Acre (state)

The name, which was given to the territory in 1904, and to the state in 1962, is derived from one of the local rivers, perhaps originates from the Tupi word a'kir ü "green river", or from the form a'kir, of the Tupi word ker, "to sleep, to rest". It is believed more likely to be derived from Aquiri, a transliteration by European explorers of the term Umákürü, or Uakiry, from the Ipurinã dialect. Another hypothesis is that Acquiri derives from Yasi'ri, or Ysi'ri, meaning "flowing or swift water".

According to one account, agriculturist João Gabriel de Carvalho Melo wrote during an 1878 trip on the Purús River to merchant Viscount of Santo Elias (from Pará), asking him for goods to be sent to the "mouth of the Aquiri River". In Belém, the local merchant or his employees either misinterpreted Gabriel's handwriting, or he spelled the name wrong: the goods and invoice which Gabriel received were marked as having been sent to the Acre River.

Acre possesses some nicknames: the End of Brazil, The Rubber Tree State, the Latex State (from when it was a center of rubber production) and the Western End.

The native inhabitants of Acre are called acrianos, in the singular acriano. Until the entry according to the Orthographic Agreement of 1990, the correct spelling was acreano in the singular and in the plural acreanos. In 2009, with the new orthographic agreement, the change generated controversy between the Academy of Letters of Acre (Academia Acreana de Letras) and the Brazilian Academy of Letters (Academia Brasileira de Letras). The latter said that the change would mean the denial of the state's historical and cultural roots, by changing the last letter of the toponym from "E" to "I".

File:Acre Köppen.svg

The state of Acre occupies an area of {{cvt|152,581|km2}} (58,911 mi²) in the extreme west of Brazil. It is located at 70º west longitude and at 9º south latitude. In Brazil, the state is part of the North Region, forming borders with the states of Amazonas and Rondônia, and with two countries: Peru and Bolivia.

Practically all of the terrain of the state of Acre is part of the low sandstone plateau, or terra firme, morphological unit which dominates most of the Brazilian Amazon. These terranes rise, in Acre, from the southeast to the northeast, with very tabular topography in general. In the extreme west is found the Serra da Contamana or Serra do Divisor, along the western border, with the highest altitudes in the state ({{convert|609|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}). About 63% of the state's surface lies between {{convert|200|and|300|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height; 16% between 300 and 609 (984 and 1,998 ft); and 21% between 200 and 135 (656 and 443 ft).

The climate is hot and very humid, of the Am type in the Köppen climate classification system, and the monthly average temperatures vary between {{convert|24|and|27|C|F}}, being the lowest average of the North Region. The rainfall reaches an annual total of {{convert|2,100|mm|in|abbr=on}}, with a clear dry season in the months of June, July, and August.

The Amazon Rainforest covers all of the state territory. Very rich in rubber trees of the most valuable species (Hevea brasiliensis) and Brazil nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa), the forest guarantees that Acre is the greatest national producer of rubber and nuts. Acre's principal rivers, mostly navigable during the wet season (the Juruá, Tarauacá, Envira, Purús, Iaco, and Acre), cross the state with almost parallel courses which converge only outside of its territory.

The largest recorded Black Caiman, measured at {{convert|7.7|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} and weighing {{convert|1310|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, was shot in Acre in 1965.

{{wide image|Serra_do_Divisor_banner_Rio_Moa.jpg|800px|The Môa River, at the Serra do Divisor National Park, Juruá River Valley, Western Acre}}

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species-rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia.Turner, I.M. 2001. The ecology of trees in the tropical rain forest. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. {{ISBN|0-521-80183-4}} As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. More than 1/3 of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.[http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildplaces/amazon/index.cfm Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Plants, Amazon River Animals]

Acre is divided into 22 municipalities, 5 immediate regions and 2 intermediate regions:

File:Lista de mesorregiões do Acre.png

• Immediate Region of Brasileia
• : {{Hlist | Assis Brasil | Brasiléia | Epitaciolândia | Xapuri }}
• Immediate Region of Rio Branco
• : {{Hlist | Acrelândia | Bujari | Capixaba | Plácido de Castro | Porto Acre | Rio Branco | Senador Guiomard }}
• Microregion of Sena Madureira
• : {{Hlist | Manoel Urbano | Santa Rosa do Purus | Sena Madureira }}

• Immediate Region of Cruzeiro do Sul
• : {{Hlist | Cruzeiro do Sul | Mâncio Lima | Marechal Thaumaturgo | Porto Walter | Rodrigues Alves }}
• Immediate Region of Tarauacá
• : {{Hlist | Feijó | Jordão | Tarauacá }}

{{Main|History of Acre}}

{{Quote box

| title = Historical affiliations

| quote = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Cross_of_Burgundy.svg}} Viceroyalty of Peru 1542–1824
{{flagicon image|Flag of Peru.svg

}}{{flagicon image|Flag of Bolivia.svg}} Peru and Bolivia 1825–1836
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Peru-Bolivian_Confederation.svg}} Peru-Bolivian Confederation 1836–1839
{{flagicon image|Flag of Peru (1825–1884).svg}}{{flagicon image|State flag of Bolivia (before 2004).png}} Peru and Bolivia 1839–1899
{{flagicon|Acre}} First Republic of Acre 1899–1900
{{flagicon image|Flag of Peru (1825–1884).svg}}{{flagicon image|State flag of Bolivia (before 2004).png}} Peru and Bolivia 1900
{{flagicon|Acre}} Second Republic of Acre 1900
{{flagicon image|Flag of Peru (1825–1884).svg}}{{flagicon image|State flag of Bolivia (before 2004).png}} Peru and Bolivia 1900–1903
{{flagicon image|Bandeira da Terceira República do Acre.svg}} Third Republic of Acre 1903
{{flag|Brazil}} 1903–present

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| width = 22em

| fontsize = 90%

| bgcolor = #B0C4DE

}}

Image:Edifício_da_Prefeitura_-_Departamento_do_Alto_Purus,_Sena_Madureira_(AC).tif City Hall, 1905, Acre, Brazil]]

Image:Acre rio Branco (543).jpg.]]

