Roraima (, ) is one of the
26 states of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Located in the country's
North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil.
It is bordered by the state of
Pará
Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana ...
to the southeast,
Amazonas to the south and west,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
to the north and northwest, and
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
to the east.
The state covers an area of approximately ,
slightly larger than
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
, being the
fourteenth largest Brazilian state by area.
The city of
Boa Vista is the capital and largest city in the state, and is the only capital in the country located entirely in the
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
.
Antônio Denarium, a member of the conservative
Progressistas
Progressistas (; PP) is a centre-right to right-wing political party in Brazil. Founded in 1995 as the Brazilian Progressive Party, it emerged from parties that were successors to ARENA, the ruling party of the Brazilian military dictatorship. ...
party, has been the governor of the state since 2019.
Roraima is the
least populous state in Brazil, with an estimated population of 631,181 inhabitants as of 2020.
It is also the state with the lowest
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
in Brazil, with 2.01 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its economy, based mainly on the
tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
, registers a high growth rate, although its
Gross Domestic Product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
(GDP) is the lowest in the country, with
R$ 16.024 billion, representing only 0.20% of the Brazilian economy.
The history of Roraima is strongly linked to the
Branco River, which allowed the first
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
settlers to arrive in the region. The Branco River Valley's strategic position made it coveted by the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
, who entered Brazil through the
Guiana Shield
The Guiana Shield (french: Plateau des Guyanes, Bouclier guyanais; nl, Hoogland van Guyana, Guianaschild; pt, Planalto das Guianas, Escudo das Guianas; es, Escudo guayanés) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a ...
in search of indigenous people to be
enslaved. The
Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...
also came to invade the northern part of the Branco River and the
Uraricoera River
The Uraricoera River (Uraricuera) is a river of Roraima state in northern Brazil. The confluence of the Uraricoera and Takutu Rivers forms the Branco River.
Basin
The river drains the Guayanan Highlands moist forests ecoregion.
Part of the r ...
through Venezuela. The Portuguese settlers defeated and expelled all invaders, establishing
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
's sovereignty over the region of Roraima and part of Amazonas.
As a result of
crisis in Venezuela
The crisis in Venezuela is an ongoing socioeconomic and political crisis that began in Venezuela during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and has worsened in Nicolás Maduro's presidency. It has been marked by hyperinflation, escalating starvation ...
since the 2010s, Roraima has become the leading entry point for
Venezuelan refugees in Brazil. Displaced Venezuelans in Roraima are estimated to number around 100,000, approximately one-fifth of the state's population.
Etymology
The word "Roraima" comes from the
Pemon language
The Pemon language (or ''Pemón'' in Spanish), is an indigenous language of the Cariban family spoken by some 30,000 Pemon people, in Venezuela's Southeast, particularly in the Canaima National Park, in the Roraima State of Brazil and in Guyana. ...
. Its etymology gives it three possible meanings: “Green Peak”, “Mother of the Winds” and “Cashew Mountain”. It would be the junction of ''roro'' (
parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...
) and ''imã'' (father, former). In that language, ''roro''- or also ''rora''- means "green", and ''imã'' means mountain or peak, thus forming the word "Green Peak", reflecting the natural landscape of that specific region.
There is a possibility that the word "Roraima" has two other meanings: "Mother of the Winds" and "Cashew Mountain". The first meaning comes from the windy climate in the region, where indigenous people believed that the winds that blew southern Venezuela came from that place. The second, "Cashew Mountain", is due to many mountains and hills that exist in the area.
History
The first
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
settlers arrived in the region by the
Branco River. Before the arrival of the Portuguese, the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
were already attracted to the region, to explore the Branco River Valley through the
Guyanas
The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories:
* French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France
* G ...
.
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
's sovereignty over the region was only established after the
Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...
invaded the northern part of the Branco River, along with the
Uraricoera River
The Uraricoera River (Uraricuera) is a river of Roraima state in northern Brazil. The confluence of the Uraricoera and Takutu Rivers forms the Branco River.
Basin
The river drains the Guayanan Highlands moist forests ecoregion.
Part of the r ...
. From 1725,
Carmelite missionaries
The Carmelite Missionaries (; ) is a religious institute of pontifical right in the Catholic Church founded by Francisco Palau
Francisco Palau y Quer, ( ca, Francesc Palau i Quer; 29 December 1811 – 20 March 1872) was a Catalan Discalce ...
began the task of converting the
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
in the region.
The Portuguese occupation intensified from the 1730s when it advances along the Branco River in search of consolidation of the borders and indigenous labour. For this, they organize rescue troops (purchase of indigenous people transformed into slaves during wars of opposing ethnic groups), war troops (punishment and enslavement of indigenous people who attacked Portuguese nuclei or prevented evangelization) and the search for Brazilian products for sale, the so-called ''
sertão
The ''sertão'' (, plural ''sertões'') is the "hinterland" or "backcountry". In Brazil, it refers both to one of the four sub-regions of the Northeast Region of Brazil (similar to the specific association of " outback" with Australia in Englis ...
'' drugs. Also, they promoted descents – villages of missionaries and indigenous volunteers or compulsory.
![Boa Vista antiga 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Boa_Vista_antiga_1.jpg)
In the middle of the 18th century, the
Portuguese Crown
This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution.
Through the nea ...
became concerned with the constant Spanish expeditions to the western region of the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
. Thus, the idea of creating the Royal Captaincy of São José do Rio Negro was considered, which occurred through the Royal Charter of March 3, 1755. The main reason for the creation of the captaincy was the fear of the Spanish threat from the
Viceroyalty of Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...
, and the arising fear from the Dutch expeditions in
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
to trade and imprison indigenous peoples.
The demarcations foresaw by the
Treaty of Madrid, of 1750, also lead to a great extent: with the creation of a new administrative unit in the region, the intention was to implement, in practice, the colonization of the Upper
Negro River Río Negro (Spanish and Portuguese, 'Black River') may refer to:
Rivers
Brazil
* Rio Negro (Amazon), tributary of the Amazon River
* Rio Negro (Mato Grosso do Sul)
* Rio Negro (Paraná)
* Rio Negro (Rio de Janeiro)
* Rio Negro (Rondônia)
* ...
