Olinda () is a historic city in

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...

, Brazil, in the Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

coast, in the

Metropolitan Region A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

, the state capital. It has a population of 393,115 people, covers , and has a population density of 9,437 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is noted as one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil, and has been inhabited since 1535. As the former capital of the

Captaincy of Pernambuco The Captaincy of Pernambuco or New Lusitania ( pt, Nova Lusitânia) was a hereditary land grant and administrative subdivision of northern Portuguese Brazil during the colonial period from the early sixteenth century until Brazilian independence. A ...

during the colonial era, Olinda has many historical buildings--the center was declared a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 1982--and a rich culture. The ''Carnaval'' of Olinda, a popular street party, is very similar to traditional Portuguese carnivals, with the addition of African influenced dances, reflecting the history of the Northeast. All the festivities are celebrated on the streets with no bleachers or roping, and unlike in other cities, admission is free. There are hundreds of small musical groups (sometimes featuring a single performer) in many genres.

History

Several indigenous tribes occupied the coast of Northeastern Brazil for several thousand years, and the hills of the present day municipality of Olinda had settlements of Caetés and Tupinambá tribes, which were frequently at war. French mercenaries are thought to be the first Europeans to reach the region, but the Portuguese exploited intertribal rivalries and managed to build a stronghold on the former Caeté village on a high hill. Recent studies by the

Federal University of Pernambuco Federal University of Pernambuco ( pt, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, UFPE) is a public university in Recife, Brazil, established in 1946. UFPE has 70 undergraduate courses and 175 postgraduate courses. , UFPE had 35,000 students and 2,000 ...

have uncovered new evidence of the pre-colonial population of the area. The settlement of Olinda was founded in 1535 by

Duarte Coelho Pereira Duarte Coelho Pereira (c. 1485 – c. 1553) was a nobleman, military leader, and colonial administrator in the Portuguese colony of Brazil. He was the first Donatario (Lord Proprietor) of the captaincy of Pernambuco and founder of Olinda. Biogr ...

, from Portugal; it was elevated to a town on March 12, 1537. It was made the seat of the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Territorial Prelature of Pernambuco The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olinda and Recife ( la, Archidioecesis Olindensis et Recifensis) is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese in northeast Brazil's Pernambuco state. Special churches * Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is a World Herita ...

in 1614, becoming the Diocese of Olinda in 1676. The economy of the region was dominated by the production of

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

. This, combined with the importing of

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

from Africa to support cultivation made Olinda a colonial stronghold. Olinda was the capital of the Portuguese hereditary

captaincy of Pernambuco The Captaincy of Pernambuco or New Lusitania ( pt, Nova Lusitânia) was a hereditary land grant and administrative subdivision of northern Portuguese Brazil during the colonial period from the early sixteenth century until Brazilian independence. A ...

, but was burned by Dutch invaders. The Portuguese built their town on the hill, for practical purposes (eg, sewers) and to make it easier to defend. In the 17th century the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...

was united with Spain (the 1580-1640

Iberian Union pt, União Ibérica , conventional_long_name =Iberian Union , common_name = , year_start = 1580 , date_start = 25 August , life_span = 1580–1640 , event_start = War of the Portuguese Succession , event_end = Portuguese Restoration War , ...

). Taking advantage of this period of Portuguese weakness, the area around Olinda and

was occupied by the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

who gained access to the Portuguese

plantations.

John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen John Maurice of Nassau (Dutch: ''Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen''; German: ''Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen''; Portuguese: ''João Maurício de Nassau-Siegen''; 17 June 1604 – 20 December 1679), called "the Brazilian" for his fruitful period as ...

was appointed as the governor of the Dutch possessions in Brazil in 1637 by the Dutch West India Company on recommendation of Frederick Henry. He landed at

, the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

of Pernambuco and the chief stronghold of the Dutch, in January 1637. By a series of successful expeditions, he gradually extended the Dutch possessions from Sergipe on the south to

São Luís de Maranhão SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U. ...

in the north. He likewise conquered the Portuguese possessions of Saint George del Mina, Saint Thomas, and

Luanda Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport ...

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, on the west coast of Africa. After the dissolution of the

in 1640, Portugal would reestablish its authority over the lost territories of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...

