acre

Traditional English land measure equal to 4,840 square yards (4,047 sq m/0.405 ha). Originally meaning a field, it was the area that a yoke of oxen could plough in a day.

As early as Edward I's reign, the acre was standardized by statute for official use, although local variations in Ireland, Scotland, and some English counties continued. It may be subdivided into 160 square rods (one square rod equalling 25.29 sq m/30.25 sq yd).

Acre

Former name of the Israeli seaport of Akko.

Acre

State in the Norte region of northwestern Brazil, bounded by Bolivia and Peru along the Acre and Abuna rivers; area 152,600 sq km/58,919 sq mi; population (1996) 483,600. The capital is Rio Branco, and its major towns include Cruzeiro do Sul, Sena Madureira, Tarauacá, and Feijó. Acre is the leading rubber-producing state of Brazil, but most of the inhabitants live by shifting subsistence agriculture, producing crops of manioc and maize. Other products include chestnuts, Brazil nuts, hides, and skins. Covered with virgin rainforest, the state is populated by indigenous peoples, Peruvians, and Bolivians. The main rivers provide the sole means of transport, and 80% of the state's inhabitants live near them.

The climate is hot and humid, with a mean annual temperature of 25°C/77°F and an annual rainfall varying between 2,000–2,500 mm/79– 98 in and the state has major problems of public health, with endemic diseases including malaria, leprosy, and amoebic dysentery.

In 1991 the Parque Ecológica Plácido de Castro was opened, 94 km/58 mi east of Rio Branco on the Brazil–Bolivia border. The Park offers tourist facilities. There is also a museum, Museo da Borracha, displaying local archaeological and ethnological information and exhibits.

History At the beginning of the 20th century, Acre was a rich producer of rubber; this lucrative trade led to disputes over jurisdiction between Brazil and Bolivia, which were formally settled in Brazil's favour in 1903. Until 1962, the region was classified as a Federal Territory directly administered by the federal government.

The state of Acre has become a favoured destination for developers and settlers who have started claiming lands and setting up ranches. The resulting conflict over land ownership and sustainable use of the forest received massive national and international attention when Chico Mendez, a rubber tapper and opponent of rainforest destruction, was assassinated in 1988. A special memorial has been set up for Chico Mendez in the Casa de Seringueiro.