Itaituba, Brazil
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Itaituba is a city and municipality located in the state of
Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...
, Brazil, and one of the most important socioeconomic centers in the western region of the State.


Location

Itaituba is the fifteenth largest city (by population) in the State of
Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...
, third largest city in the western region, and has the thirteenth largest gross domestic product in the state. The city is regarded as a medium-sized city, and one of the fastest growing cities in the countryside of
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 ...
. The name of the city origins from Tupi (an indigenous language), which literally means ''gravel place''. People from the city of Itaituba are known as ''itaitubenses''. The
city nickname A city nickname or municipality nickname is an alias, sobriquet, or slogan by which a city or other municipality is or has been known. They have various purposes and anecdotally have led to economic benefits for communities. Description A munici ...
is ''cidade pepita'', which translates as "gold nugget city." The city is known for the intense gold mining activity in the valley of the
Tapajós River The Tapajós ( ) is a river in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon Rainforest and is a major tributary of the Amazon River. When combined with the Juruena River, the Tapajós is approximately long. Prior to a drastic increase in illegal gold mi ...
, the multitude of landscapes (such as the sandy river beaches that are formed during the dry seasons, and also the waterfalls located in the district of São Luiz do Tapajós), and the
Amazônia National Park The Amazônia National Park () was created in 1974, as a national park comprising 1,070,737 ha. It is situated in Itaituba and Trairão municipalities, Pará state, in the north region of Brazil. It is located in the watershed of the Tapajós Riv ...
. The municipality will contain part of the reservoir of the proposed
Jatobá Hydroelectric Power Plant The Jatobá Hydroelectric Power Plant () is a planned hydroelectric power plant and dam on the Tapajós river in the state of Pará, Brazil. As of 2017 the project was suspended. Location The Jatobá Hydroelectric Power Plant will be built on th ...
on the
Tapajós The Tapajós ( ) is a river in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon Rainforest and is a major tributary of the Amazon River. When combined with the Juruena River, the Tapajós is approximately long. Prior to a drastic increase in illegal gold mi ...
.


History


Early history

The presence of Dutch, French, and English explorers in the estuary of the Amazon River has concurred for the settlement of Portuguese expeditionaries in the current territory of the State of
Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...
, and also for the expedition of
Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco (1566–1619) was a Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator. He is noted as the founder of the city of Belém, capital of Pará, Brazil, on 12 January 1616. Caldeira served as the first Governor General ( ...
which, in 1616, has founded the city of
Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...
. After the foundation of the
captaincy A captaincy ( , , ) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish colonies, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule admin ...
of Grão Pará, the foreigners were gradually expelled by the government, by means of various expeditions which had as goal to destroy the settlements created. Among these expeditions, the one headed by captain
Pedro Teixeira Pedro Teixeira (b.1570-1585 - d.4 July 1641), occasionally referred to as the Conqueror of the Amazon, was a Portuguese conquistador and military officer, who became, in 1637, the first European to travel up and down the entire length of the Am ...
reached for the first time (in 1626) the
Tapajós River The Tapajós ( ) is a river in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon Rainforest and is a major tributary of the Amazon River. When combined with the Juruena River, the Tapajós is approximately long. Prior to a drastic increase in illegal gold mi ...
. This expedition established a friendly contact with native people in the site currently known as Alter-do-Chão bay. In 1639, Pedro Teixeira returned to the
Tapajós River The Tapajós ( ) is a river in Brazil. It runs through the Amazon Rainforest and is a major tributary of the Amazon River. When combined with the Juruena River, the Tapajós is approximately long. Prior to a drastic increase in illegal gold mi ...
, being followed the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
. Several villages were founded by the Jesuits, along the Tapajós River, during this period. Some of these villages were "Tapajós", in 1661, "São José" (or Matapus), in 1722, "São Inácio" (or Tupinambaranas), in 1737, and Borari and Arapiuns. During the administration of the governor and captain-general Francisco Xavier de Mendonça Furtado, the government retracted the Jesuits from these villages, and raised the Tapajós village to the category of town, with the denomination of Santarém. There were also changes in the villages of Borari and Arapiuns, in 1757, which were denominated Alter-do-Chão and Vila Franca, respectively. And, in 1758, the villages of São Inácio and São José were denominated as Boim and Pinhel. During the administration of
José de Nápoles Telo de Menezes José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...
the village of Aveiro was founded. In this village was installed, in 1781, the parish of ''Our Lady of Conception'' (''Nossa Senhora da Conceição''). It is known, from the footage and historical evidence available, that the place of Itaituba already existed by the year of 1812, since it was mentioned in the travel list of Miguel João de Castro alongside the Tapajós River, as a center of exploration and trade of specialties of the High Tapajós. With the Revolution of Cabanagem and the events that occurred during this period, the village of Brasília Legal was founded, in 1836, as a place for resistance of the rebels, on the left bank of the Tapajós River. According to Ferreira Penna, in 1836 Itaituba was an indigenous village, belonging to the province of
Grão Pará Grão-Pará is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the states of Brazil, state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The municipality contains part of the Serra Furada State Park, ...
, in which a small military base was installed. Among the most relevant people associated to the foundation of Itaituba, one of remarkable importance is Joaquim Caetano Corrêa, because of its pioneer work on the exploration of the tapajonic region, being even regarded as the founder of the municipally seat. Itaituba depended on the parish of Pinhel until 1853, when it was transferred to the jurisdiction of Boim.