Image:Acre rio Branco (487).JPG in the morning.]]

Image:Acre rio Branco (146).jpg.]]

The region of present-day Acre is thought to have been inhabited by Pre-Columbian civilizations since at least 2,100 years ago. Evidence includes complex geoglyphs of this age found in the area. The natives who crafted them are believed to have had a relatively advanced knowledge of this technology. Since at least the early 15th century, the region has been inhabited by peoples who spoke Panoan languages; their territory was geographically close to that of the Inca.

In the mid-18th century, the region was colonized by the Spanish and became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Following the Peruvian and Bolivian wars of independence, which ended in 1826, the region and large portions around it became part of both Peru and Bolivia respectively, but independent of Spain and both states disputed the territory. It was a territory of the short-lived Peru–Bolivian Confederation (1836–1839), until the two countries separated and most of the region returned to Bolivian control.

The discovery of rubber tree groves in the region in the mid-19th century attracted numerous immigrants, especially from Brazil and Europe, seeking to build on the rubber boom. Despite the increased numbers of Brazilians, the Treaty of Ayacucho (1867) determined that the region belonged to Bolivia. By 1877, Acre's population was composed almost entirely of Brazilians coming from the Northeast.

In 1899, Brazilian settlers from Acre created an independent state in the region called the Republic of Acre. Bolivians tried to gain control of the area, but Brazilians revolted and there were border confrontations. This resulted in what was known as the Acre War. On November 17, 1903, with the signing over and sale in the Treaty of Petrópolis, Brazil received final possession of the region. Acre was integrated into Brazil as a territory divided into three departments. The territory was acquired by Brazil for two million pounds sterling. The land was taken from Mato Grosso in accordance with terms for the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré railway.

Once the Acre War was over, Peru did not recognize the annexation of Acre until 1909, with the Velarde-Río Branco Treaty, where the borders between Peru and Brazil were defined. It was signed in Rio de Janeiro, on September 8, 1909, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Baron of Rio Branco, and the plenipotentiary minister of Peru in Brazil, Hernán Velarde, by President Augusto B. Leguía (first government) then ruled in Peru, and in Brazil by the president Nilo Pecanha, in order to solve the border problems between Peru and Brazil.

Image:Brazil map 1892.gif, 1892. Note the differences from current western borders in the areas of Pantanal and the Amazon basin — including the lack of Acre's territory, then still part of Bolivia]]

Acre was united in 1920. On June 15, 1962, it was elevated to the category of state, and was the first to be governed by a woman, Iolanda Fleming, a teacher.

During the early twentieth century, rubber seedlings were taken to Southeast Asia, where competitive plantations were established, reducing the importance of the Amazon in production. But during the Second World War, Japanese forces took over the rubber tree groves of Malaya.

Acre was called on to produce rubber for the Allied war effort. The Rubber Soldiers, natives mostly of the Ceará plantation, increased production and provided critical supplies to the Allies.

Acre's decisive contribution to the Allied victory may have helped Brazil attract North American investment to form the National Steel Company (Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional) in the postwar era. This company aided in the industrialization of the Central-south, which did not yet possess basic heavy industries.

On April 4, 2008, Acre won a judicial debate with the state of Amazonas in relation to the dispute surrounding the Cunha Gomes Line. It annexed part of the municipalities of Envira, Guajará, Boca do Acre, Pauini, Eirunepé and Ipixuna. The territorial redefinition consolidated the incorporation of 1.2 million hectares of the Liberdade, Gregório, and Mogno forest complex to the territory of Acre, which corresponds to {{cvt|11,583.87|km2}}.

File:Fazenda Colorada.jpg

Since the 1970s, numerous geoglyphs, major geometric earthworks, have been discovered on deforested land in Acre, and dated to between 1–1250 AD. These are cited as evidence of complex Pre-Columbian societies.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/world/americas/land-carvings-attest-to-amazons-lost-world.html?_r=1|title=Once Hidden by Forest, Carvings in Land Attest to Amazon's Lost World|author=Simon Romero|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 14, 2012}}{{cite journal |journal=Antiquity |year=2009 |volume=83 |issue=322 |pages=1084–1095 |title=Pre-Columbian geometric earthworks in the upper Purús: a complex society in western Amazonia |author=Martti Pärssinen, Denise Schaan and Alceu Ranzi |url=http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/083/ant0831084.htm |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00099373 |s2cid=55741813 |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |access-date=May 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103001115/http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/083/ant0831084.htm |url-status=dead |url-access=subscription }} The BBC's Unnatural Histories explored studies of this area, concluding that the Amazon rainforest, rather than being a pristine "wilderness", has been shaped by man for at least 11,000 years. Traditional ancient practices included forest gardening.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0122njp|title=Unnatural Histories - Amazon|publisher=BBC Four}} Ondemar Dias is credited as the first to discover the geoglyphs in 1977. Alceu Ranzi expanded their findings by flying over Acre.{{cite journal |last=Junior |first=Gonçalo |date=October 2008 |title=Amazonia lost and found |url=http://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/en/2009/10/20/amazonia-lost-and-found-2/ |journal=Pesquisa (Ed.220) |publisher=FAPESP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812211320/http://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/en/2009/10/20/amazonia-lost-and-found-2/ |archive-date=August 12, 2014 |url-status=dead }}

