Acre is a state in the North Region of Brazil, occupying the country’s westernmost reaches within the legal Amazon. It borders the Brazilian states of Amazonas and Rondônia, as well as Bolivia’s Pando department and three Peruvian regions: Madre de Dios, Ucayali and Loreto.
The state’s capital and largest city is Rio Branco, two hours behind Brasília. Acre’s economy and settlement patterns were shaped by the early twentieth-century rubber boom, which drew migrants from southern, southeastern and northeastern Brazil; their traditions mingled with those of indigenous communities to create a distinctive regional culture. Transport remains challenging: fluvial routes along the Juruá, Moa, Tarauacá and Envira rivers form the backbone of movement, particularly between November and June when heavy rains often render the BR-364 highway impassable. Other significant towns include Cruzeiro do Sul, Sena Madureira, Tarauacá and Feijó. Despite containing dense Amazonian forest, Acre accounts for less than half a per cent of Brazil’s population and one-fifth of one per cent of its GDP.