, including the former Dutch Brazil. Sugarcane plantation slavery would continue to be a source of wealth in Olinda until the

Lei Áurea The (; from Portuguese: Golden Law), adopted on May 13, 1888, was the law that abolished slavery in Brazil. It was signed by Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1846–1921), an opponent of slavery, who acted as regent to Emperor Pedro ...

("Golden Law") abolished slavery in an independent Brazil in 1888. Olinda declined in importance after the Dutch invasion. Recife became the capital of Pernambuco in 1827, and Olinda is part of the greater

Recife metropolitan area Recife Metropolitan Area, officially the Metropolitan Region of Recife (, or ''Grande Recife'') is a major metropolitan area in Northeast Brazil with a population of 4.02 million as of 2020, centered on the state capital of Recife, Pernambuco. In ...

. Due to the historic position of the city, its cathedral, a

, called São Salvador do Mundo, remains the primary seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olinda and Recife, with a co-cathedral in Recife. Olinda also has a

Minor Basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

, again a World Heritage Site (Minor): Basílica Abacial do Mosteiro de São Bento de Olinda. Besides its natural beauty, Olinda is also one of Brazil's main cultural centers: in 1982 it was declared a

. The city relives the magnificence of the past every year during the large

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

, to the rhythms of ''

frevo Frevo is a dance and musical style originating from Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, traditionally associated with Brazilian Carnival. The word ''frevo'' is said to come from ''frever'', a variant of the Portuguese word ''ferver'' (to boil). It is sai ...

'', ''

maracatu The term maracatu denotes any of several performance genres found in Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. Main types of maracatu include ''maracatu nação'' (nation-style maracatu) and ''maracatu rural'' (rural-style maracatu). Maracatu Nação Marac ...

'' and other northeast music and dances.

Geography

Olinda is located on the coast of the state of

, six kilometers north of the center of

. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the municipality of

Paulista Paulista is a municipality in Pernambuco, Brazil, with a population of 334,376 as of 2020. It has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) of the Recife metropolitan area. It is the birthplace of footballer Rivaldo and is also famous for its beac ...

to the north, and Recife to the south and west. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Recife (RMR). The average elevation is 16 m above sea level. The landscapes is made of plains and hills, some of them steep. Olinda is mostly drained by the

Paratibe River The Paratibe River is a river of Pernambuco state in northeastern Brazil. See also *List of rivers of Pernambuco List of rivers in Pernambuco (Brazilian State). The list is arranged by drainage basin from north to south, with respective tributa ...

(55.13% of the territory), with the remainder drained by the

Capibaribe River The Capibaribe River () is a river located in Pernambuco state, Brazil, with a length of 240 kilometers. The Capibaribe originates in the Serra do Jacarará, in the municipality of Poção, and flows to the Atlantic Ocean at Recife. Etymology Th ...

. The municipality is in the

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

ecoregion. Olinda has a tropical monsoon type climate ( Köppen-Geiger: Am'')'', typical of the eastern section of the northeastern Brazilian coast, with average monthly temperatures consistently above 18 °C, little

diurnal variation A chronotype is the behavioral manifestation of underlying circadian rhythm's myriad of physical processes. A person's chronotype is the propensity for the individual to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period. ''Eveningness'' (delayed ...

in temperature, abundant rainfall most of the year, and high

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

Economy

Encontro de Bonecos Gigantes de Silvio Botelho

The main economic activities in Olinda are based in tourism, commerce, transportation industry and artcraft. The tourist sector has a boom every Carnival when thousands of people are in the old historic town center.

Economic indicators

Economy by Sector

Gallery

Historic Center

File:Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda-109015.jpg, One of the roads of the historic center File:Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda-109016.jpg, A church in the historic center File:Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda-109017.jpg, Distant view of historic center with sea behind

References

External links

Official website of the ''prefeitura''Official website of the ''Câmara Municipal''Explore the Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda in the UNESCO collection on Google Arts and Culture
*https://web.archive.org/web/20130407002251/http://olindavirtual.org/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20060614045202/http://www.olinda.com.br/ Commercial site * Video Olinda, Pernambuco (PT

* Video Olinda street Carniva

{{Authority control Olinda, Populated places established in 1535 World Heritage Sites in Brazil Historic districts Populated coastal places in Pernambuco 1535 establishments in Brazil Municipalities in Pernambuco 1630 establishments in the Dutch Empire Populated places established by the Dutch West India Company