Migration in intermediary cities in the interior of the brazilian northeast: the attraction of migration as a distinctive element

Abstract

In Brazil, the debate on intermediary cities gained prominence when the urban population supplanted the rural during the 1970s, and when, in the metropolises, there began a deconcentration of the population which, as from the 1980s, was redistributed across the metropolitan surroundings and the interior of the states. Thus, the aim of the present study is to discover how many intermediary cities there are, where they are located in the interior of the Northeastern region and their relevance in attracting migrants. Microdata was used from the 2010 demographic census, specifically the fixed data topic that questions migrants on their place of residence five years before the reference date of the survey. The results have demonstrated that, although most cities presented a population decline, with a move towards very distant locations (interregional), a large number play a relevant role in intraregional attraction (medium distance) and, notably, intrastate (short distance), which exercise the role of deconcentrating the population of the metropolises. The main immigrant destinations were Caruaru (PE), Petrolina (PE) and Mossoró (RN). On the other hand, the cities presenting the highest negative migration balance were Imperatriz (MA), Itabuna (BA) and Ilhéus (BA). Furthermore, through a literature review and data collected by the study, it was discovered that the definition of an intermediary city based on the criterion of population size is no longer recommended for a country of continental dimensions and distinct stages of development such as Brazil.