Brazilian Sertões II (*), the new volume o novo volume of the do Atlas of Literary Representation of the Brazilian Major Regions, released today (29/11/2016) by the IBGE, gathers the areas known as Sertões do Oeste and Sertões de Passagem. With satellite images, photos and maps at different scales, this collection portrays the setting of many great works of Brazilian literature. The new Atlas can be purchased at the IBGE virtual shop. Its digital version is accessible for free, here.

After Meridional Brazil and Brazilian Sertões I, released, respectively, in 2006 and 2009, the IBGE releases the third volume of the Atlas of Literary Representations of the Brazilian Major Regions - Brazilian Sertões II. This edition presents Sertões do Oeste and Sertões de Passagem, which gather pieces of land located in the Central West of Brazil and adjacent areas in the North and Southeast, such as Pontal do Paranapanema (SP), Triângulo Mineiro (MG) and Jalapão (TO).

Brazilian Sertões II contains excerpts of works by Bernardo Élis, Mário Palmério, Agripa Vasconcelos, Visconde de Taunay, Bernardo Guimarães, Camilo Chaves, Hernani Donato, Moura Lima, Rogério de Camargo, Brígido Ibanhes, Maria José Silveira, Marcos Faustino, among other authors that depicted characters, social conflicts and historical processes which have helped form the Brazilian social space. 

The third volume of the atlas was divided into two parts. The first one, Sertões do oeste, encompasses the locations of Minas de Cuiabá and Mato Grosso, such as Minas dos Goyazes, Pantanal and Ervais Matogrossenses. The occupation of that bi area was influenced by a dispute between the Portuguese and Spanish crowns, to define the boundaries of colonial domain in South America. Besides mining, the need of expanding territories marked local landscapes, with the creation of military fortifications.

The occupation of this big area was influenced by the dispute between the Portuguese and Spanish Crowns, to define the boundaries of their colonial domains in South America. Besides mining, there was the need of keeping and expanding territories, giving origin to many military fortifications.   

The second part portrsys the so-called Sertões de passagem, which encompass the Triângulo Mineiro (Minas Triangle), Alta Sorocabana and Pontal do Paranapanema, Sertão dos Garcias and Jalapão, areas used for the tranportation of goods and cattle. Jalapão was also a refugee for jagunços and bandits working for land owners in Bahia, Goiás and Maranhão.

This new publication reinforces the IBGE's commitment with the portrayal of the regions that were formed during the occupation process in Brazil, and which, due to their many peculiarities, have marked our history and paved the way to cultural manifestations of great importance to our national image.  

(*) Sertões: name given to the semi-arid regions located mainly in northeastern Brazil, but also in the Central West Region and in the state of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast Region.