The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics – IBGE – is a body created to gather data and information about the Brazilian territory. It is a very important entity, as it is from the data collected by IBGE that it is possible to develop public policies and better knowledge of the country and its geographic space.
On its website, IBGE lists the following activities below as its main functions:
- Analyze and create statistical data (population, income, among others);
- Creation and analysis of maps and other geographic information;
- Provide information about the environment;
- Archive and disseminate information about the country;
- Coordinate the production of graphics, data and maps about Brazil.
This institute is part of the Brazilian State, is officially linked to the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, in addition to have 27 state units (one for each Brazilian state), 27 documentation sectors and 581 data collection agencies municipal authorities. In addition to all this, IBGE also maintains the Roncador Ecological Reserve, located near the capital Brasília.
Since the time of Imperial Brazil, there have been government agencies whose function was to gather information about our territory. However, the IBGE was created only in 1936, by the Getúlio Vargas government, replacing the extinct National Department of Statistics (DNE).
Every ten years, IBGE conducts the Demographic Census, which is a large survey in which research employees visit all homes and commercial centers in Brazil to count populations and discover their characteristics such as income, place of birth, age, religion and many others.
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¹ Image credits: IBGE
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
