Alagoas
Encyclopedia
Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil
and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region
. It borders: Pernambuco
(N and NW); Sergipe
(S); Bahia
(SW); and the Atlantic
Ocean (E). It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti
. It's capital is the city
of Maceió
.
It is made up of 102 municipalities and its most populous cities are Maceió
, Arapiraca
, Palmeira dos Índios
, Rio Largo
, Penedo
, União dos Palmares
, São Miguel dos Campos
, Santana do Ipanema
, Delmiro Gouveia
, Coruripe
, Marechal Deodoro
, and Campo Alegre
.
Next to last Brazilian state in area (larger only than Sergipe) and 16th in population, it is one of the greatest producers of sugarcane
and coconut
s in the country and has an economy based on cattle raising.
Land of the sururu (or Charru Mussel), lagoon
shellfish which serves as food for the coastal population, and of coconut water
, Alagoas also possesses some of the country's richest folklore
.
Initially, the Alagoano territory constituted the south
ern part of the Captaincy of Pernambuco
and only gained its autonomy
in 1817. It's occupation pushed the expansion of the captaincy's
sugarcane farming, which required new areas of cultivation, southward. Thus arose Porto Calvo
, Alagoas (now Marechal Deodoro) and Penedo
, nuclei which guided the colonization, economic, and social life of the region for a long time.
The Dutch invasion
in Pernambuco was extended to Alagoas in 1631. The invaders were expelled in 1645, after intense fighting in Porto Calvo, leaving the economy totally disorganized.
The escape of African slaves
during the Dutch invasion created a serious labour
shortage problem on the sugar plantation
s. Grouped in villages called quilombo
s, the Africans were only completely dominated at the end of the 17th century with the destruction of the most important quilombo, Palmares
.
During the empire, the separatist and republican movement the Confederation of the Equator
(1824) received the support of noteworthy Alagoano figures. Throughout the 1840s
, political life was marked by the conflict between the lisos, conservatives
, and the cabeludos, liberals
.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Alagoano hinterland lived through the pioneering experience of Delmiro Gouveia, a Pernambucano entrepeneur who installed the Estrela thread factory, which came to produce 200 spools daily. Delmiro Gouveia was killed in October of 1917 in circumstances still unclarified, after being pressured, according to rumor, to sell his factory to competing foreign firms. After his death
, his machine
s would be destroyed and thrown into Paulo Afonso Falls.
Nicknamed the Land of the Marshals (Terra dos Marechais), for being the birthplace of Deodoro da Fonseca
and Floriano Peixoto
, Alagoas gave the country numerous illustrious Brazilians among whom are the anthropologist Arthur Ramos, the maestro Hekel Tavares, the philologist Aurélio Buarque de Holanda
, the poet Jorge de Lima
, the jurists Pontes de Miranda and Marcos Bernardes de Mello, besides the writers Lêdo Ivo and Graciliano Ramos
.
lacus, "reservoir
, lake
" is the origin, in the primitive vocabulary heritage, of the Portuguese
, Spanish, and Italian
lago, French
lac, one of its derivatives, the Latin
lacuna, "pitfall, hole", "lack, want, neglect", explains the Spanish
and Italian
laguna. But the Portuguese lagoa, coincidentally with the Spanish
lagona and Mirandese
llagona, suggests a change in suffix, already documented in a 938
document from Valencia, under the spelling lacona, and in another from 1094, in Sahagún
, under the spelling lagona. The Portuguese lagoa under the spelling lagona (perhaps lagõna), is documented in the 14th century, and alternated with the other for a long time; the prosthesis
is then explained by the introduction of the article, chiefly in locution (na lagoa, vindo da lagoa) (in the lake, coming from the lake), and for morphologic
regularization with the derivatives of the verb alagar (to inundate) (alagadiço, alagado, alagador, alagamento, etc.) (swampish, waterlogged, flooding, overflow, etc.).
The name
appears as a competitor with the names of the Manguaba
and Mundaú Lagoon
s, that "alagoa do sul" ("southern lagoon"), this "alagoa do norte" ("northern lagoon"), already in the 16th century, when settlements were founded near the Alagoa do Norte and the Alagoa do Sul, the Alagoas, with the inclusion of the rest of the lagoons in the area.
The suffix
-ano is characteristic of Brazil
(paraibano
, pernambucano
, alagoano, sergipano
, baiano
, goiano
, and later acriano
.
The state's name originates with the lakes along its coast near the city of Maceió. The coast is bordered by fringing reefs and many fine beaches. Behind the beaches, sometimes only hundreds of meters and defined by steep scarps, lies a stretch of green coastal hills having enough rainfall for considerable agriculture and scarce remnants of the Mata Atlântica
(Atlantic Rain Forest) that now is largely limited to steep hill tops or steep valley sides and bottoms. This is the area long dominated by sugar cane.
Still farther inland lies the Sertão of the Northeast region of the nation. The Sertão is a high dry region dominated by scrub that is often thorn-filled and sometimes toxic, the caatinga
. This area and its people is famed in legend and song. It is the land of the cowboy who is clad from head to toe (if he is lucky) with very thick leather to avoid the tearing vegetation.
