However, for the purpose of social and economic planning of the region, the so-called legal Amazon was founded in Brazil in 1953 (Law 1.806/1953). The legal Amazon consists of an area of 5,217,423 km², which occupies 61% of Brazil`s territory. Its boundaries were defined by a socio-political, not geographical, bias that went beyond the Amazon biome to include part of the Cerrado and Pantanal. Since its inception, its borders have been revised several times due to changes in Brazil`s political division. Today, the states that make up the legal Amazon are Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins and part of Maranhão – which share political and socio-economic challenges. The region concentrates nine states and 772 municipalities, especially Maranhão The legal definition of the Brazilian Amazon has always been linked to the creation of public authorities and the implementation of government policies. The first definition dates back to 1953 by Law No. 1.806 of 06.01.1953, which created the supervision of the Amazon Economic Upgrading Plan – SPVEA and defined its area of activity, which includes the region of the states of Pará and Amazonas; the federal territories of Acre, Amapá, Guaporé and Rio Branco; and also the part of the state of Mato Grosso north of the 16th parallel, the part of the state of Goiás north of the 13th parallel and the part of Maranhão west of the meridian 44º. It was a geopolitical construction aimed at defining an area of application of territorial and economic policy, integrating the northern extent of the Brazilian territory into the socio-economic fabric of the country, thus guaranteeing sovereignty over the territory. The legal Amazon is an area of 5,217,423 square kilometers, covering 61% of all Brazilian territory. The eastern Amazon includes the states of Pará, Maranhão, Amapá, Tocantins and Mato Grosso.
The eastern part of the Amazon is home to 20% of the Cerrado biome and part of the Mato Grosso Pantanal. Its population is 21,056,532, or only 12.4% of the national population. The legal Amazon is divided into two parts: the western Amazon, consisting of the states of Amazonas, Acre, Rondônia and Roraima, and the eastern Amazon, consisting of the states of Pará, Maranhão, Amapá, Tocantins and Mato Grosso. The Western Amazon was first mentioned in Legislative Decree No. 291 of 28.02.1967 and ratified by Legislative Decree No. 356 of 15.08.1968. In total, 59% of Brazilian territory is occupied by 9 of the 26 states that are part of the country: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins. They form the legal Amazon. Founded in Brazil in the 1950s, the importance of this designation is undeniable. There are about 5 million km² where 56% of Brazil`s indigenous population live.
Mun_Amazonia_Legal_2021: This is the representation of the polygons of the communities that are part of the legal Amazon. The 772 municipalities include 874 polygons due to the subordination of some islands. It has the following attributes: In 2008, the Forum of Legal Amazon Governors was established to discuss joint sustainable development proposals that can be implemented by the nine states in the region. [5] «The most significant changes compared to 2019 were observed in communities in the legal Amazon,» says Diogo Nunes, a cartographer at IBGE. There has been no update on the representation of Brazil`s borders or currency changes between the states that make up the territory. «In Mato Grosso, for example, the municipality of Várzea Grande has experienced changes in its territory, but without changing the total area concerned,» notes the coach. In addition to the Amazon biome, which includes the forest expansion zone, there is also the concept of the legal Amazon. According to agronomist and researcher at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), Marcelo Stabile, the legal Amazon is the political definition of the region, which includes nine states. «Mato Grosso, for example, has part of the state in the Amazon biome and another in the Cerrado, but it`s part of the legal Amazon. Maranhão is also part of the region, but it is not the entire state. Seven other entire states are part of the legal Amazon,» he says.
According to the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea), the legal Amazon is an area that corresponds to 59% of Brazil`s territory and includes the eight states – Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins – and part of the state of Maranhão.