O For is a Brazilian state located in North region, having as capital the municipality of Belém. it is about the second largest unit of the federation after Amazonas, with an area of 1.24 million km². The state belongs to the Amazon biome, and that is why the Equatorial climate prevails, in addition to the vegetation cover formed by forests and cerrados in a small portion to the south. Pará's economy, led by mineral and vegetable extraction, is the largest in the North region.
Read too: States of Brazil - federative units that have autonomous governments
General data for Pará
Region: North
capital: Bethlehem
Government: representative democracy
Areatterritorial: 1,245,870,707 km² (IBGE, 2020)
Population: 8,690,745 inhabitants (IBGE estimate, 2020)
Densitydemographic: 6.07 inhab./km² (IBGE, 2010)
spindle: Brasília Standard Time (GMT -3 hours)
Climate: Equatorial
Geography of Pará
Pará makes up the northern region of Brazil. It has surface of more than 1.24 million km² or 14.6% of the Brazilian area, making it the second largest state in the country after Amazonas. Its capital is the municipality of Belém.
The state it has an exit, to the northeast, to the OAtlantic ocean, where a series of indentations and islands that make up its coastal strip are located. Borders:
to the north, with the Amapá it's the Suriname
northwest, with Roraima and the Guyana
to the west, with the Amazons
to the south, with the Mato Grosso
to the southeast, with the Tocantins
to the east, with the Maranhão
Climate of Pará
The predominant climate in Pará is the ANDquatorial, characterized by high relative humidity and high temperatures for most of the year. There are, however, regional variations: while there is no dry season in the north of Pará, winters in the south of the state have lower rainfall. The air humidity in this area is also lower.
At average temperatures range from 24 °C at 27°C, while the annual rainfall index is from 1500 mm to 2500 mm. In some areas this value can reach 3000 mm.
Relief of Pará
The relief of Pará is characterized by the low altitude quotas which are around 200 meters. The highest elevations in the state are concentrated in the northwest and land to the south.
THE flat land of the Amazon river it extends longitudinally to the north, following the course of the river. This unit crosses the Highland eastern Amazon, which is divided between portions to the north and center of the state.
The plateaus are also present on the border with Guyana, where the highest point in Pará is located, which is in the Serra do Acari, at 906 meters, and, to the south, where the Serra do Carajás and Cachimbo are located. The relief of Pará is also composed of thedepressions North and South Amazon, as classified by Jurandyr Ross.
Vegetation of Pará
Pará is fully inserted in the biome Amazonian. In this way, forests cover most of their land, dividing themselves into terra firma, floodplain and transition forests. There are, to the south and northwest, stretches with characteristic vegetation of thick. The coast and wetlands near the rivers are marked by mangroves and dune vegetation.
Hydrography of Pará
The state's hydrographic network integrates two of the largest Brazilian hydrographic basins: Amazon It's from Tocantins-Araguaia. The main rivers of Pará are the Amazons, Jari, Xingu, Tapajós and Tocantins. It is on the coast of Pará, close to Amapá, the island of Marajó, the largest island in the country.
See too: What are the hydrographic basins in Brazil?
Map of Pará
Demographics of Pará
Pará is the most populous state in the North region, concentrating 46.5% of its population. It currently has 8,690,745 inhabitants, according to IBGE estimates for 2020. In the national ranking, the population of Pará is in 9th place. The population distribution was 6.07 inhab./km² at the time of the 2010 Census. After a gain of 1.1 million inhabitants in a decade, it is estimated that the demographic density it rose to 6.97 inhab./km², which characterizes a sparsely populated territory.
The urbanization rate in Pará is 68.48%, according to 2010 data. The capital, Belém, is its most populous municipality and has 1,499,641 inhabitants. Ananindeua is the second largest city in Pará, with 535,547 inhabitants. Other highlights include Santarém, Marabá and Parauapebas.
Almost 70% of the population of Pará declare themselves as brown; 21.81%, as whites; 7.24% as black; and 0.52%, as indigenous. In absolute values, the indigenous population of Pará is the third largest in the North region, with 51,217 people.
Considering social indicators, the state has the fourth lowest Human Development Index (HDI) from Brazil, which is 0.646. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years, lower than the national average.
Geographical division of Pará
The state of Pará is composed of 144 municipalities, which are divided, by IBGE, into 21 immediate geographic regions, which are grouped in seven intermediate geographic regions:
Bethlehem
chestnut
Maraba
Redemption
Santarem
Altamira
See too: Socioeconomic regionalization of the world space
Economy of Pará
The economy of Pará is the largest in the North region. The state holds a GDP of R$161.34 billion, equivalent to 2.3% of the national amount. Without taking into account activities linked to public administration, the tertiary sector accounts for 36.76% of Pará's economy. Following is the industry, with 30.98%. Agricultural activities are responsible for 10.19% of Pará's GDP, according to information from IBGE for 2018.