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During the first three centuries of its history, Alagoas was part of the captaincy of Pernambuco, only changing into an independent captaincy in 1817. As a reprisal against the Pernambucan Revolution, the King John VI of Portugal
ordered a vast portion of the Pernambucan territory to be taken from it, most including its southern portion, one part given to the captaincy of Bahia
, the other portion made independent and creating Alagoas as a new Brazilian captaincy.
Initially, in the first years of the 16th century, Alagoas settlement went on slowly, however helped by Africa
ns turned into slaves whose work urged the local economy. In the period of the 16th and 17th centuries, French pirates invaded its territory attracted by the commerce of Brazil wood.
Some time later, Duarte Coelho, owner of the captaincy of Pernambuco, gave the control of the region back to the Portuguese, running the territory as part of his captaincy. He increased the number of sugar cane plantations and built some sugar mills, as well as founding the cities of Penedo
and Alagoas – this last one originally baptized by Portuguese as Santa Maria Madalena da Alagoa do Sul (Saint Mary Magdalene of the Southern Lake), currently the historic heritage town of Marechal Deodoro
.
In 1570, a second expedition ordered by Duarte Coelho and led by Cristóvão Lins, explored the north of Alagoas and founded the settlement of Porto Calvo
and five sugar mills, which two of them still endure, Buenos Aires and Escurial.
In 1630, the territory was taken by the Dutch
, whose interest was to manage the commerce of sugar
in most parts of the northeastern region of Brazil. As part of one of the wealthiest Brazilian captaincies, Alagoas prospered along with the sugar trade. They built Fort Maurits in Penedo, on the river São Francisco. However, the Dutch colonizers abandoned the territory after being defeated in 1646.
Decades before Alagoas was formed in 1817, its sugar industry had 200 mills, and agriculture also involved cotton
, tobacco
and corn
plantations. With Brazilian independence from Portugal in 1822, Alagoas becomes a province
. In 1839, the capital of the province was changed definitively from the town of Alagoas to Maceio, mainly due to the increasing growth of the city because of its port.
According to the IBGE
of 2008, there were 3,173,000 people residing in the state. The population density was 109.9 inh./km².
Urbanization
: 67.4% (2006); Population growth
: 1.3% (1991–2000); House
s: 779,000 (2006).
The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 2,100,000 Brown (Multiracial) people (66.18%), 964,000 White
people (30.39%), 96,000 Black
people (3.02%), 11,000 Asian
people (0.35%).
Alagoas is one of the poorest states of Brazil. The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 55.8%, followed by the industrial sector at 36.9%. Agriculture
represents 7.3%, of GDP (2004). Alagoas exports: sugar
58.8%, alcohol
29.4%, chemicals 9%, tobacco
2.1% (2002).
Share of the Brazilian economy: 0.7% (2004).
The economy has been agricultural
, dependent largely on large sugar cane plantations with some tobacco
farming that is concentrated around the city of Arapiraca. Sugar cane formed the basis for an alcohol
industry that is in decline. Small to medium sized tanker ships took alcohol onboard in Maceio's port with considerable frequency during the peak period. Such loads still take place with less frequency. Another local industry is based on chemical products from brine
pumped from deep wells on the outskirts of Maceió.
In the last twenty years the tourist
industry has found the beaches and Maceió itself has changed from a rather sleepy little port with coconut palm plantations along its beaches to high-rise hotels. The northern coast, particularly around the towns Maragogi and Japaratinga is beginning to see some of this development in the form of resorts attracting people from the south and from Europe
. There is considerable European investment (as of 2007) in beach property north of Maceió with walled compounds of beach homes.
Portuguese
is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But English
and Spanish
are part of the official high school
curriculum.
was introduced to Northeastern Brazil
by the Portuguese
for whom St John's day (also celebrated as Midsummer
Day in several Europe
an countries), on the 24th of June, is one of the oldest and most popular celebrations of the year. Differently, of course, from what happens on the European Midsummer
Day, the festivities in Brazil do not take place during the summer solstice
but during the tropical winter solstice
. The festivities traditionally begin after the 12th of June, on the eve of St Anthony's day, and last until the 29th, which is Saint Peter's day. During these fifteen days, there are bonfires, fireworks
, and folk dancing in the streets (step names are in French, which shows the mutual influences between court life and peasant culture in the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century Europe). Once exclusively a rural festivity, today, in Brazil, it is largely a city festival during which people joyfully and theatrically mimic peasant stereotypes and cliches in a spirit of joke and good time. Typical refreshments and dishes are served. It should be noted that, like during Carnival, these festivities involve costumes-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like what happens on Midsummer
and St John's Day in Europe, bonfires are a central part of these festivities in Brazil.
time in Brazil
. Rich and poor alike forget their cares as they party in the streets.
’s façades on the monumental
hats covered with mirrors.
motivated by the sea
. It tells the sea adventures of the first navigators in its songs accompanied by guitar
and ukulele.
display derived from Bumba-Meu-Boi. It is always presented together with La Ursa (The Bear
), Vaqueiro (Cowboy
) and a percussion band whose rhythms captivate all who hear them.
, in Maceió
Metropolitan Area, designed by homegrown architect Mário Aloísio, which combines glass
, metal
and granite
. It includes space for art exhibitions, a panoramic deck, chapel
, seven escalator
s, nine elevator
s and four boarding bridges. The whole terminal was designed to permit access by the physically disabled, with ramps and special bathroom fixtures.
In the new terminal, Infraero
also brings to Maceió “Aeroshopping” – a concept that is transforming the country’s airports into centers for leisure and high-quality products and services. The entire building has a computerized air conditioning
, with commercial spaces that will be occupied gradually. The parking area was more than tripled. Demand will be able to grow to 1.2 million passengers a year since the new passenger terminal has 24,000 square meters, the triple of its former size. The check-in counters were doubled and can reach higher numbers without any structural remodeling.
The building is “intelligent”, meaning controlled by a computerized system that regulates factors ranging from the lighting level to air temperature and even the speed of the escalators. This system also controls access to restricted areas and the fire protection system, among others.
of Jaraguá is located in Maceió. The commercial and economic development of the Port of Jaraguá, on the margins of the Mundaú lagoon, was responsible for the emergence of an important settlement that received the name of Maceió and later became the present capital of Alagoas. The Port of Jaraguá is situated in a natural port area that facilitates the ships docking. During the Brazilian colonial period
, the most important products exported through the port were sugar, tobacco, coconut and spices.
, CSA
and Corithians Alagoano.
Maceió
was one of the 18 candidates to host games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup
, for which Brazil
is the selected host, but it did not make the final cut.
and Penedo
. Some plantation
s, sugar cane and cotton
, that stood out as the foremost wealth in the past are incorporated in the design. The colors in each stripe, red, white and blue, that bring to mind the French flag, symbolize exactly the motto of the French Revolution
: liberty, equality and fraternity. The star above the coat represents the state itself.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region
Northeast Region, Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....
. It borders: Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
(N and NW); Sergipe
Sergipe
Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...
(S); Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
(SW); and the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
Ocean (E). It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. It's capital is the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Maceió
Maceió
Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...
.
It is made up of 102 municipalities and its most populous cities are Maceió
Maceió
Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...
, Arapiraca
Arapiraca
Arapiraca is a municipality located in the center of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. It was founded in 1924 and is 135,6 km from the state capital, Maceió. , it has a population of c. 214,000 inhabitants...
, Palmeira dos Índios
Palmeira dos Índios
Palmeira dos Índios is a municipality located in the western of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. , it has a population of around 70,000.The city is situated on Alagoas backwood region. Brazilian writer, Graciliano Ramos, was its mayor in 1927. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of...
, Rio Largo
Rio Largo
Rio Largo is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 67,889 and its area is 309 km²....
, Penedo
Penedo
Penedo is a municipality in the state of Alagoas in Brazil. Its population was 59,968 and its area is 689 km².Founded in 1614, Penedo lies 173 km from the state capital of Maceió. Penedo has many important examples of Portuguese and Dutch colonial architectures, as well as beautiful landscapes...
, União dos Palmares
União dos Palmares
União dos Palmares is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 59,369 and its area is 428 km². Surrounding agricultural land is largely dedicated to sugar cane and cattle. At one time, when the city was an active rail stop with regular passenger service, it...
, São Miguel dos Campos
São Miguel dos Campos
São Miguel dos Campos is a municipality located in the western of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 43,338 and its area is 361 km²....
, Santana do Ipanema
Santana do Ipanema
Santana do Ipanema is a city and a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. It is situated at the edge of Ipanema river.Its population was 44,866 and its area is 438 km². It was founded in 1875....
, Delmiro Gouveia
Delmiro Gouveia
Delmiro Gouveia is a municipality located in the westernmost point of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 47,991 and its area is 609 km²....
, Coruripe
Coruripe
Coruripe is a municipality located in the southern coast of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 44,272 and its area is 913 km². It is situated at the edge of Coruripe river....
, Marechal Deodoro
Marechal Deodoro
Marechal Deodoro is a municipality and an important tourist center of Alagoas, Brazil. Its population is 42,793 and its area is 334 km².- History :...
, and Campo Alegre
Campo Alegre, Alagoas
Campo Alegre is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 43,696 and its area is 308 km²....
.
Next to last Brazilian state in area (larger only than Sergipe) and 16th in population, it is one of the greatest producers of sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s in the country and has an economy based on cattle raising.
Land of the sururu (or Charru Mussel), lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
shellfish which serves as food for the coastal population, and of coconut water
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, Alagoas also possesses some of the country's richest folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
.
Initially, the Alagoano territory constituted the south
South
South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the bottom side of a map is south....
ern part of the Captaincy of Pernambuco
Captaincy of Pernambuco
The captaincy of Pernambuco was one of the subdivisions of Brazil during the colonial period. At the time of the Independence of Brazil it had become a province and, after the Proclamation of the Republic of Brazil, with the promulgation of the Brazilian Constitution of 1891, it became the "state...
and only gained its autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
in 1817. It's occupation pushed the expansion of the captaincy's
Captaincy
A captaincy is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. Each was governed by a captain general.-In the Portuguese Empire:...
sugarcane farming, which required new areas of cultivation, southward. Thus arose Porto Calvo
Porto Calvo
Porto Calvo is a city and municipality in Alagoas, Brazil. Its population was 24,761 and its area is 260 km². It was founded in 1636....
, Alagoas (now Marechal Deodoro) and Penedo
Penedo
Penedo is a municipality in the state of Alagoas in Brazil. Its population was 59,968 and its area is 689 km².Founded in 1614, Penedo lies 173 km from the state capital of Maceió. Penedo has many important examples of Portuguese and Dutch colonial architectures, as well as beautiful landscapes...
, nuclei which guided the colonization, economic, and social life of the region for a long time.
The Dutch invasion
Dutch Brazil
Dutch Brazil, also known as New Holland, was the northern portion of Brazil, ruled by the Dutch during the Dutch colonization of the Americas between 1630 and 1654...
in Pernambuco was extended to Alagoas in 1631. The invaders were expelled in 1645, after intense fighting in Porto Calvo, leaving the economy totally disorganized.
The escape of African slaves
Slavery in Brazil
Slavery in Brazil shaped the country's social structure and ethnic landscape. During the colonial epoch and for over six decades after the 1822 independence, slavery was a mainstay of the Brazilian economy, especially in mining, cotton, and sugar cane production.Brazil obtained an estimated 35% of...
during the Dutch invasion created a serious labour
Workforce
The workforce is the labour pool in employment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic region like a city, country, state, etc. The term generally excludes the employers or management, and implies those involved in...
shortage problem on the sugar plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s. Grouped in villages called quilombo
Quilombo
A quilombo is a Brazilian hinterland settlement founded by people of African origin, Quilombolas, or Maroons. Most of the inhabitants of quilombos were escaped slaves and, in some cases, a minority of marginalised Portuguese, Brazilian aboriginals, Jews and Arabs, and/or other non-black,...
s, the Africans were only completely dominated at the end of the 17th century with the destruction of the most important quilombo, Palmares
Palmares (quilombo)
Palmares, or Quilombo dos Palmares, was a fugitive community of escaped slaves and others in colonial Brazil that developed from 1605 until its suppression in 1694. It was located in what is today the Brazilian state of Alagoas.-Quilombos or mocambos:...
.
During the empire, the separatist and republican movement the Confederation of the Equator
Confederation of the Equator
The Confederation of the Equator was a short-lived rebellion that occurred in the northeastern region of Brazil during that nation's struggle for independence from Portugal. The secessionist movement was led by wealthy landowners who opposed early reforms by the nation's first leader, Emperor...
(1824) received the support of noteworthy Alagoano figures. Throughout the 1840s
1840s
- Wars :*Mexican-American War was fought between Mexico and the United States of America. The latter emerged victorious and gained undisputed control over Texas while annexing portions of Arizona, California and New Mexico....
, political life was marked by the conflict between the lisos, conservatives
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, and the cabeludos, liberals
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Alagoano hinterland lived through the pioneering experience of Delmiro Gouveia, a Pernambucano entrepeneur who installed the Estrela thread factory, which came to produce 200 spools daily. Delmiro Gouveia was killed in October of 1917 in circumstances still unclarified, after being pressured, according to rumor, to sell his factory to competing foreign firms. After his death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, his machine
Machine
A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
s would be destroyed and thrown into Paulo Afonso Falls.
Nicknamed the Land of the Marshals (Terra dos Marechais), for being the birthplace of Deodoro da Fonseca
Deodoro da Fonseca
Marshal Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca became the first president of the Republic of Brazil after heading a military coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II and proclaimed the Republic in 1889, disestablishing the Empire of Brazil.- Biography :...
and Floriano Peixoto
Floriano Peixoto
Floriano Vieira de Araújo Peixoto , April 30, 1839, Maceió, Brazil — July 29, 1895, Rio de Janeiro; born in Ipioca , was a Brazilian soldier and politician, a veteran of the War of the Triple Alliance, and the second President of Brazil.-Election and Succession as President:Floriano Peixoto...
, Alagoas gave the country numerous illustrious Brazilians among whom are the anthropologist Arthur Ramos, the maestro Hekel Tavares, the philologist Aurélio Buarque de Holanda
Aurélio Buarque de Holanda Ferreira
Aurélio Buarque de Holanda Ferreira was a Brazilian lexicographer, philologist, translator, and writer, best known for editing the Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, a major dictionary of the Portuguese language....
, the poet Jorge de Lima
Jorge de Lima
Jon Mateus de Lima, was a politician, poet, and writer of Alagoas.His most famous works are the novels "A Mulher Obscura" and "Calunga"; and "A Túnica Inconsútil" and "A Invenção de Orfeu"...
, the jurists Pontes de Miranda and Marcos Bernardes de Mello, besides the writers Lêdo Ivo and Graciliano Ramos
Graciliano Ramos
Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira was a Brazilian Post-Modernist writer, politician and journalist. In most of his novels he depicts the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian sertão.-Life:Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira was born in the city of Quebrangulo, in the Brazilian State...
.
