Brazil has a new surface measurement: 8,515,767,049 km², what means increment of 0.01% over the...

Brazil has a new figure for territorial area: 8,515,767.049 km², what means increment of 0.01% over the previous official territory figure, obtained in 2002 (8.514.876.599 km², according to the political and administrative structure in effect on 01/01/2001). The new surface measurement also represents increment (0.001%) over the figure informed in the 2010 Population Census Summary (8,515,692.272 km²), which correponded to the Territory Base prepared for the 2010 Census, with 316,514 enumeration areas and created to be part of the spatial representation of urban and rural areas of the national territory in a Geospatial Database environment.

A new territory figure is an expected consequence of the evolution of measurement technology and of the dynamics of the Brazilian Territory Division, which leads to regular updates of the figures in state and municipal areas and reflects changes in political-administrative borders. These changes can be of legal nature or result from: cartographic corrections and detailing; announced changes in the realm of partnerships established between IBGE and state organisms responsible for administrative-political division; continued employment of better techniques and production inputs.

Changes in the surface of Brazil encompass inclusion of islands in Bahia

The main changes presented in the current publication on the Brazilian territory surface are: the area of Bahia state that now includes the island areas of the Abrolhos Archipelago, which belongs to the municipality of Caravelas; the area of Santa Catarina state now includes the areas relative to the inland water of Baía Sul and Baía Norte, between the continent and Santa Catarina Island, according to Law n° 13,993 of 03/20/2007, which revoked Law no. 11,340 of 01/08/2000; the area figures of Ceará, Pernambuco and Paraíba states were adjusted according to the borders described in the Border Atlas (CNG, 1940) a reference document for all the interstate borders in Brazil; the area figures for the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco were adjusted as established by the Decree-law no. 9,578, of August 13, 1946; the areas Acre and Amazonas correspond to those obtained from the Court Decision of the Federal Supreme Court of 12/04/1996, in accordance with Resolution no.2 of the President of IBGE, released on May 12, 2008; the area figures of Tocantins and Bahia follow Federal Supreme Court decision as stated through injunctive relief in Injunction no. 733. In relation to Tocantins, these borders will be in effect until the final decision is granted by the Federal Supreme Court in Civil Actions no. 347 and 652.

It is possible to observe that, as in the previous publication, Rio Grande do Sul encompasses the areas relative to Lagoa dos Patos (10,152,408 km²) and to Lagoa Mirim (2.811,54 km²), according to the State Constitution of 1988.

SIRGAS makes calculations and maps more precise

In the redefinition of the territorial area of Brazil, considering the official figures of 2002, the system adopted was SIRGAS 2000 (Geocentric Reference System for the Americas), the main advantage of which, in com parison with other possible reference systems, is the direct use of the GPS technology (Global Positioning System), an important tool for the update of maps, besides other uses such as fleet control in air and road transportation companies, at real time. SIRGAS 2000 grants more precision to the mapping of the Brazilian territory and in the demarcation of borders.  Besides, the use of this new system by Latin America will help eliminate a series of problems caused by the discrepancy observed between the geographic coordinates presented by the GPS system and those found in maps currently used in the continent.  

The use of SIRGAS 2000 was determined by Resolution no. 1/2005 of the President of IBGE, available at ftp://geoftp.ibge.gov.br/metodos_e_outros_documentos_de_referencia/normas/rpr_01_25fev2005.pdf. 

 According to the Map of the Empire, Brazil was 178 thousand km² smaller

The first official estimate for the superficial extension of the Brazilian territory dates back to 1889, with 8.337.218 km² obtained from measurements and calculations made on the basic charts of the Map of the Brazilian Empire, published in 1883.  

With the promulgation of the Decree-law no. 237 of 02/02/1938, it started to be a duty of IBGE – through the National Council of Geography – as stated in Article 9, letter a “ the revision of the Brazilian area, of its division among the Federation Units and municipalities..."

Since then, other calculations have been made, using the best-quality of cartographic support documentation, especially the publication and the update of the Map of Brazil on the millionth scale successive editions.

In the beginning of the 1950’s the areas of Brazil, of its states and municipalities started to be revised on a ten-year basis, with the adoption of more rigorous methods.