THE South region of Brazil has as one of its characteristics the strong European presence in its colonization and settlement process. Thus, it has striking European traits in architecture, cuisine, population and even climate, as it is the only one in the country whose states are below the Tropic of Capricorn.
Due to the climate, this region attracted many Europeans during the 19th and 20th centuries, which enabled a different colonization process from other Brazilian regions.
Read too: Regions of Brazil - groupings of states with similar characteristics
Southern States
Being the smallest region in territorial extension, the south of the country is home to three states that have well-diversified economies. The states of the South region and their respective capitals are:
States |
capitals |
Gentiles |
Paraná |
Curitiba |
Paranaense |
Rio Grande do Sul |
Porto Alegre |
Gaucho or Rio Grande do Sul |
Santa Catarina |
Florianopolis |
Santa Catarina or green belly |
General data for the South region
See now some statistical data from this region, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). These data are from 2019.
Territorial area: area occupied by the southern region is approximately 564 thousand km², which represents 7% of the Brazilian territory.
Population: 29,975,984 inhabitants.
household income per capita (in reais): 1744,33.
Demographic density: 53.19 inhabitants per km².
Human development Index: 0,756.
Elementary school enrollment: 3,577,947 students.
Gross Domestic Product (in reais)|1|: approximately 1.12 trillion reais.
Infant mortality rate|2|: 15,1.
Brief history of the southern region
At the beginning of colonization, the southern region, being far from the capital of Brazil at the time – Salvador – did not arouse the interest of the Portuguese crown. Then, in the 16th century, the occupation began in the current state of Santa Catarina, highlighting the village of São Francisco do Sul. At the end of the century, in 1693, the capital of Paraná, Curitiba, was founded.
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Initially, the entire region was occupied by natives, having been the Jesuits the first foreigners to arrive in the locality, encouraging cattle raising and giving rise to missions with the objective of populating the territory and catechizing the native population.
In the 19th century, during the Brazil Empire, foreign immigration was encouraged to ensure the economic development of various areas of the country. In the southern region, the arriving foreigners, mostly Europeans, dedicated themselves to polyculture, small properties and animal husbandry.
You germans they were the pioneers, in the 1820s, colonizing areas of the three southern states. You italians they arrived later and focused their home in Rio Grande do Sul, in the mountain region, in cities like Caxias do Sul and Bento Gonçalves.
At the end of the 19th century, other European nationalities landed in southern Brazil, starting a intense European miscegenation on Brazilian soil and transforming the region into a great cultural mosaic of habits, customs and food in Europe.
See too: Brazilian culture - wealth and diversity explained by miscegenation
Southern climate
The climate in the southern region, due to its location under the Tropic of Capricorn, is the subtropical. This climate is present throughout the region, except in the extreme north of Paraná, where the tropical altitude climate occurs.
The subtropical climate presents the four seasons well defined, with hot summers, harsh winters and rain well distributed throughout the year. Due to the good definition of the seasons of the year, the southern region is the one that has the largest thermal amplitude among Brazilian regions, as there is great variation in temperature throughout the year.
In winter, the polar air mass acts in the region, causing temperatures to drop considerably, and it may even snow in some cities, such as São Joaquim, in the state of Santa Catarina. In the other seasons of the year, the Atlantic tropical air mass raises temperatures and brings with it a lot of humidity.
In the high tropical climate, in the state of Paraná, summers are hot and rainy, and winters are dry, with low temperatures due to the altitude of the region.
South region relief
The relief of the South region decreases in altitude in the east-west direction. As a result, some rivers that originate near the ocean run inland, flowing into other rivers. It is a region that consists of manyplateaus with ancient geological formations, from sedimentary and crystalline terrains.
The most famous mountain in the southern relief is the Serra do Mar, which is located from Rio de Janeiro to the southern coast of Santa Catarina. This mountain range is a watershed, as the rivers that originate east of the mountain range run to the ocean; those born in the west run to the interior of the country. The highest peak in southern Brazil is in this mountain: it is Pico do Paraná, with an altitude of 1922 meters.
Southern Hydrography
The southern region contains four Brazilian hydrographic regions: South Atlantic, Southeast, Paraná and Uruguay.
THE Uruguay's hydrographic region it bathes the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. With a subtropical climate, this hydrographic region has regular rainfall throughout the year, which favors the hydroelectric potential of the location. The prominent rivers are the Uruguay River and the Quaraí River, which is the natural border between Rio Grande do Sul and Uruguay.
The region Paraná hydrographic covers almost the entire state of Paraná and a small portion of Santa Catarina. In this region, the highlight is the Paraná River, which separates Paraná from Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraguay. Its tributaries, such as the Paranapanema River and the Iguaçu River (with the famous Iguaçu Falls), are extremely important for the region's hydroelectric potential.
It is on the border with Paraguay, on the Paraná River, that the largest hydroelectric plant in America is located: the Itaipu plant, built in Brazil in partnership with the Paraguayan government. For this reason, this plant is considered a binational plant. In this hydrographic region, the Port of Paranaguá is also located, an important port that transports production from the south of the country and part of the countries bordering Brazil.
