find your way:Indigenous peoples in Brazil> Who, where, how many> Where they are>
Demarcation | Juridical status of the TIs today | Indigenous Lands (TIs)
Demarcation: last 4 administrations | Location and extension | Who lives where

Where they are

Indigenous peoples are found scattered throughout the Brazilian territory, with the exception of the States of Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte. Several of these peoples live in neighboring countries as well. In Brazil, the great majority of the Indian communities live in collective lands, which the Federal Government has declared to be for their exclusive usufruct. The so-called Terras Indígenas - Indigenous Lands - (TIs) number today 593 (see their location and extension).

In the area called Amazônia Legal - divided into the States of Amazonas, Acre, Amapá, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, and stretching into the Western part of Maranhão - live 60% of Brazil’s Indigenous population. It is estimated in between 10 and 15% the Indians who live in cities, but there is no dependable data on that. Learn which peoples live in each Brazilian State (who lives where).

The recognition of the Indigenous Lands by the State (demarcation process) is an unfinished chapter in the History of Brazil (Demarcation: last 4 administrations). Many of them are demarcated and have been registered in a notary public, while others are still in the phase of being recognized; there are also Indian areas without regularization (Juridical status of the TIs today).