Rio Grande do Norte

{{short description|State of Brazil}} {{about|the Brazilian state|the river sometimes called "Rio Grande del Norte"|Rio Grande}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox settlement  | name = Rio Grande do Norte | official_name = | native_name = | native_name_lang = pt They made a movie about it! | settlement_type = [[States of Brazil|State]] | image_skyline = | image_alt = | image_caption = | image_flag = Bandeira do Rio Grande do Norte.svg | flag_alt = | flag_size = 125px | image_shield = Brasão do Rio Grande do Norte.svg | shield_alt = | nickname = | motto = | anthem = | image_map = Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil.svg | map_alt = | map_caption = Location in Brazil | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates = {{coord|-5.74|-36.55|type:adm1st_region:BR-RN|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[Brazil]] | subdivision_type2 = [[Regions of Brazil|Region]] | subdivision_name2 = [[Northeast Region, Brazil|Northeast]] | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | seat_type = Capital and largest city | seat = [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]] | government_footnotes = | leader_party = | leader_title = [[Governor (Brazil)|Governor]] | leader_name = [[Fátima Bezerra]] ([[Workers' Party (Brazil)|PT]]) | leader_title1 = Vice Governor | leader_name1 = [[Walter Alves]] ([[Brazilian Democratic Movement|MDB]]) | leader_title2 = [[Federal Senate (Brazil)|Senators]] | leader_name2 = [[Rogério Simonetti Marinho|Rogério Marinho]] ([[Liberal Party (Brazil, 2006)|PL]]) [[Styvenson Valentim]] ([[Podemos (Brazil)|PODE]]) [[Zenaide Maia]] ([[Social Democratic Party (Brazil, 2011)|PSD]]) | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = 52796.791 | area_rank = [[List of Brazilian states by area|22nd]] | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = <ref name="census2022">{{Cite web|url=https://censo2022.ibge.gov.br/panorama/|title=2022 Census Overview|language=pt}}</ref> | population_total = 3302729 | population_as_of = 2022 | population_rank = [[List of Brazilian states by population|16th]] | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_rank = [[List of Brazilian states by population density|10th]] | population_demonym = Potiguar or Norte-rio-grandense | population_note = | demographics_type1 = GDP | demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="bge">{{Cite web |title=PIB por Unidade da Federação, 2021|url=https://www.ibge.gov.br/en/statistics/economic/national-accounts/19567-gross-domestic-product-of-municipalities.html|website=ibge.gov.br}}</ref> | demographics1_title1 = Total | demographics1_info1 = [[Brazilian real|R$]] 80.181 billion ([[US$]] 14.874 billion) | demographics_type2 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] | demographics2_footnotes =  | demographics2_title1 = Year | demographics2_info1 = 2024 | demographics2_title2 = Category | demographics2_info2 = 0.778<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radar IDHM |url=https://www.undp.org/pt/brazil/publications/radar-idhm-evolucao-do-idhm-e-de-seus-componentes-periodo-de-2012-2024#|access-date=2026-05-29}}</ref> – high ([[List of Brazilian states by Human Development Index|15th]]) | timezone1 = [[Time in Brazil|BRT]] | utc_offset1 = -3 | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = [[Código de Endereçamento Postal|Postal Code]] | postal_code = 59000-000 to 59990-000 | iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:BR|BR-RN]] | website = {{URL|https://www.rn.gov.br/}} | footnotes = | registration_plate_type = | registration_plate = }}

'''Rio Grande do Norte''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˌ|r|iː|uː|_|ˌ|ɡ|r|æ|n|d|i|_|d|uː|_|ˈ|n|ɔːr|t|i}},<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Rio+Grande+do+Norte |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828195039/https://www.dictionary.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2022-08-28 |title=Rio Grande do Norte |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|-|_|ˌ|ɡ|r|ɑː|n|-}},<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Rio Grande do Norte|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|pt-BR|ˈʁi.u ˈɡɾɐ̃dʒ(i) du ˈnɔʁtʃi|lang|Pt-br Rio Grande do Norte.ogg}}) is one of the [[Federative units of Brazil|states of Brazil]]. It is located in the [[Northeast Region, Brazil|northeastern region]] of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the [[South America]]n continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", referring to the mouth of the [[Potenji River]].

