Rio Grande do Norte () is a state located in the Northeast Region of Brazil. According to the 2010 Census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Rio Grande do Norte has a population of 3,168,133 inhabitants over , which makes it the 16th largest state by population and the 22nd largest by area, out of 26 states. It is home to cities such as Natal, Mossoró, and São Gonçalo do Amarante.

The land that became Rio Grande do Norte was a donatário to João de Barros, the factor of the House of India and Mina, from John III of Portugal in 1535; prior to that, the Portuguese Crown owned the land. The French, who trafficked Brazil wood in the area, had a foothold on the land until the Portuguese expelled them in 1598. The Dutch took the land in 1634 as a part of Dutch Brazil and reigned until 1654, when they were defeated by the Portuguese. In 1701, Rio Grande do Norte joined the Captaincy of Pernambuco, and became a province in 1822 and a state of Brazil in 1889.

Rio Grande do Norte is divided into 167 municipalities, which are grouped into four mesoregions and 23 microregions. Of the 167 municipalities, Natal has the highest population, with 803,811 inhabitants, while Viçosa, with 1,618 inhabitants, has the lowest. The largest municipality by area is Mossoró, with an area of ; the smallest is Senador Georgino Avelino, named after the former Senator and Rio Grande do Norte Governor José Georgino Avelino, which covers an area of .

Municipalities

Map (coordinates) Municipality Area (square kilometers) (square miles) Population Mesoregion DTB_BRASIL_MUNICIPIO.xls within zip file. Microregion 11,035Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 10,879Central PotiguarAngicos 2,984Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 13,475Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 4,880Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 12,306Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 11,553Central PotiguarAngicos 6,907Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 34,777Oeste PotiguarChapada do Apodi 25,263Oeste PotiguarMossoró 12,931Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 53,245Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 8,569Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 24,187Oeste PotiguarMossoró 3,957Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 5,110Agreste PotiguarBaixa Verde 9,009Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 2,425Central PotiguarSerra de Santana 9,432Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 11,577Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 6,016Central PotiguarMacau 3,304Central PotiguarAngicos 62,727Central PotiguarSeridó Ocidental 9,289Oeste PotiguarMédio Oeste 10,266Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 30,900Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 19,582Oeste PotiguarChapada do Apodi 7,429Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 9,775Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 67,844Leste PotiguarMacaíba 10,916Central PotiguarSerra de Santana 5,405Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 4,774Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 7,968Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 42,668Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 6,495Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 5,228Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 5,822Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 10,480Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 24,550Leste PotiguarNatal 5,734Oeste PotiguarChapada do Apodi 2,850Central PotiguarAngicos 9,672Central PotiguarSerra de Santana 2,874Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 4,233Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 2,150Central PotiguarMacau 22,467Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 12,373Oeste PotiguarChapada do Apodi 9,393Oeste PotiguarMossoró 12,431Central PotiguarMacau 12,188Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 13,855Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 2,074Central PotiguarSeridó Ocidental 6,952Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 5,568Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 7,925Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 6,796Agreste PotiguarBaixa Verde 5,350Oeste PotiguarMédio Oeste 5,522Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 2,607Central PotiguarAngicos 13,511Central PotiguarSeridó Ocidental 12,115Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 32,203Agreste PotiguarBaixa Verde 2,601Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 5,868Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 17,692Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 3,585Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 6,227Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 6,992Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 2,632Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 13,990Central PotiguarSerra de Santana 7,515Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 10,385Central PotiguarAngicos 4,614Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 3,633Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 9,612Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 69,538Leste PotiguarMacaíba 28,974Central PotiguarMacau 3,536Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 8,265Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 8,228Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 10,442Leste PotiguarLitoral Nordeste 4,188Oeste PotiguarMédio Oeste 11,418Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 20,670Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 2,266Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 259,886Oeste PotiguarMossoró 803,811Leste PotiguarNatal 23,818Leste PotiguarMacaíba 35,541Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 4,301Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 4,699Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 3,952Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 3,862Oeste PotiguarMédio Oeste 4,845Agreste PotiguarBaixa Verde 20,670Central PotiguarSeridó Ocidental 202,413Leste PotiguarNatal 11,111Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 2,899Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 11,964Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 27,733Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 3,521Leste PotiguarLitoral Nordeste 2,583Central PotiguarAngicos 7,168Central PotiguarAngicos 14,119Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 13,436Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 3,453Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 13,947Agreste PotiguarBaixa Verde 7,297Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 5,217Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 8,432Leste PotiguarLitoral Nordeste 4,692Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 3,070Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 3,165Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 4,157Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 7,067Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 10,060Leste PotiguarLitoral Nordeste 4,417Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 3,595Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 35,759Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 4,762Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 13,798Central PotiguarSerra de Santana 2,526Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 22,214Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 2,974Central PotiguarMacau 3,909Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 3,401Central PotiguarSeridó Ocidental 3,874Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 87,700Leste PotiguarMacaíba 5,914Central PotiguarSeridó Ocidental 39,771Leste PotiguarMacaíba 12,359Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 4,231Central PotiguarSeridó Oriental 22,159Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 8,659Leste PotiguarLitoral Nordeste 15,866Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 6,223Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 8,106Oeste PotiguarVale do Açu 10,868Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 6,030Central PotiguarSerra de Santana 5,645Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 3,924Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 8,774Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 5,746Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 10,281Oeste PotiguarMossoró 7,770Central PotiguarSeridó Ocidental 6,581Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 4,538Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 5,752Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 5,020Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 2,317Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 11,836Leste PotiguarLitoral Nordeste 14,175Agreste PotiguarBorborema Potiguar 9,911Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 5,406Central PotiguarSerra de Santana 3,687Oeste PotiguarMossoró 11,402Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul 2,295Central PotiguarSeridó Ocidental 31,076Leste PotiguarLitoral Nordeste 3,366Oeste PotiguarMédio Oeste 10,669Oeste PotiguarUmarizal 12,985Oeste PotiguarMédio Oeste 5,227Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 3,821Oeste PotiguarSerra de São Miguel 10,725Agreste PotiguarAgreste Potiguar 1,618Oeste PotiguarPau dos Ferros 2,872Leste PotiguarLitoral Sul

See also Geography of Brazil List of cities in Brazil

References