, creating the necessary infrastructure for the meeting and the work of the Portuguese and Spanish demarcation committees, and this meeting never took place, having Portuguese moulds temporarily occupied the course of the lower Branco River in the meantime, carrying out plantations of
manioc
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated a ...
and other food, for the provisioning of the Commission.
The São Joaquim Fort, built in 1755 at the confluence of the Uraricoiera River with the
Takutu River, was decisive in the conquest of the Branco River by the Portuguese. The Fort, which no longer exists today, had the main purpose of providing the Portuguese with the total sovereignty of Portugal over the lands of the Branco River Valley, which aroused international greed due to its little exploitation.
![Povoado de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Roraima)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Povoado_de_Nossa_Senhora_da_Concei%C3%A7%C3%A3o_%28Roraima%29.jpg)
The Portuguese colonizers, after assuming the sovereignty and total control of the region, created several villages and towns in the locality, together with indigenous natives. Nossa Senhora da Conceição and Santo Antônio, on the Uraricoera River; São Felipe, on the Takutu River and Nossa Senhora do Carmo and Santa Bárbara, on the Branco River, were the main settlements created at the time, housing a significant population number. However, due to the conflicts between the indigenous and the colonizers, because the indigenous people did not accept to submit to the conditions imposed by the Portuguese, the villages did not develop.
To guarantee the presence of the Portuguese settlers in the lands of the Branco River Valley, commander Manuel da Gama Lôbo d'Almada started breeding cattle and horses in the territory, in 1789. The farms of São Bento, São José and São Marcos, on the Uraricoera and Takutu rivers, respectively, were the first to permanently introduce cattle and equine breeding, between 1793 and 1799. Currently, the São Marcos farm belongs to the indigenous people and is located in front of the place where Fort São Joaquim was located.
![Centro cívico de Boa Vista](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Centro_c%C3%ADvico_de_Boa_Vista.jpg)
For a year, between 1810 and 1811, English soldiers entered the Valley but were expelled by the commander of São Joaquim Fort. The border between
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
, whose border demarcation process had already been closed, needed to be re-marked, due to the great English invasions that occurred in that period.
Therefore, the colonization of the Branco River was divided into four periods: From 1750 to the beginning of the 19th century, with the discovery of the Branco River; from the mid-19th century until the creation of the municipality of
Boa Vista, in 1890; from 1890 until the creation of the Federal Territory of Rio Branco; and the creation of the Federal Territory of Rio Branco to elevate it to the category of Brazilian federative unit renamed Roraima.
Decree-Law No. 5,812 of September 13, 1943, which dismembered the state of
Amazonas, created the Federal Territory of Rio Branco. In 1962, the territory was called the Federal Territory of Roraima and elevated to the category of Brazilian federative unit by the
Brazilian Constitution of 1988.
The colonization of the region was highly encouraged at the end of the 19th century, with the establishment of National Farms. However, the state's population only found stability after its emancipation, a century later, with the gold and diamond mines that attracted migratory waves from different regions of the country. This disorderly immigration and exploitation resulted in many conflicts and deaths due to illnesses and murders in the locality.
Currently, almost all of the state's
indigenous reserves are approved.
Geography
![Brazil Roraima relief map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Brazil_Roraima_relief_map.jpg)
Roraima is a state in the
North Region of Brazil, being the northernmost state in the
Federative Republic of Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area an ...
. It has 1,922 kilometres of border with South American countries. It is bordered by the state of
Pará
Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana ...
to the southeast,
Amazonas to the south and west,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
to the north and northwest, and
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
to the east.
Roraima covers an area of approximately ,
slightly larger than
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
, being the
fourteenth largest Brazilian state by area.
Approximately of the state is composed of indigenous areas, representing almost half of the state's territory (46.37%).
The area of
environmental preservation
Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health se ...
in the state, under the responsibility of the
Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation
The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Portuguese: ''Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade'', ICMBio) is the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment's administrative arm."Brazilian Federal Law 11.516/2007 (Por ...
(ICMBio), is also extensive, with , 8.42% of Roraima's area.
For this reason, Roraima is the Brazilian state with the second-highest percentage of territory formed by
protected areas
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
, behind only the state of
Amapá
Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...
.
Relief
Mount Roraima, located in
Pacaraima Mountains The Pacaraima or Pakaraima Mountains ( pt, Serra de Pacaraima, es, Sierra de Pacaraima) are a mountain range primarily in southwestern Guyana, and into northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela.
Geography
The range extends from west to east for over ...
, is the highest point in the state and one of the highest in the country, with . The relief in the state is quite varied. Near the borders of Venezuela and Guyana are the mountains of
Parima and
Pacaraima, where
Mount Roraima is located, with an altitude of . As it is in the far north of Brazil, its points in the far north are the
Uailan River and Mount Caburaí.
In a comprehensive way, the relief in Roraima is predominantly flat. Approximately 60% of the area has altitudes below , About 25% rises to an average between 200 and 300 metres, 14% from 300 to 900 metres and only 1% have elevations of the surface above 900 metres above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
. There are also two
geomorphological
Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or n ...
structures: the Wavy Plateau and the Northern Escarpments, which are part of the
Guiana Shield
The Guiana Shield (french: Plateau des Guyanes, Bouclier guyanais; nl, Hoogland van Guyana, Guianaschild; pt, Planalto das Guianas, Escudo das Guianas; es, Escudo guayanés) is one of the three cratons of the South American Plate. It is a ...
. Its Wavy Plateau is a large pediplain, formed by isolated and dispersed massifs and peaks.
Because of its variations, the relief is divided into five degrees: The first degree houses areas of the state that can be flooded, which do not have a specific form of relief, but which are covered by a thin layer of water; the second degree would be the
Branco River pediplain, an important unit of enormous expression in the state since it occupies a large part of its lands. In this pediplain, the altitudes vary from 70 to 160 metres and have a low slope towards the river channels. The third degree is formed by elevations that can reach an altitude of 400 metres.
There are mountain ranges such as Serra da Lua, Serra Grande, Serra da Batata and others. The fourth degree is characterized by elevations that can vary from 600 to 2,000 metres of altitude, formed mainly by the
Pacaraima mountain range,
Serra do Parima and Serra do Urucuzeiro. These mountains are joined in the form of chains and the rivers that form the
Uraricoera river
The Uraricoera River (Uraricuera) is a river of Roraima state in northern Brazil. The confluence of the Uraricoera and Takutu Rivers forms the Branco River.