The state is divided into 167 municipalities and the capital and largest city is [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]]. The state has 410 km (254 mi) of [[sand]]y [[beach]]es and contains [[Rocas Atoll]], the only [[atoll]] in the South [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The main economic activity is tourism, followed by the [[extraction of petroleum]] (the second largest producer in the country), agriculture, fruit growing and extraction of minerals, including considerable production of [[seasalt]], among other economic activities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tribunadonorte.com.br/noticia.php?id=104733 |title=Notícia inválida |publisher=Tribuna do Norte |access-date=13 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006071646/http://tribunadonorte.com.br/noticia.php?id=104733 |archive-date=6 October 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The state is home to 1.7% of the Brazilian population and produces 1% of the country's [[GDP]]. In 2017, the [[murder rate]] rose by 655%, making Rio Grande do Norte the state with the highest murder rate in Brazil: 63.9 per 100,000.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/world/americas/brazil-murder-rate-record.html| title = A Year of Violence Sees Brazil's Murder Rate Hit Record High| author = Darlington, Shasta| date = 10 August 2018| access-date = 22 January 2020|newspaper = The New York Times}}</ref> But since then, it has experienced a gradual decline, dropping 6 percentage points in 2023 to 21.65.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/geral/noticia/2025-02/number-violent-deaths-brazil-falls-5-2024| title = Number of violent deaths in Brazil falls 5% in 2024| author = Rodrigues, Alex| date = 10 February 2025| access-date = 18 July 2025}}</ref>

Tourist attractions in the state include the [[Cashew of Pirangi]] (the world's largest cashew tree),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://viagem.uol.com.br/guia/cidade/natal_index.jhtm |title=UOL – Página não encontrada |publisher=Viagem.uol.com.br |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726151609/http://viagem.uol.com.br/guia/cidade/natal_index.jhtm |archive-date=26 July 2011}}</ref> the [[dune]]s and the dromedaries of [[Genipabu]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nataltrip.com/praias/genipabu |title=Genipabu |publisher=Nataltrip.com |access-date=13 November 2011 |archive-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714155405/http://www.nataltrip.com/praias/genipabu |url-status=dead }}</ref> the beaches of [[Ponta Negra]], [[Maracajaú]] and [[Pipa Beach|Pipa]],<ref>[http://www.pipa.org.br/passeio010.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504090636/http://www.pipa.org.br/passeio010.html|date=4 May 2008}}</ref> the [[Carnatal]], Natal's [[carnival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://globoesporte.globo.com/ESP/Noticia/Futebol/Selecao_Brasileira/0,,MUL93463-4482,00.htm |title=GloboEsporte.com > Seleção Brasileira – NOTÍCIAS – Carnatal, arma potiguar para sediar a Copa |publisher=Globoesporte.globo.com |date=24 August 2007 |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> the sixteenth-century [[Forte dos Reis Magos]] fortification,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nataltrip.com/materias/23 |title=Fortaleza dos Reis Magos |publisher=Nataltrip.com |access-date=13 November 2011 |archive-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714155428/http://www.nataltrip.com/materias/23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the hills and mountains of [[Martins, Rio Grande do Norte|Martins]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nataltrip.com/cidades/martins |title=Martins |publisher=Nataltrip.com |access-date=13 November 2011 |archive-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714155437/http://www.nataltrip.com/cidades/martins |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[Natal Dunes State Park]],<ref>[http://www.brasil-natal.com.br/en/destinations_about_natal.php] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715072957/http://www.brasil-natal.com.br/en/destinations_about_natal.php|date=15 July 2009}}</ref> and others. The folklorist [[Câmara Cascudo|Luís da Câmara Cascudo]] was born and worked in the state. The state is the closest part of mainland Brazil to the [[archipelago]] of [[Fernando de Noronha]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turismodonordeste.com/fernando-de-noronha.htm |title=Fernando de Noronha |publisher=Turismodonordeste.com |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>

