THE regionNeast has several characteristics very peculiar to it. We can highlight two: the first is due to the fact that it is the oldest colonized region in the country, being occupied by the Portuguese since their arrival in 1500.
Another peculiar feature of this region is in relation to the climate. Due to the presence of shallow and poor soils, in addition to the proximity to the equator line, many states have the semiarid climate, which causes some rivers to dry up completely, and entire cities remain without rain for six months or more throughout the year.
Read more: Regions of Brazil - groupings of states with similar characteristics
Northeast region states
The Northeast Region presents the largest number of states in Brazil, but that does not mean that it is the largest in territorial extension. See, in alphabetical order, the states of the Northeast and their respective capitals.
States |
capitals |
Gentiles |
alagoas |
Maceio |
alagoan |
Bahia |
savior |
Bahia |
Ceará |
strength |
Ceará |
Maranhão |
São Luís do Maranhão |
Maranhão state |
Paraíba |
João Pessoa |
paraibano |
Pernambuco |
Recife |
Pernambuco |
Piauí |
Teresina |
Piauí |
large northern river |
Christmas |
Potiguar, north-rio-grandense or rio-grandense-do-norte |
Sergipe |
Aracaju |
Sergipe or Sergipe |
General data for the Northeast region
See now some statistical data from this region, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the IBGE. These data are from 2019.
Territorial area: approximately 1.5 million km², which represents 18% of the Brazilian territory.
Population: 57,071,654 inhabitants
household income per capita (in reais): 887,00
Demographic density: 39.64 inhabitants per km²
Gross Domestic Product (in reais): 367.861.916.000,00
Human development Index: 0,659
Infant mortality rate|1|: 16,6
Brief history of the Northeast region
THE Portuguese colonization, started in the mid 1530s, started-if by region Neast. That's because it was the Europeans' gateway to our territory. During this period (16th century), the Portuguese started the sugarcane cultivation, a highly disputed product in Old World markets, as the Europe.
This cultivation was very successful in several northeastern areas, especially in the territory that today corresponds to the state of Pernambuco. The success of sugarcane planting is due to some factors, such as the hot and humid climate on the northeastern coast and its fertile soil, known as massapé. proximity to european ports.
At that time, the planting of sugarcane was developed in parallel with the emergence of latifundia and slave labor, whether with indigenous or black African labor. THE structureSocial it was basically formed by the sugar plantation owners (the owners of the latifundiums), their families and the workers, some of them salaried, but most of them slaves.
O plantation owner he was the person everyone owed respect and obedience to. This model of society became known as patriarchal, in which the head of the family dictated the rules. These rules went beyond their farms, and often these lords ruled cities and even states.
THE sugar economy and its model of society, in which the benefit reached few rather than many, brought reflexes to the present day in the Northeast, as there is still a large concentration of land (large estates) and the influence of large landowners in Northeastern politics is very strong.
THE cattle breeding it also initially contributed to the development of the region. These animals were used for transport, movement of the mill, and, over time, served to colonize the interior of the Northeast. Currently, it is common to see areas of the northeastern hinterland practicing extensive cattle raising, in which cattle are raised free and the use of technology is low.
At Second Industrial Revolution was implemented in the Northeast the cotton cultivation, which was destined exclusively for Europe due to the textile industries that existed in that continent. This factor increased the power of landowners more, as all production was controlled by them and aimed at the foreign market, as there was no such industry in Brazil.
See more: Revolta dos Malês – the biggest slave revolt in Brazil that took place in the Northeast
Northeast region climate
As the region is located in a low-latitude area, its climate suffers little variation temperatures throughout the year, both during the day and at night. However, there is great variation in the volume of rainfall during the year, being poorly distributed in the region, causing severe droughts in some states and plenty of rain in others.
The climates found in the Northeast are: equatorial, semi-arid tropical, continental tropical and coastal tropical.
O equatorial climate can be found in the west of Maranhão and has characteristics similar to the climate of the North region, with high rainfall and high temperatures throughout the year and with thermal averages between 25 ºC and 27 ºC.
already the semiarid tropical climate is the most prevalent in the Northeast, with temperatures above 25°C all year round and low rainfall (less than 1000 mm per year). In summer, there is rain due to the influence of continental and Atlantic equatorial air masses. The area in which this climate occurs is known as the sertão, which can go up to eight months without rain.
O continental tropical climate can be located in areas of Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão and Piauí. With high temperatures, the rains are concentrated in the summer.
On the northeast coast we have the coastal tropical climate. This climate has large rainfall due to the moist air masses that come from the oceans, in addition to high thermal averages during the year.