Basin
The river drains the Guayanan Highlands moist forests ecoregion.
Part of the r ...
are born there. Finally, the fifth degree, groups the highest regions, formed by elevations that reach almost 3,000 metres of altitude.
Climate
![Roraima Köppen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Roraima_K%C3%B6ppen.svg)
According to the
Köppen-Geiger climate classification, the prevailing climate in Roraima is similar to that of other states in the North Region that shelter the
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
: basic variations of the
tropical climate
Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...
.
The average temperature during the year varies from 20 °C (68 °F) in points of relief with higher altitudes, to 38 °C (100.4 °F) in areas of smooth or flat relief.
The rainfall index in the eastern part is about 2 thousand millimetres. In the western part, it is approximately 1.5 thousand millimetres. In the capital and nearby areas, the indexes reach 2.6 thousand millimetres.
In general, the climate varies according to the region. The south and west of the state have a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
(''Af'').
The average annual temperature ranges from 25 to 28 °C (77 to 82.4 °F).
In the north and east, the prevailing climates are the
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
(''Am'') and
tropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...
(''Aw''), where the average temperature is similar to the other regions of the state, however the rainfall index is lower, and the dry season is well defined.
Despite the latitude, in the extreme northwest and northeast, in the highest areas of the state, it is possible to find climatic patterns compatible with those of
humid subtropical climates (''Cfa'' and ''Cwa''),
as in the region around Mount Roraima, which has an annual average temperature between 20 and 22 °C (68 and 71.6 °F), and a dry season between December and March.
Hydrography
![Rio Branco sul](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Rio_Branco_sul.JPG)
The state of Roraima has an extensive hydrography. Its territory is abundantly irrigated by 14 rivers, being these:
Água Boa do Univiní,
Ailã,
Ajarani,
Alalaú,
Branco,
Catrimani,
Cauamé,
Itapará,
Mucajaí
Mucajaí () is a municipality located in the midwest of the state of Roraima in Brazil. Its population is 18,172 (2020) and its area is 12,461 km².
Mucajaí started as Colônia Agrícola Fernando Costa, an agricultural colony, in 1951. In 1 ...
,
Surumu
Surumu (26 February 1974 – 3 November 1999) was a German Thoroughbred racehorse.
Background
Surumu, a Chestnut (coat), chestnut, was foaled in 1974 at Andreas Jacobs, the Jacobs family's Gestüt Fährhof near Bremen. He was from the Dark Ronal ...
,
Takutu,
Uraricoera,
Urubu and
Xeruini.
The hydrography of Roraima is part of the
Amazon River basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
and is basically based on the Branco River sub-basin of , the largest and most important in the state. This river is one of the tributaries of the
Negro River Río Negro (Spanish and Portuguese, 'Black River') may refer to:
Rivers
Brazil
* Rio Negro (Amazon), tributary of the Amazon River
* Rio Negro (Mato Grosso do Sul)
* Rio Negro (Paraná)
* Rio Negro (Rio de Janeiro)
* Rio Negro (Rondônia)
* ...
.
Most of the rivers in the region have a large number of
beaches
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
in the summer, ideal for tourism and leisure. Besides, there are rapids rivers located in the north of the state, which are an option for water sports, such as
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...
. Almost all water sources in the state originate within its territory, except for two rivers with springs in
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
. All Roraiman rivers flow into the
Amazon Basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
.
Fauna and Flora
![Cavalos selvagens de Roraima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Cavalos_selvagens_de_Roraima.jpg)
The diversity of
landscapes
A landscape is the visible features of an area of Terrestrial ecoregion, land, its landforms, and how they integrate with Nature, natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionar ...
and
biomes in Roraima contributes to the formation of the fauna in Roraima.
In the Roraiman
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
region, animals such as ''
jaguars
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the thi ...
,
tapirs
Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhabit ...
,
peccaries
A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North A ...
,
alligators
An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additionall ...
,
margay cats,
otters
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
,
deers,
monkeys
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
'', and other species are found.
In the general fields of the Branco River and the savannas, there are ''
anteaters
Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with ...
,
armadillos
Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along w ...
,
tortoises
Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...
,
pampas deer
The Pampas deer (''Ozotoceros bezoarticus'') is a species of deer that live in the grasslands of South America at low elevations.Geist, Valerius. Deer of the world their evolution, behaviour, and ecology'. Mechanicsburg, Pa: Stackpole Books, 1998 ...
,
pacas
A paca is a member of the genus ''Cuniculus'' of ground-dwelling, herbivorous rodents in South and Central America. It is the only genus in the family Cuniculidae. Pacas are large rodents with dots and stripes on their sides, short ears, and ...
,
agouti
The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced else ...
,'' several species of snakes and other species.
Among many species, the
wild horses
Wild horse (''Equus ferus'') is a species of the genus ''Equus'' that includes domesticated and undomesticated subspecies.
* Przewalski's wild horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'' or ''Equus przewalskii''), a rare and endangered subspecies of wild ...
stand out, they are called ''
cavalos lavradeiros'' (in English: savannah horses or steppe horses), one of the last populations of wild horses in the world.
In the Branco River basin, where most fish species are found, the variety of species is large. Among the main fish are the ''
pacu,
peacock bass
Peacock bass or Brazilian tucunaré are large freshwater cichlids of the genus ''Cichla''. These are diurnal predatory fishes native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as rivers of the Guianas, in tropical South America. They are someti ...
,
surubi,
matrinxã,
redtail catfish,
tambaqui,
acará,
mandi
Mandi may refer to:
Places
* Mandı, Azerbaijan
India
* Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir
* Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh
** Mandi State, former princely sta ...
,
cachorra,
piranha
A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...
,
traíra,
piraíba
''Brachyplatystoma filamentosum'', the piraíba or kumakuma, is a species of large catfish of the family Pimelodidae and genus Brachyplatystoma that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basins and fluvials in Guianas and northeastern Brazil.
D ...
