Maranhão is a state in northern Brazil, located south of the Equator and southeast of the Amazon River basin. Its capital is São Luís, which stands on an island within a delta region. The state is mostly a low, heavily wooded area bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão borders Piauí to the east and southeast, and Tocantins and Pará to the west. The economy of Maranhão relies on farming and cattle raising. The state exports palm oils and rice. Industries include food processing, steel manufacturing, and aluminum smelting, mostly in São Luís. The population of Maranhão was 6,800,605 in 2022.

Where is Maranhão located in Brazil?

Maranhão is a state in northern Brazil, located south of the Equator and southeast of the Amazon River basin. It is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and southeast by Piauí state, and to the west by the states of Tocantins and Pará. The capital city, São Luís, is situated on an island within a delta region formed by several rivers.

What is the capital city of Maranhão?

The capital of Maranhão, a state in northeastern Brazil, is São Luís . The city is located on the western side of São Luís Island, between the Mearim and Itapicuru rivers. São Luís has a multinational aluminum plant and steel mills, and it exports textiles, sugar, rice, lumber, and babassu palm oil. The city's historic center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997.

What are some natural features found in Maranhão?

Maranhão, a state in northern Brazil, features a diverse landscape. Two-thirds of the state is characterized by a low, heavily wooded region that borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north. The southern section includes northeastern extensions of the Brazilian Highlands, with the Serra da Cinta as the highest point at 4,373 feet (1,333 meters). A number of rivers run from these highlands northeast into the Atlantic, forming a delta region around the capital city of São Luís, which is situated on an island. The delta is bordered by dense mangrove forests to the west and quicksand areas to the east. Additionally, São Marcos Bay, part of the Mearim River estuary, is a significant bay of the Atlantic Ocean within Maranhão.

What is Maranhão known for culturally or historically?

Maranhão, Brazil, is culturally rich due to the blending of Indigenous, European, and African influences. Jesuit missionaries introduced Roman Catholicism and shaped its agriculture. This state is known for its unique cultural blend, seen in its language, folklore, and the numerical predominance of descendants of African slaves. Writer Antônio Gonçalves Dias, a Romantic poet known for " Song of Exile ," and former Brazilian president José Sarney are two of the state's best-known figures. The historic center of its capital, São Luís, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, preserving its Portuguese colonial atmosphere. The plumed mantles of the Tupinambá and the delicate adornments of the Caapor are celebrated artistic traditions.

How do Maranhão's climate and geography affect its economy and way of life?

Maranhão's climate and geography significantly shape its economy and way of life. The state's hot, moist climate with distinct wet and dry seasons, along with its arable soils, supports farming and cattle raising , which are economic mainstays. The extensive river systems are navigable and facilitate transportation from inland ports, while the coastal fishing industry supports many inhabitants. The state has experienced industrial growth, including food processing, steel manufacturing, and aluminum smelting, centered in Sāo Luís.

Maranhão

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Map of South America highlighting the Brazilian state of Maranhao in the northeastern region, with Sao Luis marked as its capital. An inset map in the lower left corner shows Maranhao shaded within Brazil for additional context. Surrounding South American countries and major cities are also labeled.

Colorful colonial-era buildings with red doors and wrought iron balconies line a cobblestone street in the historic center of Sao Luis, Brazil. A person walks up the hill.

A textured blue background with white text reading Maranhao.

Maranhão

state, Brazil

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Top Questions

What is Maranhão?
Maranhão is a state in northern Brazil, located south of the Equator and southeast of the Amazon River basin. Its capital is São Luís, which stands on an island within a delta region. The state is mostly a low, heavily wooded area bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão borders Piauí to the east and southeast, and Tocantins and Pará to the west.

The economy of Maranhão relies on farming and cattle raising. The state exports palm oils and rice. Industries include food processing, steel manufacturing, and aluminum smelting, mostly in São Luís. The population of Maranhão was 6,800,605 in 2022.
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Where is Maranhão located in Brazil?
Maranhão is a state in northern Brazil, located south of the Equator and southeast of the Amazon River basin. It is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and southeast by Piauí state, and to the west by the states of Tocantins and Pará. The capital city, São Luís, is situated on an island within a delta region formed by several rivers.
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What is the capital city of Maranhão?
The capital of Maranhão, a state in northeastern Brazil, is São Luís. The city is located on the western side of São Luís Island, between the Mearim and Itapicuru rivers. São Luís has a multinational aluminum plant and steel mills, and it exports textiles, sugar, rice, lumber, and babassu palm oil. The city's historic center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Maranhão
2. São Luís
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What are some natural features found in Maranhão?
Maranhão, a state in northern Brazil, features a diverse landscape. Two-thirds of the state is characterized by a low, heavily wooded region that borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north. The southern section includes northeastern extensions of the Brazilian Highlands, with the Serra da Cinta as the highest point at 4,373 feet (1,333 meters). A number of rivers run from these highlands northeast into the Atlantic, forming a delta region around the capital city of São Luís, which is situated on an island. The delta is bordered by dense mangrove forests to the west and quicksand areas to the east. Additionally, São Marcos Bay, part of the Mearim River estuary, is a significant bay of the Atlantic Ocean within Maranhão.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Maranhão
2. São Marcos Bay
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is Maranhão known for culturally or historically?
Maranhão, Brazil, is culturally rich due to the blending of Indigenous, European, and African influences. Jesuit missionaries introduced Roman Catholicism and shaped its agriculture. This state is known for its unique cultural blend, seen in its language, folklore, and the numerical predominance of descendants of African slaves.