Etymology
The LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
lacus, "reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
, lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
" is the origin, in the primitive vocabulary heritage, of the Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Spanish, and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
lago, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
lac, one of its derivatives, the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
lacuna, "pitfall, hole", "lack, want, neglect", explains the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
laguna. But the Portuguese lagoa, coincidentally with the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
lagona and Mirandese
Mirandese language
The Mirandese language is a Romance language belonging to the Astur-Leonese linguistic group, sparsely spoken in a small area of northeastern Portugal, in the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro and Vimioso...
llagona, suggests a change in suffix, already documented in a 938
938
Year 938 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* The Liao Dynasty takes over Peking; they name Nanjing as their South Palace....
document from Valencia, under the spelling lacona, and in another from 1094, in Sahagún
Sahagún, Spain
Sahagún is a town in the province of León, Spain. It is the main town of the Leonese section of the Tierra de Campos comarca.Sahagún is notable for containing some of the earliest examples of the mudéjar style of architecture. It lies on the Way of St. James.The initial town arose due to the...
, under the spelling lagona. The Portuguese lagoa under the spelling lagona (perhaps lagõna), is documented in the 14th century, and alternated with the other for a long time; the prosthesis
Prosthesis (linguistics)
In linguistics, prosthesis is the addition of a sound or syllable at the beginning of a word without changing the word's meaning or the rest of its structure. The alternative spelling prothesis was first used in post-classical Latin, based on Greek próthesis "placing before" or "in public"...
is then explained by the introduction of the article, chiefly in locution (na lagoa, vindo da lagoa) (in the lake, coming from the lake), and for morphologic
Morphology (linguistics)
In linguistics, morphology is the identification, analysis and description, in a language, of the structure of morphemes and other linguistic units, such as words, affixes, parts of speech, intonation/stress, or implied context...
regularization with the derivatives of the verb alagar (to inundate) (alagadiço, alagado, alagador, alagamento, etc.) (swampish, waterlogged, flooding, overflow, etc.).
The name
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
appears as a competitor with the names of the Manguaba
Manguaba Lagoon
Manguaba Lagoon is an estuarine lagoon in Alagoas state of northeastern Brazil. Manguaba Lagoon receives the Paraíba do Meio River, and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Mundaú Lagoon to the north by a network of channels....
and Mundaú Lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s, that "alagoa do sul" ("southern lagoon"), this "alagoa do norte" ("northern lagoon"), already in the 16th century, when settlements were founded near the Alagoa do Norte and the Alagoa do Sul, the Alagoas, with the inclusion of the rest of the lagoons in the area.
The suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
-ano is characteristic of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(paraibano
Paraíba
Paraíba Paraíba Paraíba (Tupi: pa'ra a'íba: "bad to navigation"; Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east...
, pernambucano
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
, alagoano, sergipano
Sergipe
Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...
, baiano
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, goiano
Goiás
Goiás is a state of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. The name Goiás comes from the name of an indigenous community...
, and later acriano
Acre (state)
Acre is one of the 27 states of Brazil. It is situated in the southwest of the Northern Region, bordering Amazonas to the north, Rondônia to the east, Bolivia to the southeast and the Ucayali Region of Peru to the south and west. It occupies an area of 152,581.4 km2, being slightly smaller...
.
Geography
Mata Atlântica
The Atlantic Forest is a region of tropical and subtropical moist forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, semi deciduous forest and mangrove forests which extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the north to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south, and...
(Atlantic Rain Forest) that now is largely limited to steep hill tops or steep valley sides and bottoms. This is the area long dominated by sugar cane.
Still farther inland lies the Sertão of the Northeast region of the nation. The Sertão is a high dry region dominated by scrub that is often thorn-filled and sometimes toxic, the caatinga
Caatinga
Caatinga is a type of vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in the northeastern part of Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation"...
. This area and its people is famed in legend and song. It is the land of the cowboy who is clad from head to toe (if he is lucky) with very thick leather to avoid the tearing vegetation.
History
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
ordered a vast portion of the Pernambucan territory to be taken from it, most including its southern portion, one part given to the captaincy of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, the other portion made independent and creating Alagoas as a new Brazilian captaincy.
Initially, in the first years of the 16th century, Alagoas settlement went on slowly, however helped by Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
ns turned into slaves whose work urged the local economy. In the period of the 16th and 17th centuries, French pirates invaded its territory attracted by the commerce of Brazil wood.
Some time later, Duarte Coelho, owner of the captaincy of Pernambuco, gave the control of the region back to the Portuguese, running the territory as part of his captaincy. He increased the number of sugar cane plantations and built some sugar mills, as well as founding the cities of Penedo
Penedo
Penedo is a municipality in the state of Alagoas in Brazil. Its population was 59,968 and its area is 689 km².Founded in 1614, Penedo lies 173 km from the state capital of Maceió. Penedo has many important examples of Portuguese and Dutch colonial architectures, as well as beautiful landscapes...
and Alagoas – this last one originally baptized by Portuguese as Santa Maria Madalena da Alagoa do Sul (Saint Mary Magdalene of the Southern Lake), currently the historic heritage town of Marechal Deodoro
Marechal Deodoro
Marechal Deodoro is a municipality and an important tourist center of Alagoas, Brazil. Its population is 42,793 and its area is 334 km².- History :...
.