,
arowana
Arowanas are freshwater bony fish of the subfamily Osteoglossinae, also known as bony tongues (the latter name is now often reserved for Arapaiminae). In this family of fish, the head is bony and the elongated body is covered by large, heavy s ...
'' and many other species.
On the beaches of the lower Branco River, it is still possible to find species of
turtles
Turtles are an order (biology), order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) an ...
, as the ''
yellow-spotted river turtle
The yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (''Podocnemis unifilis''), also known commonly as the yellow-headed sideneck turtle and the yellow-spotted river turtle, and locally as the taricaya, is one of the largest South American river turtles. It ...
''. There are many species of birds in the state, from large to small ones. Among the large ones, the ''passarão'' (literally big bird) and the ''
jabiru
The jabiru ( or ; ''Jabiru mycteria'') is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It sometimes wanders into the United States, usually in Texas, but has been reported as far north as Mississippi. ...
'' stand out. Among the small ones, ''
guans,
herons
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
,
crested caracara
The crested caracara (''Caracara plancus'') is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found from the southern United States through Central and South America to Tierra del Fuego. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Polyborus''.
Descri ...
'' and others stand out.
![Savanas de Roraima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Savanas_de_Roraima.jpg)
In Roraima, the flora is divided into three regions:
* Amazon rainforest ''(Floresta tropical amazônica)'': composed of dense and humid forest typical of the lower Branco River, extending through the southwest region.
* General fields of the Branco River ''(Campos Gerais do Rio Branco)'': with approximately , also known as the lavrado region. Lavrado is also known as savannah. Formed by
grass-plot, but along the watercourses, called ''igarapés'', there are large
palm trees
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
**List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm (ba ...
known as
''buritizeiros''. In the lavrado there are also, in great quantity, bushes, paricaranas and muricizeiros.
* Mountainous region ''(Região Serrana)'': with typical mountainous vegetation, thinner trees and valleys rich in
humus
In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...
with good-quality grass for livestock.
In any of the regions, there are three different types of vegetation cover taking into account the river banks. These are:
* Mainland forests ''(Matas de terra firme)'': comprising forests located in lands never affected by river floods.
* Floodplain forests ''(Matas de várzeas)'': these are the forests that cover the lands affected by the floods of rivers.
* Riparian forests ''(Matas ciliares)'': these are preserved by law and are also flooded every year by river floods.
Demography
![Roraima DensidadePopulacional](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Roraima_DensidadePopulacional.svg)
According to the population estimate of 2020 carried out by the
Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ( pt, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information ...
(IBGE), Roraima had a population of 631,181 inhabitants, which makes the state the least populous federative unit in Brazil.
The capital,
Boa Vista, concentrates 66.4% of the state's population. The population of Roraima has almost doubled in twenty years. In 1991, the state had only 217,583 inhabitants, a significant increase of 95.51% in population growth.
The municipalities that showed the highest population growth were
Boa Vista, the capital, and
Rorainópolis
Rorainópolis () is a municipality located in the southernmost point of the state of Roraima in Brazil. Its population is 30,782 (as of 2020) and its area is 33,594 km². The municipality is crossed by the equator.
History
In the 1970s, the ...
. As for the annual population growth in Roraima, the state ranks among the fastest-growing in Brazil, with a rate of 4.6%, much higher than the national average of 1.6% growth. In this regard, it is second only to
Amapá
Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...
, which registers more than 5% annual growth.
However, this high population growth has been declining in recent years.
An example of this is the rate presented in 2000 when Roraima showed 49.09% of population growth with 1991. In the last census, in 2010, that number dropped to 31.13%.
Of the total population of the state in 2010, 229,343 inhabitants are men and 221,884 inhabitants are women. In recent years, the growth of the urban population has intensified significantly, exceeding the total rural population. According to the 2000 estimate, 80.3% of the inhabitants lived in cities.
The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1.8 inhab./km
2 in 2006.
This mark is lower than the Brazilian density, 19.94 inhab./km
2. The distribution of the state population is uneven, with a greater concentration in the capital region and the south of the state. Five municipalities – Boa Vista, Rorainópolis, Alto Alegre, Caracaraí and Bonfim – concentrate more than half of the population of Roraima.
In 2017, the
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, whi ...
(HDI) of Roraima was 0.752, considered high and placing the state in 12th position among the 26 states in Brazil.
Ethnicity
Cultural, political and economic traits inherited from the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
and
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
are influential in Roraima. Also, the importance of the
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
in terms of ethnic contribution cannot be forgotten. It was the indigenous people who initiated human occupation in the
Amazon region
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
, and their descendants, the ''
caboclos
A caboclo () is a person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and European ancestry, or, less commonly, a culturally assimilated or detribalized person of full Amerindian descent. In Brazil, a ''caboclo'' generally refers to this specific type of '' ...
'', developed in close contact with the environment, adapting to the regional peculiarities and opportunities offered by the forest.
In its historical formation, the Roraiman demography is the result of the
miscegenation
Miscegenation ( ) is the interbreeding of people who are considered to be members of different races. The word, now usually considered pejorative, is derived from a combination of the Latin terms ''miscere'' ("to mix") and ''genus'' ("race") ...
of the three basic ethnic groups that make up the population in the state: the Indigenous, the Europeans and the Africans, thus forming the mestizos of the region (''
caboclos
A caboclo () is a person of mixed Indigenous Brazilian and European ancestry, or, less commonly, a culturally assimilated or detribalized person of full Amerindian descent. In Brazil, a ''caboclo'' generally refers to this specific type of '' ...
''). Later, with the arrival of migrants, especially from the
Northeast of Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil ( pt, Região Nordeste do Brasil; ) is one of the five official and political regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises n ...
,
a "broth" of singular culture was formed, which characterizes a large part of the population, its values and way of life.
According to the 2010 census, the total population of Roraima was composed of ''
Pardos'' (
mixed-race
Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...
, 60.92%),
Whites
White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view.
Description of populations as " ...
(20.90%),
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
(11.18%),
Afro-Brazilians
Afro-Brazilians ( pt, afro-brasileiros; ) are Brazilians who have predominantly African ancestry (see " preto"). Most members of another group of people, multiracial Brazilians or ''pardos'', may also have a range of degree of African ancestry. ...
(6.04%) and
Asians
Asian people (or Asians, sometimes referred to as Asiatic people)United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 200Nlm.nih.gov: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purpos ...
