Rio Grande do Norte

Lore & Background

The Vespucci expedition named the Potengi river 'Rio Grande' after its large mouth. For decades, no permanent European settlement was established, and the area was inhabited by the Potiguara people. In the 16th century, French pirates explored the region for brazilwood. Raising cattle and sugarcane plantation lifted local development and economy. After a period of peace and prosperity, sugar prices fell, leading to economic crisis and the massacres of Cunhaú and Uruaçu. During World War II, Rio Grande do Norte was used as an Allied airbase for raids on German-occupied North Africa.

Reader's Guide

Rio Grande do Norte holds significance as the northeasternmost point of South America and as a key region in Brazil's colonial history, marked by early European exploration, conflict between Portuguese and Dutch forces, and the establishment of Natal. Its economy has shifted from sugar and cattle to tourism, which is now the main economic activity, alongside petroleum extraction (the state is the second largest producer in Brazil), agriculture, and mineral extraction including sea salt. The state is home to 1.7% of Brazil's population and produces 1% of the country's GDP. The state's infrastructure includes the second-best in the Northeast Region, and its international airport is the only one in the region to receive charter flights from Scandinavia. The folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo was born and worked in the state, and the state is the closest part of mainland Brazil to the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.

Did You Know?

• Rio Grande do Norte contains Rocas Atoll, the only atoll in the South Atlantic Ocean.
• The state's air is, according to NASA, the second-cleanest in the world after Antarctica.
• The world's largest cashew tree, the Cashew of Pirangi, is located in the state.