, which had its name changed to Federal Territory of Roraima in the early 1960s. Only with the Federal Constitution of 1988 is that Roraima was elevated to the category of state.
Grades
|1| CARVALHO, Thiago Morato de. Synthesis of hydrogeomorphological aspects of the state of Roraima, Brazil. In: Contributions to Amazon Geology, SBG – North Nucleus, Belém, vol. 9, pp. 435 – 450, 2015. (Click here and access).
|2| Outside the national system, Roraima registers constant power outages in inland cities. G1 Roraima and Rede Amazônica, Dec 01. 2020. (Click here and access).
Image credit
[1] Adiany Montelo / Shutterstock
By Paloma Guitarrara
Geography teacher