(0.96%).
Roraima also recognizes
mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
identity. Mestizo Day (June 27) is an official date in the state.
Religion
![Catedral Cristo Redentor-RR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Catedral_Cristo_Redentor-RR.jpg)
According to data from 2010, from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the main religious denominations of Roraima were: Catholicism (50.5%),
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
(30.3%),
no religion (12.98%), Indigenous religions (2.75%),
Spiritism
Spiritism (French: ''spiritisme''; Portuguese: ''espiritismo'') is a spiritualist, religious, and philosophical doctrine established in France in the 1850s by the French teacher, educational writer, and translator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Riva ...
(0.91%),
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
(0.13%),
Candomblé
Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman ...
(0.08%),
Esoteric traditions (0.03%),
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
and
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
(0.03% each),
Umbanda
Umbanda () is a syncretic Afro-Brazilian religion that blends traditional African religions with Roman Catholicism, Spiritism, and Indigenous American beliefs. Although some of its beliefs and most of its practices existed in the late 19th cent ...
(0.02%) and
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
(0.01%).
The
Roman Catholic Diocese of Roraima
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Roraima ( la, Dioecesis Roraimensis) is a diocese located in the state of Roraima in the Ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manaus, Manaus in Brazil.
History
* 1934: Established as Apostolic Ad ...
, a
suffragan diocese
A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ...
of the
Archdiocese of Manaus
The Archdiocese of Manaus ( la, Archidioecesis Manaënsis) is an archdiocese located in the city of Manaus in Brazil.
History
* April 27, 1892: Established as Diocese of Amazonas from the Diocese of Belém do Pará
* February 16, 1952: Promoted ...
, is the only Catholic diocese in the state of Roraima. It belongs to the
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...
of Manaus and the Northern Regional Episcopal Council of the
National Conference of Bishops of Brazil
The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (Portuguese: Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil, CNBB) brings together the Catholic Bishops of Brazil, as the Code of Canon Law, "jointly exercise certain pastoral functions on behalf of the fait ...
. The episcopal see is in the Cristo Redentor Cathedral, in the city of
Boa Vista. In addition to the majority Catholic Church, there are dozens of different Protestant denominations in the state.
In recent years,
Eastern religions
The Eastern religions are the religions which originated in East, South and Southeast Asia and thus have dissimilarities with Western, African and Iranian religions. This includes the East Asian religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, Chinese fol ...
,
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...
and evangelical denominations have grown considerably in the state.
Among the Christian restorationist denominations,
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
(0.55%) and
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(0.15%) stand out. Among the new Eastern religions, the
Church of World Messianity
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
stands out (0.06%). Other beliefs are shared by 1.47% of the population.
Education
In 2009, the state had a network of 585
elementary schools
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
, of which 322 are state schools, 252 municipal, 10
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
and 1 federal public school. The teaching staff consisted of 4,842 teachers, of whom 2,952 worked in state public schools, 1,627 in municipal public schools and 217 in private schools. 86,547 students studied in these schools, of which 82,208 in public schools and 4,339 in private schools.
High school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
was given in 100 establishments, with the enrollment of 17,512 students. Of the 17,512 students, 16,175 were in public schools and 1,337 in private schools.
![Bloco I UFRR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Bloco_I_UFRR.jpg)
As for higher education, the
Federal University of Roraima
The Federal University of Roraima ( pt, Universidade Federal de Roraima, UFRR) is a Brazilian public institution which is located in Boa Vista, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is ...
(UFRR), the State University of Roraima (UERR) and the Federal Institute of Roraima (IFRR) stand out. There are also private Higher Education establishments: Roraiman College of Higher Education (FARES), Estácio Atual College, Cathedral College and Faculty of Sciences, Education and Theology of Northern Brazil (FACETEN).
About 14,500 pre-school students were also registered, divided into 270 teaching units. Of these, 258 were municipal, with none at the state level. There were 857 pre-school teachers in the state.
In 2019 the
illiteracy rate in the state was 5%, placing Roraima in the
7th position among the states of Brazil with the highest percentage of literate population, ahead of all states in the
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and
Northeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
regions. In 2019, in the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB), the state reached a score of 5.7 points, being higher than the national average and becoming the 15th position among the Brazilian states.
In 2011, the average grade of Roraima in the
National High School Exam
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
(ENEM) is 35.03 in the objective test and 56.37 in the essay test, being one of the highest scores in the North-Northeast of Brazil. In these two regions, Roraima lost only to
Amazonas (57.77). However, even with the second highest score, the Roraiman average was below the national average, which was 57.26. Regarding the number of students, 7,463 participated in ENEM in 2010, of which 2,404 were high school graduates and 4,493 graduates. 85.52% of the total students came from public schools.
A survey carried out by
Portal G1 identified Roraima as one of the Brazilian states that best remunerates middle school teachers, with an average salary of
R$ 2,099.47 for 25 hours per week. According to the survey, the highest salary in the country, in the
Federal District
A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they e ...
– in the amount of R $ 3,121.96 – was related to a workload of 40 hours. In the same year, the NGO Todos pela Educação also mentioned Roraima as the second Brazilian state with the highest investment in basic education students per year, with R$ 4,834.43, for each student.
Health care
In 2005, there were 455
hospital establishments in the state, with 725
beds
A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax.
Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many be ...
and 56 doctors, 10 graduated nurses and 60 nursing assistants.
In 2010, of the 455 existing hospitals, 378 were for adults and children, 22 were exclusively for children, being 49 general and 3 specialized. In 2005, 85.2% of the population of Roraima had access to the water network, while 75% benefited from the sanitary
sewage
Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...
network.
According to the 2010 Brazilian Census, 81.4% of the population of Roraima rated their health as good or excellent; 72.5% of the population regularly undergo medical consultations; 44.9% of the inhabitants consulted the dentist regularly and 7.4% of the population has been hospitalized in the last twelve months. Approximately 22% of the inhabitants declared to have a
chronic disease
A chronic condition is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three mo ...
and only 9.8% have health insurance. Another significant fact is the fact that 44.7% of the inhabitants declare that they always need the Family Health Unit Program (PUSF).
Regarding
women's health
Women's health differs from that of men in many unique ways. Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not mer ...