==Geography== Rio Grande do Norte is dominated by its coastline. The state is famed for its beaches and [[sand dune]]s, and the air is, according to [[NASA]], the second-cleanest in the world after [[Antarctica]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}

Two climates predominate: humid tropical, in the oriental [[littoral]], and semi-arid, in the remaining (most part) of the State (including the North coast). The rainforest which once covered most of Brazil's coast had its northern end in the south of Rio Grande do Norte; the area north of Natal, the capital, is under dunes, a kind of formation associated with semi-arid climate. The semi-arid climate is characterized not only by the low level but also the irregularity of rainfall; some years can go by with no or very little rain; most of the interior of the State is part of the Polygon of Droughts (an area which receives special attention from the federal government). There are also many [[mangrove]]s in the state, and the interior is dominated by [[rainforest]]. [[Rocas Atoll]] in the Atlantic Ocean, 260 km Northeast of [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]], also belongs to the state of Rio Grande do Norte. It is contained in the fully protected [[Atol das Rocas Biological Reserve]].

==History== {{further|History of Rio Grande do Norte}} The first European to reach the region may have been the [[Spain|Spaniard]] [[Alonso de Ojeda]] in 1499. The northeastern tip of South America, [[Cape São Roque]], {{convert|20|mi|km}} to the north of Natal, was first officially visited by European navigators in 1501, in the 1501–1502 Portuguese expedition led by [[Amerigo Vespucci]], who named the spot after the [[Saint Roch|saint of the day]]. The Vespucci expedition also named the [[Potenji River|Potengi]] ([[Tupi language|Tupi]] for "River of Shrimps") river, whose considerably large mouth contrasted with the nearby bodies of water, "Rio Grande" (Portuguese for "Great River"), after which the [[Captaincy of Rio Grande|Captaincy]], Province, and State were named. For decades thereafter, no permanent European settlement was established in the area, inhabited by the [[Potiguar (tribe)|Potiguar]] tribe. [[File:Natal-Coluna-Capitolina.jpg|thumb|left|Column Capitolina was donated to the state by Mussolini.]] In the 16th century (between 1535 and 1598), it was explored by French pirates in search for [[brazilwood]]. In 1598, the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] built the ''Forte dos Reis Magos'' and, in the following year, founded the city of [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]]. Raising cattle and sugarcane plantation lifted the local development and economy.<ref>''Grande Enciclopédia Universal'', page 11442, "Rio Grande do Norte" paragraph 1</ref>

In 1633, the area became a battleground between the expansionist Portuguese, seeking to take more land for their Brazilian territories, and the Dutch, who gained a foothold in South America.

After a short period of peace and prosperity in [[Olinda]] and [[Recife]], the sugar prices went down in the market of Amsterdam and the region entered into a serious economic crisis. The economic problems led the Portuguese settlers and native Brazilians to revolt against the Dutch in what is known today as the massacres of [[Cunhaú]] and [[Uruaçu]]. [[File:Rampa-Natal.jpg|thumb|[[Rampa, Natal|Rampa]], one of the American air bases used during World War II.]] The religious confrontations (the Portuguese-Brazilian Catholicism and the Dutch [[Calvinism]]), Portugal's restoration of the throne in 1640 and the reconquest of [[Maranhão]] in 1643, lead the Portuguese-Brazilians to undertake the 1645 uprising, led by [[André Vidal de Negreiros]] and [[João Fernandes Vieira]]. The governor of [[Bahia]] promised new Portuguese troops, but most of the rebels were Africans and Amerindians. In 1654, the Dutch were finally cast out.

During World War II, Rio Grande do Norte was used as an [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] airbase from which to launch [[airstrike|air raids]] on German-occupied North Africa.

In 1964, Latin America's first [[space exploration|space launch]] site was constructed in Rio Grande do Norte; ''[[Barreira do Inferno Launch Center|Barreira do Inferno]]'' (Hell's Barrier), which was often referred to as the "Brazilian [[NASA]]".

