Roraima (, ; ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. 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 to the southeast, Amazonas to the south and west, Venezuela to the north and northwest, and Guyana to the east.
The state covers an area of approximately , 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. Antônio Denarium, a member of the conservative Progressistas 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.
The history of Roraima is strongly linked to the Branco River, which allowed the first Portuguese settlers to arrive in the region. The Branco River Valley's strategic position made it coveted by the English and the Dutch, who entered Brazil through the Guiana Shield in search of indigenous people to be enslaved. The Spaniards also came to invade the northern part of the Branco River and the Uraricoera River through Venezuela. The Portuguese settlers defeated and expelled all invaders, establishing Portugal's sovereignty over the region of Roraima and part of the Amazonas.
As a result of crisis in Venezuela 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-sixth of the state's population.
Etymology
The word "" comes from the Pemon language. Its etymology gives it three possible meanings: "Green Peak", "Mother of the Winds" and "Cashew Mountain". It would be the junction of roro (parrot) and imã (father, former). In that language, - or also - means "green", and 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 through southern Venezuela came from that place. The second, "Cashew Mountain", is due to the many mountains and hills that exist in the area.
History
The first Portuguese settlers arrived in the region by the Branco River. Before the arrival of the Portuguese, the English and the Dutch were already attracted to the region, to explore the Branco River Valley through the Guyanas. Portugal's sovereignty over the region was only established after the Spaniards invaded the northern part of the Branco River, along with the Uraricoera River. From 1725, Carmelite missionaries began the task of converting the indigenous peoples in the region.
The Portuguese occupation intensified from the 1730s when it traveled the Branco River in search of consolidation of the borders and indigenous labour. For this, they organized 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 drugs. Also, they promoted descents – villages of missionaries and indigenous volunteers or compulsory.
left|thumb|Aerial view of the [[Boa Vista, Roraima|Boa Vista region at the beginning of the 20th century]]
In the middle of the 18th century, the Portuguese Crown became concerned with the constant Spanish expeditions to the western region of the Amazon. 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, and the arising fear from the Dutch expeditions in Suriname 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, 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 and other food, for the provisioning of the commission. The area of environmental preservation in the state, under the responsibility of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), is also extensive, with , 8.42% of Roraima's area.
Relief
Mount Roraima, located in Pacaraima Mountains, 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. The average temperature during the year varies from in points of relief with higher altitudes, to in areas of smooth or flat relief. The average annual temperature ranges from .
Hydrography
left|thumb|Branco River, near Boa Vista
The state of Roraima has extensive hydrography. Its territory is abundantly irrigated by 14 rivers, being these: Água Boa do Univiní, Ailã, Ajarani, Alalaú, Branco, Catrimani, Cauamé, Itapará, Mucajaí, Surumu, Takutu, Uraricoera, Urubu and Xeruini.
The hydrography of Roraima is part of the Amazon River basin 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.
Most of the rivers in the region have a large number of beaches 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. Almost all water sources in the state originate within its territory, except for two rivers with springs in Guyana. All Roraiman rivers flow into the Amazon Basin.]]
The diversity of landscapes and biomes in Roraima contributes to the formation of the fauna in Roraima. In the Roraiman Amazon rainforest region, animals such as jaguars, tapirs, peccaries, alligators, margay cats, otters, deers, monkeys, and other species are found. 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, surubi, matrinxã, redtail catfish, tambaqui, acará, mandi, cachorra, piranha, traíra, piraíba, arowana and many other species.thumb|Satellite image of Boa Vista, capital of Roraima, in 2017
[[File:Roraima DensidadePopulacional.svg|thumb|Population density in Roraima in the 2010 census.<br>
]]
According to the population estimate of 2020 carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Roraima had a population of 631,181 inhabitants, which makes the state the least populous federative unit in Brazil. 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. 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, which registers more than 5% annual growth. However, this high population growth has been declining in recent years. 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 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.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Municipalities in Roraima by population in 2020
!Rank
!Municipality
!Immediate region
!Population
(2020)
!Percentage of total
population
|- style="background-color:#CCF;"
|align=center|1
|Boa Vista ††
|Boa Vista
|align=center|419,652
|align=center|66.4%
|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"
|align=center|2
|Rorainópolis †
|Rorainópolis
|align=center|30,782
|align=center|4.8%
|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"
|align=center|3
|Caracaraí †
|Caracaraí
|align=center|22,283
|align=center|3.5%
|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"
|align=center|4
|Pacaraima †
|Pacaraima
|align=center|18,913
|align=center|2.9%
|-
|align=center|5
|Cantá
|Boa Vista
|align=center|18,799
|align=center|2.9%
|-
|align=center|6
|Mucajaí
|Boa Vista
|align=center|18,172
|align=center|2.8%
|-
|align=center|7
|Alto Alegre
|Boa Vista
|align=center|15,380
|align=center|2.4%
|-
|align=center|8
|Amajari
|Pacaraima
|align=center|13,185
|align=center|2.0%
|-
|align=center|9
|Bonfim
|Boa Vista
|align=center|12,557
|align=center|1.9%
|-
|align=center|10
|Iracema
|Caracaraí
|align=center|12,296
|align=center|1.9%
|-
|align=center|11
|Normandia
|Pacaraima
|align=center|11,532
|align=center|1.8%
|-
|align=center|12
|Uiramutã
|Pacaraima
|align=center|10,789
|align=center|1.7%
|-
|align=center|13
|Caroebe
|Rorainópolis
|align=center|10,383
|align=center|1.6%
|-
|align=center|14
|São João da Baliza
|Rorainópolis
|align=center|8,348
|align=center|1.3%
|-
|align=center|15
|São Luiz
|Rorainópolis
|align=center|8,110
|align=center|1.2%
|}
Ethnicity
Cultural, political and economic traits inherited from the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch are influential in Roraima. Also, the importance of the indigenous peoples in terms of ethnic contribution cannot be forgotten. It was the indigenous people who initiated human occupation in the Amazon region, and their descendants, the caboclos, 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 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). Later, with the arrival of migrants, especially from the Northeast of Brazil, a "broth" of singular culture was formed, which characterizes a large part of the population, its values and way of life. Roraima also recognizes mestizo identity. Mestizo Day (June 27) is an official date in the state.
