Maranhão

State of Maranhão
State
Flag Coat of arms
Location of State of Maranhão in Brazil
Coordinates: 6°11′S 45°37′W
Country	Brazil
Capital and Largest City	São Luís
Government
• Governor	Flávio Dino (PSB)
• Vice Governor	Carlos Brandão (PSDB)
• Senators	Eliziane Gama (Cidadania) Roberto Rocha (PSDB) Weverton Rocha (PDT)
Area
• Total	331,983.293 km2 (128,179.466 sq mi)
Area rank	8th
Population  (2012)
• Total	6,714,314
• Rank	10th
• Density	20/km2 (52/sq mi)
• Density rank	16th
Demonym(s)	Maranhense
GDP
• Year	2006 estimate
• Total	R$ 28,621,000,000 (16th)
• Per capita	R$ 4,628 (26th)
HDI
• Year	2005
• Category	0.683 – medium (26th)
Time zone	UTC-3 (BRT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (BRST)
Postal Code	65000-000 to 65990-000
ISO 3166 code	BR-MA
Website	ma.gov.br

Maranhão is one of the states of Brazil. It is in the northeastern region of the country. To the north is the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão shares borders with Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. In the 19th century, the state used plantation slaves to produce cotton for Europe.

Major cities in the state besides the state capital São Luís are Imperatriz, Timon, and Caxias. The Alcantara spaceport is in the north of the state, not far from São Luís.