Paraíba

state in the Northeast Region of Brazil

Paraíba is one of the states of Brazil. It is in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is the easternmost point of the Americas. João Pessoa is the capital city.

State of Paraíba
Flag of State of Paraíba
Coat of arms of State of Paraíba
Location of State of Paraíba in Brazil
Location of State of Paraíba in Brazil
Coordinates: 7°10′S 36°50′W / 7.167°S 36.833°W / -7.167; -36.833
Country Brazil
Capital and Largest CityJoão Pessoa
Government
 • GovernorRicardo Coutinho
 • Vice GovernorRômulo Gouveia
Area
 • Total56,584.6 km2 (21,847.4 sq mi)
 • Rank21st
Population
 (2012)[1]
 • Total3,815,171
 • Rank13th
 • Density67/km2 (170/sq mi)
  • Rank8th
DemonymParaibano
GDP
 • Year2006 estimate
 • TotalR$ 19,953,000,000 (19th)
 • Per capitaR$ 5,507 (24th)
HDI
 • Year2005
 • Category0.718 – medium (24th)
Time zoneUTC-3 (BRT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-02 (Brasília Summer)
Postal Code
58000-000 to 58990-000
ISO 3166 codeBR-PB
Websitepb.gov.br

Major Cities

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History

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In the mid-1500s, Portuguese settlers from Pernambuco founded Filipéia de Nossa Senhora das Neves (today João Pessoa) at the mouth of the Paraíba do Norte River.

The area was found to be perfect for making sugar. The French, the Dutch and the Portuguese all fought to have the Paraíba region to grow sugarcane in. The fortress of Santa Catarina, near João Pessoa, was built to protect the city from the Dutch.

In late 1989 a team looking for gemstone and led by Heitor Dimas Barbosa found what some people believe are the best tourmaline crystals ever found. Copper in the crystals gives the tourmalines a bright turquoise color that had never been seen before in the gems. The mountains have been searched after this, but no more crystals have been found.

The word nego is Portuguese for "I deny". It refers to protests in the 1920s in Paraíba against Júlio Prestes becoming the President of Brazil. State president João Pessoa supported these protests. João Pessoa joined the alliance to the overthrow of the federal government. This group caused Getúlio Vargas to become president. The rebellion lead to João Pessoa being killed.

The official government site of the state of Paraíba says that the red is for the blood of the assassination of João Pessoa. The black is for the mourning after the assassination.

References

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  1. "IBGE | Portal do IBGE | IBGE".

Other websites

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States of Brazil  
Acre | Alagoas | Amapá | Amazonas | Bahia | Ceará | Espírito Santo | Goiás | Maranhão | Mato Grosso | Mato Grosso do Sul | Minas Gerais | Pará | Paraíba | Paraná | Pernambuco | Piauí | Rio de Janeiro | Rio Grande do Norte | Rio Grande do Sul | Rondônia | Roraima | Santa Catarina | São Paulo | Sergipe | Tocantins
Federal district: Distrito Federal