During the 17th century, Portuguese expeditions reached many of the far ends of present-day Brazil. The expansion of the exploration to the west followed, and they reached lands under control by the Spanish colonies. The two nations negotiated to establish their territories, under the Treaties of Madrid (1750) and San Ildefonso (1777).Treaty of Madrid [https://historiaaberta.com.sapo.pt/lib/doc016.htm "Tratado de Madri"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411000503/http://historiaaberta.com.sapo.pt/lib/doc016.htm |date=April 11, 2015 }} Both of the treaties were based on the explorations of Portuguese bandeirante Manoel Félix de Lima of the Guaporé and Madeira river basins. The treaties established the riverbeds of the Mamoré and Guaporé to their maximum western limits on the left bank of the Javari as the border between the Spanish and Portuguese territories.

The Portuguese created the new royal captaincy of Mato Grosso (1751), stimulating settlement toward the frontier. New centers developed: Vila Bela (1752)FERREIRA, João Carlos Vicente. [http://www.zsee.seplan.mt.gov.br/sinf/estrutura/historico/Vila%20Bela%20da%20Sant%C3%ADssima%20Trindade.htm "História da Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822032557/http://www.zsee.seplan.mt.gov.br/sinf/estrutura/historico/Vila%20Bela%20da%20Sant%C3%ADssima%20Trindade.htm |date=August 22, 2010 }} on the banks of the Guaporé, Vila Maria (1778)[http://www.brasilviagem.com/pontur/?CodAtr=2681 "Cáceres"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708091354/http://www.brasilviagem.com/pontur/?CodAtr=2681 |date=July 8, 2011 }} BrasilViagem.com. Page visited on October 5, 2010 on the Paraguay River, and Casalvasco (1783).[http://www.al.mt.gov.br/V2008/ViewConteudo.asp?no_codigo=8878 "Fixação e consolidação da fronteira"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706155857/http://www.al.mt.gov.br/V2008/ViewConteudo.asp?no_codigo=8878 |date=July 6, 2011 }} Official Site of the Legislative Assembly of Mato Grosso. Accessed October 5, 2010. Until the mid-19th century, there was little effort to settle the area systematically. At that time, the great virgin source of rubber attracted commercial interest, and development followed.

The empire was directed towards agricultural exports, based on coffee as the most important commodity. The territories of the extreme west were unknown and usually overlooked. For example, although Cândido Mendes de Almeida's Atlas of the Empire of Brazil (1868), was considered a model of its time, geographers knew nothing of the Acre River and its principal tributaries, which did not appear at all in the atlas.

Some few armed bands of Brazilian explorers exploited the rural and unpopulated region,Pertiñez, Dom Joaquín. [http://www.dioceseriobranco.com.br/jm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1729:o-acre-o-nordeste-e-os-nordestinos&catid=174:paginas-de-nossa-historia&Itemid=240 "O Acvre, o Nordeste e os nordestinos"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706152145/http://www.dioceseriobranco.com.br/jm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1729:o-acre-o-nordeste-e-os-nordestinos&catid=174:paginas-de-nossa-historia&Itemid=240 |date=July 6, 2011 }}. Official site of the Diocese of Rio Branco. Page visited on October 5, 2010 not knowing and little interested in whether they were "controlled" by Brazil, Peru, or Bolivia.

But the rubber boom of the mid-19th century, stimulated exploration by various expeditions to survey this resource and develop a plan for colonial settlement. At that time, João Rodrigues Cametá initiated the conquest of the Purús River;SILVA, Hiram Reis and (July 7, 2009) [http://www.roraimaemfoco.com/colunistas/clio-boriola-colunistas-37/9108-artigo-rio-purus-hiram-reis-e-silva.html "João Rodrigues Cametá"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715202838/http://www.roraimaemfoco.com/colunistas/clio-boriola-colunistas-37/9108-artigo-rio-purus-hiram-reis-e-silva.html |date=July 15, 2011 }} Manuel Urbano da Encarnação, an Indian with extensive knowledge of the region, reached the Acre River, traveling up it as far as the vicinity of the Xapuri; and João da Cunha Correia reached the drainage basin of the upper Tarauacá.[http://www.tarauaca.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=778&Itemid=9 "Tarauacá: Ontem, hoje e amanhã"] Tarauacá.com. Page visited on October 5, 2010. For the most part, these expeditions took place on Bolivian land.

Exploitative activities, the industrial importance of the rubber reserves, and the penetration of Brazilian colonists in the region raised the attention of Bolivia, which solicited a better fixation of boundaries. After much failed negotiation, in 1867 the Treaty of Ayacucho was signed, which recognized the colonial uti possidetis, or use of that territory by Brazil.[http://www.grupoescolar.com/materia/o_tratado_de_madrid_e_o_tratado_de_ayacucho.html "O Tratado de Madrid e o Tratado de Ayacucho"] GrupoEscolar.com Page visited on October 6, 2010 A border was established parallel to the confluence of the Beni and Mamoré rivers, running eastward to the headwaters of the Javari River, even though the source of this river was not yet known.

