Features

In the south and southwest of Maranhão, the terrain is mountainous or hilly upland with scrub forest and a dry climate; here cattle ranching is the main occupation. Further north, the land becomes lower and flatter and the rainfall greater; here livestock rearing is supported by arable farming; the sandy coastal belt is largely flat with thick forest and tropical rainfall. Cotton, sugar, rice, vegetable oils, maize, and cassava are the main crops. Maranhão is notable for its proliferation of valuable babaçu palms, from which a high-grade vegetable oil is produced. Gold, bauxite, and other minerals are extracted. A large hydroelectric power station stands at Boa Esperança on the River Parnaíba in the southeast of the state. An international airport has been constructed at São Luís. The state has a rich folkloric tradition and an historic colonial centre.