Acre (Brazil)

Acre () is a state located in the west of the North Region of Brazil and the Amazonia Legal. Located in the westernmost part of the country, at a two-hour time difference from Brasília, Acre is bordered clockwise by the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Rondônia to the north and east, along with an international border with the Bolivian department of Pando to the southeast, and the Peruvian regions of Madre de Dios, Ucayali and Loreto to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is Rio Branco. Other important places include Cruzeiro do Sul, Sena Madureira, Tarauacá and Feijó. The state, which has 0.42% of the Brazilian population, generates 0.2% of the Brazilian GDP.

Intense extractive activity in the rubber industry, which reached its height in the early 20th century, attracted Brazilians from many regions to the state. From the mixture of sulista, southeastern Brazil, nordestino, and indigenous traditions arose a diverse cuisine.

Fluvial transport, concentrated on the Juruá and Moa rivers, in the western part of the state, and the Tarauacá and Envira rivers in the northwest, is the principal form of transportation, especially between November and June. Heavy seasonal rains frequently make the BR-364 impassable in those months; it usually connects Rio Branco to Cruzeiro do Sul.

Etymology

The name, which was given to the territory in 1904, and to the state in 1962, is derived from one of the local rivers, perhaps originates from the Tupi word ''a'kir ü'' "green river", or from the form ''a'kir'', of the Tupi word ''ker'', "to sleep, to rest". It is believed more likely to be derived from ''Aquiri'', a transliteration by European explorers of the term ''Umákürü'', or ''Uakiry'', from the Ipurinã dialect. Another hypothesis is that Acquiri derives from ''Yasi'ri'', or ''Ysi'ri'', meaning "flowing or swift water".

According to one account, agriculturist João Gabriel de Carvalho Melo wrote during an 1878 trip on the Purús River to merchant Viscount of Santo Elias (from Pará), asking him for goods to be sent to the "mouth of the Aquiri River". In Belém, the local merchant or his employees either misinterpreted Gabriel's handwriting, or he spelled the name wrong: the goods and invoice which Gabriel received were marked as having been sent to the Acre River.

Acre possesses some nicknames: the End of Brazil, The Rubber Tree State, the Latex State (from when it was a center of rubber production) and the Western End.

The native inhabitants of Acre are called ''acrianos'', in the singular ''acriano''. Until the entry according to the Orthographic Agreement of 1990, the correct spelling was ''acreano'' in the singular and in the plural ''acreanos''. In 2009, with the new orthographic agreement, the change generated controversy between the Academy of Letters of Acre (Academia Acreana de Letras) and the Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras). The latter said that the change would mean the denial of the state's historical and cultural roots, by changing the last letter of the toponym from " E" to " I".

Geography

The state of Acre occupies an area of (58,911 mi²) in the extreme west of Brazil. It is located at 70º west longitude and at 9º south latitude. In Brazil, the state is part of the North Region, forming borders with the states of Amazonas and Rondônia, and with two countries: Peru and Bolivia.

Practically all of the terrain of the state of Acre is part of the low sandstone plateau, or terra firme, morphological unit which dominates most of the Brazilian Amazon. These terranes rise, in Acre, from the southeast to the northeast, with very tabular topography in general. In the extreme west is found the Serra da Contamana or Serra do Divisor, along the western border, with the highest altitudes in the state (). About 63% of the state's surface lies between in height; 16% between 300 and 609 (984 and 1,998 ft); and 21% between 200 and 135 (656 and 443 ft).

The climate is hot and very humid, of the ''Am'' type in the Köppen climate classification system, and the monthly average temperatures vary between , being the lowest average of the North Region. The rainfall reaches an annual total of , with a clear dry season in the months of June, July, and August.

The Amazon Rainforest covers all of the state territory. Very rich in rubber trees of the most valuable species (''Hevea brasiliensis'') and Brazil nut trees (''Bertholletia excelsa''), the forest guarantees that Acre is the greatest national producer of rubber and nuts. Acre's principal rivers, mostly navigable during the wet season (the Juruá, Tarauacá, Envira, Purús, Iaco, and Acre), cross the state with almost parallel courses which converge only outside of its territory.

The largest recorded Black Caiman, measured at and weighing , was shot in Acre in 1965.

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species-rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia.Turner, I.M. 2001. ''The ecology of trees in the tropical rain forest''. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. More than 1/3 of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.

Statistical and legal subdivisions

Acre is divided into 22 municipalities, 5 immediate regions and 2 intermediate regions:

Rio Branco

* Immediate Region of Brasileia
**:
* Immediate Region of Rio Branco
**:
* Microregion of Sena Madureira
**:

Cruzeiro do Sul

* Immediate Region of Cruzeiro do Sul
**:
* Immediate Region of Tarauacá
**:

History

The region of present-day Acre is thought to have been inhabited by Pre-Columbian civilizations since at least 2,100 years ago. Evidence includes complex geoglyphs of this age found in the area. The natives who crafted them are believed to have had a relatively advanced knowledge of this technology. Since at least the early 15th century, the region has been inhabited by peoples who spoke Panoan languages; their territory was geographically close to that of the Inca.

In the mid-18th century, the region was colonized by the Spanish and became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Following the Peruvian and Bolivian wars of independence, which ended in 1826, the region and large portions around it became part of both Peru and Bolivia respectively, but independent of Spain and both states disputed the territory. It was a territory of the short-lived Peru–Bolivian Confederation (1836–1839), until the two countries separated and most of the region returned to Bolivian control.

The discovery of rubber tree groves in the region in the mid-19th century attracted numerous immigrants, especially from Brazil and Europe, seeking to build on the rubber boom. Despite the increased numbers of Brazilians, the Treaty of Ayacucho (1867) determined that the region belonged to Bolivia. By 1877, Acre's population was composed almost entirely of Brazilians coming from the Northeast.

In 1899, Brazilian settlers from Acre created an independent state in the region called the Republic of Acre. Bolivians tried to gain control of the area, but Brazilians revolted and there were border confrontations. This resulted in what was known as the Acre War. On November 17, 1903, with the signing over and sale in the Treaty of Petrópolis, Brazil received final possession of the region. Acre was integrated into Brazil as a territory divided into three departments. The territory was acquired by Brazil for two million pounds sterling. The land was taken from Mato Grosso in accordance with terms for the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré railway.

Once the Acre War was over, Peru did not recognize the annexation of Acre until 1909, with the Velarde-Río Branco Treaty, where the borders between Peru and Brazil were defined. It was signed in Rio de Janeiro, on September 8, 1909, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Baron of Rio Branco, and the plenipotentiary minister of Peru in Brazil, Hernán Velarde, by President Augusto B. Leguía (first government) then ruled in Peru, and in Brazil by the president Nilo Pecanha, in order to solve the border problems between Peru and Brazil.

Acre was united in 1920. On June 15, 1962, it was elevated to the category of state, and was the first to be governed by a woman, Iolanda Fleming, a teacher.

During the early twentieth century, rubber seedlings were taken to Southeast Asia, where competitive plantations were established, reducing the importance of the Amazon in production. But during the Second World War, Japanese forces took over the rubber tree groves of Malaya.

Acre was called on to produce rubber for the Allied war effort. The Rubber Soldiers

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases