- Espírito Santo
Infobox Brazilian State
name = State of Espírito Santo
motto = "Trabalha e Confia" (
capital =Vitória
latd= |latm= |latNS= |longd= |longm= |longEW=
largest_city =Vila Velha
demonym = capixaba or espiritossantense
leader_name1 = Paulo Hartung
leader_name2 = Ricardo Ferraço
area = 46.077,519
area_magnitude = 1 E11
area_rank = 23th
population_estimate = 3,464,285
population_estimate_rank = 14th
population_estimate_year = 2006
population_census = 3,412,746
population_census_year = 2005
population_density = 75.2
population_density_rank = 7th
GDP = R$ 47,191,000,000
GDP_rank = 11th
GDP_year = 2005
GDP_per_capita = R$ 13,846
GDP_per_capita_rank = 5th
HDI = 0.802
HDI_rank = 6th
HDI_year = 2005
abbreviation = BR-ES
time_zone = BRT
utc_offset = -3
time_zone_DST = BRST
utc_offset_DST = -2:"For the Portuguese company, seeEspírito Santo Financial Group "Espírito Santo (pronounced|is.'pi.ɾi.tu 'sɐ̃.tu [The presented pronunciation is inBrazilian Portuguese variant spoken in Espírito Santo. TheEuropean Portuguese pronunciation is: /IPA|(ɨ)ʃ.'pi.ɾi.tu 'sɐ̃.tu/.] ) is one of the states of southeasternBrazil , often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital isVitória and the largest city isVila Velha . Those who are born in the state are known as "Capixabas", although the precise word is "espiritossantenses". The name means literally "holy spirit" after theHoly Ghost ofChristianity . With an extensive coastline (40% of the territory is on the coast), the state has some of the country's mainport s but thebeach es are the best tourist attractions.Vitória , the capital, is on an island, next to Guarapari, well known by its sands. In the extreme north is the Itaúnas part of the municipality of Conceição da Barra, whose sanddune s and forró are famous. Also on the coast, the typical gastronomy is another attraction with the moquecas capixabas and many fruits from theocean andseafood . In the country of the state are many natural beauties, such as thepark s of Pedra Azul and Alto Caparaó, and the Italian and German colonies.Geography
With 46.180 square kilometers, it is about the size of Estonia, or half the size of Portugal, and has a variety of habitats including coastal planes, lakes, mountain forest, mangroves and many others.
The islands of
Trindade and Martim Vaz , 715 km East ofVitória in the SouthernAtlantic Ocean , also belong to Espirito Santo state.Rivers
The main river in the state is the Doce. Other important river basins include the Santa Maria River Basin which is the northern branch of rivers which join the sea at Vitoria, and Jucu River Basin which flows into the sea at roughly the same place, but corresponds to the southern branch (which seems to come out of Vitoria). (See also Espírito Santo Municipalities)
Climate
Espírito Santo's climate is tropical along the coast, with dry winters and rainy summers. North of
Doce River it's generally drier and also hot. In the moutaineous regions in the south and south west of the state, the tropical climate is strongly influenced byaltitude , and the average temperatures are colder.Lakes
One of the most important lake districts in Brazil lies on the banks of the Doce river. The area contains some 26 large lakes, the biggest of which is called
Juparanã Lake .Topography
The state can be divided into two areas: the low lying coastline and the highland area known as "Serra" (where one can find the 2,890 m
Pico da Bandeira mountain), which is part of the larger Serra do Caparaó, the Caparaó Highlands.In the map to the right it is in the gray area in the extreme southwest of the state, and is shared with
Minas Gerais .Location
This Brazilian state is in the east of the southeastern subdivision ofBrazil , which also contains the states of São Paulo,Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It is bordered by theAtlantic Ocean (E), the state ofBahia (N), the state ofMinas Gerais (N) and (W), and the state ofRio de Janeiro (S). Espírito Santo's main cities (outside of theGreater Vitória region) areCachoeiro de Itapemirim ,Colatina ,Linhares , São Mateus and Aracruz.Capixabas
There are doubts as to the origin of the term "Capixabas", as those born in Espírito Santo are called. It may derive from the name of a local tribe, from when the Portuguese arrived in the area during the colonial period. A more accepted explanation states that the local Amerindians gave the name to the inhabitants of Vitória island, which means "plantation" or even "corn plantation", as plantations of various crops were interspersed with their houses. "Capixaba" is a word from
Tupi-Guarani , a group of languages of some of Brazil's native population. It means " cabelo de milho" (Corn Hair) because when the Portuguese arrived they were blonde so their hair reminded the native people of the golden colour of the corn hair.History
Espírito Santo was first inhabited by Amerindians, whose different tribes were usually semi-nomadic. The area was colonized by the Portuguese, and subsequently descendants of black slaves, and, later, by European immigrants of various origins.
Colonial Era
The area had been granted to
Vasco Coutinho just after the discovery ofBrazil in 1500. He arrived in the district (capitania , in Portuguese) of Espírito Santo onMay 23 1535 , bringing 60 soldiers, slaves and servants with him.The capital of the district was at first
Vila Velha , but because of frequent raids by Amerindians, it was moved to the current capital ofVitória , founded onSeptember 8 1551 , on an island nearVila Velha .In 1556, after the arrival of missionaries, Serra, Nova Almeida and Santa Cruz were founded.
Political history
The district remained under the influence of Coutinho's family for 140 years. It remained a district for 287 years until 1821, when it became a province.
With the Brazilian declaration of independence in 1822, the District Directors became known as Provincial Presidents. In the same way the district of Espírito Santo became Espírito Santo Province. During this period in 1860 the Emperor Pedro II, who was on good terms with the provincial President, visited the state on one of his tours of Brazil. There are still surviving accounts of what he saw and recorded.
In 1889, with the advent of the Brazilian Republic, Espírito Santo finally became a state.
After the adoption of a republican system,
Afonso Cláudio de Freitas Rosa became, by appointment, the first governor of Espírito Santo State. He was followed by four other appointed governors (José Horácio Costa ,Constante Gomes Sodré ,Henrique da Silva Coutinho andAntonio Gomez Aguirre ) until the inauguration of the first elected governor of Espirito Santo,Alfeu Adolfo Monjardim de Andrade e Almeida , in June 7th 1891.After
Getúlio Vargas took power, the governors were elected by the national congress, and after this, a number of interveners were sent to govern the state. A short period ofdemocracy returned when Carlos Monteiro Lindenberg was elected by Capixabas. However, after the 1964 military coup interveners were once again chosen by the national assembly. AfterCristiano Dias Lopes ,Arthur Carlos Gerhard Santos ,Elcio Álvares and Eurico Rezende were chosen this way, open elections were used to choose all leaders from Gerson Camata through to José Inácio Ferreira, who came into office in 1999.Economics
During the first 300 years, the main cash crop was
sugarcane , until 1850 when coffee, in high demand by Europeans, overtook it. During the colonial era, there were also periods of "gold rush" when agriculture was neglected, leading to food shortages, but not much gold was found in Espirito Santo. Another factor that impeded expansion was the prohibition of roads opening into Minas Gerais, where it was feared smuggling would be encouraged through Espírito Santo.Demographics
According to the
IBGE of 2007, there were 3,474,000 people residing in the state. The population density was 75.2 inh./km².Urbanization : 82.2% (2006);Population growth : 2% (1991-2000);House s: 1,056,000 (2006). [Source: PNAD.]The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 1,761,318
Pardo (Brown) people (50.7%), 1,438,236 White people (41.4%), 260,000 Black people (7.5%), 13,000 Asian or Amerindian people (0.4%). [cite book|url=ftp://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Indicadores_Sociais/Sintese_de_Indicadores_Sociais_2007/Tabelas|title=Síntese de Indicadores Sociais 2007|publisher=IBGE |location=Espírito Santo, Brazil|format=PDF|isbn=85-240-3919-1|accessdate=2007-07-18|year=2007|language=Portuguese]Amerindians
The pre-colonial Amerindians groups in Espírito Santo were the
Tupiniquim , the Temininó, the Aymoré, thePuri and theBotocudo . They have largely been absorbed into the Portuguese-Brazilian civilization, few of them still living in reservations following subsistence farming methods and trying to preserve their fragile culture. Especially back in 1500s, a number of towns in Espírito Santo were founded with primarily Amerindian populations converted to Catholicism, such as Serra and Santa Cruz. Amerindian food has made its way permanently into Capixaba life, featuring the fish-based Moqueca Capixaba as the state dish, among other local typical sea-food dishes.Portuguese
The first party of Portuguese colonists arrived in the area called Vila Velha in
May 23 ,1535 along with Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, the first Portuguese "Captain" of Espirito Santo. Later they also settled on Vitoria Island in the Bay of Vitória.paniards
Spaniards, especially from the Basque Provinces, settled in Espirito Santo in the times of the
Iberian Union (1580-1640). Their main activity was the hunting of the whales, which were still easily found along Espirito Santo's coast at that time. Highlighting this fact we find that one of Espirito Santo's History's most important heroins, Maria Ortiz, who took part on the resistance against the Dutch invaders in the early XVII Century, was of Basque origin. This trend of Spanish immigration ceased after the Portuguese monarchy's restoration (seeIberian Union ), however, a later wave of Spaniard immigrants would arrive in larger numbers in the late XIX century.Africans
The first African slaves in Espirito Santo arrived in Vitoria in 1609. And years of slavery ensued. However, Espirito Santo was still to play a significant part in the Brazilian abolitionist movement in the guise of the Espirito Santo slave rebellion of 1848-1849, which demanded intervention of Imperial troops. Slavery started losing its economical importance in Espirito Santo after such event.
Rhinean and Bavarian Germans
A strong local influence,
Germans were among the first colonists to cultivate land away from the coastal zone. The first German settlement, Santa Isabel, was founded in 1844. Like today's Capixaba Italian community, they still hold on to many aspects of their ancestor's homeland's culture, still having active traditional dance groups and festivals such as the Sommerfest inDomingos Martins . Testimony to this is the small museum to colonization in Domingos Martins where one can find old photos, artifacts and documents pertaining to that settlement movement.Pomeranian Germans
Espírito Santo is home to the biggest community of Pommersch/Pomeranian speakers of the world. More than a century after arriving to Espírito Santo, the Pomeranian continues to be spoken and it remains an important part of Espírito Santo's heritage for many people. Some speakers still don't speak Portuguese, needing on occasion, the aid of a translator. To this day they continue centuries old customs within their communities. One of the pillars of which is marriage.
Italians
Espírito Santo has many people of Italian origin. They founded many towns in the area and have significant influence on Capixaba society. There are still a number of traditional Italian dance groups in the state and Italian culture festivals, such as the one held in the town of
Venda Nova do Imigrante . Italian food is also a large part of Capixaba cuisine, and even industry. Italian cheeses likemozzarella are produced locally, and pasta is also made there, with Firenze Pastas being a local producer. Small scale farming, which is recently turneing increasingly towards agrotourism, is today returning to Italian roots to exploit that market. This is another prominent aspect of Capixaba life.Tyroleans, Romanians, East-European Gypsies
It's difficult to pin down the exact numbers of immigrants of each of these groups to Espirito Santo because they usually arrived under a common Austrian-Hungarian passport, or, in the case of the Tyroleans, under a Swiss passport. An important fact regarding Tyrolean immigration was that these groups were formed by young couples who left
Tyrol due to the Austrian laws that imposed difficulties for Tyrolean men to marry before the age of 30 (they were supposed to remain in the Austrian army for a longer time), so large numbers of them started crossing the border to marry inSwitzerland , and to leave Europe after the wedding. Tyrolean settlers were both of German and Italian language and concentrated in the region of Santa Leopoldina.Romania ns and Roma usually arrived under Austrian passports. Large groups of Gypsies settled in Espirito Santo's countryside in the late 1800s, being absorbed by the mainstream of its society later.Economy
The
service sector is the largest component ofGDP at 50%, followed by theindustrial sector at 44%.Agriculture represents 5% ofGDP (2004). Espírito Santo exports: manufacturing ofiron andsteel 35.8%, ore ofiron 25.2%,paper 17.6%,coffee 7.7%,granite 6.5% (2002).Share of the Brazilian economy: 2.2% (2005).
The main crops of the state are
rice , coffee (one of the most important cash crops inBrazil ),cacao , sugarcane,beans ,fruit (mostlybanana s andpapaya s), andmaize . Thelivestock industry, important throughout Brazil, is primarilycattle raised formilk andbeef . Industry consists mainly ofcanning ,forestry ,textiles ,iron andsteel works. The latter two are concentrated aroundCariacica and the "Vale do Rio Doce" ironworks.Vitória is an important port for exporting iron and steel. Indeed, it is the biggest steel producer in the world. In São Mateus,petroleum reserves have been found on its continental shelf, and today are being commercially exploited.Tourism plays an ever-increasing role in the state economy. However, most of the visitors are from neighbouring states, rather than foreign countries. Popular destinations include coastal areas such as
Guarapari , Jacaraípe and Manguinhos, but mountain retreats such asDomingos Martins are also popular.Guarapari is also a local tourist destination, known for its curative black sandbeach es.Interesting facts
Vehicles : 850,141 (March/2007);Mobile phone s: 1.8 million (April/2007);Telephone s: 800 thousand (April/2007);Cities : 78 (2007). [Source:IBGE .]Education
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.Educational institutions
* [http://www.ufes.br Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo] (UFES) (Federal University of Espírito Santo);
* [http://www.cefetes.br Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica do Espírito Santo] (Cefet-ES);
* [http://www.uvv.br Universidade Vila Velha] (UVV) (Vila Velha University);
* [http://www.unesc.br Centro Universitário do Espírito Santo] (Unesc-ES);
* and many others.Infrastructure
National Airport
Vitoria Airport is located on a land plot of just over 5.2 million square meters. Since construction of its first step, finished in 1946, Vitória Airport has undergone several expansions and modernizations, but current demand has surpassed its capacity of 560 thousand passengers a year. The passenger terminal is air conditioned, with a constructed area of nearly 4000 square meters, a check-in concourse, 25 check-in counters and boarding and arrival lounges. The recent construction of new aircraft parking boxes on the aprons has improved the airport’s operational efficiency. In 2003 more than 1.2 million passengers used the airport, and in 2004 this rose to some 1.25 million. Vitória is one of the 32 airports in the Infraero network that has a cargo terminal. In May 1999 the first direct international freight connection to theUnited States (Miami ) began operating to Vitória, facilitating imports to the state ofEspírito Santo . Today there are five such flights a weekNotable Structures
The most notable structures in Espirito Santo are "Terceira Ponte" (Tallest Bridge in Brazil) , and "Convento da Penha" (Catholic Convent).
Highways
BR-101,BR-259,BR-262,BR-482.
Port
The
Port of Vitória has the most difficult access for ships of any port in Brazil. The Bay of Vitória is extremely narrow, with stones and mountains making it challenging for freighters and maritiime cruisers to reach the docks. This narrow approach also results in shipping passing closely to population centers. In Vitória, ships pass side by side with cars and pedestrians. The situation of the port in the center of the city also results in schedule complications, with limitations resulting from traffic constraints. Currently the main use of the port is for ship and oil platform repair, as well as for receiving medium-sized shipping.Flag
The words in the central bar of the flag, "Trabalha e Confia", translate to "Work and Trust [in
God ] ". This motto is a truncated version of the Jesuit (well spread by the SpanishCatholic missionaireJosé de Anchieta ) motto "work as if everything depended on you, and trust as if everything depended on God", and was chosen by Jerônimo Monteiro, who governed the state from 1908 to 1912. The flag was designed in 1908, with colours inspired by those of Saint Our Mother of Vitória's ("Nossa Senhora da Vitória") in Portuguese vestments. It is one of the only flags in the world which uses the colour pink.Municipalities
(See also Espírito Santo municipalities and
List of cities in Brazil (all cities and municipalities))
*Afonso Cláudio
*Água Doce do Norte
*Águia Branca
*Alegre
*Alfredo Chaves
*Alto Rio Novo
*Anchieta
*Apiacá
*Aracruz
*Atílio Vivácqua
*Baixo Guandu
*Barra de São Francisco
*Boa Esperança
*Bom Jesus do Norte
*Brejetuba
*Cachoeiro de Itapemirim
*Cariacica
*Castelo
*Colatina
*Conceição da Barra
*Conceição do Castelo
*Divino de São Lourenço
*Domingos Martins
*Dores do Rio Preto
*Ecoporanga
*Fundão
*Governador Lindenberg
*Guaçuí
*Guarapari
*Ibatiba
*Ibiraçu
*Ibitirama
*Iconha
*Irupi
*Itaguaçú
*Itapemirim
*Itarana
*Iúna
*Jaguaré
*Jeronimo Monteiro
*João Neiva
*Laranja da Terra
*Linhares
*Mantenópolis
*Marataízes
*Marechal Floriano
*Marilândia
*Mimoso do Sul
*Montanha
*Mucurici
*Muniz Freire
*Muqui
*Nova Venécia
*Pancas
*Pedro Canário
*Pinheiros
*Piúma
*Ponto Belo
*Presidente Kennedy
*Rio Bananal
*Rio Novo do Sul
*Santa Leopoldina
*Santa Maria de Jetibá
*Santa Teresa
*São Domingos do Norte
*São Gabriel da Palha
*São José do Calçado
*São Mateus
*São Roque do Canaã
*Serra
*Sooretama
*Vargem Alta
*Venda Nova do Imigrante
*Viana
*Vila Pavão
*Vila Valério
*Vila Velha
*Vitória References
ee also
*pt icon [http://www.es.gov.br Official Website]
*en icon [http://www.braziltour.com/site/gb/home/index.php Brazilian Tourism Portal]
*en icon List of Governors of Espírito Santo from 1889 to present day
*pt icon [http://www.vitoria-es-brasil.com Brazilian Portal with many Information about Espirito Santo and Brazil]
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