| Native Name: | Estado do Maranhão |
| Conventional Long Name: | State of Maranhão |
| Common Name: | Maranhão |
| Status: | State of the Portuguese Empire |
| Year Start: | 1621 |
| Year End: | 1751 |
| P1: | Governorate General of Brazil |
| Flag P1: | Flag Portugal (1578).svg |
| S1: | State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão |
| Flag S1: | Flag of Portugal (1750).svg |
| Flag Alt: | Flag |
| Coat Alt: | Coat of arms |
| Government Type: | Monarchy |
| Image Map Caption: | State of Maranhão |
| Capital: | São Luís |
| Common Languages: | Portuguese |
| Religion: | Roman Catholicism |
| Currency: | Portuguese Real |
| Title Leader: | Monarch |
| Leader1: | Philip II |
| Leader2: | John V |
| Year Leader1: | 1621 |
| Year Leader2: | 1706–1737 |
| Title Representative: | Captain-major |
| Representative1: | Domingos da Costa Machado |
| Representative2: | João Alves de Carvalho |
| Year Representative1: | 1621–1622 |
| Year Representative2: | 1736–1737 |
The State of Maranhão (Portuguese: Estado do Maranhão) was the northern of two 17–18th century administrative divisions of the colonial Portuguese Empire in South America.
In 1621 the Governorate General of Brazil was separated into two states; the State of Brazil and the State of Maranhão. The state was created on 13 June 1621 by Philip II of Portugal.[1]
With the creation of the state Portuguese America had two administrative units: the State of Maranhão with its capital in São Luís, and the State of Brazil whose capital was São Salvador. After the 1670s Belem became the operational base of the Maranhão governors and it was formally designated the state capital in 1737.
The purpose of creating this state was to improve military defense in the Northern Region and stimulate economic activities and regional trade with the mainland.
The State of Maranhão was extinguished in 1652 and in 1654 reconstituted as Maranhão and Grão-Pará. In 1751 the State of Maranhão and Grão-Pará had its name changed to Grão-Pará and Maranhão and its capital was moved from São Luís to Belém.
The following captaincies formed the State of Maranhão. Ceará was later detached and became a satellite of Pernambuco, in the State of Brazil.