==Demographics== {{See also|List of cities in Brazil by population}} [[File:Natal,_capital_do_Rio_Grande_do_Norte,_Brasil.jpg|thumb|right|[[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]], the capital of the state.]] The [[Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics]] estimates that the population of Rio Grande do Norte was 3,568,765 on 1 December 2021, a 14.76% increase since the 2000 census. As of the [[2022 Brazilian census|2022 census]], multiracial people make up 50.9% of the total population. The second largest group composed by white people was 39.5% of the total population, followed by black people (9.2%), indigenous people 0.3% and Asian people (0.2%).<ref>{{cite web |title=Censo 2022 - Panorama |url=https://censo2022.ibge.gov.br/panorama/}}</ref>

77,916 Migrants arrived in the state between 2000 and 2010, while 71,287 people left the state between 2000 and 2010.

===Largest cities=== {{Largest cities | country = Rio Grande do Norte | stat_ref = (2021 census by the [[Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics]])<ref name="IBGE_Pop_2021">{{cite web|url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/estimativa2011/POP2021_DOU.pdf|title=Estimativas da população residente nos municípios brasileiros com data de referência em 1º de julho de 2021|trans-title=Estimates of the Resident Population of Brazilian Municipalities as of July 1, 2022|date=30 August 2022|publisher=[[Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics]]|access-date=31 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007090238/http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/estimativa2021/POP2021_DOU.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2011|url-status=live|format=PDF|language=pt}}</ref> | list_by_pop = | div_name = | div_link = Mesoregion (Brazil){{!}}Mesoregion

| city_1 = Natal, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}Natal | pop_1 = 897,780 | div_1 = Microrregião de Natal{{!}}Natal

| city_2 = Mossoró | div_2 = Microrregião de Mossoró{{!}}Mossoró | pop_2 = 263,344

| city_3 = Parnamirim | div_3 = Microrregião de Natal{{!}}Natal | pop_3 = 208,425

| city_4 = São Gonçalo do Amarante, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}São Gonçalo do Amarante | div_4 = Microrregião de Macaíba{{!}}Macaíba | pop_4 = 89,044

| city_5 = Macaíba | div_5 = Microrregião de Macaíba{{!}}Macaíba | pop_5 = 70,586

| city_6 = Ceará-Mirim | div_6 = Microrregião de Macaíba{{!}}Macaíba | pop_6 = 68,580

| city_7 = Caicó | div_7 = Microrregião do Seridó Ocidental{{!}}Seridó Ocidental | pop_7 = 63,147

| city_8 = Assu, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}Açu | div_8 = Microrregião do Vale do Açu{{!}}Vale do Açu | pop_8 = 53,636

| city_9 = Currais Novos | div_9 = Microrregião do Seridó Oriental{{!}}Seridó Oriental | pop_9 = 42,795

| city_10 = São José de Mipibu | div_10 = Microrregião de Macaíba{{!}}Macaíba | pop_10 = 40,149

| city_11 = Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}Santa Cruz | div_11 = Microrregião da Borborema Potiguar{{!}}Borborema Potiguar | pop_11 = 36,143

| city_12 = Nova Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}Nova Cruz | div_12 = Microrregião do Agreste Potiguar{{!}}Agreste Potiguar | pop_12 = 35,617

| city_13 = Apodi, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}Apodi | div_13 = Microrregião da Chapada do Apodi{{!}}Chapada do Apodi | pop_13 = 34,808

| city_14 = João Câmara, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}João Câmara | div_14 = Microrregião da Baixa Verde{{!}}Baixa Verde | pop_14 = 32,456

| city_15 = Touros | div_15 = Microrregião do Litoral Nordeste{{!}}Litoral Nordeste | pop_15 = 31,335

| city_16 = Canguaretama | div_16 = Microrregião do Litoral Sul (Rio Grande do Norte){{!}}Litoral Sul | pop_16 = 31,216

| city_17 = Macau, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}Macau | div_17 = Microrregião de Macau{{!}}Macau | pop_17 = 29,204

| city_18 = Pau dos Ferros | div_18 = Microrregião de Pau dos Ferros{{!}}Pau dos Ferros | pop_18 = 27,974

| city_19 = Areia Branca, Rio Grande do Norte{{!}}Areia Branca | div_19 = Microrregião de Mossoró{{!}}Mossoró | pop_19 = 25,529

| city_20 = Extremoz | div_20 = Microrregião de Natal{{!}}Natal | pop_20 = 24,953

