Caicó, also known as the City of Prince, is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the Seridó Ocidental microregion and Central Potiguar mesoregion, in

Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", refe ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

, Northeast

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. With a population of 68 726 inhabitants (2021), it is the seventh most populous city of Rio Grande do Norte and the second in the countryside of the state, after

Mossoró Mossoró () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality in the interior of the States of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Norte, recognized as the capital of the Brazilian semi-arid region. Covering an area of approximately , it is the la ...

. Located between the Seridó and Barra Nova rivers, in the eastern portion of Western Seridó, the city has the highest human development index of the Semi-arid Northeast Brazil. Founded in 1735 as Vila Nova do Príncipe, the city has evolved into a political and cultural centre of Rio Grande do Norte. The name ''Caicó'' is derived from the indigenous word ''Queicuó'', meaning 'Cuó river and mountain'.

History

The settlement was made initially by migrants of Pernambuco in search of land for cattle ranching, since the Royal Charter of 1701 prohibited cattle on the coast. Were awarded land grants as rewards for military shapes such as the expulsion of the Dutch and for priests, with the construction of the chapel in honor of St. Anne in 1695. In 1700 gave up the foundation of the Camp Queiquó by Manuel de Souza Forte. However the first families to settle fully took place from 1720, by Portuguese coming mainly from northern Portugal and the Azores.

Geography

Climate

Caicó has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BSh''), subject to variability, and the dry periods (droughts) may last more than one year. Rain falls between February and May, with an average annual precipitation of . There are about 3,000 hours of average sunshine annually. Beside

and Pau dos Ferros, both in Western Rio Grande do Norte, Caicó is one of the hottest cities in the state with temperatures reaching up to during the day. According to the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology, since 1995 the lowest temperature recorded in Caicó was on March 16, 2008, and the highest reached on January 18, 2003 and January 28, 2007. The highest cumulative

rainfall Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...

recorded in 24 hours was on January 22, 1996.

Demographics

The 2010 census had the municipality's population as 62,709, with a density of 53,9 persons per km². Caicó's median age of 27, as well as its percentage of seniors are above the state average and the national average, while those under 15 are below Brazilian percentages. Around 92% describe themselves as Christian, with Catholics account for 70,4% of the population and members of Protestant churches is 25,3%. The city is the seat of the Protestant Church of Brazil. Ethnically, 98% are white, 1% mixed, 0,78% black, and 0,22 % Asian.

References

External links

Official websiteCaicó in a RN road mapGetty Thesaurus entry for Caicó
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caico Municipalities in Rio Grande do Norte