Brazil is geopolitically divided into five regions (also called macroregions), by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, which are formed by the federative units of Brazil. Although officially recognized, the division is merely academic, considering geographic, social and economic factors, among others, and has no political effects other than orientating Federal-level government programs. Under the state level, they are further divided into intermediate regions and even further into immediate regions. The five regions North Region Area: 3,689,637.9 km2 (45.27%) Population: 17,707,783 (4,6 people/km2; 6.2%; 2016) GDP: R$ 308 billion / US$94,8 billion (2016; 4.7%) (5th) Climate: Equatorial States: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins Largest Cities: Manaus (2,094,391); Belém (1,446,042); Porto Velho (511,219); Ananindeua (510,834); Macapá (465,495); Rio Branco (377,057); Boa Vista (326,419); Santarém (294,447); Palmas (279 856). Economy: Iron, Copper, Gold, Bauxite, Manganese, Açaí, Pineapple, Energy production, electronic manufacturing, tourism. Transport: Mainly rivers (which are abundant in the region). Highways are scarce and present mainly in the east. Airplanes are commonly used in small remote communities and sometimes in the larger cities. Vegetation: Almost the entire region is covered by Amazon Rainforest, except the state of Tocantins, which has savanna-like vegetation (cerrado). Most of the native vegetation still remains. Notable characteristics: Presence of the Amazon Rainforest, which is the vegetation dominant in every state but Tocantins. Cities are spread far apart in the region, and it has the lowest population density of the country. There are very few paved highways in the region, as it is almost isolated from the rest of the country. It is also the biggest region of Brazil, being responsible for almost half of the Brazilian territorial extension. Economic growth is above national average (especially in Amazonas and in Tocantins). Northeast Region Area: 1,561,177 km2 (18.3%) Population: 53,340,945 (30.55 people/km2; 29%; 2009) GDP: R$437 billion / US$273,1 billion (2009; ~12%) (3rd) Climate: Hot all year long. Tropical near the coast and semi-arid in the interior; semi-equatorial in the far west of the region. States: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe Largest Cities: Salvador (2,676,606); Fortaleza (2,447,409); Recife (1,536,934); São Luís (1,011,943); Maceió (932,608); Natal (789,836); Teresina (714,583); João Pessoa (595,429); Jaboatão dos Guararapes; (580,795); Feira de Santana (481,137); Aracaju (461,083); Olinda (368,666); Campina Grande (354,546). Economy: Tourism, tropical fruits (coconut, papaya, melon, banana, mango, pineapple), cocoa, cashew nuts, soybeans, cotton, sugarcane, machinery manufacturing, textiles,wind energy production, Região