Writer Antônio Gonçalves Dias, a Romantic poet known for "Song of Exile," and former Brazilian president José Sarney are two of the state's best-known figures. The historic center of its capital, São Luís, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, preserving its Portuguese colonial atmosphere. The plumed mantles of the Tupinambá and the delicate adornments of the Caapor are celebrated artistic traditions.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do Maranhão's climate and geography affect its economy and way of life?
Maranhão's climate and geography significantly shape its economy and way of life. The state's hot, moist climate with distinct wet and dry seasons, along with its arable soils, supports farming and cattle raising, which are economic mainstays.

The extensive river systems are navigable and facilitate transportation from inland ports, while the coastal fishing industry supports many inhabitants. The state has experienced industrial growth, including food processing, steel manufacturing, and aluminum smelting, centered in Sāo Luís.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Maranhão, estado (state) of northern Brazil, situated south of the Equator and southeast of the Amazon River basin. About two-thirds of its area consists of a low heavily wooded region bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north. To the east and southeast lies Piauí state, and to the west lie the states of Tocantins and Pará.

The higher plateaus in the southern section of the state are northeastern extensions of the Brazilian Highlands. The highest point, the Serra da Cinta, is 4,373 feet (1,333 metres) in elevation. From these highlands a number of river systems run generally northeastward into the Atlantic. Several of them form a delta region around the capital city of São Luís, which stands on an island. The delta is bounded to the west by dense mangrove forests and to the east by areas of quicksand. The rivers in the state are navigable for much of their course, cutting through arable soils that support farming and cattle raising, the economic mainstays of Maranhão. The climate is hot and moist. There is a wet and a relatively dry season but never a rainless one.

The Tupinambá people inhabited the Maranhão region when Europeans first explored the coasts in 1500 and when the region was included in land grants, known as captaincies, made by the Portuguese crown in 1534. In the decades that followed, rival European powers attempted to take possession of the territory. The first settlement was established by the French, in 1594; later, in 1612, they also founded a colony on São Luís Island. The French were expelled by the Portuguese in 1615, but the Dutch succeeded in holding São Luís from 1641 to 1644.

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In 1621 Maranhão and adjoining regions were united as the Estado do Maranhão, which remained independent of the southern captaincies and of Portuguese colonial administration until 1774, when the territory was formally made part of the Portuguese colony of Brazil. In 1823 Maranhão adhered to the newly independent empire of Brazil and, in 1889, to the newly proclaimed republic.

Maranhão was settled mainly by Jesuit missionaries, who introduced Roman Catholicism to the Tupinambás, along with the pattern of agriculture and cattle-raising that continues to characterize the local economy. The people of Maranhão represent a blend of Tupinambás, Europeans (mainly Portuguese), and the descendants of African slaves, the latter being numerically predominant. There has been considerable racial intermarriage between these groups through the centuries, though in interior regions descendants of the original Indian population, known as caboclos, remain. Portuguese is the main written and spoken language, but it has been enriched by Indigenous languages, just as Portuguese culture has been supplemented by local folklore. Most of the population is Catholic.

Most of Maranhão is an economically underdeveloped region—one of the least urbanized areas in Brazil—and is dependent largely on agriculture and cattle raising. Palm oils from the babassu nut are a major export item, as is rice. Fishing supports a significant number of coastal inhabitants. By the end of the 20th century, Maranhão had experienced a high rate of industrial growth. Important industries include food processing, steel manufacturing, and aluminum smelting, centered in São Luís. There are bauxite deposits on Turiaƈu Island, and petroleum discoveries have been made in the interior near the Tocantins border and in the northern part of the state. A hydroelectric facility was completed at Boa Esperanƈa in 1970.

Itaqui Quay on São Luís Island is one of several modern shipping points on Maranhão’s coasts, and the navigable river system permits extensive shipment from ports deep in the interior. A railway 250 miles (400 km) long links São Luís with Teresina, the capital of Piauí state; a 554-mile (892-km) line joins São Luís with the state’s central and western agricultural regions and with the mineral-producing Carajás region of Pará state. The road network is only partially paved. There are several commercial airports, of which the international airport at São Luís is by far the most important.

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Medical facilities and health standards are relatively good in urban areas. Occasional outbreaks of tropical disease rarely reach epidemic proportions. The state supports primary, secondary, and university education, in addition to which there are independent colleges, a number of technical institutes, and private educational institutions at lower levels.

Cultural institutions include the Historical and Artistic Museum of Maranhão and the Maranhão Historical and Geographical Institute. The state’s best-known figures include writer Antônio Gonçalves Dias, a poet in the Romantic tradition versed in Maranhense lore whose “Song of Exile” is renowned, and former Brazilian president José Sarney. Area 128,179 square miles (331,983 square km). Pop. (2022) 6,800,605.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Meg Matthias.

Maranhão

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