Religion
left|thumb|Christ the Redeemer Cathedral
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 (30.3%), no religion (12.98%), Indigenous religions (2.75%), Spiritism (0.91%), Buddhism (0.13%), Candomblé (0.08%), Esoteric traditions (0.03%), Judaism and Islam (0.03% each), Umbanda (0.02%) and Hinduism (0.01%). The Roman Catholic Diocese of Roraima with 22 parishes under Bishop Evaristo Pascoal Spengler (2023), a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Manaus, is the only Catholic diocese in the state of Roraima. It belongs to the Ecclesiastical Province of Manaus and the Northern Regional Episcopal Council of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil. 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.
left|thumb|Block I of the [[Federal University of Roraima (UFRR), on the Paricarana campus]]
As for higher education, the Federal University of Roraima (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). 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 (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 – 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$4,834.43, for each student.
Health care
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%; float:right; margin:1em; border-collapse:border; text-align:center;"
!Child mortality
|20.1 per thousand births
|-
!Doctors
|8.3 per 10,000 inhab. (2005)
|-
!Hospital beds
|1.6 per thousand inhab. (2005) In 2005, 85.2% of the population of Roraima had access to the water network, while 75% benefited from the sanitary sewage network.
Regarding women's health, 30.5% of women over 40 years old had a clinical breast exam in the last twelve months; 39.1% of women between 50 and 69 years old had a mammogram in the last twenty-four months, and 85.6% of women between 25 and 59 years old had a preventive exam for cervical cancer in the last thirty-six months.
|-
! Crop
! Amount (t)
|-
|Coffee
|24,000
|-
|Maize
|15,740
|-
|Banana
|13,415
|-
|Soybean
|11,005
|-
|Cassava
|8,745
|-
|Orange
|467
|-
|Sugar cane
|373
|-
|Bean
|82
|}
With a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of only R$ 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, mainly in grain agribusiness, with emphasis on rice, soybeans and corn. 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, the live cattle trade for slaughter in Manaus 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 foodstuffs, clothing, household items, among others, to Roraima. This form of supply ended due to two main factors: population growth 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, 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.
thumb|Senador Hélio Campos Palace, the seat of the state government
The Roraima Executive Branch is centered on the state governor, who is elected by universal suffrage 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 of Roraima is unicameral, constituted by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Roraima. It consists of 24 deputies, 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. According to information released by the Superior Electoral Court (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 (PP), with 4,521 members; and the Workers' Party (PTB), with 3,406 members. Also according to the Superior Electoral Court, the Sustainability Network (REDE) and the Unified Socialist Workers Party (PSTU) are the least representative political parties in Roraima, with 21 and 24 members, respectively. The most populous of them is Boa Vista, with 419,652 inhabitants, 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 (IBGE) in force since 2017.
Transportation
Airways
thumb|Boarding gate of Boa Vista International Airport
In the state, there is only one international airport managed by Infraero, 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. The state also has 7 other state-class and smaller airports: Auaris Airport, in Amajari; Mucajaí Airport, in Mucajaí; Pacaraima Airport, in Pacaraima; Surucucu, Uaicas and Surucucus Airport, in Alto Alegre, the latter located inside the Yanomami Indigenous Territory; and Caracaraí Airport, in Caracaraí. 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 also the BR-210, also called Perimetral Norte, a project originating in the mid-twentieth century, from the Federal Government, which had been carried out only partially and which, in principle, would link the state to Pará, Amapá and the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira (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. 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 . 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 and São Gabriel da Cachoeira. Even so, the most important river in Roraima still poses additional difficulties. Mount Roraima is one of the oldest places on the planet and attracts many tourists from all over the world.
left|thumb|Pedra Pintada is a rock formation considered an archaeological site.
Archaeologists have a strong interest in Pedra Pintada, which is the most important site of archaeology 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 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 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. Another tourist spot in the state is Mount Caburaí. Geographers have proven that it is located 70 km north of Oiapoque, Amapá, 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 and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
Also noteworthy is Lake Caracaranã, in the municipality of Normandia. With almost 6 kilometres of perimeter, it is known for its fine sand beaches surrounded by cashew trees.
Notable people
- Bianca Matte (b. 1990), beauty queen
- Thiago Maia (b. 1997), professional footballer.
- Lucas Barbosa (b. 1992), mixed martial artist, World Champion.
- Arthur Silva (b. 1995), footballer.
- Luiz Altamir Melo (b. 1996), swimmer, World Champion, former World Record holder.
- George Amaro, computer scientist known for connecting Roraima to the internet
See also
- List of municipalities in Roraima
References
External links
- Official Website
- Brazilian Tourism Portal