Nordeste bate recorde na geração de energia eólica e solar salt extraction. Transport: Mainly highways, which are more abundant along the coast, although transport by sea is also important. Vegetation: Mainly desert-like vegetation, with tropical forests along the coast and in the west and savanna-like vegetation in the southwest. Notable characteristics: This region was the first part of Brazil discovered by the Portuguese, and the first Brazilian capital, Salvador, was founded here. It has the lowest levels in the country in almost all of the social indicators, being considered the most impoverished region in Brazil. However, it has been growing above national average since the start of 21st century, gradually reducing the socio-economic distance to the other regions. Central-West Region Area: 1,612,007.2 km2 (18.86%) Population: 13,357,154 (7.2 people/km2; 6.4%) GDP: R$279 billion / US$174,3 billion (2008; 8.3%) (4th) Climate: Savanna climate (hot, with little precipitation during winter in the northeast and the east; Tropical in the east and in the west; Equatorial in the north; Some temperate climate places in the south). States: Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Distrito Federal (Federal District). Largest Cities: Brasília (national capital) (2,562,963); Goiânia (1,318,148); Campo Grande (796,252); Cuiabá (556,298); Aparecida de Goiânia (442,978); Anápolis (334,613). Economy: Livestock, Soybeans, Maize, Sugarcane, Cotton, Tomato, Nickel, Copper, Gold, tourism. Transport: Highways where they are present (mostly in the center and east regions); transport by rivers is common in the north and in the east; airplanes are used in remote and smaller communities. Vegetation: Mainly savanna-like vegetation, including the Pantanal (Chaco, in Paraguay), flooded areas in the west, equatorial rainforests in the north. Notable characteristics: With a low population density, most of the land in the region is used for grazing instead of agriculture. The region is also the least industrialized in the country, based mainly in food & meat processing. Southeast Region Area: 927,286 km2 (10.85%) Population: 80,303,750 (77.96 people/km2, 38%) GDP: R$1,629 trillion / US$803 billion (2008; ~49%) (1st) Climate: Tropical in the northwest (warm, relatively dry in the winter and wet in the summer); Semi-arid in the north; temperate in the south States: Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo Largest cities: São Paulo (11,037,593); Rio de Janeiro (6,186,710); Belo Horizonte (2,452,617); Guarulhos (1,299,283); Campinas (1,064,669); São Gonçalo (991,382); Duque de Caxias (872,762); Nova Iguaçu (865,089); São Bernardo do Campo (810,979); Osasco (718,646); Santo André (673,396); Uberlândia (634,345); Contagem (625,393); São