Regions of Brazil - Northeast Region

Northeast Region

• Area: 1,561,177 km² (18.3%)
• Population: 53,340,945 (30.55 people/km²; 29%; 2009)
• GDP: R$437 billion / US$273,1 billion (2009; ~12%)
• HDI: 0.828
• Climate: Very hot all the 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, cocoa, machinery manufacturing, textiles.
• 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, has been growing above national average since the start of 21th century, gradually reducing the socio-economic distance to the other regions.