Condicionantes naturais e distribuição espacial das economias fundantes do Rio Grande do Norte: sucrocultura e pecuária nos séculos XVII e XVIII

Abstract

The brazilian colonial territory had its formation anchored by economic exploitation of the natural environment. By realising that there is a straight connection between the economic practices and the physical conditions of the natural environment, it is aimed with this research to comprehend and demonstrate the influence of the natural conditions on the development of the founding economic activities of Rio Grande do Norte state territory. This study gave emphasis to the first two economic cycles that motivated the ocupation of this territory, namely sugar cane agriculture and cattle raising. Thus, a review of the literature was conducted on these economic cycles and their consequences on the territorial production. Soon after, it attempts to understand the natural conditions of the area, specially the climatology of the state. Finally, when comparing the climatic aptitude, through the results of the Water Balance, of the most productive regions of sugar cane with Natal’s, it was concluded that the Captaincy of Rio Grande had insufficient natural conditions to the development of sugar cane agriculture at low technical level, unlike the other captaincies of Eastern Northeast, being this the main reason that led to its late occupation. Under these circumstances, there was the emergence of another economic activity that was initially developed as an alternative to that one. Cattle raising achieved great progress in the countryside, of semi-arid climate, since this region was appropriately distant from the coast (sugar cane area) and had large areas with sparse vegetation, which provided its extensive execution next to drainage canals.