}}{{Historical populations|11=1872|12=233979|13=1890|14=268273|15=1900|16=274317|17=1920|18=537135|19=1940|20=768018|21=1950|22=967921|23=1960|24=1157258|25=1970|26=1611606|27=1980|28=1933126|29=1991|30=2414121|31=2000|32=2777509|33=2010|34=3168027|35=2022|36=3302729|percentages=|footnote=Source:<ref name="census2022">{{Cite web|url=https://censo2022.ibge.gov.br/panorama/|title=2022 Census Overview|language=pt}}</ref>}}

=== Education === [[File:Escola-de-Música-UFRN.jpg|thumb|right|[[Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte]] in Natal, considered one of the best in the country.]] [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools, but English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum.

====Educational institutions==== * Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) ([[Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte]]); * Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN) (State University of Rio Grande do Norte); * Universidade Potiguar (UnP) (Potiguar University); * Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (Ufersa) (Rural Federal University of Semi-Arid); * Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) (Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Norte); * and many others.

==Economy== The [[service sector]] is the largest component of GDP at 65.2%, followed by the [[industrial sector]] at 30.2%. Agriculture represents 4.6% of GDP (2021). Rio Grande do Norte exports: fish and [[crustacean]] 30.5%, fruits 19.3%, [[woven]] of cotton 12.3%, petroleum 10.8%, [[cashew]] 8.5%, sugar 5.3%, chocolate 3.9%, [[sea salt]] 3.7% (2002).

Share of the Brazilian economy: 1.9% (2021).

Historically, Rio Grande do Norte has relied upon sugar and cattle for its livelihood. However, since the 1980s, the state government has realised that tourism is a lucrative industry, and more money is being poured into the construction of tourist resorts, and restoring colonial buildings in major cities.

Fruit is also grown in Rio Grande do Norte, with the state supplying 70% of Brazil's melons, and the state is famed for its [[mango]] and [[cashew]] fields. The world's largest cashew tree is located in the state; it has a [[circumference]] of 500 metres and occupies an area of 7,300 cm2, making it 70 times the size of average cashew trees. Rio Grande do Norte is also one of three Brazilian states that together produce the world's entire supply of [[carnauba]] wax.

==Infrastructure== According to research by Fundação Dom Cabral, Rio Grande do Norte is the state with the second-best infrastructure in the Northeast Region and ninth in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nominuto.com/noticias/cidades/pesquisa-aponta-rn-como-o-2-estado-do-ne-com-melhor-infraestrutura/44660/ |title=Pesquisa aponta RN como o 2º estado do NE com melhor infraestrutura |publisher=Nominuto.com |date=24 October 2011 |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> [[File:Natal airport.jpg|thumb|right|[[Greater Natal International Airport]].]]

===International Airport=== [[Augusto Severo International Airport|Augusto Severo Airport]] has ceased to be [[Greater Natal International Airport]] since summer 2014. The new airport, situated outside the city,<ref>[[:es:Aeropuerto Internacional de Grande Natal]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=September 2015}} is in São Gonçalo do Amarante. Located virtually at sea level (169 ft), with favorable weather and geographic conditions, [[Augusto Severo International Airport]] in Parnamirim is 18 kilometers from Natal (RN). It takes its name from Augusto Severo de Albuquerque Maranhão, a native son of that state who died in an accident in France in 1902. The airport has a total area of 11.3 thousand square meters and capacity for 1.2 million passengers a year. The installations and passenger terminals are air conditioned with equipment that can put out 630 tons of cooled air. With an area of 5.5 million square meters, the airport complex operates with 16,482 square meters of passenger and cargo terminals and administrative and maintenance installations. There are 6,224 meters of runways and 61.5 square meters of apron space, providing connections from the greater [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]] region to the main centers of the world. The airport is the only one in the Northeast Region to receive charter flights from [[Scandinavia]].