In 1570, a second expedition ordered by Duarte Coelho and led by Cristóvão Lins, explored the north of Alagoas and founded the settlement of Porto Calvo
Porto Calvo
Porto Calvo is a city and municipality in Alagoas, Brazil. Its population was 24,761 and its area is 260 km². It was founded in 1636....
and five sugar mills, which two of them still endure, Buenos Aires and Escurial.
In 1630, the territory was taken by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, whose interest was to manage the commerce of sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
in most parts of the northeastern region of Brazil. As part of one of the wealthiest Brazilian captaincies, Alagoas prospered along with the sugar trade. They built Fort Maurits in Penedo, on the river São Francisco. However, the Dutch colonizers abandoned the territory after being defeated in 1646.
Decades before Alagoas was formed in 1817, its sugar industry had 200 mills, and agriculture also involved cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
plantations. With Brazilian independence from Portugal in 1822, Alagoas becomes a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
. In 1839, the capital of the province was changed definitively from the town of Alagoas to Maceio, mainly due to the increasing growth of the city because of its port.
Demographics
According to the IBGE
IBGE
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil...
of 2008, there were 3,173,000 people residing in the state. The population density was 109.9 inh./km².
Urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
: 67.4% (2006); Population growth
Population growth
Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....
: 1.3% (1991–2000); House
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
s: 779,000 (2006).
The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 2,100,000 Brown (Multiracial) people (66.18%), 964,000 White
White Brazilian
White Brazilians make up 48.4% of Brazil's population, or around 92 million people, according to the IBGE's 2008 PNAD . Whites are present in the entire territory of Brazil, although the main concentrations are found in the South and Southeastern parts of the country...
people (30.39%), 96,000 Black
Afro-Brazilian
In Brazil, the term "preto" is one of the five categories used by the Brazilian Census, along with "branco" , "pardo" , "amarelo" and "indígena"...
people (3.02%), 11,000 Asian
Asian Brazilian
An Asian Brazilian is is a Brazilian citizen of full or partial Asian ancestry, who remains culturally connected to Asia, or an Asian-born person permanently residing in Brazil. Brazil received many immigrants from Asia, both from Middle East and East Asia...
people (0.35%).
Statistics
- Vehicles: 287,018 (March 2007)
- Mobile phoneMobile phoneA mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s: 1.4 million (April 2007) - TelephoneTelephoneThe telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
s: 302,000 (April 2007) - Cities: 102 (2007).
Economy
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
represents 7.3%, of GDP (2004). Alagoas exports: sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
58.8%, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
29.4%, chemicals 9%, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
2.1% (2002).
Share of the Brazilian economy: 0.7% (2004).
The economy has been agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, dependent largely on large sugar cane plantations with some tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
farming that is concentrated around the city of Arapiraca. Sugar cane formed the basis for an alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
industry that is in decline. Small to medium sized tanker ships took alcohol onboard in Maceio's port with considerable frequency during the peak period. Such loads still take place with less frequency. Another local industry is based on chemical products from brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
pumped from deep wells on the outskirts of Maceió.
In the last twenty years the tourist
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry has found the beaches and Maceió itself has changed from a rather sleepy little port with coconut palm plantations along its beaches to high-rise hotels. The northern coast, particularly around the towns Maragogi and Japaratinga is beginning to see some of this development in the form of resorts attracting people from the south and from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. There is considerable European investment (as of 2007) in beach property north of Maceió with walled compounds of beach homes.
Education
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
are part of the official high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
curriculum.
Educational institutions
- Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL) (Federal University of Alagoas);
- Universidade Estadual de Alagoas (Uneal) (State University of Alagoas);
- Universidade de Ciências da Saúde de Alagoas (Uncisal) (University of Sciences of the Health of Alagoas);
- Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Alagoas (Cefet-AL);
- Centro de Ensino Superior de Maceió (CESMAC) (Center of Higher Education of Maceió);
- Faculdade de Alagoas (FAL) (College of Alagoas);
- and many others.
Festa Junina (Saint John Festival)
Festa JuninaFesta Junina
Festa Junina , also known as festa de São João for their part in celebrating the nativity of St. John the Baptist, are the annual Brazilian celebrations historically related to European Midsummer that take place in the beginning of the Brazilian winter...
was introduced to Northeastern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
by the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
for whom St John's day (also celebrated as Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
Day in several Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries), on the 24th of June, is one of the oldest and most popular celebrations of the year. Differently, of course, from what happens on the European Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
Day, the festivities in Brazil do not take place during the summer solstice
Summer solstice
The summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
but during the tropical winter solstice
Winter solstice
Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
. The festivities traditionally begin after the 12th of June, on the eve of St Anthony's day, and last until the 29th, which is Saint Peter's day. During these fifteen days, there are bonfires, fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, and folk dancing in the streets (step names are in French, which shows the mutual influences between court life and peasant culture in the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century Europe). Once exclusively a rural festivity, today, in Brazil, it is largely a city festival during which people joyfully and theatrically mimic peasant stereotypes and cliches in a spirit of joke and good time. Typical refreshments and dishes are served. It should be noted that, like during Carnival, these festivities involve costumes-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like what happens on Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
and St John's Day in Europe, bonfires are a central part of these festivities in Brazil.
