Vila Velha (; Portuguese for "Old Village") is a coastal city in

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...

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 lies across from Vitória, the state capital. Its population was 501,325 (2020) and its area is 210.23 km².

Location

Vila Velha forms part of the

Greater Vitória Greater Vitória (''Região Metropolitana da Grande Vitória'') is a metropolitan area in Espírito Santo, Brazil. It is made up of the following municipalities: Cariacica, Fundão, Guarapari, Serra, Vitória, Vila Velha, and Viana and acc ...

metropolitan area. To the north is Vitória, to the west Cariacica and Viana, to the south Guarapari, and to the east the

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 ...

. The Deputy Darcy Castelo de Mendonça Bridge, known as

Third Bridge The Deputy Darcy Castelo de Mendonça Bridge, colloquially known as the Third Bridge (Portuguese: Terceira Ponte), is the second tallest bridge in Brazil, connecting the cities of Vila Velha and Vitória in the state of Espirito Santo. Spann ...

(Portuguese: Terceira Ponte), is the second tallest bridge in Brazil, connecting and reducing the distance between the cities of Vila Velha and Vitória. The

Jacarenema Ecological Reserve Jacarenema Ecological Reserve ( pt, Reserva Ecológica de Jacarenema) is an ecological reserve in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. It is near the city of Vila Velha, is readily accessible to the public and does not conform to standard Brazili ...

, a conservation area established in 1997, lies along the coast to the south of the main city and contains the mangrove estuary of the

Jucu River The Jucu River is a river of Espírito Santo state in eastern Brazil. The estuary of the river is in the Jacarenema Ecological Reserve, a conservation area in the city of Vila Velha Vila Velha (; Portuguese for "Old Village") is a coastal c ...

. The

Morro do Penedo Natural Monument The Morro do Penedo Natural Monument ( pt, Monumento Natural Municipal Morro do Penedo) is a municipal natural monument in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. It contains a small sugarloaf hill on the shore of the bay to the south of Vitória, t ...

protects a granite rock mass about high on the coast of Vitória Bay.

Economy

Notable corporations in Vila Velha include Garoto, one of Brazil's largest chocolate manufacturers. Vila Velha has been through several years of intense real estate development and several luxury buildings are now a common sight in all of its main beaches. Some critics argue that this practice can be considered excess urbanization of a previously low-profile area, despite the economic benefits.

History

Vila Velha is the oldest township in Espírito Santo. It was founded as ("Village of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

") on 23 May 1535 by Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, the first captain of Espírito Santo. (The nickname "Green Shins" given to people from Vila Velha originated from the green algae that stuck to the legs of sailors returning from shore to Coutinho's ship.) He was forced to return to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

around 1550 in order to recruit new colonists, as there were not enough to sustain the colony. Upon his return, however, he discovered that there had been violent disputes between the colonists, slaves, and Indians, which had forced most inhabitants to flee to the island of Vitória. In response, Coutinho relocated the capital to Vitória. Afterward, Vila Velha remained a quiet town until quite recently; the 1828 census, for example, showed only 1,250 people in the town. Today, however, Vila Velha is the biggest city in the entire state of Espírito Santo and has approximately 500,000 inhabitants.

References

External links

History of Vila Velha (in Portuguese)

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1535 1535 establishments in Brazil Populated coastal places in Espírito Santo Municipalities in Espírito Santo