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Alexander Richards Guide to North East Brazil A Quick Guide to the North East:
From North to South, the North East of Brazil is composed of 9 states, namely: Maranhão, Piaui, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia. The biggest cities in the North East (Nordeste) are Salvador, Fortaleza and Recife, which are the regional metropolitan areas of the Nordeste, all with a population above a million inhabitants. Brazil’s North East is fringed with 4000km of sun-bleached coastline, iridescent green coral reef seas and palm trees. Climate: Brazil’s Northeast region can be characterized as arid for relatively long periods of time in the interior of the continent, with the coast and the southern areas having a more humid climate. Temperatures throughout the year are usually quite warm, with some cooling during the rainy seasons. The beginning and end of the different rainy seasons vary throughout the region but most last about four months. (Usually April – July) Each state has a rich blend of history combining the history of the native Indians blended with the culture of subsequent colionizoers such as the Portuguese, Dutch, Italian etc. Whether you are looking for miles of perfect deserted beach, quaint fishing villages, trendy resorts or quietly crumbling architecture historic villages, the Northeast has all these to offer. Sights and tastes to suit all travelers can be found and if you enjoy sports and activities then you can enjoy swimming, diving, snorkeling, kite surfing, surfing, river of game fishing, whale watching, turtles or dolphins or jungle expeditions. This region is possibly Brazil’s most fascinating and culturally rich. Visitors flock here to enjoy the lively festivals, myriad of music and dance styles, and cuisine loaded with seafood and exotic fruit. The great colonial cities of Salvador, Olinda and Sao Luis are packed with restored and decaying Portuguese architecture. Largest cities (2005):
Guide to the States of the North East: Maranhao:
Sao Luis is a world heritage site and Brazil’s reggae capital, with unique festivals and a relaxed local culture. The state is the northernmost state of the Nordeste states and borders Piaui and Para. It is not currently a popular tourist destination. It has 640km of winding coastline and low marshlands. One of the most interesting features are the giant sand dune preserve — the Lencois Maranheses on the southern coast.Southern and Eastern areas of Maranhao have palm plantations which provides a large part of the areas agricultural base and are used for food, charcoal and construction. Western and Northwestern regions merge into huge humid Amazon rainforests. Unlike the majority of other heavily fought over states in the Northwest, the Portuguese showed little interest in this soggy marshland. It was mainly French influences that built its city . Maranhao made its name in the cotton trade when, for much of the 18th century, the area was the world’s main cotton exporter. Nowadays, following a very long period of economic stagnation, the state relies more heavily upon iron ore shipments from the ltaqui Port and some aluminium foundries.Piaui:
Piaui is the poorest of all the Brazilian states. It is the product of many territorial skirmishes, has a violent and harsh history and is now reliant almost entirely on agriculture, mainly cattle. It also has the smallest coastline, measuring only 66km in length. The capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the Northeast to be located inland. Despite it’s struggles, Piauians have no reputation for crime and the region generally has an easy going and hospitable attitude, particularly towards foreigners. The majority of the state has a semi-arid climate with a wet season from December to April and drought during the rest of the year. The state has many highly important archaeological sites and enjoys four national parks, including the Capivara National Park, and Sete Cidades National Park which are rich in remains of prehistoric Amerindian civilisations. Teresina was the first Brazilian city to be planned. In 1852, an architect designed it after being inspired by a chessboard. Situated at the mouth of the Parnaiba and Poti Rivers, Teresina was (and still is) known as the Green City because of the countless mango trees that line the city’s streets. Ceara:
C eara has a varied environment, consisting of a combination of mangroves, jungle, scrubland and tropical forest. The inland areas of Ceara are very dry and most rainfall is coastal.The capital, Fortaleza, has a population of around 2.5 million people and is one of the most important cities in the North East. Fortaleza has been a popular domestic tourism destination for many years now with attractions such as "Beach Park", a huge aquatic park to the south of the city and "Praia do Futuro" with its numerous beach clubs and bars. To the North of the city, the beaches are generally speaking much quieter and include the popular resorts of Cumbuco and Taiba, which are famous for their white sandy beaches and for excellent kite surfing conditions. The main industry of the state is agriculture, however every year, tourism is playing a more and more important role in this. Many European cities now have direct flights to Fortaleza, with both scheduled and charter airlines. Rio Grande do Norte:
The landscape of Rio Grande do Norte varies immensely from the picture postcard beaches and sand dunes, to native Atlantic forest, to the dry inland areas and mountains to be found in the centre of the state. The climate in Rio Grande do Norte is one of the best in the world, with an average annual temperature of 28 degrees, endless days of sunshine and a pleasant refreshing breeze all year round. The capital, Natal, has a population approaching 1 million people and is rapidly becoming the fastest growing tourism destination in Brazil. Natal is a friendly place, situated on the coast and on the banks of the Potengi river. According to Nasa, Natal has the cleanest air quality on the planet second only to Antartica. Rio Grande do Norte State is currently acting as a magnet to foreign investment (mainly European) and in the last year, the state received the most foreign investment of any state in Brazil, even more than the powerhouse state of Sao Paulo! The main industries of Rio Grande do Norte are, tourism, shrimp farming, salt production, melon farming and oil exploration. Natal is only 7 hours from mainland Europe and there are numerous direct flights every week. Several huge infrastructure projects, including what will become the largest airport in South America are currently underway in the Natal region and therefore make Natal an excellent investment destination. Popular areas with tourists include the fashionable resort of Pipa to the south of Natal, as well as the paradisical deserted beach resorts to the North of the city. Visitors should definitely not leave without experiencing an exhilarating buggy ride across the famous sand dunes of the North coast. VIEW PROPERTY IN RIO GRANDE DO NORTE Paraiba:
One of the smallest states in the North East, Paraiba is also rapidly developing as a tourist destination, although to date, the airport does not receive any international flights. The capital, Joao Pessoa is smaller than its neighbours, Natal and Recife and is equi-distant between the two. The city is very green and has a number of good urban beaches, however is limited in choice for quality hotels. Many new development projects are currently in the pipeline to the South of the city. The main industry in Paraiba centres around the leather, cattle and sugar cane industry. Pernambuco:
The state of Pernambuco has historically been reliant on the production of sugar and ethanol from its vast sugar can plantations that cover its hilly coastal landscape. The capital of Pernambuco is Recife, which is the main industrial stronghold and port in the North East of Brazil and is also home to many large multi-national companies. Pernambuco is full of history and the town of Olinda, just to the North of Recife is one of the best examples of a Brazilian colonial town and also plays host to one of the most famous carnaval processions in Brazil. About one hour South of Recife, exist some of the most stunning beaches in Brazil, with crystal clear waters, white sands and natural reefs set against a backdrop of palm and coconut trees. Resorts such as Porto de Galinhas are very popular with tourists and offer excellent quality accommodation as well as plenty of good restaurants and bars. Alagoas:
Alagoas is relatively undiscovered by foreign tourists to date and is one of the smaller states in the North East, but also with one of the most beautiful coastlines, where the waters are turquoise and the beaches pure white in colour. The state has an agricultural history, largely dependent on the sugar cane industry. Its capital Maceio is a coastal city with a population of around 1 million people. Alagoas still has fairly weak air connections with Europe and the rest of Brazil, but as it becomes a more popular destination, this is expected to improve. Sergipe:
Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil with an inland landscape of mainly savanna and a coastline of mangroves, swamps and sandy beaches. Aracaju is the capital and main city of the state with a population of around 500,000 people. The main industry in the state, like the majority of the North East is Sugar Cane production. Bahia:
With out doubt, the largest of the North Eastern states, Bahia is the 5th largest state in Brazil and the fourth most populous. Salvador, Bahia's capital city is the most populous city in the North East and arguably the most important historically. Bahia is full of history and culture and is officially recorded as the place where the Portuguese first arrived in Brazil. The population is a mixture of African and European, due to the ancient slave trade in the area. As a result there is a huge African influence in the music, culture and the Bahian cuisine. Tourism is well established in Bahia and the international airport receives many domestic and international flights every week. To the North of Salvador is the huge resort property of Costa do Sauipe and kilometres of deserted white sandy beaches. To the South of Salvador, the landscape is more hilly and has a more tropical feel, with a more humid climate and small coves with almost private beaches. In these areas, the exclusive hideaways of Villa Sao Jose and Terravista can be found.
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