===Highways=== [[File:BR-304 e RN-013, Mossoró - RN.JPG|thumb|BR-304 highway.]] *[[BR-101]]; *[[BR-104]]; *[[BR-110]]; *[[BR-226]]; *[[BR-304]]; *[[BR-405]]; *[[BR-406]]; *[[BR-427]]; *RN-117; *RN-401.

===Port=== [[File:Porto de Natal aérea.jpg|thumb|right|Entrance of the Port of Natal]] The '''Port of Natal''' is specialized in cold storage cargo such as fruit, fish and [[shrimp]], among others. It has its own customs facilities and is connected to Europe by direct navigation lines, mainly to the ports of [[Vigo]], [[Rotterdam]] and [[Sheerness]].

==Culture== ===Saint John's Day=== {{See also|Natal, Rio Grande do Norte#Culture and recreation}} [[Festa Junina]] was introduced to Northeastern [[Brazil]] by the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] for whom St John's day (also celebrated as [[Midsummer]] Day in several European countries), on 24 June, is one of the oldest and most popular celebrations of the year. Differently, of course, from what happens on the European [[Midsummer]] Day, the festivities in Brazil do not take place during the [[summer solstice]] but during the tropical [[winter solstice]]. The festivities traditionally begin after 12 June, on the eve of St Anthony's day, and last until the 29th, which is Saint Peter's day. During these fifteen days, there are [[bonfires]], [[fireworks]], and folk dancing in the streets. Once exclusively a rural festival, today in Brazil it is largely an urban festival during which people joyfully and theatrically mimic peasant stereotypes and clichés in a spirit of jokes and good times. Typical refreshments and dishes are served. Similar to during Carnival, these festivities involve costume-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, heavy drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like what happens on [[Midsummer]] and St John's Day in Europe, [[bonfires]] are a central part of these festivities in Brazil.

==Sports== [[File:Arena das Dunas (indoors) - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Arena das Dunas]] in [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]].]] [[Natal, Rio Grande do Norte|Natal]], the capital of the state, was one of 12 cities to host games of the [[2014 FIFA World Cup]] held in [[Brazil]].

The three main football clubs in Natal are [[ABC Futebol Clube|ABC]], [[Alecrim Futebol Clube|Alecrim]] and [[América Futebol Clube (RN)|América]] Futebol Clube. ABC and America are the biggest rivals, and their match is often referred as [[:pt:Clássico Rei|Clássico Rei]] (King Classic).

The state is one of the [[member states of the World Sports Alliance]].

==Flag== {{See also|List of Rio Grande do Norte state symbols}} The [[flag of Rio Grande do Norte]] was adopted on 3 December 1957. It is based on a design by [[Luís da Câmara Cascudo]]. In the middle of the flag is the coat of arms of the state, which was adopted on 1 July 1909. It shows a sailing boat at the coast in the middle, representing the fishing and salt industries. Above it is a bar which shows two flowers on the sides and two cotton bolls in the center. To the sides of the shield are a [[coconut]] palm to the right and a carnauba palm to the left, connected by two branches of [[sugar cane]]. The star above represents the state as part of Brazil.

== See also ==

* [[List of governors of Rio Grande do Norte]] * [[List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Norte]]

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links== {{sister project links|Rio Grande do Norte|voy=Rio Grande do Norte}} ;Official *{{in lang|pt}} [http://www.rn.gov.br Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806230408/http://www.rn.gov.br/ |date=6 August 2018 }} *{{in lang|pt}} [http://www.nominuto.com Nominuto.com Newspaper]

;Tourism *{{in lang|en}} [http://www.natal-brazil.com/ Travel guide] *{{in lang|en}} [https://mundiallis.com/ Rio Grande do Norte Travel Report] *{{in lang|en}} [http://www.pipaaccommodation.com Information, maps and accommodation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608205648/http://www.pipaaccommodation.com/ |date=8 June 2009 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rio Grande Do Norte}} [[Category:Rio Grande do Norte| ]] [[Category:Federative units of Brazil]] [[Category:Northeast Region, Brazil|*]] [[Category:Former Portuguese colonies]]