Another
of Brazil’s tiny northeastern States, Alagoas is situated
off the North Atlantic and is located between Pernambuco to the
north and Sergipe to the south. The State has a population of about
3 million residents.
Economy and infrastructure:
Agriculture, mainly sugarcane growing in large plantations has
dominated Alagoas economy for over a century. The tourism industry
is also improving with visitors attracted mainly to the state’s
coastal areas which have a number of beautiful unspoiled beaches.
There are also a number of monuments, historic buildings and
museums to visit; reminders of the areas colonial past.
Cities and Towns:
Maceio City:
A beautiful City and a popular tourist destination, Maceio is
an eastern Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of the
Alagoas State. The name Maceio is a native Indian word describing
the direction of flow of streams emptying into lakes. The city
was named so because of the many small lakes and streams here.
Maceio is also a vital port city along the Brazilian east coast.
Established as a settlement village in 1815, Maceio was declared
the State Capital in 1839 and granted City status.
Other major cities in Alagoas are; Palmeira dos Indios, Arapiraca
and Maragogi.