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,
iron, gold,
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 technology
livestock, • 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, salt extraction.
Açaí, Pineapple,
Energy production,
electronic manufacturing, tourism. •
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). == Ethnic composition of regions ==