, 30.5% of women over 40 years old had a
clinical breast exam in the last twelve months; 39.1% of women between 50 and 69 years old had a
mammogram
Mammography (also called mastography) is the process of using low-energy X-rays (usually around 30 kVp) to examine the human breast for diagnosis and screening. The goal of mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through d ...
in the last twenty-four months, and 85.6% of women between 25 and 59 years old had a preventive exam for
cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...
in the last thirty-six months.
Economy
With a
Gross Domestic Product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
(GDP) of only
R$ 13,37 billion, the economy of the state of Roraima is the
smallest in Brazil, corresponding to only 0.2% of Brazil's economy. It is based on
agricultural production
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
, mainly in grain
agribusiness
Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy,
in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise.
The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit w ...
, with emphasis on
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima
''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
,
soybeans
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...
and
corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
. It is said that the state works in the so-called “paycheck economy”, when there is a circulation mainly of the amounts paid in salaries to public servants and private employees of commerce.
In
livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...
, the
live cattle trade for slaughter in
Manaus
Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...
was, until the 1970s, the main economic base. For years, between 6 and 10 thousand oxen were traded with Manaus annually. This type of trade brought
foodstuff
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...
s,
clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
,
household items
Household hardware (or simply, hardware) is equipment that can be touched or held by hand such as keys, locks, nuts, screws, washers, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, belts, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, tools, utensils, cutle ...
, among others, to Roraima. This form of supply ended due to two main factors:
population growth
Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...
in the state, through the inauguration of the
Manaus–Boa Vista Road, and the decrease in the cattle herd.
Rice took the place of meat, starting to be traded with Manaus in the late 1970s. In 1977,
agricultural mechanization for rice crop was introduced, increasing production capacity. In the beginning, mechanization was applied in the area of plowing for the production of
upland rice
Upland rice is a type of rice grown on dry soil rather than flooded paddy field, rice paddies. It is sometimes also called dry rice.
Introduction
Today nearly 100 million people depend on upland rice as their daily staple food. Almost two-thi ...
, which did not have the success expected by several factors. One of them was the lack of physical structure for storing production, as there were no dryers and warehouses. However, this system made it possible to shift production to irrigated rice. With more capitalized producers and government support in the construction of warehouses and dryers, production became viable. This type of rice came to be produced in the floodplains of the
Branco,
Takutu,
Uraricoera and
Cauamé rivers, with productivity high enough to cover the high costs of implanting and maintaining this crop in Roraima.
![Arroz 097](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Arroz_097.jpg)
Subsequently, the cultivation of soybeans appeared in the plowing, with the planted area being increased year by year. The biggest problems of this crop are in the area of guaranteeing land tenure, its incompatibilities with environmental laws, in addition to irregularity and poor reliability of transport. These two largest crops in Roraima decreased with the conquest by the peoples from the Demarcation of the
Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Area.
Other crops such as corn,
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...
and beans are also present. But they do not reach the level of rice and soy production. In the case of
manioc
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated a ...
for the production of
flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
, Roraima is self-sufficient. In the area of fruit growing,
pineapple
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...
,
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
,
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
,
papaya
The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...
,
melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...
,
watermelon
Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...
,
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...
,
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
,
passion fruit
''Passiflora edulis,'' commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to southern Brazil through Paraguay and northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its sweet, seedy ...
and
tangerine
The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in color. Its scientific name varies. It has been treated as a separate species under the name ''Citrus tangerina'' or ''Citrus'' × ''tangerina'', or treated as a variety of ''Citrus retic ...
are produced in the state. The melon, watermelon and papaya stand out for their quality recognition. There has been great progress with vegetables in recent years. The production of
lettuce
Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, ...
,
green onions
"Green Onions" is an instrumental composition recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Described as "one of the most popular instrumental rock and soul songs ever" and as one of "the most popular R&B instrumentals of its era", the tune is a ...
,
parsley
Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...
, peppers,
sweet potatoes
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young sho ...
,
string beans,
pumpkin
A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
,
cabbage
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...
and
sweet pepper
The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...
have increased, and it can be said that there is also self-sufficiency in this sector. Greenhouse production has helped in this process.
![Brazil_nuts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Brazil_nuts.jpg)
Roraima has always occupied a secondary position in the economic geography of the Amazon when it comes to plant extractivism, producing
Brazil nuts
The Brazil nut (''Bertholletia excelsa'') is a South American tree in the family Lecythidaceae, and it is also the name of the tree's commercially harvested edible seeds. It is one of the largest and longest-lived trees in the Amazon rainforest. ...
,
rowanberries and
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
. The first two in the southern region of the state, especially under the
Branco River. They are sold in Manaus, but on a small scale. The wood has been explored and traded with
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and, more recently, with other countries in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
.
The Roraiman industry is small. In the Industrial District of Boa Vista, located on the edge of the
BR-174
BR-174 is a federal highway of Brazil. The road connects Cáceres to Pacaraima on the Venezuelan border.
It is the only road connection of the state of Roraima with the rest of the country. 458 kilometres are under construction, and there is no ...
, there were 58 plants in operation in 2015. They produce cereals, wood, leather, and others. The
commercial sector is traditional, buying from other places, such as
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
and Manaus, and reselling in Boa Vista and other municipalities.
Getting closer commercially with neighboring countries to practice
foreign trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy)
In most countries, such trade represents a significant s ...
is a path that has been recently traced. The main trading partner for exports and imports is Venezuela; the main product exported in 2004 and 2010 was wood; in 2015, there was a good diversification with the export of soy, leather and
mineral water
Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases.
Tra ...
, in addition to wood. The products imported in greater quantity have been machines, devices and mechanical instruments. The municipalities that export the most are Boa Vista, Bonfim, Caracaraí, Mucajaí and Rorainópolis.
Politics
![Bandeira de Roraima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Bandeira_de_Roraima.svg)
Roraima is a state of Brazil, being governed by three powers, the
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dir ...
, represented by the
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
, the
legislative
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
, represented by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Roraima, and the
judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, represented by the Court of Justice of the State of Roraima and other courts and judges. Popular participation in government decisions through
referendums
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
is also allowed. The current constitution of the state of Roraima was enacted on December 31, 1991, in addition to the changes resulting from subsequent
constitutional amendments
A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, t ...
