Quixadá is a

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

in the state of

Ceará Ceará (, pronounced locally as or ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is the eighth-largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the ...

, in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It is known for its unusual rock formations, known locally as monoliths.

Location

Quixadá is located at around . It was founded in 1870 and had a population of 80,605 residents in 2010, according to the Brazilian census. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Quixadá. Pre-historic cave paintings and other archaeological remains have been found in the vicinity. The municipality contains the

Quixadá Monoliths Natural Monument The Quixadá Monoliths Natural Monument ( pt, Monumento Natural dos Monólitos de Quixadá) is a formation of inselbergs in the state of Ceará, Brazil, that has been designated a natural monument. Location The Quixadá Monoliths Natural Monum ...

, a fully protected area around and containing the highly unusual

inselberg An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...

s known locally as monoliths, which are of considerable tourist interest. The Barragem do Cedro (Cedar Dam) was built between 1890 and 1906 using stone masonry, cement and steel, at the foot of the

Pedra da Galinha Choca Pedra da Galinha Choca (Rock of the Brooding Hen) is a rock formation in the Brazilian city of Quixadá in Ceará, taking its name from its curious shape. It is located 5 km from the city center. The formation is in the Quixadá Monoliths ...

(Brooding Hen Rock), the most famous of the monoliths. On 30 January 2015 the dam was placed on the tentative list as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

Until the 1760s, the indigenous tribes of Kanindé and Jenipapo populated the territory that is known as Quixadá. The fact that it used to be the land of indigenous is the explanation on why Quixadá does not have a Portuguese name. The conflicts between these groups and the Portuguese led to their extinction.

Sports

Quixadá Futebol Clube Quixadá Futebol Clube, commonly known as Quixadá, is a Brazilian football club based in Quixadá, Ceará state. They competed in the Série C once. History The club was founded on September October 27, 1965. They won the Campeonato Cearense S ...

is the town's soccer club. Quixadá is a major

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'p ...

spot in Brazil. It is famous for many flight distance world record breaks in the last years, and attracts pilots from around the world every November when potential record-breaking conditions set up.

Hang gliding Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

and

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done ...

are other

extreme sport Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...

s popular in the area.

Culture

The more known figure of Quixadá is Rachel de Queiroz. A writer that portrayed the drought of 1915 in her novel "O Quinze (1930)," which later received national recognition. Queiroz was not born in Quixadá, but lived there for most of her life. In Quixadá, you can find three places dedicated to her: Memorial Rachel de Queiroz—former Chalé da Pedra --, Museu Rachel de Queiroz, located in her small farm, the Fazenda Não Me Deixes, and the Rachel de Queiroz Cultural Center.

Gallery

Image:Chale da pedra quixada ce.JPG, Chalet da Pedra Image:Pedra da Galinha Choca - Broody Hen's Rock.jpg, The Rock of the Galinha Choca Image:Acude cedro quixada ce.JPG, The historic Cedro dam Image:Pedra do cruzeiro - quixada ce.JPG, Pedra do Cruzeiro

References

Municipalities in Ceará {{Ceará-geo-stub