The rSouth Atlantic region bathes the three states, with an emphasis on Rio Grande do Sul. The highlight is the Jacuí River, which is used to feed power plants located in its upper course and is navigable at its end, constituting an important waterway in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Southeast Atlantic region is in a small area in the northeast of Paraná, with the Ribeira de Iguape river as a highlight.
Southern vegetation
The landscape that predominates in the South region is the Araucaria Forest, but there is the presence of Campos and Tropical Forests, with vestiges of the Atlantic Forest.
THE Araucaria Forest is present in regions where there are low temperatures and high altitude reliefs, being found in the three southern states. Its wood helps the southern economy with pine, which can be used in civil construction. In addition, this vegetation contributes to the extraction of cellulose, a raw material that enables the manufacture of paper and cardboard.
Mata das Araucárias has already been extremely harmed by deforestation, due to its great economic potential. It is estimated that currently 2% of the original vegetation remains.
You fields in the southern region are formed by grasses, also known as prairies. In the Gaucho Campaigns, in the extreme south of Rio Grande do Sul, these grasses cover the slightly undulating reliefs, known as coxilhas, becoming excellent land for raising cattle.
South region demographics
According to the last census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), from 2010, the southern region is the third most populous in Brazil, with almost 30 million inhabitants, behind the Southeast and Northeast.
Due to its largely European colonization past, this descent has a very strong influence on the habits of the southern population, which does not occur in other regions of Brazil.
Furthermore, more than 85% of the population in the southern region lives in urban areas. Most are located in the metropolitan regions of the three capitals, as this is where the main services and employment opportunities are concentrated. In the extreme south of Rio Grande do Sul, there is intensive cattle raising, with high technological employment, providing little labor. Therefore, this area of the state has low demographic density.
Another prominent factor in this region is the birth rate, which has been dropping considerably in recent years. To clarify, we can compare the number of enrollments in elementary school, according to IBGE data. In the state of Paraná, for example, in 2009, there were just over 1.6 million students in elementary school. Today, this number is 1.4 million, showing the decrease in the school-age population that is properly enrolled.
Main economic activities in the South region
The south of the country has featured in various economic sectors Brazilians. As it is a well-developed region in terms of technology and industry, areas in which these two aspects come together are very common, such as large-scale animal husbandry.
Also, this region is leader in pig and poultry farming in Brazil, having the largest herds in both categories according to the IBGE Automatic Recovery System (Sidra).
Climatic conditions and fertile soil also favor agriculture, with emphasis on corn production in Paraná, of apples in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, in addition to the cultivation of grape, which is striking in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul.
already the activitiesindustrial are related to the production of raw materials, such as textile items, dairy products, refrigerators, grains, etc. The most industrialized state is Rio Grande do Sul, with large industrial complexes in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. In general, these industries are related to agriculture, such as the production of clothing and shoes (leather). In Caxias do Sul, there is a large production of wines, being a reference center throughout Brazil.
In the metropolitan region of Curitiba, as it is close to the Southeast region, industrial development is also large and well diversified, with automobile, chemical, lumber industries, among others.
In Santa Catarina, on the south coast, there is a extraction of mineral coal, which is used in thermal plants and in steel industries throughout the southern region, contributing positively to the economic development of the three states.
See too: Differences between charcoal and coal
Cultural aspects of the South region
THE influenceEuropean it is also marked in cultural events in the southern region. Most southern festivities have to do with some European aspect, be it gastronomic, artistic, cultural or all of these in the same event.
In Santa Catarina, two festivities draw attention. The first is the Tape Dance, an ancient tradition that consists of a stick from which pairs of colored ribbons come out. These ribbons are braided by the participants of the dance, which rotate around the pole located in the center of the wheel.
The second party is the Oktoberfest, which takes place in Blumenau. This typically German event pays tribute to beer (the main attraction of the party), taking countless tourists from all over Brazil (and some parts of the world) to the city.
In Rio Grande do Sul, due to the high cultivation of grapes, some cities usually celebrate the UV partya, which brings together the traditions of ancestors and a vast cuisine based on products made from this fruit. There is also, in the city of Gramado, one of the biggest film festivals in the world, the Gramado Film Festival, which takes place annually in August, awarding filmmakers in Portuguese and Spanish.
Religion is also present in some festivities in the South. In Rio Grande do Sul, for example, there is the feast of Our Lady of the Navigators, which takes place on February 2, in Porto Alegre. Hundreds of boatmen and faithful participate in a procession on the high seas.
Grades
|1| Data are from the 2017 IBGE census.
|2| Data are from the 2010 IBGE census.
By Attila Matthias
Geography teacher
a) It is a region with low industrialization rates compared to the rest of the country.
b) It has the smallest population among the five Brazilian regions.
c) It is the smallest Brazilian region in terms of territorial extension.
d) It has a predominantly polar climate, with low temperatures and high humidity.
Look at the figure below and, regarding the type of vegetation referring to it, check the incorrect alternative:
d) It inhabits, in Brazil, a region of fertile soil known as “Terra Roxa”.
