Nordeste (socio-geographic division)

The socio-geographic division of Nordeste (Portuguese pronunciation: [nɔhˈdɛʃti], Northeast) is the oldest populated by Europeans (also with the oldest fossils that suggests human presence in Brazil) and currently the second most populous area of Brazil (42,822,100 in 1990).

Its area is approximately 1,542,271 km², made up of the official Northeast Region, minus the western half of Maranhão, but including the north of Minas Gerais - the Jequitinhonha Valley.

A major part of its territory is made of an extensive plateau, old and flattened by erosion. Due to different physical characteristics, the region can be divided into four sub-regions: meio-norte, zona da mata, agreste and sertão. In the Socio-Geographic division of Brazil, parts of meio-norte are considered Amazônia Legal and not Nordeste.

Northeast Brazilians are a result of the mixing of European, Africans and Native Americans. The African ancestry is significant particularly in the coastal areas, and especially in Bahia, Pernambuco and Maranhão. The Native American ancestry is also present in all states, though more significant in Ceará and Maranhão. Northeast Brazilians also have a significant degree of European ancestry, the most important in the region, according to genetic studies.

The composition of the Northeast of Brazil compared to other regions of Brazil according to autosomal genetic studies focused on the Brazilian population (which has been found to be a complex melting pot of European, African and Native Americans components):

An autosomal study from 2013, with nearly 1300 samples from all of the Brazilian regions, found a pred. degree of European ancestry combined with African and Native American contributions, in varying degrees. 'Following an increasing North to South gradient, European ancestry was the most prevalent in all urban populations (with values up to 74%). The populations in the North consisted of a significant proportion of Native American ancestry that was about two times higher than the African contribution. Conversely, in the Northeast, Center-West and Southeast, African ancestry was the second most prevalent. At an intrapopulation level, all urban populations were highly admixed, and most of the variation in ancestry proportions was observed between individuals within each population rather than among population'.

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