Statistics | ||
---|---|---|
Capital: | Fortaleza | |
Area: | 148,016km² | |
Population: | 6,500,000 | |
Pop. density: | inh./km² | |
Timezone: | GMT -3 | |
ISO 3166-2: | BR-CE | |
Governor: | Lúcio Alcântara | |
Map | ||
Map of Brazil highlighting the state |
Ceará is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast.
Geography
Ceará has a varied environment, with mangroves, caatinga, jungle, scrubland and temperate forest. However, it is hot almost all year round. This environment and temperature attracts many tourists, especially ecotourists.
History
Ceará was first colonised by the Portuguese in the middle of the 1600s, when what is today Brazil was hotly contested by the Dutch and the Portuguese.
The area was invaded twice by the Dutch, in 1644 and in 1654. Both times the settlers repelled them. Before being defeated, however, the Dutch founded what is today Fortaleza. In 1661, the Netherlands formally ceded their Brazilian territories to the Portuguese crown, ending conflict in the region.
The fight for Brazilian independence in 1822 was fierce in Ceará, with the area being a rebel stronghold that incurred vicious retribution from loyalists.
The reign of Dom Pedro II (see Empire of Brazil) saw great advances in infrastructure in Ceará, with the number of telephones increasing by a large amount, and with gas lighting and heating becoming almost ubiquitous.
In 1960, a the Oros Dam, comparable in size to the Aswan Dam has supplied Ceará with much of its water, and in 1995 construction began on the enormous Castanhão Dam, which, when completed, will be able to hold 6.5m³ of water.
Economy
Traditionally an agriculture based state, Ceará began a industrialisation programme in the early 20th century, and the industrial sector continues to expand annually. In 1994, industry accounted for 35% of the state's GDP. Tourism also plays a large part in Ceará's economy, with the state's many waterfalls, beaches and rainforests. On average, Fortaleza alone receives half a million tourists annually.
Flag
The flag of Ceará is identical to that of the federal Brazilian flag, however, the blue hemisphere in the Brazilian flag is replaced by the Ceará state coat of arms.
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