Sergipe (, ; ), officially the State of Sergipe, is a state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region along the Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geographical area at , larger only than the Federal District. Sergipe borders Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north. Aracaju is the capital and the largest city in the state; the state is divided into 75 municipalities. The state has 1.1% of the Brazilian population and produces 0.6% of the Brazilian GDP.
thumb|right|[[Skyline of Aracaju]]
The capital of the state is Aracaju (pop. 479 767 in 2003), on the lower course or estuary of the Cotinguiba River, near the coast. The sandbar at the entrance to this river is exceptionally dangerous, and the port is frequented only by coasting vessels of light draught. The city is found on a sandy plain, and there are sand dunes within the city limits. In 1911, the main public buildings included a large plain church with unfinished twin towers, the government palace, the legislative halls, a public school and public hospital.
An alternative tradition holds that the river and the state were named after Serigy, a local Indigenous chief.
History
thumb|150px|left|Royal decree of King John VI, granting the administrative emancipation of the Captaincy of Sergipe on July 8, 1820
thumb|right|Aracaju-Barra Bridge at night
Present-day Sergipe was home to numerous indigenous peoples, including the Kanindé (Canindé), Aratus, and Tupi peoples. Gaspar de Lemos briefly landed in the region in 1501, and the Portuguese Crown declared the region part of the Captaincy of Bahia. The area of Sergipe was one of the last coastal regions of Brazil whose indigenous population (consisting of Tupinambá tribes) resisted subjugation to Portuguese colonial rule. The area was fully brought under Portuguese rule after approximately two decades of warfare during which thousands of natives were murdered and thousands more enslaved to work on sugar plantations. São Cristóvão was the site of the first Portuguese settlement, in 1591, at Sergipe D'El-Rey.
As with other states in the northeast, Sergipe was invaded numerous times by the Dutch, and frequently raided by French buccaneers. During the 17th century, the state was known throughout the Americas for its king-wood, a prized commodity that was the primary attraction during the buccaneer raids, and probably a factor in Dutch military expeditions. From 1641 to 1645, the territory belonged to Dutch-controlled Brazil (New Holland). The Dutch built a fort, the first in the region, between the rivers São Francisco and Sergipe.
The Portuguese regained control in 1645. By the 18th century, the Portuguese military had driven off the pirates permanently. Sergipe remained a part of the state of Bahia, and was responsible for a third of Bahia's sugar production by 1723. Sugarcane culture was established in the valleys of the São Francisco, Japaratuba, Sergipe, Vaza-Barris, Piauí and Real rivers. Areas unsuitable for sugarcane plantations on the coast and in the hinterland were developed for livestock; Sergipe subsequently became a supplier of draft animals for the farms of Bahia and Pernambuco. The region was also a significant producer of leather. John VI of Portugal signed a decree to separated Sergipe from Bahia on July 8, 1820, and Brigadier Carlos César Burlamárqui was named the state's first governor.
The 2022 census revealed the following numbers: 1,361,504 Brown (Multiracial) people (61.6%), 556,908 White people (25.2%), 283,960 Black people (12.8%), 4,580 Amerindian people (0.2%), 2,978 Asian people (0.1%).