Carnival
The four-day period before Lent leading up to Ash Wednesday is carnivalCarnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
time in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Rich and poor alike forget their cares as they party in the streets.
Warrior
This is a typical Alagoas revelry that resulted from the union of Reisado (an Epiphany celebration), Auto dos Caboclinhos (Caboclinhos’ Play), Chegança (public folk play depicting a naval battle) and Pastoril (outdoor folk play). Its captivating choreography and costumes with colored ribbons and beads reproduce the cathedralCathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
’s façades on the monumental
Monumental
-Music:* Monumental, an album by producer/rapper Pete Rock and rap duoSmif-N-Wessun** "Monumental", title track, and third single off of the album.-Other uses:* Monumental * Monumental Axis, a central avenue in Brasília's city design...
hats covered with mirrors.
Fandango
This is a dramatic danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
motivated by the sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
. It tells the sea adventures of the first navigators in its songs accompanied by guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and ukulele.
Carnival Bull
Boi do Carnaval is a popular cultureCulture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
display derived from Bumba-Meu-Boi. It is always presented together with La Ursa (The Bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
), Vaqueiro (Cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
) and a percussion band whose rhythms captivate all who hear them.
International Airport
Alagoas gained a new airport complex, Zumbi dos Palmares International AirportZumbi dos Palmares International Airport
Maceió-Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport , formerly called Campo dos Palmares Airport, is the airport serving Maceió, Brazil. Since December 16, 1999 the airport is named after Zumbi dos Palmares a leader and hero who fought for the freedom of slaves.It is operated by Infraero.-History:The...
, in Maceió
Maceió
Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...
Metropolitan Area, designed by homegrown architect Mário Aloísio, which combines glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. It includes space for art exhibitions, a panoramic deck, chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, seven escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s, nine elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s and four boarding bridges. The whole terminal was designed to permit access by the physically disabled, with ramps and special bathroom fixtures.
In the new terminal, Infraero
Infraero
Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária, Infraero in short, is a Brazilian government corporation created in 1972 and responsible for operating the main Brazilian commercial airports. In 2009, Infraero's airports carried 128,135,616 passengers and 1,114,754 tons of cargo and operated...
also brings to Maceió “Aeroshopping” – a concept that is transforming the country’s airports into centers for leisure and high-quality products and services. The entire building has a computerized air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
, with commercial spaces that will be occupied gradually. The parking area was more than tripled. Demand will be able to grow to 1.2 million passengers a year since the new passenger terminal has 24,000 square meters, the triple of its former size. The check-in counters were doubled and can reach higher numbers without any structural remodeling.
The building is “intelligent”, meaning controlled by a computerized system that regulates factors ranging from the lighting level to air temperature and even the speed of the escalators. This system also controls access to restricted areas and the fire protection system, among others.
Port
The PortPort
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
of Jaraguá is located in Maceió. The commercial and economic development of the Port of Jaraguá, on the margins of the Mundaú lagoon, was responsible for the emergence of an important settlement that received the name of Maceió and later became the present capital of Alagoas. The Port of Jaraguá is situated in a natural port area that facilitates the ships docking. During the Brazilian colonial period
Colonial Brazil
In the history of Brazil, Colonial Brazil, officially the Viceroyalty of Brazil comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to kingdom alongside Portugal as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.During the over 300 years...
, the most important products exported through the port were sugar, tobacco, coconut and spices.
Sports
Alagoas provides visitors and residents with various sport activities. There are several soccer clubs based in the state, such as ASA de Arapiraca, CRBClube de Regatas Brasil
Clube de Regatas Brasil, or CRB as it is usually called, is a Brazilian football team from Maceió in Alagoas.Founded on September 20, 1912, its greatest rival is Centro Sportivo Alagoano, and it plays in white and red shirts, shorts and socks....
, CSA
Centro Sportivo Alagoano
Centro Sportivo Alagoano, is a Brazilian football team from Maceió in Alagoas, founded on September 7, 1913. It is the biggest club in the state of Alagoas, and the largest fan base....
and Corithians Alagoano.
Maceió
Maceió
Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...
was one of the 18 candidates to host games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
, for which Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
is the selected host, but it did not make the final cut.
Major cities
- ArapiracaArapiracaArapiraca is a municipality located in the center of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. It was founded in 1924 and is 135,6 km from the state capital, Maceió. , it has a population of c. 214,000 inhabitants...
- CoruripeCoruripeCoruripe is a municipality located in the southern coast of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 44,272 and its area is 913 km². It is situated at the edge of Coruripe river....
- MaceióMaceióMaceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...
- MaragogiMaragogiMaragogi is a municipality of the Brazilian state of Alagoas in the 125 km north of Maceió capital city. Has 25,726 inhabitants, a city situated on the northern coast of Alagoas state, Brazil, being the easternmost city of that state....
- Marechal DeodoroMarechal DeodoroMarechal Deodoro is a municipality and an important tourist center of Alagoas, Brazil. Its population is 42,793 and its area is 334 km².- History :...
(H) - Palmeira dos IndiosPalmeira dos ÍndiosPalmeira dos Índios is a municipality located in the western of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. , it has a population of around 70,000.The city is situated on Alagoas backwood region. Brazilian writer, Graciliano Ramos, was its mayor in 1927. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of...
