Brazil Administrative Divisions: 29 States, 1 Federal District, 5,569 Municipalities

Brazil is a federation made up of:

  • 26 states
  • 1 Federal District (Distrito Federal) — where Brasília, the capital, is located
  • 5,569 municipalities (5,571 at the time of the 1988 Constitution; number changes slightly over time)

Regions of Brazil (5)

  1. North (Norte)
  2. Northeast (Nordeste)
  3. Central-West (Centro-Oeste)
  4. Southeast (Sudeste)
  5. South (Sul)

States and the Federal District (27)

  • Acre (AC)
  • Alagoas (AL)
  • Amapá (AP)
  • Amazonas (AM)
  • Bahia (BA)
  • Ceará (CE)
  • Espírito Santo (ES)
  • Goiás (GO)
  • Maranhão (MA)
  • Mato Grosso (MT)
  • Mato Grosso do Sul (MS)
  • Minas Gerais (MG)
  • Pará (PA)
  • Paraíba (PB)
  • Paraná (PR)
  • Pernambuco (PE)
  • Piauí (PI)
  • Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
  • Rio Grande do Norte (RN)
  • Rio Grande do Sul (RS)
  • Rondônia (RO)
  • Roraima (RR)
  • Santa Catarina (SC)
  • São Paulo (SP)
  • Sergipe (SE)
  • Tocantins (TO)
  • Federal District — Distrito Federal (DF)

Municipalities

Brazil has 5,569 municipalities.

States and municipalities have autonomous administrations, collect some of their own taxes, and elect their own governments, but criminal and civil law are federal and uniform nationwide. There are currently no federal territories.

🗺️ Major Territorial Units

Five Geographic Regions (for statistical & administrative organization)

  • North (Norte)
  • Northeast (Nordeste)
  • Central-West (Centro-Oeste)
  • Southeast (Sudeste)
  • South (Sul)

These regions are not political units, but they group states by geography, culture, and economy.

🏛️ Federative Units (States + Federal District)

North Region

  • Acre
  • Amazonas
  • Pará
  • Roraima
  • Amapá
  • Rondônia
  • Tocantins

Northeast Region

  • Maranhão
  • Piauí
  • Ceará
  • Rio Grande do Norte
  • Paraíba
  • Pernambuco
  • Alagoas
  • Sergipe
  • Bahia

Central-West Region

  • Mato Grosso
  • Mato Grosso do Sul
  • Goiás
  • Federal District (Distrito Federal) — Brasília

Southeast Region

  • Minas Gerais
  • Espírito Santo
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • São Paulo

South Region

  • Paraná
  • Santa Catarina
  • Rio Grande do Sul

🏙️ Municipalities (Municípios)

  • Each state is divided into municipalities
  • Each municipality has:
    • an elected mayor (prefeito)
    • a municipal council (câmara municipal)
  • Courts are state-level, and several municipalities may share one judicial district (comarca).

🧾 Federal Territories (Historical Note)

Brazil’s constitution allows federal territories, but none currently exist.
Former territories that became states or districts include:

  • Amapá
  • Roraima
  • Fernando de Noronha (now part of Pernambuco)
Brazil Administrative Divisions: 29 States, 1 Federal District, 5,500+ Municipalities

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