The Brazilian industrial space, that is, the distribution of industrial areas in Brazil, is the result of historical heritage of the country, especially from the industrialization process that took place in the territory Brazilian. This process took place from the 1930s onwards, when the 1929 crisis put an end to the coffee cycle, which made the Vargas government stimulate the installation of industries, which until then had practically not existed in Brazil.
In later times, especially during the government of Juscelino Kubitschek, this industrialization intensified, a lot because of the large amount of highways, hydroelectric plants and some other infrastructure works built in this time course. In addition, there was the installation of a considerable number of multinational companies, with highlight for companies in the automobile sector, which benefited from the construction policy of highways.
Currently, the Brazilian industrial space is characterized by being widely concentrated. This means that most of the country's industries are located in a specific region, more precisely in the Center-South, with great emphasis on the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which together are home to more than half of the industries in Brazil. We can see in the map below, made available by the IBGE, how the industries are poorly distributed throughout the territory:
Map of the Brazilian industrial space ¹
This concentration expressed on the map – in which the Southeast and South regions, in addition to the Northeast on a smaller scale, are home to a greater number of companies – is due to the country's economic and political legacies. These regions, in general, have more infrastructure and concentrate most of the Brazilian population.
However, currently there is a process called fiscal war, which has been contributing to change this industry scenario in Brazil. Tax war is understood as the dispute between different regions, states and cities to attract industries and generate jobs, offering advantages for them, such as tax reduction or exemption, in addition to better benefits and infrastructure that facilitate the flow of the production.
Therefore, we say that a gradual process ofindustrial deconcentration at the our country, with a good number of industries migrating to other areas in search of lower taxes and cheaper labor. Foreign multinational companies also end up opting for regions further away from the main urban centers for the same reasons. However, this does not mean that large cities, such as the capital of São Paulo and the capital of Rio de Janeiro, are losing their dynamism, but transforming itself into business centers and home to the international headquarters of large companies and institutions.
¹ Map credits: IBGE. School Geographic Atlas. 6th ed. Rio de Janeiro: IBGE, 2012. p.136.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
