Paraíba(redirected from Parahiba)
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Paraíba, state, Brazil
Paraíba, river, Brazil
a state in northeastern Brazil, mainly in the Brazilian Highlands. Area, 56,400 sq km. Population, 2.4 million (1970). Its capital is the city of João Pessoa. The state’s economy is based on agriculture. Cultivated crops include corn, rice, beans, sugarcane, tobacco, bananas, cotton, and one-third of the country’s sisal. Industries include the production of food and condiments, cotton ginning, cement production, and leather tanning.
the name of two rivers in South America.
(1) A river in southeastern Brazil, in the state of Paraíba. It is 1,140 km long and drains an area of approximately 60,000 sq km. It rises in the Serra do Mar, flows through a valley between the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira, cuts through a coastal mountain range, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Campos. The high-water period is from December through March. The mean annual flow rate is 1,010 cu m per sec. The river is navigable in some sections. The Ilha hydroelectric plant, which has a capacity of 165 megawatts, is situated on the Paraíba.
(2) A river in northeastern Brazil, 450 km long. It flows across the Borborema Plateau and into the Atlantic Ocean. There are autumn floods. The lower course is navigable.