.
![Palácio Senador Hélio Campos em Boa Vista (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Pal%C3%A1cio_Senador_H%C3%A9lio_Campos_em_Boa_Vista_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The Roraima
Executive Branch
The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state.
In poli ...
is centered on the state governor,
who is elected by
universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
and direct and secret vote, by the population for terms of up to four years in duration, and can be reelected for another term. The Senador Hélio Campos Palace is the seat of the Roraima government since 1991.
The
Legislative Power
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
of Roraima is
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...
, constituted by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Roraima. It consists of 24
deputies
A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...
, who are elected every 4 years. In the
National Congress, the representation of Roraima is made up of 3 senators and 8 federal deputies.
The highest court of the Roraima Judiciary is the Court of Justice of the State of Roraima. The judiciary is made up of judges and judges of law.
When it comes to political representation organizations,
34 of the 35 Brazilian political parties have representation in the state.
According to information released by the
Superior Electoral Court
The Superior Electoral Court ( pt-BR, Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court ( pt-BR, Tribunal Regional Eleitoral, TRE) in each of the 26 states ...
(TSE), based on data from April 2016, the political party with the largest number of affiliates in Roraima is the
Progressive Republican Party (PRP), with 6,732 members, followed by the
Social Democracy Party (PSDB), with 5,356 members and the
Democratic Labor Party (PDT), with 5,087 members. Other political parties in the state, by number of members, are the
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to:
Active parties
* Progressive Party, Brazil
* Progressive Party (Chile)
* Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus
* Dominica Progressive Party
* Progressive Party (Iceland)
* Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...
(PP), with 4,521 members; and the
Workers' Party (PTB), with 3,406 members. Also according to the Superior Electoral Court, the
Sustainability Network
The Sustainability Network ( pt, Rede Sustentabilidade, REDE) is an environmentalist Brazilian political party founded in 2013 by Marina Silva, a Brazilian politician from Acre. The party formed a strategic alliance with the Brazilian Socialist ...
(REDE) and the
Unified Socialist Workers Party (PSTU) are the least representative political parties in Roraima, with 21 and 24 members, respectively.
The
New Party (NOVO) is the only Brazilian party that has no representation in Roraima.
Subdivisions
Roraima is politically divided into
15 municipalities. The most populous of them is
Boa Vista, with 419,652 inhabitants,
being the oldest municipality in the state, emerged as a village, the first with urban characteristics in Roraima. The municipalities are distributed in four immediate geographical regions, which in turn are grouped into two intermediate geographical regions, according to the division of the
Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ( pt, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information ...
(IBGE) in force since 2017.
Transportation
Airways
![Gate de embarque do Aeroporto Internacional de Boa Vista em julho de 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Gate_de_embarque_do_Aeroporto_Internacional_de_Boa_Vista_em_julho_de_2018.jpg)
In the state, there is only one
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...
managed by
Infraero
Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária (abr. Infraero) is a Brazilian government corporation founded in 1973, authorized by Law 5,862,INFRAERO: 40 ANOS SERVINDO PESSOAS, EMPRESAS E O BRASIL. Retrieved 01/10/2014linha%5D/ref> being ...
,
Boa Vista International Airport - Atlas Brasil Cantanhede, located in the state capital. In 2009, the airport in the state capital handled 190,469 passengers and 931,248
air cargo
Air cargo is any property carried or to be carried in an aircraft. Air cargo comprises air freight, air express and airmail.
Aircraft types
Different cargo can be transported by passenger, cargo or combi aircraft:
* Passenger aircraft use the ...
. The state also has 7 other state-class and smaller airports: Auaris Airport, in
Amajari
Amajari () is a municipality located in the northwest of the state of Roraima in Brazil. Its population is 13,185 and its area is 28,472 km². It is the westernmost municipality in Roraima.
The municipality of Amajari is a region of 8 indigen ...
; Mucajaí Airport, in
Mucajaí
Mucajaí () is a municipality located in the midwest of the state of Roraima in Brazil. Its population is 18,172 (2020) and its area is 12,461 km².
Mucajaí started as Colônia Agrícola Fernando Costa, an agricultural colony, in 1951. In 1 ...
; Pacaraima Airport, in
Pacaraima; Surucucu, Uaicas and Surucucus Airport, in
Alto Alegre, the latter located inside the
Yanomami Indigenous Territory
The Yanomami Indigenous Territory ( pt, Terra Indígena Yanomami) is an indigenous territory in the states of Amazonas and Roraima, Brazil. It overlaps with several federal or state conservation units.
It is home to Yanomami and Ye'kuana peopl ...
; and Caracaraí Airport, in
Caracaraí
Caracaraí () is a municipality located in the state of Roraima in Brazil. Its population is 22,283 and its area is , making it the largest municipality in Roraima state. Caracaraí is located on the Branco River.
Overview
Caracaraí was found ...
. These airports are of municipal and state administration.
Air transport is the fastest to regulate in Roraima, being in better conditions than the others. The cities, districts and towns of the inland of Roraima are served, in most cases, by transport from
Boa Vista. That said, it is the most isolated federative unit in Brazil.
There is no
rail network
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
in the state.
Highways
![Mapa Rodoviário RR - detalhado](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Mapa_Rodovi%C3%A1rio_RR_-_detalhado.png)
The only Brazilian state that has a road connection with Roraima is
Amazonas, through the
BR-174
BR-174 is a federal highway of Brazil. The road connects Cáceres to Pacaraima on the Venezuelan border.
It is the only road connection of the state of Roraima with the rest of the country. 458 kilometres are under construction, and there is no ...
, which connects the municipalities in the South to the municipalities in the North of the state, and is also responsible for connecting Brazil to
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. The BR-174 is long and crosses the territory of the state from south to north, crossing the
Branco River at the height of Caracaraí through the Caracaraí Bridge.
There is also the
BR-210
BR-210 is a federal highway of Brazil. The 411.7 kilometre road, popularly known as ' ("north perimeter"), is primarily located in the Northern Brazilian state of Roraima, with other segments in Amazonas, Pará, and Amapá.
The planning of the h ...
