Maranhão
Maranhão | |
---|---|
Estado do Maranhão State of Maranhão | |
UTC-2 (BRST) | |
Postal Code | 65000-000 to 65990-000 |
ISO 3166 code | BR-MA |
Website | ma.gov.br |
Maranhão (Portuguese pronunciation:
The dunes of Lençóis are an important area of environmental preservation. Also of interest is the state capital of São Luís, designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. Another important conservation area is the Parnaíba River delta, between the states of Maranhão and Piauí, with its lagoons, desert dunes and deserted beaches or islands, such as Caju island, which shelters rare birds.
Geography
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2021) |
The northern portion of the state is a heavily forested plain traversed by numerous rivers, occupied by the eastern extension of the
The southern portion of the state belong to the lower terraces of the great Brazilian Highlands, occupied by the Cerrado savannas. Several plateau escarpments, including the Chapada das Mangabeiras, Serra do Tiracambu, and Serra das Alpercatas, mark the state's northern margin and the outlines of river valleys.
The climate is hot, and the year is divided into a wet and dry season. Extreme humidity characterizes the wet season. The heat, however, is greatly modified on the coast by the south-east trade winds.
The rivers of the state all flow northward to the Atlantic and a majority have navigable channels. The Gurupí River forms the northwestern boundary of the state, separating Maranhão from neighboring Pará. The Tocantins River forms part the state's southwestern boundary with Tocantins state. The Parnaíba River forms the eastern boundary of Maranhão, but it has one large tributary, the Balsas, entirely within the state. Other rivers in the state include the Turiassu (or Turiaçu) which runs just east of the Gurupi, emptying into the Baía de Turiassu; the Mearim, Pindaré, and Grajaú, which empty into the Baía de São Marcos; and the Itapecuru and Munim which discharge into the Baía de São José. Like the Amazon, the Mearim has a pororoca or tidal bore in its lower channel, which greatly interferes with navigation.
The western coastline has many small indentations, which are usually masked by islands or shoals. The largest of these are the Baía de Turiassu, facing which is
Highest point
Chapada das Mangabeiras 804 m, at 10º 15' 45" S, 46º 00' 15" W.
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2021) |
The etymology of Maranhão is uncertain; the name probably originates from Portuguese settlers from Maranhão in Avis in the province of Alentejo. The word was first used to refer to the Amazon River.
The first known European to explore Maranhão was the
In the late 18th century, there was a great influx of enslaved peoples into the region, which corresponded to the increased cultivation of cotton. According to the historian Sven Beckert, the region's cotton exports "doubled between 1770 and 1780, nearly doubled again by 1790, and nearly tripled once more by 1800."[6]
Maranhão did not join in the Brazilian declaration of independence of 1822, but in the following year the Portuguese were driven out by British sailor and liberator Admiral
São Luís is the Brazilian state capital which most closely resembles a Portuguese city. By the early 20th century São Luís had about 30,000 inhabitants, and contained several convents, charitable institutes, the episcopal palace, a fine Carmelite church, and an ecclesiastical seminary. The historic city center was declared a World Heritage Site in 1997.
Demographics
According to the IBGE, there were 6,776,699 people residing in the state in 2022. The population density was 20.6 inhabitants/km2.
