The work has as objective to investigate, using data published by the Institute for Colonization and Land Reform (INCRA), the changes in land distribution in the North and Northwest regions of the Rio de Janeiro state, in the period from 1972 to 1998. The Gini index, the average area, the percentage of the area corresponding to the 5% largest landholders, and the percentage of the area corresponding to the 50% smallest landholders, were used to describe the profile of the land distribution. The results show significant differences between the studied regions. Although both regions have a concentrated agrarian structure, the land distribution is worst in the North region. It was still observed that the agrarian structure of these regions has not presented significative changes in the period.
agrarian structure; Gini index; land distribution