, also called Perimetral Norte, a project originating in the mid-twentieth century, from the
Federal Government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
, which had been carried out only partially and which, in principle, would link the state to
Pará
Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana ...
,
Amapá
Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...
and the municipality of
São Gabriel da Cachoeira
São Gabriel da Cachoeira (''Saint Gabriel of the Waterfall'') is a municipality located on the northern shore of the Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Cachorro, Amazonas state, Brazil.
Location
São Gabriel da Cachoeira is the thir ...
(in Amazonas). This highway is long and crosses the state in an east–west direction. Another highway in Roraima that crosses Brazil is the
BR-401, connecting the state with
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
. It starts in Boa Vista and crosses the Branco River through the Macuxis' Bridge, entering the Guyanese territory. Other federal highways are BR-431, BR-432 and BR-433. Federal roads in Roraima add up to .
There are state highways as well, including the RR-205 (which connects the capital to the headquarters of
Alto Alegre) and the RR-203 (connecting the headquarters and districts of Amajari to the BR-174), both of which are fully paved, signposted, and with good traffic conditions. Other important highways are the RR-325 and the RR-319, which cut through important agricultural areas and colonies of rural settlements. State highways add up to just over in length and are largely in conditions of improper use.
Waterways
![Ponte dos Macuxis, Boa Vista](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Ponte_dos_Macuxis%2C_Boa_Vista.jpg)
River transport is also notable in the state, as well as in other states in the
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
. However, river navigation is limited to the
Branco River. Transportation on the Branco River is heavily used for the economy, but with little passenger movement to inland cities. Regular navigation on this river occurs only in the mouth section (Negro River/Caracaraí), about long. In this segment, the Branco River has a maximum draft of 5 metres in the period of floods and a minimum of 0.7 metres in the period of drought. Roraima is at a disadvantage in relation to the other Amazonian states in terms of waterway system. As it is the only one in which all its notorious rivers have their source in their own territory – the state's hydrographic system is 100% Roraiman –, it is bound to have few river outlets. In fact, Roraima has only one major fluvial outlet: through the Branco river, reaching the Negro river, heading from there to
Manaus
Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...
and
São Gabriel da Cachoeira
São Gabriel da Cachoeira (''Saint Gabriel of the Waterfall'') is a municipality located on the northern shore of the Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Cachorro, Amazonas state, Brazil.
Location
São Gabriel da Cachoeira is the thir ...
. Even so, the most important river in Roraima still poses additional difficulties.
Tourism
Roraima has great tourism potential, especially in
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...
. Because it is located in the extreme north of Brazil, in the northern part of this country and because it borders on three South American countries, Roraima maintains close commercial relations based on tourism with these countries, especially
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. Natural attractions are the main tourist points of the state, especially
Mount Roraima. Mount Roraima is one of the oldest places on the planet and attracts many tourists from all over the world.
![Pedra pintada frente](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Pedra_pintada_frente.jpg)
Archaeologists have a strong interest in
Pedra Pintada
Caverna da Pedra Pintada (Painted Rock Cave ), is an archaeological site in northern Brazil, with evidence of human presence dating ca. 11,200 years ago.Saraceni, Jessica E. and Adriana Franco da Sá"People of South America."''Archaeology.'' Vol. ...
, which is the most important site of
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
in the state. In it, there are inscriptions of ancient civilizations, such as rock paintings, pieces of ceramics, hatchets, necklace beads, among other artifacts that indicate the history of human evolution, dating back to four thousand years. The rock is a granite monolith sixty metres in diameter and about 40 metres high. On the outer face, there are red rock paintings that are still considered an enigma for scientists. There are also funerary caves up to 12 meters long. Pedra Pintada is located in
Pacaraima.
Serra do Tepequém is also a state tourist attraction. It has a rich handicraft in
soapstone
Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the zo ...
and its area is free to explore diamonds. The place serves as a trekking practice, to the Paiva, Sobral, Barata and Funil waterfalls. The plateau is the culmination of the entire mountain, where the
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
that delimits the
borders between Brazil and Venezuela begins. It has an average altitude of 1,500 metres and is located in the municipality of
Amajari
Amajari () is a municipality located in the northwest of the state of Roraima in Brazil. Its population is 13,185 and its area is 28,472 km². It is the westernmost municipality in Roraima.
The municipality of Amajari is a region of 8 indigen ...
. Another tourist spot in the state is
Mount Caburaí. Geographers have proven that it is located 70 km north of
Oiapoque
Oiapoque () is a municipality in the north of the state of Amapá, Brazil. Its population is 27,906 and its area is . Oiapoque is also a major river in the same state, forming the international border with French Guiana. The Oyapock River Bridge, ...
,
Amapá
Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...
, which makes the mountain the northernmost point in Brazil, having been recognized by the official institutions responsible for geographic territorial demarcations, such as the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
Also noteworthy is
Lake Caracaranã, in the municipality of
Normandia
''Normandia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It was described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1872. The genus contains only one species, Normandia neocaledonica, which is endemic to New Caledonia. The genus is rel ...
. With almost 6 kilometres of
perimeter
A perimeter is a closed path that encompasses, surrounds, or outlines either a two dimensional shape or a one-dimensional length. The perimeter of a circle or an ellipse is called its circumference.
Calculating the perimeter has several pract ...
, it is known for its fine sand beaches surrounded by
cashew trees.
Notable people
![BM mia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/BM_mia.jpg)
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Bianca Matte (b. 1990), Beauty Queen
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Thiago Maia (b. 1997), professional footballer
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Shéridan Oliveira
Shéridan Esterfany Oliveira de Anchieta (born April 11, 1984) is a Brazilian politician and psychologist. Shéridan was the wife of the former governor of Roraima
Roraima (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's N ...
(b. 1984), politician and psychologist
*
Neudo Campos (b. 1946), politician and engineer
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Joênia Wapixana
Joênia Wapichana (officially Joênia Batista de Carvalho; born 20 April 1974) is the first indigenous lawyer in Brazil and a member of the Wapixana tribe of northern Brazil. After taking a land dispute to the Inter-American Commission on Human ...
(b. 1974), first indigenous lawyer in Brazil
References
External links
Official WebsiteBrazilian Tourism Portal
{{Authority control
States of Brazil
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States and territories established in 1988
1988 establishments in Brazil