The economy of the Northeast Region of Brazil is the third largest in the country, behind the Southeast and South Region respectively. The economy of the Northeast was the one that showed the greatest growth in recent years.
In 2012, gross domestic product grew 3%, more than three times the country’s average. It is in the Northeast Region that more than a quarter of the Brazilian population lives.
The economy of the Northeast Region is based on agriculture, plant and mineral extraction, industry and commerce, tourist activities, among others.
Agriculture
Sugarcane agriculture is developed in the Northeast Region, for the production of sugar and ethanol, in the Zona da Mata , a region that extends along a coastal strip, which runs from Rio Grande do Norte to the south of Bahia, with emphasis on the states of Alagoas, Pernambuco and Paraíba.
The region was once the most important sugar cane-producing area in the world and the main economic region of Brazil in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The culture of corn, beans, coffee, cassava, coconut, cashew nuts, bananas, sisal and algae, predominates in several states.
The Middle North (Western Northeast), a transition area between the semi-arid Sertão and the humid Amazon, where the states of Maranhão and Piauí are located, is crossed by several rivers, along which large river plains are formed, mainly used for the rice culture.
With the correction of the cerrado soil in southern Maranhão and southeast of Piauí, soybean cultivation is developed. Bahia is the second national producer of orange and cotton in the country.
It also stands out in soy production. The cotton culture is also developed in Ceará, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba, which produces naturally colored cotton.
Irrigated fruit production, benefited by the tropical climate, is developed in the Rio Açu Valley, in Rio Grande do Norte, with large production of melon, watermelon, etc., and in the Middle Valley of the São Francisco River, in the Sertão , mainly in the cities of Petrolina (PE) and Juazeiro (BA), where grapes, mangoes, melons, pineapples, papayas, etc. are produced, which are sold to the domestic market and exported, through the international airport of Petrolina, to several countries.
Plant and mineral extraction
In the extraction sector, the Northeast stands out in the production of oil and natural gas, produced in Bahia, Sergipe and Rio Grande do Norte, Piauí and Ceará. In Bahia it is explored on the coast and on the continental shelf.
Rio Grande do Norte produces 95% of the sea salt consumed in Brazil. Pernambuco is responsible for 95% of the total Brazilian plaster.
The Northeast also has deposits of granite, precious and semi-precious stones. The Itataia mine, in Santa Quitéria, Ceará, has one of the largest uranium reserves in the world.
Babassu, found in Piauí and in a large part of the territory of Maranhão, is important for the region, from its seed an oil used to make soap, margarine, creams is extracted, from its leaves, baskets, mats, etc. are manufactured.
Carnauba, a typical palm tree, found in the north of the states of Piauí and Maranhão, from which everything takes advantage, leaves are produced from carnauba wax, with wide industrial application.
Industry
The Northeast Region is experiencing an intense industrialization process. The Suape Port Industrial Complex, located in the city of Ipojuca, in Pernambuco, 40 km south of the city of Recife, is one of the main investment centers in the country.
There are more than 120 companies installed, including Refinaria Abreu e Lima, Estaleiro Atlântico Sul, Petrobras Distribuidora S / A, Shell do Brasil S / A, Arcor do Brasil Ltda, Bunge Alimento etc.
The Pernambuco Automotive Hub, located in the North Forest of the state, receives the installation of the Fiat factory.
Around Recife, in the Metropolitan Region, there are mechanical, paper, food products, cement, textile, electrical and other industries.
The Camaçari Petrochemical Complex, in Bahia, has more than 90 chemical and petrochemical companies installed.
In Mataripe, Bahia, the Landulpho Alves oil refinery is installed. Fortaleza is an industrial center in the textile, food, footwear and clothing manufacturing sectors.
The Wine Route, in the São Francisco River Valley, with seven wineries installed in the cities of Petrolina, Santa Maria da Boa Vista and Lagoa Grande, all in Pernambuco and Juazeiro, in Bahia, concentrates an industrial and tourist hub, with all the infrastructure for visitors.
Tourism
Tourism activity in the Northeast is an important factor for the region’s economy.
The region concentrates large areas full of natural beauty such as the extensive coastline, with beaches of warm and crystalline waters, which are among the most beautiful in the country, the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha (PE), an ecological paradise, the Lençóis National Park Maranhenses, the Canyons do São Francisco and others.
In the Northeast Region are located historic cities, World Heritage Sites, such as the historic centers of Olinda (PE), São Luís (MA) and Salvador (BA).
The city of João Pessoa has baroque buildings from the 16th century. The historic center of Recife is home to a large number of historic buildings.
The theater of Nova Jerusalem (PE), the largest open-air theater in the world, has already brought more than three million people to the region.