Magalhães de Almeida

Magalhães de Almeida
Municipality
Location of Magalhães de Almeida in the Nordeste Region
Location of Magalhães de Almeida in the Nordeste Region
Magalhães de Almeida is located in Brazil
Magalhães de Almeida
Magalhães de Almeida
Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 3°24′S 42°12′W / 3.400°S 42.200°W / -3.400; -42.200
Country Brazil
RegionNordeste
StateMaranhão
MesoregionLeste Maranhense
EstablishedOctober 1, 1952
Government
 • MayorRaimundo Nonato Carvalho
Area
 • Total
167,237 sq mi (433,141 km2)
Population
 (2022 [1])
 • Total
13,807
 • Density82.3/sq mi (31.78/km2)
DemonymMagalhense
Time zoneUTC−3 (BRT)

Magalhães de Almeida is a municipality in the state of Maranhão in the Northeast region of Brazil.

History

Around 1855, there was a great flood on Parnaíba River, and Barnabé Pereira Mascarenhas went down the river with an igara looking for new lands to live in. He found a hill on the left side of the river and built his new home there.[2]

Returning to his old settlement, people asked Barnabé where he had stablished himself, and he answered he made a "hole" (furo in Portuguese) nearby. The region, thus, was known as Furo.[2]

In 1885, Antônio da Silva Lopes, Militão Pereira Mascarenhas and Florindo José da Silva tried to colonize the region, but failed. Furo only developed in 1918, when Benedito Romão de Sousa, Manoel Vasconcelos Leão, Vítor Gonçalves Costa and others moved to the region and built infrastructure, including a church. The region then was renamed Porto de Santo Antônio, as a homage to Anthony of Padua.[2] The region was predominantly occupied by fishermen.[3]

In April 1925, the region was elevated to the status of village by the Governor José Maria Magalhães de Almeida. In 1936, it became the district of Trincheiras, from São Bernardo. During the term of the Governor Sebastião Archer da Silva, it became a municipality through the Law nº 771, from 1 October 1952, that came into effect in 1 January 1953.[2][4]

From 1996 on, with the election of João Cândido de Carvalho Neto as mayor, the municipality was predominantly governed by the Carvalho family.[5]

Geography

Magalhães de Almeida is located on the Mesoregion of Leste Maranhense and the Microregion of Baixo Parnaíba Maranhense.[6] It's predominant biomes are Cerrado (77%) and Caatinga (23%).[7] The municipality has a tropical sub-humid dry climate, with two seasons: rainy (from January to June) and dry (from July to December).[6] The vegetation is predominantly made of savanna and seasonal tropical forest.[3]

Hidrography

Magalhães de Almeida is bathed by the Parnaíba and Buriti Rivers.[3] Both rivers are connected through the Buriti Lagoon.[8] The underground water comes from the porous aquifer of Grupo Barreiras and unconsolidated sediments from swamps and mangrove deposits, continental wind deposits and alluvial deposits.[6]

Floods are common during the rainy season, isolating some villages and difficulting access to some places, including touristic spots.[9]

Geology

Magalhães de Almeida is constituted of Paleogene detritolateritic layers, Pleistocene Aeolian layers, and alluvial deposits from Holocene.[3]

It's geomorphology is made of river plains, plateaus from Parnaíba River, and sub-littoral tablelands. The soil is made out of latosols, neosols and plinthosols.[3]

Demographics

Population

According to IBGE, the population in 2022 was of 13,807,[1] a decline of 21.49% since the last census in 2010.[10]

Public safety

During the 80s, public safety on Magalhães de Almeida and other 28 municipalities was the responsibility of the 3rd. Company (CIA) of the Military Police from the 2nd. Military Police Battalion, headquartered in Chapadinha. It was made out of one captain, one sargent, one 3rd. corporal and 15 soldiers.[11]

Since the State Law nº 4,716, from 17 April 1986, CIA became independent, being renamed to 4th. Company of Independent Military Police (CI). CI was responsible for 28 municipalities, and added 112 soldiers in 1993.[11]

CI was extinguished and substituted by the 6th Battalion of Military Police through the State Law nº 10,155, from 29 October 2014, responsible for 17 municipalities. Four of the municipalities were passed to another battalion through the State Law nº 11,813, from 24 August 2022. Magalhães de Almeida, Santana do Maranhão and São Bernardo are the resonsibility of the 2nd. CIA.[11]

In 2023, the military police had a base rented by the prefecture, where 9 policemen were allocated. The patrols were mostly made with motorcycles.[11]

Urban infrastructure

Roads

Magalhães de Almeida can be reached from MA 110 Road. Its main Avenues are Bendito Romão de Sousa and Getúlio Vargas.[3] According to a 2021 study by the Federal University of Maranhão, the roads are full of holes.[9]

Economy

According to IBGE, the GDP per capita from Magalhães de Almeida was of R$ 13,150.33 (2023) with an HDI of 0.567 (2010).[1] In 2020, the biggest economic sector from the municipality was services, followed by agriculture.[3]

In 2021, the average earning of the municipality was of 1.5 minimum wages, with 58.1% of the population earning up until half a minimum wage. The total amount of 1,843 people had formal jobs.[1]

There has been incidences of work analogous to slavery in the municipality. Between 13 and 27 August 2025, tax auditors rescued 76 people working with carnauba straw extraction after an operation from the Federal Police with the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Public Defender's Office.[12][13]