Urbanization: 68.1% (2004); Population growth: 1.5% (1991–2000); Houses: 1,442,500 (2005).[7]
The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 4,499,018
According to a DNA study from 2005, the average ancestral composition of São Luís, the biggest city in Maranhão, is 42% European, 39% native American and 19% African.[9]
Largest cities
Largest cities or towns in Maranhão
(2011 census by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics)[10] | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Microregion | Pop. | Rank | Microregion | Pop. | ||||
1 | São Luís |
São Luís | 1,027,429 | 11 | Balsas | Gerais de Balsas | 85,321 | ||
2 | Imperatriz | Imperatriz | 248,805 | 12 | Barra do Corda | Alto Mearim e Grajaú | 83,582 | ||
3 | Timon | Caxias | 156,327 | 13 | Pinheiro | Baixada Maranhense | 78,875 | ||
4 | Caxias | Caxias | 156,327 | 14 | Santa Luzia |
Pindaré | 74,500 | ||
5 | São José de Ribamar | São Luís | 165,418 | 15 | Chapadinha | Chapadinha | 74,273 | ||
6 | Codó | Codó | 118,567 | 16 | Buriticupu | Pindaré | 66,325 | ||
7 | Paço do Lumiar | São Luís | 107,764 | 17 | Coroatá | Microrregião de Codó | 62,189 | ||
8 | Açailândia | Imperatriz | 105,254 | 18 | Itapecuru-Mirim | Itapecuru-Mirim | 63,023 | ||
9 | Bacabal | Médio Mearim | 100,614 | 19 | Grajaú |
Alto Mearim e Grajaú | 63,203 | ||
10 | Santa Inês | Pindaré | 78,020 | 20 | Barreirinhas | Lençois Maranhenses | 56,123 |
Religion
According to the 2010 Brazilian Census, most of the population (74.5%) is
Education
Educational institutions
Educational institutions in Maranhão include:
- Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA) (Federal University of Maranhão)
- Universidade Estadual do Maranhão (UEMA) (State University of Maranhão)
- Universidade Estadual da Região Tocantina do Maranhão (UEMASUL) (State University of the Tocantina Region of Maranhão)
- Centro Universitário do Maranhão (UNICEUMA) (University Center of Maranhão)
- Unidade de Ensino Superior do Sul do Maranhão (UNISULMA)
- Unidade de Ensino Superior Dom Bosco (UNDB)
- Instituto Federal do Maranhão (IFMA)
- Instituto Estadual do Maranhão (IEMA)
- Instituto de Teologia Logos (ITL) (Logos Institute of Theology)
- Colégio Militar Tiradentes (CMT)
Economy
Maranhão is one of the poorest states of Brazil.
The
Maranhão exports: aluminium 50%, iron 23.7%, soybean 13.1% (2002). Share of the Brazilian economy: 0.9% (2004).[14]
Maranhão is also known as the land of the palm trees, as the various species of this tree provide its major source of income. The most important of them, from an economic point of view, is the babassu. Agribusiness, the aluminium and alumina transformation industries, the pulp industry, natural gas production, and the food and timber industries complement the state economy.[citation needed]
The Maranhão agricultural sector stands out in the production of
Maranhão has the second largest cattle herd in the Northeast and the 12th largest in the country, with 7.6 million animals.[16]
The state also produces natural gas in the Parnaíba basin, with a production of 8.4 million m3 per day, used in thermal power stations. Maranhão is the 6th largest producer in the country. Maranhão also has a hydroelectric plant (Estreito Hydroelectric Plant), a wind farm (in Lençóis Maranhenses), and a thermoelectric plant (Suzano Maranhão Thermal Power Plant).[17]
Itaqui Port annually moves millions of tons of cargo, being an important logistics corridor for the Center-West of the country. It is the second deepest port in the world. Among the main products handled in 2017 are soybeans (6,152,909 tons), corn (1,642,944 tons), fertilizers (1,536,697 tons), copper (836,062 tons), coal (636,254 tons), pig iron (505,733 t) clinker + slag (225,796 t), manganese (147,063 t), rice (89,833 t), imported liquid bulk (3,881,635 t), caustic soda (86,542 t), ethanol and LPG (150,753 t), totaling an annual turnover of 17,140,470 tons.[18]
The port of Ponta da Madeira, belonging to the
Infrastructure
Airports
Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport is located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the center of São Luís. It began handling international flights in October 2004. It has a covered area of 8,100 square metres (87,000 sq ft) and a capacity of one million passengers per year.[citation needed]
Renato Moreira Airport is a national airport located in Imperatriz. Infraero has administered the airport since November 3, 1980, one year before it was officially opened. The passenger terminal was modified and expanded in 1998, giving it new arrival and departure areas, an expanded main concourse, and air conditioning of the entire terminal.[citation needed]
Highways
The main highways in Maranhão are
Railroads
Ferrovia Carajás
Ferrovia Norte-Sul
Ferrovia São Luís-Teresina
Telecommunications
The telephone area codes (named DDD in Brazil) for Maranhão are 98 and 99.[22]
Flag
The flag of Maranhão was designed by the poet Joaquim de Souza Andrade, and was adopted by decree nr. 6, of December 21, 1889.[citation needed]
The colored strips (red, white and black) symbolize the different ethnic groups which make up the population, and their mixing and living together. The white star in the upper left corner symbolizes Maranhão itself, and is supposed to be Beta Scorpii, as the constellation Scorpius is also depicted on the national flag of Brazil. The flag has a ratio of 2:3.[citation needed]
Portrayals in film
- sand dunes of Maranhão.
- Carla Camurati's Carlota Joaquina, Princess of Brazil (1995) was filmed in the historical center of São Luís, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The song "Endhiran(Tamil, 2010) featuring Aishwarya Rai and Rajnikanth was filmed at the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park sand dunes.
Notes
- ^ "IBGE :: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística".
- ^ "PIB por Unidade da Federação, 2021". ibge.gov.br.
- ^ "Atlas do Desenvolvimento Humano no Brasil. Pnud Brasil, Ipea e FJP, 2022". www.atlasbrasil.org.br. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
- ^ Quebradeiras de coco babaçu do Maranhão são destaque na I Feira Nordestina da Agricultura Familiar e Economia Solidária no RN
- ISBN 978-2-262-06631-4. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ Beckert, Sven (2014). Empire of Cotton: A Global History. New York: Knopf.
- ^ Source: PNAD.
- ^ "Censo 2022 - Panorama".
- .
- ^ "Estimativas da população residente nos municípios brasileiros com data de referência em 1º de julho de 2011" [Estimates of the Resident Population of Brazilian Municipalities as of July 1, 2011] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. 30 August 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ Censo 2010
- ^ «Análise dos Resultados/IBGE Censo Demográfico 2010: Características gerais da população, religião e pessoas com deficiência»
- ^ "Piauí deixa de ser Estado mais pobre do Brasil, aponta a FGV | Ai5Piauí - Notícias do Piauí". Archived from the original on 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ISBN 85-240-3919-1.
- ^ "Agriculture of Maranhão" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
- ^ "Maranhão conquista o maior índice vacinal contra febre aftosa do..." Maranhão de Todos Nós (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2016-08-02. Archived from the original on 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
- ^ "Gasmar | Governo do Estado do Maranhão". www.ma.gov.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-05-05.
- ^ Redação. "Portos e Navios - Itaqui movimenta 16,3 milhões de toneladas de janeiro a outubro" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
- ^ Redação. "Portos e Navios - Itaqui movimenta 16,3 milhões de toneladas de janeiro a outubro" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2018-05-05.
- ^ Maranhão road map
- ^ Maranhão apresenta a pior malha de rodovias federais da região Nordeste, aponta pesquisa da CNT
- ^ "DDD do Maranhao". Retrieved August 12, 2016.
References
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Maranhão". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 668. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
This article incorporates text from the Catholic Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.
External links
- Freguesia de Maranhão em Portugal - https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maranh%C3%A3o_(Avis)
- Official website (in Portuguese)
- Relação Sumária das Cousas do Maranhão, by Simão Estácio da Silveira Archived 2015-10-05 at the Wayback Machine, a contemporary account of the early Portuguese colonization of Maranhão, published in Lisbon in 1624 by a leading coloniser (in Portuguese)
- History of the Commerce of Maranhão (1612 - 1895), by Jerônimo de Viveiros (in Portuguese) (PDF)
- Revista do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro, 1909, Tomo LXXII - Parte I, Chronicle of the Jesuits in Maranhão, by João Felipe Bettendorf (in Portuguese) (PDF)
- Historical geographical dictionary of Maranhão, by César Marques (in Portuguese)