Gurgueia

Gurgueia takes its name from a river of the northeastern Brazilian interior, a major tributary of the Parnaíba. The Gurguéia reaches the larger river near Floriano, after draining a broad basin to the south. In 1676 the Portuguese Crown granted extensive tracts along its banks to powerful landholders from Bahia. These grants formed part of the colonial occupation of the inland country, far from the Atlantic coast.