As the price of rubber rose in the market,[http://www.portovelho.ro.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=17 "A queda do Ciclo da Borracha"]. Official site of the Municipality of Porto Velho (October 27, 2006). Page visited on October 6, 2010 the demand for it grew. The race to the Amazon increased. Plantations multiplied in the valleys of the Acre, Purús and, farther west, the Tarauacá. In the year 1873–1874, in the drainage basin of the Purús, the population rose from around one thousand to four thousand inhabitants. The Brazilian imperial government, already sensitive to the resulting offerings of rubber, considered the entire valley of the Purús to be Brazilian.

In the second half of the 19th century, disturbances were registered in the demographic and geo-economic balance of the empire. The coffee boom in the south attracted financial resources and workers, to detriment of the northeast.FURTADO, Celso. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20220120201352/http://www.marcillio.com/rio/hireveco.html "A evolução da economia na República Velha"]}}. Marcilio.com. Page visited on October 6, 2010 The growing impoverishment of that region stimulated migratory waves to the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo. The movement of population became particularly active during the prolonged drought of the northeastern interior, from 1877 to 1880. Hundreds of Ceará indigenous people headed for the rubber plantations in search of work.TOSCANO, Fernando. [http://www.portalbrasil.net/estados_ac.htm "Estados Brasileiros: Acre"] Portal Brasil. Page visited October 6, 2010

The Cearense migration reached the banks of the Juruá[https://web.archive.org/web/20050518111644/http://www.bv.am.gov.br/portal/conteudo/municipios/ipixuna.php "História de Ipixuna"]. Official site of the Public Library of Amazonas. Page visited on October 6, 2010. and accelerated the occupation of land which Bolivia would later reclaim. The great fluvial rivers and their tributary systems were full of small ship fleets transporting colonists, goods, and supply material to the most isolated centers. The governments of Amazonas and Pará quickly established supply houses, which financed various types of operations, guaranteed credit, and promoted the commercial incentive of the rubber tree groves.[http://www.colegioweb.com.br/historia-brasil/as-casas-aviadoras.html "As Casas Aviodoras"], WEB High School. Page visited on October 6, 2010.

The rubber race had the frantic urgency of gold rushes of the 18th century.GURGEL, Rodrigo. [http://educacao.uol.com.br/historia-brasil/revolucao-acreana.jhtm "Revolução Acreana: Bolívia e Brasil disputam o Acre"]. UOL Education. Page visited on October 6, 2010. The situation drew the attention of the government to the economic use and development of an almost completely unknown area. The activities of private businesses would enable the government to incorporate the new region.

In 1890, José Manuel Pando, a Bolivian official, alerted his government to the fact that more than three hundred rubber plantations had been developed in the Jura basin, and most were occupied by Brazilians on what was nominally Bolivian territory.ILVA CASTRO, Jamerson. [http://www.vereadorjamerson.com/projeto.asp?cod=59 "História das Bandeiras de Portugal e do Brasil]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Official site of the city councilman. Page visited on October 9, 2010 The Brazilian penetration had advanced west from the 64th meridian to beyond the 72nd, in an extension of one thousand kilometers, despite the borders having been established. The Treaty of 1867 limited Brazil to land above the confluence of the Beni and Mamoré rivers.[http://pt.wikisource.org/wiki/Tratado_de_Ayacucho "Tratado de Ayacucho"] Wikisource in Portuguese (March 27, 1867). Page visited on October 9, 2010.

In 1895 a new commission to define the borders was created. The Brazilian representative, Gregório Taumaturgo de Azevedo, resigned after verifying that the ratification of the Treaty of 1867 would harm the Brazilian rubber gatherers already settled in Bolivian territory.ALBUQUERQUE, Kátya Fernandez. [http://www.filologia.org.br/revista/43/03.pdf "A Questão do Acre"] Official site of the Fluminense Society of Philologic and Linguistic Studies. Page visited on October 9, 2010.SILVA, Hiram Reis e (June 20, 2009). [http://www.roraimaemfoco.com/colunistas/clio-boriola-colunistas-37/8711-artigo-a-linha-cunha-gomes-hiram-reis-e-silva.html "Tenente-Coronel Gregório Taumaturgo de Azevedo"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715203351/http://www.roraimaemfoco.com/colunistas/clio-boriola-colunistas-37/8711-artigo-a-linha-cunha-gomes-hiram-reis-e-silva.html |date=July 15, 2011 }} Roraima in Foucus. Page visited on October 9, 2010. In 1899, the Bolivians established an administrative post in Puerto Alonso, exacting taxes and customs duties upon Brazilian activities.[http://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/dtbs/acre/portoacre.pdf "História de Porto Acre] IBGE Library. Page visited on October 9, 2010. The following year, Brazil accepted the sovereignty of Bolivia in the zone, when it officially recognized the old boundaries at the confluence of the Beni and Mamoré rivers.

Distant from the diplomatic process, the rubber workers judged their interests to have been cheated, and initiated insurrection movements. Some of this was in response to brutal treatment and abuse by forces managed by the major rubber companies. In the same year that Bolivia established administration in Puerto Alonso (1899), two serious uprisings occurred.