- PenedoPenedoPenedo is a municipality in the state of Alagoas in Brazil. Its population was 59,968 and its area is 689 km².Founded in 1614, Penedo lies 173 km from the state capital of Maceió. Penedo has many important examples of Portuguese and Dutch colonial architectures, as well as beautiful landscapes...
(H) - PiranhasPiranhasPiranhas is a historic city and municipality in the western of the State of Alagoas, in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Located on the bank of the São Francisco River, just at the border with the State of Sergipe, Piranhas was founded in 1891 and originally named Floriano Peixoto...
(H) - Porto CalvoPorto CalvoPorto Calvo is a city and municipality in Alagoas, Brazil. Its population was 24,761 and its area is 260 km². It was founded in 1636....
- Porto de PedrasPorto de PedrasPorto de Pedras is a municipality located in the northern coast of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 10,628 and its area is 266 km²....
(H) - São Miguel dos CamposSão Miguel dos CamposSão Miguel dos Campos is a municipality located in the western of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 43,338 and its area is 361 km²....
- Santana do IpanemaSantana do IpanemaSantana do Ipanema is a city and a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. It is situated at the edge of Ipanema river.Its population was 44,866 and its area is 438 km². It was founded in 1875....
- União dos PalmaresUnião dos PalmaresUnião dos Palmares is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 59,369 and its area is 428 km². Surrounding agricultural land is largely dedicated to sugar cane and cattle. At one time, when the city was an active rail stop with regular passenger service, it...
- ViçosaViçosa, AlagoasViçosa is a Brazilian town and municipality in Alagoas state. Located inland on the zone of a former portion of the Atlantic Rain Forest, it is 86 km away from the state capital Maceio. Its population was 27,950 and its area is 354,76 km²....
Notable people
- Aurélio Buarque de Holanda FerreiraAurélio Buarque de Holanda FerreiraAurélio Buarque de Holanda Ferreira was a Brazilian lexicographer, philologist, translator, and writer, best known for editing the Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, a major dictionary of the Portuguese language....
- Lexicographer, philologist, translator, and writer - Renan CalheirosRenan CalheirosRenan Calheiros is a Brazilian politician and former President of the Senate of Brazil. He represents the state of Alagoas in the senate for the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party....
- PMDB politician and president of the Senate of BrazilSenate of BrazilThe Federal Senate of Brazil is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. Created by the first Constitution of the Brazilian Empire in 1824, it was inspired by the United Kingdom's House of Lords, but with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889 it became closer to the United States... - Deodoro da FonsecaDeodoro da FonsecaMarshal Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca became the first president of the Republic of Brazil after heading a military coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II and proclaimed the Republic in 1889, disestablishing the Empire of Brazil.- Biography :...
- First president of BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... - Floriano PeixotoFloriano PeixotoFloriano Vieira de Araújo Peixoto , April 30, 1839, Maceió, Brazil — July 29, 1895, Rio de Janeiro; born in Ipioca , was a Brazilian soldier and politician, a veteran of the War of the Triple Alliance, and the second President of Brazil.-Election and Succession as President:Floriano Peixoto...
- Second President of Brazil - DjavanDjavanDjavan is a Brazilian singer/songwriter, Djavan combines traditional Brazilian rhythms with popular music drawn from the Americas, Europe and Africa. He can arguably be categorized in any of the following musical genres: Música Popular Brasileira , samba, or Latin dance...
- Singer/songwriter - Hermeto PascoalHermeto PascoalHermeto Pascoal is a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Lagoa da Canoa, Alagoas, Brazil. Pascoal is a greatly beloved musical figure in the history of Brazilian music, known for his abilities at orchestration and improvisation, as well as being a record producer and...
- Composer and multi-instrumentalist - Graciliano RamosGraciliano RamosGraciliano Ramos de Oliveira was a Brazilian Post-Modernist writer, politician and journalist. In most of his novels he depicts the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian sertão.-Life:Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira was born in the city of Quebrangulo, in the Brazilian State...
- Author - Marta Vieira da Silva - Women's football striker
- Bruna TenórioBruna TenórioBruna Tenório is a Brazilian model of Indigenous Brazilian ancestry.-Biography:Bruna Tenório started her career in 2006 when she walked the runway for designers like Chanel, Christian Dior and Dolce & Gabbana in Paris and Milan...
- Fashion Model
Flag
The coat of arms symbolizes the first Alagoan settlements, Porto CalvoPorto Calvo
Porto Calvo is a city and municipality in Alagoas, Brazil. Its population was 24,761 and its area is 260 km². It was founded in 1636....
and Penedo
Penedo
Penedo is a municipality in the state of Alagoas in Brazil. Its population was 59,968 and its area is 689 km².Founded in 1614, Penedo lies 173 km from the state capital of Maceió. Penedo has many important examples of Portuguese and Dutch colonial architectures, as well as beautiful landscapes...
. Some plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s, sugar cane and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, that stood out as the foremost wealth in the past are incorporated in the design. The colors in each stripe, red, white and blue, that bring to mind the French flag, symbolize exactly the motto of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
: liberty, equality and fraternity. The star above the coat represents the state itself.