Agriculture

Most of the agricultural activity in Magalhães de Almeida is for subsistence, with cassava being the main product. It is mainly harvested by Trincheiras village and used to produce flour and sold to Ambev.[3] The municipality is also part of the "New Agricultural Frontier", regions in Maranhão that are prone to mechanized agriculture.[14] It is used to plant soybean and millet for exportation purposes.[3]

Temporary plantations are used to produce cassava, soy, millet, beans, rice, watermelon and corn. Permanent plantations are used to produce papaya, banana Bahia coconut, cashew nuts and mango. Horticulture is also present on the municipality, with the predominance of chives and coriander. In 2024, there were 99 permanent plantations and 676 temporary ones, occupying 615 ha.[3]

Government

Districts

Magalhães de Almeida is subdivided in two districts, Magalhães de Lima and Custódio Lima.[4] Besides the city of Magalhães de Almeida, the municipality is also home of the villages of Alto do Cedro, Aninga, Bacuri, Baixa da Salsa, Boa Vista, Curralinho, Custódio Lima, Entre Ladeiras, Férias, Florzinho, Malhadinha, Melancias, Murici dos Bragas, Nova Vila, Oitis, Santa Maria, Santo Inácio, Tourada, Trincheiras and Vargem Grande and the settlement projects of Canaã and Santo Agostinho.[3][15]

List of mayors

Mayors of Magalhães de Almeida
name term party vice-mayor notes reference
Captain Arlindo Faray 1953 His term lasted for 23 days [3]
Benedito Romão de Sousa 1953–1983 [3]
Francisco das Chagas Silva Castro 1984–1996 [3]
João Cândido Carvalho Neto 1997–2000 First term [3]
João Cândido Carvalho Neto 2001–2004 Second term [3]
Osvaldo Batista Vieira Filho 2005–2008 PMDB Camilo Gonçalves Costa [16]
João Cândido Carvalho Neto 2009–2012 PMDB Bernardo da Silva Costa Third term [17]
João Cândido Carvalho Neto 2013–2016 PMDB Tadeu de Jesus Batista de Sousa Fourth term [18]
Tadeu de Jesus Batista de Sousa 2017–2020 PMDB Francisco das Chagas Batista Vieira [19]
Raimundo Nonato Carvalho 2021–2024 MDB Rafael Santos da Silva First term [20]
Raimundo Nonato Carvalho 2025– PDT Rafael Santos da Silva Second term [21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Panorama de Magalhães de Almeida (2023)". IBGE. Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "História de Magalhães de Almeida". IBGE (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Silva, Rafael Thalysson Costa (2024). "Magalhães de Almeida". Enciclopédia dos municípios maranhenses: Região de desenvolvimento do delta das américas (PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Vol. 10. Secretaria de Estado do Planejamento e Orçamento and Instituto Maranhense de Estudos Socioeconômicos e Cartográficos. pp. 81–106.
  4. ^ a b "História do Município". Câmara Municipal de Magalhães de Almeida (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  5. ^ Gomes, Gilberto Wagner Bezerra; Costa, José Orlando (27 September 2021). "Magalhães de Almeida comemora em 1° de outubro 69 anos de sua elevação à cidade". Correio do Norte (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Gomes, Érico Rodrigues; Nunes, Ossian Otávio; Filho, José Barbosa Lopes. "Relatório diagnóstico do município de Magalhães de Almeida". Report (in Brazilian Portuguese). Project for Registering Underwater Ground Sources.
  7. ^ "Magalhães de Almeida – MA". Infosanbas (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  8. ^ Santos, Ivanildo (27 August 2013). "Inclusão social e perservação da Lagoa do Bacuri são estimuladas através da pesquisa com foco ambiental". FAPEMA (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 10 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  9. ^ a b Colasante, Tatiana; Silva, Elizama Portugal da (2021). "Potencialidades para o desenvolvimento do turismo em Magalhães de Almeida - MA". Revista Acadêmica Observatório de Inovação do Turismo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 15 (2). Federal University of Maranhão: 68–90. doi:10.17648/raoit.v15n2.6291.
  10. ^ "População de Magalhães de Almeida (MA) é de 13.807 pessoas, aponta o Censo do IBGE". G1 MA (in Brazilian Portuguese). 28 June 2023. Archived from the original on 17 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b c d Nascimento, Suzanne Deyna Ribeiro (2023). "Redimensionamento da área do 16º Batalhão de Polícia Militar e criação de uma nova unidade policial militar" (PDF). Final Thesis for Specialization in Public Safety Management (in Brazilian Portuguese). Federal University of Maranhão.
  12. ^ "Auditores-fiscais resgatam 80 trabalhadores em condições análogas à escravidão em duas cidades do MA". G1 MA. 27 August 2025. Archived from the original on 17 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  13. ^ "MTE resgata 80 trabalhadores de situação análoga à escravidão no Maranhão". Ministry of Labour and Employment (in Brazilian Portuguese). 28 August 2025. Archived from the original on 17 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  14. ^ Terra, Aldemir; Folmer, Ivanio (2025). Geografia Rural e Agrária - Reflexões e Práticas (PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Arco Editores. p. 140. ISBN 978-65-5417-560-9.
  15. ^ "Mapa do Município de Magalhães Almeida (MA)" (PDF). IBGE (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Osvaldo Filho". Superior Electoral Court (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Neto Carvalho". Superior Electoral Court (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Neto Carvalho". Superior Electoral Court (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Tadeu". Superior Electoral Court (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Nonato Carvalho". Superior Electoral Court (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Nonato Carvalho". Superior Electoral Court (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 5 January 2026.