In April, a Cearense lawyer, José Carvalho, led an armed movement, which culminated in the expulsion of the Bolivian authorities. Shortly thereafter, Bolivia began negotiations with an Anglo-American trust, the Bolivian Syndicate, in order to promote, with exceptional force (exacting of taxes, armed force), the political and economic incorporation of Acre into its territory. The governor of Amazonas, Ramalho Júnior, informed of the agreement by a functionary of the Bolivian consulate in Belém, Luis Gálvez Rodríguez de Arias, sent military contingents forward to occupy Puerto Alonso. Gálvez proclaimed the independence of Acre, in the form of a republic. He became its president with the acquiescence of the rubber gatherers. Under protests from Bolivia, President Campos Sales abolished the ephemeral republic (March 1900).

Bolivians, reinstated in the region, suffered in 1900 from the assault of the so-called Floriano Peixoto expedition, or "expedition of the poets".SCILLING, Voltaire. [http://educaterra.terra.com.br/voltaire/brasil/2007/01/08/002.htm "A Expedição dos Poetas"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514221154/http://educaterra.terra.com.br/voltaire/brasil/2007/01/08/002.htm |date=May 14, 2011 }} Earth Education:History. Page visited on October 9, 2010. It was made up of intellectual bohemians from Manaus. Following brief fighting in the area surrounding Puerto Alonso, the expedition was completely scattered.

Ultimately, the Bolivian government signed a contract with the Bolivian Syndicate (July 1901). The Brazilian congress, shocked by the arbitrariness of the act, took measures, canceling commercial accords and navigation between the two countries, and suspending the right of travel to Bolivia.

At the same time, Brazilians organized a large armed assault on the disputed area. The operations were led by a former student of the Military School of Rio Grande do Sul (Escola Militar do Rio Grande do Sul), José Plácido de Castro. The rubber gatherers occupied the village of Xapuri in Alto Acre (August 1902), and took Bolivian officials into custody. Finally, Plácido de Castro's forces besieged Puerto Alonso, proclaiming the Independent State of Acre, after the capitulation of Bolivian troops (February 1903).

Image:Acre rio Branco (558).jpg.]]

José Plácido de Castro was proclaimed governor of the new Independent State of Acre,[http://educacao.uol.com.br/biografias/placido-de-castro.jhtm "Plácido de Castro"] UOL Education. Page visitetd on October 9, 2010. and he had to discuss the question of borders in the diplomatic sphere.SILVA, Leo. [http://www.educacaopublica.rj.gov.br/biblioteca/geografia/0028.html "Plácido de Castro, Rio Branco e a Questão do Acre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225122429/http://www.educacaopublica.rj.gov.br/biblioteca/geografia/0028.html |date=February 25, 2010 }} Official site of the Secretary of Education of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Page visited on October 9, 2010. The Baron of Rio Branco, who had just assumed the role of Brazil's Minister of External Relations,[http://kitplone.itamaraty.gov.br/o-ministerio/galeria-de-autoridades/ministros/jose-maria-da-silva-paranhos-junior-barao-do-rio-branco/view "José Maria da Silva Paranhos Junior"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706155740/http://kitplone.itamaraty.gov.br/o-ministerio/galeria-de-autoridades/ministros/jose-maria-da-silva-paranhos-junior-barao-do-rio-branco/view |date=July 6, 2011 }}. Official site of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Brazil. Page visited on October 9, 2010. immediately opened channels which were meant to have put an end to the question.

The simplest problem, with the Bolivian Syndicate, was resolved by Brazil paying one hundred and ten thousand pounds to renounce the contract (February 1903).FREITAS, Newton. [http://www.newton.freitas.nom.br/artigos.asp?cod=274 "Nacionalização Boliviana"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304124534/http://www.newton.freitas.nom.br/artigos.asp?cod=274 |date=March 4, 2010 }}. Official site of the author. Page visited on October 9, 2010. Next, commercial relations were reestablished with Bolivia, while a part of the territory on the upper Purús and Juruá, militarily occupied in March 1903, was declared litigious.

Bolivia finally agreed to cede to Brazil an area of {{cvt|142,800|km2}}, in exchange for two million pounds sterling, paid in two installments. Brazil committed to the construction of a Madeira-Mamoré Railway, connecting Porto Velho to Guajará-Mirim, at the confluence of the Beni and Madeira rivers. These actions were ratified in the Treaty of Petrópolis (November 17, 1903), through which Brazil acquired the future territory, now state of Acre.

Peru had also claimed sovereignty over the entire territory of Acre and part of the state of Amazonas, based on historic colonial titles.[http://www.hjobrasil.com/ordem.asp?secao=35&categoria=328&subcategoria=0&id=4320 "A História do Estado do Acre, região Norte do Brasil - fotos e dados que ilustram este tema"]. Hjobrasil.com. Page visited on October 9, 2010. After armed conflicts between Brazilians and Peruvians on the upper Purús and Juruá, a joint administration was established in those regions (1904). The studies to determine the borders proceeded until the end of 1909, when a treaty was signed that completed the political integration of Acre into Brazilian territory.

File:Acre_rio_Branco_(386).jpg, built in 1924, with Rural Gothic architecture, was, for many years, a symbol of Acre's bohemia, a reflection of the prosperous years from the rubber cycle]]

Exercising a prominent role in national exports until 1913,[http://www.suapesquisa.com/historiadobrasil/ciclo_borracha.htm "O Ciclo da Borracha"]. Suapesuisa.com. Pge visited on October 9, 2010. when rubber was introduced to European and North American markets, Acre enjoyed a period of great prosperity. At the start of the 20th century, in a period of less than ten years, it grew to have more than 50,000 inhabitants.

