Alagoas (AL), pron. IPA: [a.la.'go.ajs] <ref>The presented pronunciation is in Brazilian Portuguese variant spoken in Alagoas. Other possible pronunciations are: IPA: [a.la.'go.ajʃ] (Rio de Janeiro), IPA: [a.la.'go.aʃ] (Espírito Santo and Santa Catarina) and IPA: [a.la.'go.as] (most of Brazil). The European Portuguese pronunciation is: /ɐ.lɐ.'ɣo.ɐʃ/.</ref>, is a small state in northeastern Brazil lying between the states of Pernambuco and Sergipe; touching the state of Bahia along a part of its southwestern border. The southern border of Alagoas is defined by the Rio São Francisco (São Francisco River). Alagoas has an area of 27.933 km² and a population of approximately 2,818,000. The capital city is Maceió.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Economy
4 Major cities
5 See also
6 Flag
7 Notes
8 External links

[edit] Geography

The state's name alludes to the tidal lagoons which reach up to 15 km. inland from the coast near the capital city of Maceió. The coast is bordered by fringing reefs and many fine beaches. Behind the beaches, sometimes only hundreds of meters and defined by steep scarps, lies a stretch of green coastal hills and low (c. 100 m) flat tablelands cut by shallow valleys which has enough rainfall for considerable agriculture. This area has long been dominated by the large-scale cultivation of sugar cane. Nowadays the landscape is one of great expanses of sugar cane punctuated by scattered remnants of the native Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Rain Forest) which are now largely limited to those steep hill tops and valley sides which are unsuited for cultivating sugar cane.

Inland lies the Sertão, the characteristic semi-arid landscape of the Northeast region of Brazil. In comparison with the coastal tablelands the Sertão of Alagoas is a higher (mostly < 300 m; max. c. 800 m) dry region chacterised by scrub that is often thorny and sometimes toxic, the caatinga. This area and its people are famed in legend and song. It is the land of the cowboy who is clad from head to toe (if he is lucky) with very thick leather to avoid the tearing vegetation.

[edit] History

During the first three centuries of its history, Alagoas was part of the captaincy of Pernambuco, only becoming an independent captaincy in 1817. As a reprisal against the Pernambucan Revolution, King John VI of Portugal ordered a vast portion of the Pernambucan territory to be taken apart (mostly its southern portion), one part being given to the captaincy of Bahia and the other portion made into the newly-independent Brazilian captaincy of Alagoas.

Initially, in the first years of the 16th century, Alagoas settlement went on slowly. Importation of Africans as slaves energised the local economy. In the period between the 16th and 17th centuries, French pirates invaded its territory, attracted by the commerce of Brazil wood.

Some time latter, Duarte Coelho, owner of Pernambuco, gave the control of the region back to the Portuguese, running the territory as part of his captaincy. He encouraged the growing of sugar cane plantations and the building of some sugar mills as well as founding the cities of Penedo and Alagoas. Originally, Alagoas was christened by the Portuguese as Santa Maria Madalena da Alagoa do Sul (Saint Mary Magdalene of the Southern Lake), where currently is found the historic heritage town of Marechal Deodoro.

In 1570, a second expedition ordered by Duarte Coelho and led by Cristóvão Lins explored the north of Alagoas and founded the settlement of Porto Calvo and five sugar mills. Two of them, Buenos Aires and Escurial, still exist today.

In 1630, the territory was taken by the Dutch. Their interests in management of the sugar trade in most part of the northeastern region of Brazil induced a fight for control of the region. As part of one of the wealthiest Brazilian captaincies, Alagoas prospered greatly from the sugar commerce. However, the Dutch colonizers abandoned the territory after being defeated in 1645.

Decades before Alagoas was divided in 1817, its sugar industry was composed of two hundred mills. Its agriculture also included cotton, tobacco, and corn plantations. With Brazilian independence from Portugal in 1822, Alagoas became a province. In 1839, the capital of the province was changed definitively from the town of Alagoas to Maceio. This was mainly due to the city's steady annual economic growth, which was based in its port.

[edit] Economy

Image:Jatiuca beach.jpg

The economy has been agricultural, dependent largely on large sugar cane plantations with some tobacco. Sugar cane formed the basis for an alcohol industry that is in decline. Small to medium sized tanker ships took alcohol onboard in Macei&oacute's port with considerable frequency during the peak period. Such loads still take place with less frequency. Another local industry is based on chemical products from brine pumped from deep wells on the outskirts of Maceió.

In the last twenty years the tourist industry has found the beaches and Maceió itself has changed from a rather sleepy little port with coconut palm plantations along its beaches to high rise hotels. The northern coast, particularly around the towns Maragogi and Japaratinga is beginning to see some of this development in the form of resorts attracting people from the south and some from Europe.

However, it continues to suffer from some of Brazil's worst poverty. The United Nations puts it as one of only two states in Brazil with a Human Development Index below 0.65.

[edit] Major cities

[edit] See also

List of cities in Brazil (all cities and municipalities)

[edit] Flag

The coat of arms symbolizes the first Alagoan settlements, Porto Calvo and Penedo. Some plantations, sugar cane and cotton, that stood out as the foremost wealth in the past also are designed in the coat. The colors in each stripe, red, white and blue, that commit to memory the French flag, symbolize exactly the motto of the French Revolution: liberty, equality and fraternity. The star above the coat represents the state itself.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Alagoas' location on a 3D globe (Java)
Alagoas (In Portuguese with tourism oriented information.)
Estado de Alagoas (In Portuguese with flag and outline map.)
Brazilian Embassy in London: São Francisco River

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