Northeast region relief
The relief of this region helps us to understand some drought-related problems that takes place in the sertão. It is a region with many plateaus, depressions and plains, the latter being found on the northeastern coast.
You plateaus and the depressions occupy the entire interior. The Planalto da Borborema is located in the states of Pernambuco, Paraíba and Alagoas. With altitudes from 800 m to 1000 m, it acts as a barrier to the wet winds that come from the Atlantic Ocean. Due to the altitude, the ocean's wet winds need to rise, cooling and losing moisture. Thereby, when crossing the plateau barrier, these winds are dry, which partially explains the drought in some areas of the northeastern interior.
In addition to the Borborema Plateau, we can find the Chapada Diamantina, located in the east-southeast plateaus and mountains. This plateau occupies the center-south of Bahia. Other plateaus can be found in the Parnaíba river basin (which we call the plateaus and plateaus of the Parnaíba basin), in Maranhão, Piauí and western Bahia. As examples, we have Chapada das Mangabeiras and Serra Grande in Piauí.
At depressions can be found along the São Francisco river valley, being known asddepressions stanners and having altitudes from 200 m to 500 m. They occur in all northeastern states, except Maranhão and Piauí.
Northeast region hydrography
In the Brazilian Northeast we find the presence of three large river basins: Parnaíba, São Francisco and Tocantins-Araguaia. The latter affects only the south of the state of Maranhão, on the border with Tocantins.
THE Parnaíba watershed involves the states of Piauí, Maranhão and Ceará. It is the second most important basin in the Northeast region, covering semi-arid areas. However, most of its rivers, such as the Canindé river and the Poti river, are intermittent, that is, they cease to exist during the dry season. In contrast, this basin houses a rich underground water reservoir, which promotes the construction of artesian wells that help the local population in the most critical periods of drought.
already the San Francisco basin it is the most important, as the river that bears its name is perennial, it does not cease to exist in the dry months. O São Francisco river It starts in Serra da Canastra, in Minas Gerais, and goes south-north, passing through Bahia, Sergipe, Alagoas and Pernambuco.
Its importance goes beyond human consumption. Throughout its course, due to the relief crashed in the region, hydroelectric plants were installed for power generation, such as the Moxotó plant, between the states of Bahia and Alagoas, and the Sobradinho plant, also in Bahia.
To minimize drought in more interior, semi-arid areas, there is a project aimed at transposition of the São Francisco River, seeking to reach the population of the sertão.
Northeast region vegetation
Due to the hot climate and the variation in relief, we can find five types of vegetation in the Northeast: Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, Mata dos Cocais and Manguezais.
THE Atlantic Foresthere it was a large forest that occupied an area from Rio Grande do Norte to southern Bahia. Located at northeast coast, this forest underwent great alteration by human beings at the beginning of colonization: first for the extraction of brazilwood, then for the cultivation of sugarcane, being the first deforested vegetation in the country. It currently has some preserved areas in Bahia, where there is a rich fruit cultivation.
O Çwrong it is found in the states of Bahia, Maranhão and Piauí. It is a typical vegetation of tropical climates with two defined seasons, a dry (winter) and a rainy (summer) season. low and medium sized trees.
Present in the semiarid hinterland, the Caatinga is a vegetation with plants used to low humidity, what we call xerophytic plants. These plants are often crooked, with thick, thorny bark. When it doesn't rain, they lose their leaves to retain water, in addition to having deep roots that help catch water in the ground.
The name Caatinga is of Tupi origin and means "thin forest", because, during the drought, the vegetation turns gray, without leaves. However, little rain is enough for the green to return, showing the great recovery capacity of this vegetation.
THE Cocais Forest, found in Piauí and Maranhão, is named after the species of palm trees: carnauba and babassu. These palm trees provide raw material for the soap, margarine and fuel industry, and are important for the livelihood of the local population, who collect coconuts for their livelihood.
On the coast of the Northeast, we have the presence of Mangroves, vegetation used to high salinity soils due to contact with sea water. In this vegetation we find crustaceans, such as crabs and crabs, widely used in the gastronomy of northeastern beaches.
Also access: Brazilian biomes - sets of ecosystems in Brazil
Northeast region demographics
O region settlement Neast occurred since the beginnings of Brazilian history, with the arrival of the Portuguese, in the 16th century. At that time, the cultivation of sugarcane in large large estates aimed at exports was the basis of the economy and it was developing, basically, on the coast, giving rise to cities like Salvador, Recife and Olinda, large commercial centers and administrative.
already the interior of the region was populated based on cattle breeding destined for food and for work on the plantations. However, in the 17th century, sugar production in Brazil began to decline, as other production centers emerged in the world, mainly in Central America.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, with the European demand for cotton, the Northeast region was once again occupied for the planting of this raw material exported to Europe. With this, several foreign businessmen concerned about connecting the northeastern interior, where cotton was planted, with the ports financed railways by the region, which favored the occupation of the sertão and the agreste. Railroads explain the expansion of several cities in the Northeast, such as Fortaleza (CE), Caruaru (PE), Campina Grande (PB) and Sobral (CE).
In the 20th century, with the strong industrialization of the Southeast region, the Northeast assumes the role of supplying agricultural products used to feed the population of that region. This generated more northeastern impoverishment, as the wealth produced there was exported, as occurred since the cultivation of sugarcane. This caused many people to migrate to the center-south of the country in search of better opportunities.
At the moment, three big cities are reference in the subject of urbanization and social infrastructure: Recife, Fortaleza and Salvador. These cities, during the 20th century, showed better economic and social development, acquiring an important role in the Northeast. These factors revealed a return migration, at the end of the last century and beginning of the 21st century, of many Northeasterners who were in the Southeast to their hometowns.
Main economic activities in the Northeast region
We can classify the main economic activities of the Northeast by distributing them in the Northeastern sub-regions: zona da mata, agreste, sertão and mid-north.
THE zthe nothing mok corresponds to a region that covers the entire northeastern coast, from Rio Grande do Norte to southern Bahia. This sub-region has the largest concentration of people, having the largest number of large cities, such as Salvador, Recife and Natal.
Among the economic activities, we can mention the tourism, the shopping centers, the production of Petroleum (both on land and sea, on the continental shelf), the production of sea salt (Rio Grande do Norte) and activitiesindustrial, such as the industrial hub of Camaçari, on the coast of Bahia. Also noteworthy is the cocoa production in Bahia, responsible for more than 60% of the production of this fruit in Brazil.
O wild it is located between the sertão and the forest zone, and can be considered a transition zone between these two sub-regions. In the wild, the activity that stands out is the livestock, with sheep and cattle breeding. The cities that stand out are: Garanhuns and Caruaru (PE) and Campina Grande (PB).
At the backwoods, an area in the interior of the Northeast, with a semiarid climate and intermittent rivers, the most productive economic activity is the goat breeding, Besides the cattle breeding, both extensively. The northeast is responsible for 91% of the goats raised in Brazil, because goats and goats are adapted to the region's dry climate. In addition to the cattle, there is the cotton production, with emphasis on cities in Paraíba, Ceará and Piauí, the largest producer in the region.
O meio-nohell covers the transition between the sertão and the Amazon rainforest. It corresponds to an area of western Piauí and the entire state of Maranhão. In this sub-region, we can highlight the plant extractivism, with the cultivation of carnauba and babassu. There is also an important metallurgical complex, that emerged with the Carajás Project, and the construction of the Carajás railroad, which connects Pará to the port of Ponta da Madeira, in São Luís do Maranhão.
Also access: Consequences of anthropic actions on the environment
Cultural aspects of the Northeast region
Northeastern culture is rich and well diversified. Due to the colonial past and natural variety, many artistic manifestations portray the hard life of the sertanejo, the man from the sertão, or the struggle for survival in the slave past.
There are also folkloric manifestations that are based on the mixture of peoples, such as natives, blacks and Portuguese. Thus, handicrafts, gastronomy, festivities and clothing refer to a greatmiscegenation, giving the region traces of richness and diversity.
During the festivities, we can mention the frevo, a typical dance from Pernambuco that takes its name from the verb “boil”, as the rhythm is “hot”, fast and very lively. There are also other types of dance, such as xote, lining andbaião.
THE capoeira, a mixture of dance and fight, began in Brazil in the state of Bahia, in the period when African slaves fought against their masters in search of freedom and dignity. Today it is an event practiced all over the world, which reveals its strength, being considered UNESCO cultural heritage of humanity.
THE Northeastern literature is very rich, with renowned authors in Brazil and some in the world. Among the most important, we can highlight Arian Suassuna, Graciliano Ramos, Jorge Amado, Rachel de Queiroz, Ferreira Gullar and Augusto dos Anjos.
We can mention, still in the literature, the twine, a kind of poetry in which the verses rhyme with each other. This literature is trademark of Neast, and many stories were told in this way, passed down from generation to generation.
In cooking, the mix of peoples is also present, in addition to including seafood, using the natural wealth. As an example, we have vatapá, moqueca, acarajé, caruru, mugunzá, paçoca, hominy, rapadura, buchada de bode, bolo de bolo, and other typical foods of the region.
Grades
|1| Data from the 2010 IBGE census.
By Attila Matthias
Geography teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/regiao-nordeste.htm