From 1946 on, the federal government undertook actions to revive the economy of the Amazon Basin, and to include it in regional development projects.

Attending to the judicial arrangements of the Treaty of Petrópolis, President Rodrigues Alves sanctioned the law which created the Territory of Acre (1904),[http://www.ac.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1712&Itemid=51 "Governador Binho Marques fará revista às tropas da PMAC"]. Official site of the State of Acre (May 24, 2007). Page visited on October 9, 2010. further dividing it into three departments: Alto Acre, Alto Purús, and Alto Juruá, the latter being separated to form Alto Tarauacá (1912). The departmental administration was exercised until 1921 by mayors appointed by the President of Brazil.LOUREIRO, Antonio José Souto (2008). [http://www.goeam.com.br/historia_GOEAM2.html "Histórico do Grande Oriente do Amazonas"]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Official site of Masonry in Amazonas. Page visited on October 9, 2010. At that time the arrangements were altered, passing the administration to a governor. The second Constitution of Brazil (1934) conceded to Acre the right to elect representatives to the National Congress of Brazil.ANDRADA, Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de (16 de julho de 1934). [http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/constituicao/Constituicao34.htm "Constituição da República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil de 1934"] Official site of the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Brazil.

File:Índios Isolados 6.jpg encountered in 2008, at the Brazil–Peru border.]]

During the Estado Novo (New State) political ideas involving the valorization of the interior took hold, with the intention of promoting the articulation of more isolated areas. Thereafter, the vote of 1946 commended the channeling of budgetary resources from the Union to the Amazon, determining that the Territory of Acre would be elevated to the condition of state as soon as its revenue reached the equivalent of the lowest state tax exaction.VIANA, Fernando de Mello (September 18, 1946). [http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil/Constituicao/Constitui%C3%A7ao46.htm "Constituição da República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil de 1946"] Official site of the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Brazil. Page visited on October 9, 2010.

In the 1960s, the second cycle of efforts to accelerate the progress of the Amazon area was begun with the Superintendency of the Development of the Amazon (Superintendência do Desenvolvimento da Amazônia or SUDAM, 1966).FRIGOLETTO DE MENEZES, Eduardo. [http://www.frigoletto.com.br/GeoFis/Amazonia/sudam.htm "A Sudam – Superintendência do Desenvolvimento da Amazônia"]. Official site of the author. Page visited on October 9, 2010. Better networking of regional sub-sectors within the state was sought out, thus connecting the branch lines of the Transamazônica, which connected Rio Branco and Brasiléia, on the upper course of the Acre River, and Cruzeiro do Sul, on the banks of the Juruá, crossing the valleys of the Purús and the Tarauacá. Planning politics developed, therefore, destined to correct the demographic, economic, and political distortions of national integration.

{{Pie chart

|caption = Racial groups of Acre (2022 census){{Cite web |title=Tabela 9605: População residente, por cor ou raça, nos Censos Demográficos |url=https://sidra.ibge.gov.br/tabela/9605#resultado |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=sidra.ibge.gov.br}}

|thumb = right

|label1 = Multiracial

|value1 = 66.25

|color1 = Grey

|label2 = White

|value2 = 21.44

|color2 = #1f77b4

|label3 = Black

|value3 = 8.56

|color3 = #2ca02c

|label4 = Indigenous

|value4 = 3.51

|color4 = #d62728

|label5 = East Asian

|value5 = 0.24

|color5 = Yellow

}}

According to the IBGE of 2022, there were 830,018 people residing in the state. making Acre the third least populated state. The population density was 4.5 inh./km².

Urbanization: 69.6% (2006); Population growth: 3.3% (1991–2000); Houses: 162,000 (2006).Source: PNAD.

The last Census in 2022 revealed the following numbers: 549,889 Brown (Multiracial) people (66.3%), 177,992 White (21.4%), 71,086 Black (8.6%), 29,163 Amerindian people (3.5%).{{cite book|url=ftp://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Indicadores_Sociais/Sintese_de_Indicadores_Sociais_2007/Tabelas|title=Síntese de Indicadores Sociais 2007|publisher=IBGE|location=Acre, Brazil|format=PDF|isbn=978-85-240-3919-5|access-date=July 18, 2007|year=2007|language=pt}}{{Dead link|date=June 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Image:Nova_Ceará_(4138555642).jpg|Rio Branco in the afternoon

Image:Xapuri_-_Acre_(3800573425).jpg|Saint Sebastian Festivities in Xapuri

Image:Cruzeiro_do_Sul_-_Acre_(3800390087).jpg|A seller of the nationally renowned and appreciated Cruzeiro do Sul cassava flour

