Rio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte (UK: /ˌriːuː ˌɡrændi duː ˈnɔːrti/,[4] US: /- ˌɡrɑːn-/,[5] Portuguese: [ˈʁi.u ˈɡɾɐ̃dʒ(i) du ˈnɔʁtʃi] ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", referring to the mouth of the Potenji River.
This article is about the Brazilian state. For the river sometimes called "Rio Grande del Norte", see Rio Grande.
Rio Grande do Norte
March 7, 1948
Walter Alves (MDB)
52,796.791 km2 (20,384.955 sq mi)
3,302,729
63/km2 (160/sq mi)
Potiguar or Norte-rio-grandense
2021
MXH to MZM, NNJ to NOH, OJR to OKC, OVZ to OWG, QGA to QGZ, RGE to RGM, RGN
The capital and largest city is Natal. The state has 410 km (254 mi) of sandy beaches and contains Rocas Atoll, the only atoll in the Atlantic Ocean. The main economic activity is tourism, followed by the extraction of petroleum (the second largest producer in the country), agriculture, fruit growing and extraction of minerals, including considerable production of seasalt, among other economic activities.[6] The state is home to 1.7% of the Brazilian population and produces 1% of the country's GDP. In 2000-17 the murder rate rose by 655%, making Rio Grande do Norte the state with the highest murder rate in Brazil: 63.9 per 100,000.[7]
Tourist attractions in the state include the Cashew of Pirangi (the world's largest cashew tree),[8] the dunes and the dromedaries of Genipabu,[9] the beaches of Ponta Negra, Maracajaú and Pipa,[10] the Carnatal, Natal's carnival,[11] the sixteenth-century Forte dos Reis Magos fortification,[12] the hills and mountains of Martins,[13] the Natal Dunes State Park,[14] and others. The folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo was born and worked in the state. The state is the closest part of mainland Brazil to the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.[15]
Geography[edit]
Rio Grande do Norte is dominated by its coastline. The state is famed for its beaches and sand dunes, and the air is, according to NASA, the second-cleanest in the world after Antarctica.
Two climates predominate: humid tropical, in the oriental littoral, and semi-arid, in the remaining (most part) of the State (including the North coast).
The rainforest which once covered most of Brazil's coast had its northern end in the south of Rio Grande do Norte; the area north of Natal, the capital, is under dunes, a kind of formation associated with semi-arid climate. The semi-arid climate is characterized not only by the low level but also the irregularity of rainfall; some years can go by with no or very little rain; most of the interior of the State is part of the Polygon of Droughts (an area which receives special attention from the federal government). There are also many mangroves in the state, and the interior is dominated by rainforest. Rocas Atoll in the Atlantic Ocean, 260 km Northeast of Natal, also belongs to the state of Rio Grande do Norte. It is contained in the fully protected Atol das Rocas Biological Reserve.
Economy[edit]
The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 65.2%, followed by the industrial sector at 30.2%. Agriculture represents 4.6% of GDP (2021). Rio Grande do Norte exports: fish and crustacean 30.5%, fruits 19.3%, woven of cotton 12.3%, petroleum 10.8%, cashew 8.5%, sugar 5.3%, chocolate 3.9%, sea salt 3.7% (2002).
Share of the Brazilian economy: 1.9% (2021).
Historically, Rio Grande do Norte has relied upon sugar and cattle for its livelihood. However, since the 1980s, the state government has realised that tourism is a lucrative industry, and more money is being poured into the construction of tourist resorts, and restoring colonial buildings in major cities.
Fruit is also grown in Rio Grande do Norte, with the state supplying 70% of Brazil's melons, and the state is famed for its mango and cashew fields. The world's largest cashew tree is located in the state; it has a circumference of 500 metres and occupies an area of 7,300 cm2, making it 70 times the size of average cashew trees. Rio Grande do Norte is also one of three Brazilian states that together produce the world's entire supply of carnauba wax.
Flag[edit]
The flag of Rio Grande do Norte was adopted on 3 December 1957. It is based on a design by Luís da Câmara Cascudo. In the middle of the flag is the coat of arms of the state, which was adopted on 1 July 1909. It shows a sailing boat at the coast in the middle, representing the fishing and salt industries. Above it is a bar which shows two flowers on the sides and two cotton bolls in the center. To the sides of the shield are a coconut palm to the right and a carnauba palm to the left, connected by two branches of sugar cane. The star above represents the state as part of Brazil.