Brazilian Ministry of Tourism A tourist views wall paintings in the Serra da Capivara National Park
Piauí is the third largest state in the Brazilian northeast, with an area of 252,379 square kilometers, about eight times the size of Belgium. It is also one of Brazil’s poorest states, with a per capita income of about R$2,140 (just over US$1,000) a year. The population is 2.9 million.
Among Brazilian coastal states, Piauí has the shortest coastline – just 66 kilometers. Shaped like a ham hock, Piauí extends north-to-south deep into the parched interior backlands called the sertão. It is bordered by Ceará and Pernambuco to the east, Bahia to the southeast and south, Tocantins to the southwest, and Maranhão to the west. The border with Maranhão is delineated by the Parnaíba River. With an extension of 1,480 kilometers, the Parnaíba is the longest river fully contained in the northeast and represents an important source of integration for the state. The river discharges into the only open-sea delta in the Americas. The Parnaíba Delta’s ecosystem is reminiscent of the Amazon, with innumerable islands, lagoons, streams, beaches and sand dunes. The rest of the state is predominately semi-arid scrubland subject to long periods of drought of up to eight months a year. Rainfall varies by region, from 400 millimeters per year in the southeast to 1,700 millimeters per year in the delta.
Teresina (population 775,500) is the only state capital in the northeast that is not on the coast. It is also the only Brazilian state capital located on the border with a neighboring state; in fact, it has a twin city called Timon just across the bridge over the Parnaíba River in Maranhão. Teresina has earned a reputation for its high temperatures: the annual average is 28 degrees centigrade but can easily reach 40 in the summer. Teresina was founded in 1852 as a provincial capital to replace the town of Oeiras. The village that previously occupied the spot where Teresina now stands was called Vila do Poti. The new capital was named for Teresa Cristina, wife of Emperor Dom Pedro II.
Piauí is the only Brazilian coastal state that was originally colonized from the interior. In the 17th century anti-Indian raids were followed by cattle herders assisted by Jesuit missionaries. The province of Piauí was originally landlocked. It received access to the coast in a swap for a larger chunk of territory with Ceará in the late 19th century.
The economy is based on farming, notably grain production, and cattle ranching. The state is a major producer of cashews. As in much of the rest of Brazil, soybeans are in increasingly important crop. Piauí now ranks third in soybean production among northeastern states. The tourism industry is developing, especially in the delta region.
Southern Piauí is home to the Serra da Capivara National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the 130,000 hectare park contains some 30,000 prehistoric rock paintings dating to between 6,000 and 12,000 years ago. Dating even further back - as far as an estimated 50,000 years - are remains of prehistoric animals like the sabre-tooth tiger, giant sloths the size of elephants and giant armadillos the size of a car. Archaeologists are exploring hundreds of sites, but the park has been plagued by looters who take advantage of poor security.
The Serra das Almas Nature Reserve is a Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) located in the Sertão dos Inhamuns region between the cities of Buriti dos Montes, Piauí, and Crateús, Ceará. Once gone scarce, birds like the king vulture and the white-browed guan began appearing in the region again after the 5,600 hectare reserve was established.