Image:FeijoAC2.jpg|Beach & Açaí Festival of Feijó, Acre

Image:Rodeio Expoacre2.jpg|Opening ceremony of the ExpoAcre Field Day

{{Largest cities

|country = Acre (state)

|stat_ref = (2010 census by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics){{Cite web|url=http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/censo2010/populacao_por_municipio.shtm|title=Estimativa de 2009 do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística|publisher=Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics|date=March 30, 2010|access-date=June 26, 2010}}

|list_by_pop =

|div_name = Mesoregion

|div_link =

|city_1 = Rio Branco, Acre{{!}}Rio Branco

|div_1 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_1 = 335,796

|img_1 = Vista parcial Rio Branco AC.jpg

|city_2 = Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre{{!}}Cruzeiro do Sul

|div_2 = Mesorregião do Vale do Juruá{{!}}Vale do Juruá

|pop_2 = 78,444

|img_2 = Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Glória.jpg

|city_3 = Sena Madureira

|div_3 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_3 = 37,993

|img_3 = Sena Madureira.jpg

|city_4 = Tarauacá

|div_4 = Mesorregião do Vale do Juruá{{!}}Vale do Juruá

|pop_4 = 35,526

|img_4 = Aerial Tarauacá.jpg

|city_5 = Feijó, Acre{{!}}Feijó

|div_5 = Mesorregião do Vale do Juruá{{!}}Vale do Juruá

|pop_5 = 32,311

|img_5 =

|city_6 = Brasiléia

|div_6 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_6 = 21,438

|img_6 =

|city_7 = Senador Guiomard

|div_7 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_7 = 20,153

|img_7 =

|city_8 = Plácido de Castro, Acre{{!}}Plácido de Castro

|div_8 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_8 = 17,203

|img_8 =

|city_9 = Xapuri

|div_9 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_9 = 16,016

|img_9 =

|city_10 = Mâncio Lima

|div_10 = Mesorregião do Vale do Juruá{{!}}Vale do Juruá

|pop_10 = 15,246

|img_10 =

|city_11 = Epitaciolândia

|div_11 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_11 = 15,126

|img_11 =

|city_12 = Porto Acre

|div_12 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_12 = 14,806

|img_12 =

|city_13 = Rodrigues Alves, Acre{{!}}Rodrigues Alves

|div_13 = Mesorregião do Vale do Juruá{{!}}Vale do Juruá

|pop_13 = 14,334

|img_13 =

|city_14 = Marechal Thaumaturgo

|div_14 = Mesorregião do Vale do Juruá{{!}}Vale do Juruá

|pop_14 = 14,200

|img_14 =

|city_15 = Acrelândia

|div_15 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_15 = 12,538

|img_15 =

|city_16 = Porto Walter

|div_16 = Mesorregião do Vale do Juruá{{!}}Vale do Juruá

|pop_16 = 9,172

|img_16 =

|city_17 = Capixaba, Acre

|div_17 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_17 = 8,810

|img_17 =

|city_18 = Bujari

|div_18 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_18 = 8,474

|img_18 =

|city_19 = Manoel Urbano

|div_19 = Mesorregião do Vale do Acre{{!}}Vale do Acre

|pop_19 = 7,989

|img_19 =

|city_20 = Jordão, Acre{{!}}Jordão

|div_20 = Mesorregião do Vale do Juruá{{!}}Vale do Juruá

|pop_20 = 6,531

|img_20 =

}}{{Historical populations|17=1920|18=92379|19=1940|20=79768|21=1950|22=114755|23=1960|24=160208|25=1970|26=218006|27=1980|28=306893|29=1991|30=417165|31=2000|32=557882|33=2010|34=733559|35=2022|36=830018|percentages=|footnote=Source:{{Cite web|url=https://censo2022.ibge.gov.br/panorama/|title=2022 Census Overview|lang=pt}}}}

Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. English and Spanish are also part of the official high school curriculum.

• Universidade Federal do Acre (Ufac) (Federal University of Acre);
• Faculdade da Amazônia Ocidental (Faao) (College of Western Amazon);
• Faculdade de Ciências Jurídicas e Sociais Applicadas Rio Branco (Firb);
• Instituto de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Vale do Juruá (Ieval);
• Instituto de Ensino Superior do Acre (Iesacre);
• União Educacional do Norte (Uninorte).

Image:Agriculture_of_Mâncio_Lima,_Brazil.jpg in Mâncio Lima]]

The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 66%, followed by the industrial sector at 28.1%. Agriculture represents 5.9%, of GDP (2004). Acre exports: wood 85.6%, poultry (chicken and wild turkey) 4.7%, wood products 1.7% (2002).

Share of the Brazilian economy: 0.2% (2005).

• Rio Branco

Image:Riobranco aeroporto.jpg.]]

Image:Trevo_BR-364.2.jpg of the BR-364 and the Interoceanic Highway in Senador Guiomard, Greater Rio Branco]]

Image:Nova_Rodoviária_de_Rio_Branco,_no_Acre.JPG

Rio Branco International Airport is located in a rural zone of the municipality of Rio Branco, in the state of Acre. It was opened on November 2, 1999, with a unique characteristic: it moved 22 kilometers away from the previous airport site. Rio Branco Airport serves domestic and international flights (by scheduled carriers and air taxi firms) along with general and military aviation. The terminal can receive 270 thousand passengers a year and serves an average of 14 daily operations.

• Cruzeiro do Sul

Cruzeiro do Sul International Airport is located 18 kilometers away from the city center, which helps access to the Alto Juruá region. It was opened on October 28, 1970, and absorbed by Infraero on March 31, 1980. The airport infrastructure was built in 1976 by the municipal government. In 1994, the runway was completely renovated.

There are domestic airports at Tarauacá, Sena Madureira and Brasiléia.

• BR-364 (Rio Branco to Southeastern Brazil);
• BR-317 (Rio Branco to south of Acre);
• AC-040 (Rio Branco to Plácido de Castro);
• AC-401 (Plácido de Castro to Acrelândia);
• AC-010 (Rio Branco to Porto Acre).

Two roads to Peru:

• at Boqueirão
• BR-317 from Assis Brasil to Highway 30C to Iñapari and Highway 26 to Cuzco.