Mining is the main activity economy of Pará. The state is recognized as having the largest mineral province on the planet due to the large deposits located in the southeast of the state, more specifically in the Serra dos Carajás. In it are found:
iron
copper
bauxite
gold
silver
manganese
nickel
zinc
The industry of Pará is also represented by the essential services, civil construction and metallurgy. Plant extraction is led by Brazil nuts (or Brazil nuts) and açaí. The state's agricultural production is marked by the expressive growth of soy and by the cultivation of corn, sugar cane, cassava, cocoa, watermelon, pineapple, banana, cupuaçu and palm oil. In livestock, the buffalo breeding (largest national herd) marajoara and the bovine herd.
Government of Pará
Pará is a representative democracy. This means that periodic elections are held in order for the population to elect their rulers, which takes place every four years. The governor is the head of the state executive branch. The Legislature is formed by three federal senators, 17 federal deputies and 41 state deputies. The seat of the state government is in the municipality of Belém.
Flag of Pará
Infrastructure of Pará
The transport infrastructure of Pará has a multimodal network which includes railways, waterways and highways. These are the main means of connecting the territory of Pará with other Brazilian states and regions, in addition to interconnecting its municipalities. Some of federal roads that cross the state are the BR-158, which runs from Rio Grande do Sul Altamira, BR-163, BR-010, Transamazônica (BR-230), and BR-153 or Transbrasiliana.
Railways are extremely important for the production chains that are installed in Pará and neighboring states. The railway network in Pará is currently expanding, with projects such as the Ferrograin, which is part of Mato Grosso, and from Paraense Railway. Also noteworthy is the Carajás Railroad, managed by Vale.
O waterway transport is carried out through five waterways, including the Tocantins–Araguaia and The from the Xingu. With regard to airports, Belém and Santarém are the two main ones, with international flights.
The driving force of the waters is the main generator of electricity in the state. The largest hydroelectric plant located entirely in the national territory is the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant, built in the Xingu River basin, in Altamira.
Read too: Bioenergy - energy from biomass
Culture of Pará
The cultural framework of Pará has very diverse bases, from indigenous, African and European populations, mainly Portuguese. The influence of these different matrices is reflected in customs, traditional celebrations, music, gastronomy, literature and the arts in general.
Pará is the stage for major religious celebrations that attract tourists from all over the country, such as the Nazare's Cirio, held every year on the streets of the capital, Belém, and considered one of the biggest religious festivals in Brazil. O Night Círio de Santo Antônio takes place in several cities in Pará. Other typical parties and dances in the state are the mdashing (or fandango) and the Fçairé summer. This one is held in the municipality of Alter do Chão, and brings together Amazonian religiosity and folklore.
Some musical rhythms are very characteristic of Pará, such as the guitarada, tecnobrega, calypso, carimbó and lundu, from the island of Marajó. Marajoara handicraft, represented by ceramic compositions, emphasizes its local identity. In addition, it has great economic value for the population, being a source of income for artisans.
The cuisine of Pará has a wide variety of typical dishes, among which we can mention tacacá, duck no tucupi, maniçoba, caruru and fruits such as açaí, cupuaçu and pupunha.
![The Círio de Nazaré is the main religious celebration in Pará. [1]](/f/3c918fe0b715b974c9249a378e63ab9a.jpg)
History of Pará
The Spaniards were the first foreigners to land in Pará, which was, until the beginning of the 16th century, inhabited only by indigenous populations. The area also attracted the attention of the English and the Dutch, but they were the Portuguese who settled in the region where the capital is currently located., Bethlehem, in the year 1616. This historic moment was marked by the construction of the Forte do Presépio, which aimed to protect the new Portuguese domain.
That same year, it was created the çapitania of Grão-Pará. During the 17th century and part of the 18th, the territory of Pará was integrated with Maranhão, forming the state of Grão-Pará. Its economy at the time was based on agricultural activity, with the creation of cattle and the cultivation of tobacco, sugar cane, cocoa and coffee.
When did the dismemberment of territories from Grão-Pará and Maranhão,in 1774, this economic system was directly affected. Its recovery started at the end of the 19th century, when the rubber cycle. It is also noteworthy that, between 1835 and 1840, the then province of Pará was the stage for the cabin.
The rubber economy, which lasted until the mid-twentieth century, represented a moment of great prosperity for the region, which is reflected very well in the architecture of the capitals, as is the case of Belém and the Teatro da Paz, and in the urban landscape in general, as well as in intensification of the urbanization process.
The discovery of mineral deposits in the Serra dos Carajás, which dates back to 1967, marked the beginning of a new production cycle in the state. As we have seen, mining remains, even today, one of the main economic activities in Pará.
Image credit
[1] Rafael Tomazi / Shutterstock
By Paloma Guitarrara
Geography teacher