The history of the European siege to earth until that time inhabited by the Tupinambás Indians can be known walking by the State Capital Sao Luis, and by some other small cities of the state, like Alcântara, declared National Historical Patrimony. But, besides these attractive architectonic ones, between its natural beauties, Maranhão reserves some surprises, among them are, for example, the National Park of Lençóis Maranhenses, the Delta of the Paranaíba River, the Region of Carolina and the Reefs of the Parcel de Manoel Luis, the greater bank of chorale of South America and an optimal place for the diving.

Known like “Earth the Palms�, Maranhão has in several species of these trees its main source of wealth. Between most significant he is babaçu.

Unlike other states of the Northeastern region, Maranhão does not suffer with the drought. An extensive network of perennial rivers exists in its territory, besides a regular rainy station. The Paranaíba river, the major of them, and the rivers Gurupi, Grajaú and Tocantins comprise of this network, that reason to the south and delimit the border of Maranhão with the state of Tocantins.

São Luis, founded on 1612, the capital of Maranhão, the most recent considered good Patrimony of the Humanity by UNESCO. In his narrow streets and their great houses with tile facades, it reunites an architectonic set with near 3,000 constructions of centuries XVII to XIX, that it counts part of the history of the occupation of the territory where the French, in 1612, installed a colony denominated Equinoccial France, defeated three years later by the Portuguese, invaded in 1641 by the Dutch and once again recovered by Portugal three years later.

The city lived its apogee in second half on century XVIII, when the cotton exports were in their splendor. Then, the then province of Maranhão provided great part of the tributes to the Real Treasure, surpassing even to other provinces that integrated the Portuguese Empire.

• Beaches of Calhau, Ponta D' Areia and São Marcos, where they are the ruins of the Forte de São Marcos, of century XVIII.
• District of Great Praia, historical center declared National Historical Patrimony.
• Palace two Leões, where the fort worked until 1615 that protected the then capital of Equinoccial France, like was denominated São Luis during the French dominion.
• Cathedral gives I know, constructed by the Jesuits in 1726.
• Church Do Carmo, one of oldest of the city, built in 1627.
• Theater Arthur Azevedo, constructed between 1815 and 1817, considered like the first theater installed in one capital Brazilian.
• House of Culture Joshua Montello, where the vast work of the local writers and other states of Brazil is conserved.

• Alcântara, old dwelled of the Tupinambás Indians and later soothes of the rural aristocracy, its small palaces, its tile facades, secular ruins and churches are a sample of the years of prosperity that prevailed in the region until half-full of century XIX, time at which began the economic decay of the state, and that until the beginning of century XX was not surpassed. With than 300 buildings and ruins scattered more between its places and streets of the colonial time, monumental city in 1948 was declared. It also lodges a sample of the modern aerospace technology. To 7 km. of the city one is installed one of the most modern space bases of Latin America, where projects for launchings of satellites are carried out.
• Carolina, is a city to 850 kilometers of São Luis, to the south of the state. To borders of the Tocantins river, Carolina is a natural refuge and sample of beauty closed maranhenses that welcome tens of cascades, grottos and caverns. In the corner of Fallen Pedra is a water jump of than 50 M.s surrounded more by great rocky walls. Near Carolina it is the Nose it give Figures, where some archeologists discovered several rock inscriptions recently that they reveal the presence of ancestral Indians.
• Delta of the Paranaíba river, river that separates the states of Piauí and Maranhão, the Paranaíba extends by almost 1,500 km. and, before ending at the Atlantic, it in the open sea forms the unique delta of America and one of the three majors of the world. As if they were the fingers of a been openhanded, the river is divided in five channels and forms more than 70 islands and one infinity of lagoons, ecological labyrinths of igarapés (narrow natural channels between the islands) and refuges. They complement the beauty of the delta of the Paranaíba river flocks of herons, toucans, jacarés of papo amarelo, wild macacos prego, horses, mico leão, vixens and deer. All this rich fauna can be observed in trips in small river crafts, that make trips by the delta. One of the majors islands is the one of the Caju, nails ecological where a peculiar combination of ecosystems serves from animal refuge in extinction and migratory birds. Besides a vegetation ebullient, filled with cajueiros and forests of manguezales, the island has 25 km. of half-wild beaches, fresh and crystalline water igarapés, dunes and lagoons formed in rains.

National park Lençóis Maranhenses, the landscape is of dunes of up to 40 M.s, cut into by fresh water lagoons and I am transparent that they form in the period of rains, at the beginning of year. In order to arrive at the Park, National Lençóis Maranhenses is precise to go to Barreirinhas, a city to 370 kilometers of the capital. The rest of the route becomes in hulls that sail by the Preguiças river.