MARANHAO, a northern State of Brazil, bounded N. by the Atlantic, E. and S.E. by Piauhy, S.W. and W. by Goyaz and Para. Having an area of 133,640 sq.m., its pop. est. in Duo was 1,140,635. The coastal zone and the north-west corner of the State belong to the Amazon valley region, being a- heavily forested plain traversed by numerous rivers. The eastern and southern parts, however, belong to the lower terraces of the great Brazilian plateau, broken by eroded river-courses between which are high open plains. There are no true mountain ranges in Maranhao, those indicated on the maps being only plateau escarpments mark ing either its northern margin or the outlines of river valleys. The climate is hot, and the year is divided into a wet and dry season, extreme humidity being characteristic of the former but no part of the year is rainless. The heat, however, is greatly modi fied on the coast by the south-east trade winds, and the climate is generally considered healthful, though beriberi and eruptive diseases are common in some places.
The coast itself is broken and dangerous, there being many small indentations, which are usually masked by islands or shoals. The largest of these are the Bay of Tury-assa, facing which is the island of Sao Joao, and several others of small size, and the contiguous bays of Sao Marcos and Sao Jose, between which is the large island of Maranhao. The rivers of the State all flow northward to the Atlantic, and a majority of them have navi gable channels. The Pamahyba forms the eastern boundary while the Tocantins and the Gurupy bound the State on the west. The principal rivers are the Maracassume and Tury-assa, the Mearim and its larger tributaries (the Pindare, Grajaha, Flores and Corda) which discharge into the Bay of Sao Marcos, and the Itapicura and Monim which discharge into the Bay of Sao Jose.
The principal industries of Maranhao are agricultural, the river valleys and coastal zone being highly fertile and being de voted to the cultivation of sugar-cane, cotton, rice, coffee, tobacco, mandioca and a great variety of fruits. The southern highlands,
however, are devoted to stock-raising, which was once an impor tant industry. Troublesome insects, vampire bats, and the failure to introduce new blood into the degenerated herds are responsible for its decline. A railway, 250 m. long, crosses the eastern part of the State connecting Sao Luiz on the coast with Therezina, the capital of Piauhy. Sao Luiz, capital (pop. 1930 est. 62,895) other principal towns, with the population of their municipal dis tricts in 1920, are: Caxias 50,346; Alcantara 10,885; Carolina 19,908; Grajaha 21,382; Tury-assa 16,911; and Vianna 23,931.
The coast of Maranhao was first discovered by Pinzon in 1500, but it was included in the Portuguese grant of captaincies in 1534. The first European settlement, however, was made by a French trading expedition under Jacques Riffault, of Dieppe, in who left a part of his men when he returned home. Subse quently Daniel de la Rivardiere was sent to report on the place, and was then commissioned by the French Crown to found a colony on the island; this was done in 1612. The French were expelled by the Portuguese in 1615 and the Dutch held the island from 1641 to 1644. In 1621 Ceara, Maranhao and Para were united and called the "Estado do Maranhao," which was made independent of the southern captaincies. Ceara was subsequently detached, but the "State" of Maranhao remained independent until when it again became subject to the colonial adminis tration of Brazil. Maranhao did not join in the declaration of independence of 1822, but in the following year the Portuguese were driven out by Admiral Lord Cochrane, and the province became a part of the new empire of Brazil.