Brazil is geopolitically divided into five regions (also called macroregions), by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, which are formed by the federative units of Brazil. Although officially recognized, the division is merely academic, considering geographic, social and economic factors, among others, and has no political effects other than orientating Federal-level government programs.The Five Regions Of Brazil, from worldatlas.com Under the state level, they are further divided into intermediate regions and even further into immediate regions.
The five regions Name Area (km2) Area (%) Population(2022 census) Population density(per km2) Population (%) Most populousmunicipality Largest metropolitan areaNumber of federative units Central-West1,612,007.218.8610.058.02 Brasília Brasília Integrated Development Region4 Southeast927,28610.8591.4441.8 São Paulo São Paulo Metropolitan Area4 South577,2146.7551.8314.7 Curitiba Porto Alegre Metropolitan Area3 Northeast1,558,19618.2935.0426.9 Fortaleza Recife Metropolitan area9 North3,689,637.945.274.698.5 Manaus Manaus Metropolitan Area7
Central-West Region
Area: 1,612,007.2 km2 (18.86%) Population: 16,289,538 (7.2 people/km2; 6.4%) GDP: R$279 billion / US$174,3 billion (2008; 8.3%) (4th) Climate: Savanna climate (hot, with little precipitation during winter in the northeast and the east; Tropical in the east and in the west; Equatorial in the north; Some temperate climate places in the south). States: Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Distrito Federal (Federal District). Largest Cities: Brasília (national capital) (2,562,963); Goiânia (1,318,148); Campo Grande (796,252); Cuiabá (556,298); Aparecida de Goiânia (442,978); Anápolis (334,613). Economy: Livestock, Soybeans, Maize, Sugarcane, Cotton, Tomato, Nickel, Copper, Gold, tourism. Transport: Highways where they are present (mostly in the center and east regions); transport by rivers is common in the north and in the east; airplanes are used in remote and smaller communities. Vegetation: Mainly savanna-like vegetation, including the Pantanal (Chaco, in Paraguay), flooded areas in the west, equatorial rainforests in the north. Notable characteristics: With a low population density, most of the land in the region is used for grazing instead of agriculture. The region is also the least industrialized in the country, based mainly in food & meat processing.
Southeast Region
Area: 927,286 km2 (10.85%) Population: 84,840,113 (77.96 people/km2, 38%) GDP: R$1,629 trillion / US$803 billion (2008; ~49%) (1st) Climate: Tropical in the northwest (warm, relatively dry in the winter and wet in the summer); Semi-arid in the north; temperate in the south States: Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo Largest cities: São Paulo (11,037,593); Rio de Janeiro (6,186,710); Belo Horizonte (2,452,617); Guarulhos (1,299,283); Campinas (1,064,669); São Gonçalo (991,382); Duque de Caxias (872,762); Nova Iguaçu (865,089); São Bernardo do Campo (810,979); Osasco (718,646); Santo André (673,396); Uberlândia (634,345); Contagem (625,393); São José dos Campos (615,871); Sorocaba (584,313); Ribeirão Preto (563,107); Juiz de Fora (526,706); Belford Roxo (501,544); Niterói (479,384); São João de Meriti (469,827); Betim (441,748); Campos dos Goytacazes (434,008). Economy: Manufacturing (machinery, electronics, automobiles and aviation, steel, chemicals, shoes, textiles), coffee, sugar cane, orange juice,Agriculture in Southeast Region of Brazil livestock, tourism, petroleum, iron, gold, energy production (not sufficient, however, to fulfill its demand). The Southeast is the economic center of Brazil, and most large companies present in Brazil have their headquarters in this region. The economic success of this region is a combination of its 4 states. São Paulo state is the most developed in the country, it has a population density as high as western Europe, and a HDI comparable to eastern Europe. Rio de Janeiro is the leader in petroleum production (with almost 3/4 of national production) . Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo are located in the richest mining region in Brazil. Transport: The region is heavily covered by highways, and, to some extent, railways. Railways and rivers are used mainly for freight, and used where they are present. The region also contains several airport hubs which provide many domestic and international air routes. Vegetation: Mainly tropical-like semi-deciduous forests (Mata Atlântica); semi-arid in the north, with almost no vegetation; savannah-like vegetation in the west and in the northwest (Cerrado). Very little of the native vegetation still remains (~2%, mostly in parks.) Notable characteristics: The southeast region is the major powerhouse of the Brazilian economy, responsible for 49% of the Brazilian GDP (approximately US$1024 billion in 2010). It is also the most populous region in the country, with more than 80 million people, and contains the three most important metropolitan regions (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte), as well as many other large cities (such as, Vitória (the capital of Espírito Santo state), Campinas, Uberlândia and several others.)
