Regions of Brazil
Brazil is an immense country, spanning nearly half of the continent of South America. Its vast territory is currently divided into five regions that are also called macroregions. These divisions were made by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica (IBGE) or the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, in English.
These divisions enclose regions that are composed of several states each. These states are very similar in their cultures, economies, histories, and social aspects. However, scientifically, information given by a regional division point of view is not terrible accurate. The regional divisions are still widely used in Brazil, however, because the official information produced by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics uses these divisions. The five regions are the Northern region, the Northeastern region, the Central-Western region, the Southeastern region, and the Southern region.
The Northern region of Brazil has an equatorial climate, which means high temperatures and high annual precipitation. The major industries of its economy are iron, energy production, latex, tourism, and electronic manufacturing. Most notably, this region contains the Amazon Rainforest. The cities in this region are spread far apart and it has the lowest population density in the country. It is the biggest region in Brazil and has an economic growth above the national average.
The Northeastern region of Brazil has a very hot climate all year long. It is tropical near the cost and sem0arid towards the interior of the region. In the far west of the region, the climate grows semi-equatorial. The major industries of its economy are cocoa, tourism, textiles, and machinery manufacturing. Its most notable characteristics are its historical attributes; this region was the first part of Brazil that the Portuguese discovered and the very first Brazilian capital was founded there. While many is social indicators are lower than those in other areas of the country, it did have the greatest economic growth from 2002 to 2003.
The Central-Western area of Brazil has a hot savanna climate that grows tropical towards the east and west, and equatorial in the north. Its economy is comprised of the livestock, tourism, and soybean industries. The region has a very low population density and most of the land is used for grazing versus agriculture. It is the least industrialized region in the country and is founded in the food and meat processing industry.
The Southeastern region is tropical in the northwest, semi-arid in the north, and temperate in the south. It is the business-economic center of Brazil and participates in many industries, including several manufacturing and agricultural industries, and tourism. It is also the most populated region in the country.
Finally, the Southern region is subtropical almost through out the entire region. The machinery and automobile industries, textile, tourism, energy production, and information technology industries are a main part of its economy. Oranges, apples, and grapefruits are also abundantly grown. The region is characterized by its high standard of living and it has the best social indicators in the country.