PIAUI
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Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, in the arid region of Sertão.
Piauí is the poorest of all the Brazilian states, a situation that has been constant ever since the area was first colonised by the Portuguese in the 1600s. The state has practically no industry, and relies almost entirely on agriculture, primarily cattle farming, an attribute earning it the nickname 'the Leather Civilisation'. However, despite its rural-based economy, there is almost a perfect balance between the population living in the city, and those living in rural areas, something uncommon in Brazil. |
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The majority of the state has a semi-arid
climate with wet periods from December to April and drought during the rest
of the year. Much of the land in Piauí is caatinga, a type of scrub.
Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the Brazilian states at 66km, and
the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be
located inland. The reason for this is because, unlike the rest of the area,
Piauí state was first colonised inland and slowly expanded towards the ocean,
rather than the other way around.
History
The state has many highly important archaeological sites, including the
Capivara National Park, which is rich in remains of prehistoric Amerindian
civilisations.
The first settlers in Piauí were bandits fleeing from São Paulo, notably
Domingos Afonso Mafrense and Domingos Jorge Velho. Mafrense founded what is
today Oeiras, whilst the first herds of cattle were taken there by Velho.
In the 1600s, many impoverished noblemen and Jesuit priests, as well as
black and Amerindian slaves. The first large-scale cattle farming also
arrived with these settlers. Large estate owners seeking new pastures for
their livestock arrived from neighbouring states such as Bahia and Maranhão.
Teresina was the first Brazilian city to be planned. In 1852, an architect
designed it, after being inspired by a chessboard. Situated at the mouth of
the Parnaíba and Poti Rivers, Teresina was (and still is) known as the Green
City because of the countless mango trees that line the city's streets. |
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