Northeast Region of Brazil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northeast Region
Região Nordeste
Region of Brazil
Country	Brazil
States	Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe
Largest cities	Recife (by metro pop.), Salvador (by city proper), Fortaleza (by pop. density)
Highest point	Pico do Barbado
- location	Serra do Barbado, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia
- elevation	2,033 m (6,670 ft)
- coordinates	13°17′47″S 41°54′28″W / 13.29639°S 41.90778°W / -13.29639; -41.90778
Lowest point	Sea level
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Area	1,554,291.31 km² (600,115 sq mi)
Population	56,915,936 (1 January 2016)
Density	37 /km² (96 /sq mi)

The Northeast Region of Brazil (Portuguese: Região Nordeste do Brasil) is one of the five geographical regions of Brazil defined by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics in 1969. It is the third largest region, corresponding to 18% of the national territory, and the second in population.

Geography

The Northeast Region has an area of 1,554,291.31 km² (600,115.23 sq mi). It is the region of the country with the longest coastline.

The climate in the region is 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. The vegetation mainly desert-like, with tropical forests along the coast and in the west and savanna-like vegetation, known as the Cerrado. in the southwest.

The Northeast Region is between 01° 02' 30" of latitude north and 18° 20' 07" of latitude south and between 34° 47' 30" and 48° 45' 24" of longitude west. It borders to the north and east with the Atlantic Ocean; to the south with the Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo states; and to west with the Pará, Tocantins and Goiás states.

		Atlantic Ocean
	Tocantins		Atlantic Ocean
		Northeast Region
	Goiás	Minas Gerais	Espírito Santo

The main rivers in the region are the São Francisco and the Parnaíba rivers; they have many tributaries.

Mountains

The highest point in the Northeast Region is Pico do Barbado (13°17′47″S 41°54′28″W / 13.29639°S 41.90778°W / -13.29639; -41.90778 (Pico do Barbado, Brazil)) at 2,033 m (6,670 ft). Pico do Barbado is the highest summit of the larger Serra do Barbado, in the Chapada Diamantina, in Bahia.

The highest point of the different states of the North Region are:

States

This region is formed of nine states: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe.

States in the Northeast Region of Brazil

Code	State	Capital	Municipalities	Population (2016)	Area (km2)	Density (inh./km2)
BR-AL	Alagoas	Maceió	102	3,358,963	27,848.16	120.6
BR-BA	Bahia	Salvador	63	15,276,566	564,732.64	27.1
BR-CE	Ceará	Fortaleza	184	8,963,663	148,887.63	60.2
BR-MA	Maranhão	São Luís	217	6,954,036	331,936.96	20.9
BR-PB	Paraíba	João Pessoa	223	3,999,415	56,468.43	70.8
BR-PE	Pernambuco	Recife	185	9,410,336	98,076.00	95.9
BR-PI	Piauí	Teresina	224	3,212,180	251,611.93	12.8
BR-RN	Rio Grande do Norte	Natal	167	3,474,998	52,811.11	65.8
BR-SE	Sergipe	Aracaju	75	2,265,779	21,918.45	103.4
Total			1,440	56,915,936	1,554,291.31	36.6

Population

As of 1 July  2016 (2016 -07-01)^[update], the Northeast region had a population of 56,915,936, for a population density of 36.6 inhabitants/km².

The most important municipalities of the North Region are: