Castelo 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 southwest of the state of

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 att ...

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 ...

. Its population was 37,747 (2020) and its area is 664 km².

History

There is information on two Amerindian tribes inhabiting the area before the colonial era. The main tribe was called Puris, and the secondary, with less presence, were the Botocudos. The first non-native immigration into the region was of gold prospectors who moved into the area, but this was a short-lived adventure which by 1830 had been abandoned. After 1830, local interest turned towards the land. Medium-sized properties were established using slave labour until 1888, when it was abolished. Soon after, Italian immigrants from the neighbouring municipality of Alfredo Chaves began to settle in Castelo. In 1891 Castelo became a district of

Cachoeiro de Itapemirim Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (local ) is a municipality and a major town, located in the south of Espírito Santo, Brazil, on the banks of the Itapemirim River. It is the economic hub of southern Espírito Santo, being the most important producer of m ...

and remained part of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim until 1928, when it separated.

Location

Castelo is 145 km from the state capital Vitória, and stands at 100 meters above sea level. Castelo's borders are: Alfredo Chaves and Domingos Martins (E), Venda Nova do Imigrante and Conceição do Castelo (N), Muniz Freire and Alegre (W) and

(S). The municipality contains the Forno Grande State Park, which protects the second highest peak in the state. It also contains the Mata das Flores State Park, created in 1992.

Population

Castelo is strongly influenced by Italian immigrants, who make up the great majority of the municipality's population. This influences today's traditional commemorations, very much Catholic-based in traditions like ''Corpus Christi''. This influence is also felt in the traditional Italian Folklore dance group, which still practices traditional Piemontese dances.

Geography

Highest point in the municipality is the Forno Grande Peak (2039 m), which is also the highest point in the state after Bandeira Peak, shared with

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literall ...

References

Municipalities in Espírito Santo {{EspiritoSanto-geo-stub