Paraíba
The Paraíba is a Brazilian State located in the east of the area Nordeste. It is delimited by the Rio Grande C Norte, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pernambouc and the Ceará. It occupies a surface of 56.440 km ².
Its capital is João Pessoa. The most important cities of this State are João Pessoa, Campina Grande, Santa Rita, Patos, Sousa, Cajazeiras, Bayeux and Cabedelo. Average altitude is not particularly high, without being really low; 66% of the territory lie between 300 and 900 meters of altitude.
Its name is female in Portuguese ( has Paraíba ) and comes from the river éponyme (male because of “O Rio”), (origin of this name, of the Tupi paraïwa ; river (parà) impracticable with navigation (aiwa/aïva).
The State of Paraíba extends from the coast towards the center of the country. The capital, João Pessoa, are at the seaside. The second city of the State, Campina Large, is one of the more big cities of Rural (intermediate zone between the coast and the sertão).
Strong Holy-Catherine, in Cabedelo
The principal rivers are Paraíba, Branco, Piranhas, Taperoá, Mamanguape, Curimataú, Peixe and Sanhauá.
The regional economy of Paraíba is based primarily on agriculture (canes with sugar, pineapple, manioc, corn, black bean), the breeding, industry (food, culture of cotton, sugar and spirituous), also saw fishing (lobster) and tourism.
At the beginning of the XVIe century, the French occupied already the area and established good relationships with the Indians will potiguaras . It is only in 1585 that João Tavares built with the mouth of the river Paraíba, strong São Felipe, in order to defend the area. Peace with the natives was broken in 1599, even after the epidemic of Variole which decimated the indigenous population.
Between 1634 and 1654, the area was occupied by the Dutch until their expulsion by André Vidal de Negreiros. In the following years, new conflicts with the Indians caused revolts which required an intervention of the metropolis (the kingdom of Portugal). In 1753, the area was subordinated to the harbor office of Pernambouc, from which it again separated in 1799. Paraíba took part in the Revolution of 1817 like to the Confédération of Ecuador (1825).
In 1930, João Pessoa, governor of the State is named vice-president of the Republic within the government of Getúlio Vargas. Its assassination the same year was the spark which started the Révolution of 1930.
- Source: site of the Brazilian Government
See too
External bonds
- Brasil Beleza, photographs of Joao Pessoa
Cbk-zam: Paraíba Simple: Paraíba