South Region
Area: 577,214 km2 (6.75%) Population: 29,937,706 (43.46 people/km2, 12.5%) GDP: R$503 billion / US$313,8 billion (2008; ~15%) (2nd) Climate: Subtropical by the coast, hot to moderately hot in the summer, mild and very humid winters and temperate by the mountain range, the valleys and the plateaus in the interior, with moderate temperatures in the summer and cold in the winter, with well distributed rainfalls. Snow is relatively common, mainly in the highlands (for example in Santa Catarina state's São Joaquim). States: Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina Largest Cities: Curitiba (1,764,540); Porto Alegre (1,413,094); Joinville (520,905); Londrina (511,278); Caxias do Sul (441,332); Florianópolis (427,298); Maringá (362,329); Pelotas (328,864); Canoas (325,188); Ponta Grossa (314,527); Blumenau (312,634); Cascavel (289,339); Foz do Iguaçu (255,900); and Santa Maria (262,368). Economy: Machinery and automobile industries, textiles, shoes, information technologytourism, soy, maize, wheat, tobacco, rice, apple, wine,Além da serra gaúcha: conheça outras regiões produtoras de vinho pelo Estadolivestock, coal,Carvão MineralCarvão mineral no Brasil e no mundo energy production.Itaipu site Transport: There are many developed highways and railways throughout the region, although the latter is mainly used for freight. Rivers are used when possible. Vegetation: Rainforests along the coast (Mata Atlântica), subtropical semiciduous in the north and west (Araucárias) and prairie-like vegetation in the south (Pampas). Little native vegetation still remains due to deforestation. Notable characteristics: The South Region of Brazil is historically characterized by its high standard of living, with considerably better social indicators, which include some of the cities with the highest HDI levels in the country, including their capitals. Cities also feature an advanced level of urbanism in comparison with other parts of Brazil. The region is almost the newest in terms of urbanization, it was recently populated by European immigrants (almost 19th century immigration and refugees of World War I and World War IIs). They have added to the local culture, especially in architecture, cuisine and forms of agriculture. Southern region, however, is not immune from poverty, violence and other social issues, especially in the larger cities, even though in a lower level than poorer areas in the country. The state of Santa Catarina is proportionally the Whitest state in Brazil with over 87% of its population being European. The other southern states also have the highest percentage rates of European population.
Northeast Region
Area: 1,561,177 km2 (18.3%) Population: 54,658,515 (30.55 people/km2; 29%; 2009) GDP: R$437 billion / US$273,1 billion (2009; ~12%) (3rd) Climate: Hot all year long. Tropical near the coast and semi-arid in the interior; semi-equatorial in the far west of the region. States: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe Largest cities: Salvador (2,676,606); Fortaleza (2,447,409); Recife (1,536,934); São Luís (1,011,943); Maceió (932,608); Natal (789,836); Teresina (714,583); João Pessoa (595,429); Jaboatão dos Guararapes; (580,795); Feira de Santana (481,137); Aracaju (461,083); Olinda (368,666); Campina Grande (354,546). Economy: Tourism, tropical fruits (coconut, papaya, melon, banana, mango, pineapple), cocoa, cashew nuts, soybeans, cotton, sugarcane,A AGRICULTURA NO NORDESTE BRASILEIRO: OPORTUNIDADES E LIMITAÇÕES AO DESENVOLVIMENTOIBGE prevê safra recorde de grãos em 2020PPM 2017: Bovine herds predominate in the Midwest and Mato Grosso leads among the states machinery manufacturing, textiles,wind energy production,Região Nordeste bate recorde na geração de energia eólica e solar salt extraction.A economia salineira no Rio Grande do Norte Transport: Mainly highways, which are more abundant along the coast, although transport by sea is also important. Vegetation: Mainly desert-like vegetation, with tropical forests along the coast and in the west and savanna-like vegetation in the southwest. Notable characteristics: This region was the first part of Brazil discovered by the Portuguese, and the first Brazilian capital, Salvador, was founded here. It has the lowest levels in the country in almost all of the social indicators, being considered the most impoverished region in Brazil. However, it has been growing above national average since the start of the 21st century, gradually reducing the socio-economic distance to the other regions.
North Region
Area: 3,689,637.9 km2 (45.27%) Population: 17,354,884 (4,5 people/km2; 6.2%; 2016) GDP: R$ 308 billion / US$94,8 billion (2016; 4.7%) (5th) Climate: Equatorial States: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins Largest Cities: Manaus (2,063,689); Belém (1,303,403); Ananindeua (478,778); Porto Velho (460,434); Macapá (442,933); Boa Vista (413,486); Rio Branco (364,756); Santarém (331,937); Palmas (302,692). Economy: Iron, Copper, Gold, Bauxite, Manganese,Brazilian Mineral Yearbook Açaí, Pineapple,Paths of açaí: Pará produces 95 % of Brazil's production, fruit moves US $ 1.5 billion and São Paulo is the main destination in the countryBrazilian Pineapple productionBrazil's Agriculture by FAO Energy production,Belo Monte, a maior hidrelétrica do Brasil, inaugura sua capacidade total de geração de energiaRoyalties da UHE Tucuruí chegam a R$ 156,2 milhões em 2021RENEWABLE CAPACITY STATISTICS 2021 electronic manufacturing,Zona Franca de Manaus: por que mesmo gerando r$ 158 bilhões em receita e mais de 100 mil empregos muitos ainda criticam sua existênciaIndustry in Brazil tourism.Statistical Yearbook for Tourism 2020 base year 2019, page 331 of the PDF file PPM 2017: Bovine herd predominates in the Midwest and Mato Grosso leads among the states Transport: Mainly rivers (which are abundant in the region). Highways are scarce and present mainly in the east. Airplanes are commonly used in small remote communities and sometimes in the larger cities. Vegetation: Almost the entire region is covered by Amazon rainforest, except the state of Tocantins, which has savanna-like vegetation (cerrado). Most of the native vegetation still remains. Notable characteristics: Presence of the Amazon Rainforest, which is the vegetation dominant in every state but Tocantins. Cities are spread far apart in the region, and it has the lowest population density of the country. There are very few paved highways in the region, as it is almost isolated from the rest of the country. It is also the biggest region of Brazil, being responsible for almost half of the Brazilian territorial extension. Economic growth is above national average (especially in Amazonas and in Tocantins).