Three roads to Bolivia:

• from Rio Branco at Plácido de Castro,
• from Rio Branco to Santa Rosa,
• from BR-317 in Brasileia to Ruta 13 in Cobija.

Three roads (interstates) to Amazonas:{{cite web |title=BR-317 em Boca do Acre já está totalmente liberada, informam PRF/AC e DNIT (AM)|url=https://folhadoacre.com.br/2023/06/br-317-em-boca-do-acre-ja-esta-totalmente-liberada-informam-prf-ac-e-dnit-am/|website=folhadoacre. com.br|publisher=Folha do Acre|language=pt|date=2023-06-10|access-date=2023-06-10}}{{cite web |title=“Estrada está só um filé”, diz motociclista de Feijó que fez os cerca de 126 km entre o Acre e a cidade amazonense de Envira em pouco mais de 2 horas |url=https://www.vozdonorte.com.br/estrada-esta-so-um-file-diz-motociclista-de-feijo-que-fez-o-trajeto-de-90-km-entre-o-municipio-acreano-e-a-cidade-amazonense-de-envira-em-pouco-mais-de-2-horas/|website=folhadoacre. com.br|publisher=Voz do Norte|language=pt|date=2024-08-14|access-date=2024-08-14}}{{cite web |title=Deracre restabelece acesso na Estrada do Guajará em Cruzeiro do Sul |url=https://agencia.ac.gov.br/deracre-restabelece-acesso-na-estrada-do-guajara-em-cruzeiro-do-sul/ |website=agencia.ac.gov.br|publisher=Governo do Estado do Acre [Government of Acre State]|language=pt|date=2024-02-20|access-date=2024-02-20}}

• Rio Branco — Boca do Acre
• Feijó — Envira
• Cruzeiro do Sul — Guajará

One road to Southeastern Brazil:

• BR-364

Image:Arena da floresta.jpg stadium in Rio Branco.]]

Rio Branco provides visitors and residents with various sport activities.

• Arena da Floresta stadium;
• José de Melo stadium;
• Federação Acreana de Futebol stadium;
• Dom Giocondo Maria Grotti stadium;
• Adauto de Brito stadium;
• and many others.

The Arena da Floresta stadium in Rio Branco was one of the 18 candidates to host games in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Brazil, but did not make it to the final 12 chosen.

File:No_coração_da_floresta,_Festival_Yawa_reúne_espiritualidade,_tradição_e_cultura_(22398391410).jpg festival in Tarauacá{{cite web |title=Mariri e a magia do Festival Yawa em Tarauacá [Mariri and the magic of the Yawa Festival in Tarauacá]|url=https://oestadoacre.com/2024/08/11/mariri-e-a-magia-do-festival-yawa-em-tarauaca/|website=oestadoacre.com.br|publisher=O Estado do Acre|language=pt|date=2024-08-11|access-date=2024-08-11}}]]

Despite being the only state that fought to be Brazilian (Acre War), Acre's culture is similar to that of other Northern Brazilian states, however, there is a high consumption of Northeastern Brazilian culture. In Rio Branco, there is a religious community called Alto Santo (Universal Christian Enlightenment Center) that practices the Santo Daime Ritual, typical of Acre, of indigenous origin, which uses Daime, a natural tea made with leaves and vines, used by the Indigenous peoples as a way of approaching God. The ritual implies in drinking a tea, including children and the elderly. The members wear uniforms and sing the hymnal.{{cite web |title=Mestre Irineu: A Black Man Who Changed the History of Ayahuasca|url=https://chacruna.net/mestre-irineu-ayahuasca/|website=chacruna.net|publisher=Chacruna|language=en|date=2020-08-20|access-date=2020-08-20}}

The best-known dish consumed by Acreans is called Baixaria. The typical food uses duck, tucupi, cassava flour and pirarucu fish, in addition to the huge variety of Amazonian fruits inherited from the Indigenous peoples.{{cite web |title=Culinária do Acre esbanja identidade e orgulho em cada prato; conheça|url=https://www.uol.com.br/nossa/noticias/redacao/2021/06/14/culinaria-do-acre-esbanja-identidade-e-orgulho-em-cada-prato-conheca.shtml/|website=uol.com.br|publisher=Uol Brasil|language=pt|date=2021-06-14|access-date=2021-06-14}}

Some singers, activists and artists from Acre: João Donato, Sansão Campos Pereira, Chico Mendes, Sergio Souto and Tião Natureza.{{cite web |title=Sansão Pereira: o eterno poeta das telas|url=https://agencia.ac.gov.br/sansao-pereira-o-eterno-poeta-das-telas/|website=agencia.ac.gov.br|publisher=Governo do Estado do Acre [Government of Acre State]|language=pt|date=2014-12-12|access-date=2014-12-12}}

{{see also|Flag of Acre}}

The flag was adopted on March 15, 1921. It is a variation of the flags used by the secessionist state of Acre, with the yellow and green parts exchanged and mirrored. The yellow color symbolizes peace, green hope, and the star symbolizes the light which guided those who worked to make Acre a state of Brazil.

• Acre conspiracy
• Amazon rubber cycle
• List of rivers of Acre
• List of municipalities in Acre
• List of governors of Acre

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Stack | {{Wikivoyage|Acre (Brazil)}}{{Commons and category|Acre (state)}}{{EB1911 poster|Acre (state)}} }}

• {{Official website|http://www.ac.gov.br}}

{{States of Brazil}}

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Category:Federative units of Brazil

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