Geography

The city is located at latitude 04º16'34" S and longitude 55º59'01" W, on the left bank of the Tapajós River. It contains part of the
Mundurucu Indigenous Territory The Mundurucu Indigenous Territory () is an indigenous territory in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is occupied by the Apiacá and Munduruku people. A proposed dam on the Tapajós river is on hold since it would flood part of the territory, and t ...
, established in 2004. The municipality also contains part of the
Sawré Muybu Indigenous Territory The Sawré Muybu Indigenous Territory (), also called the Daje Kapap Eipi, is an Indigenous territory (Brazil), indigenous territory of Munduruku people in the state of Pará, Brazil. It includes land that is sacred to the Mundurukus. Issuance of ...
, recognized by Funai in April 2016.


Conservation

The municipality contains part of the
Trairão National Forest Trairão National Forest () is a national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. It contains a large area of Amazon rainforest with high biodiversity. It is a sustainable use conservation unit in which logging is allowed subject to a management plan ...
, in which logging is permitted subject to a management plan. It also contains part of the
Altamira National Forest Altamira National Forest () is a national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. Location The Altamira National Forest is in the Amazon biome. It has an area of . It covers parts of the municipalities of Altamira, Itaituba and Trairão in the st ...
, a sustainable use conservation unit created in 1998. It contains part of the Itaituba I and Itaituba II national forests, both established in 1998, which have a combined area of . It contains part of the
Jamanxim National Park The Jamanxim National Park () is a national park in the state of Pará, Brazil. Location The Jamanxim National Park covers of Amazon rainforest. It is in parts of the municipalities of Altamira, Itaituba and Trairão in the state of Pará. Th ...
, a fully protected area. It also holds part of the
Rio Novo National Park Rio Novo National Park () is a national park in the state of Pará, Brazil. Location The Rio Novo National Park has an area of . It covers parts of the municipalities of Novo Progresso and Itaituba in Pará. The park is in an area of low-relief ...
, a conservation unit created in 2006. It contains part of the
Amaná National Forest Amaná National Forest () is a national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil. Most of it has been allocated for use in sustainable forestry or community forestry. Mining is allowed. Location The Amaná National Forest is in the Amazon biome. It ...
, a sustainable use conservation unit created in 2006. The municipality contains 86% of the
Tapajós Environmental Protection Area The Tapajós Environmental Protection Area () is an environmental protection area in the state of Pará, Brazil. Location The Tapajós Environmental Protection Area (APA) is divided between the municipalities of Trairão (0.27%), Jacareacanga ( ...
, created in 2006.


Climate

The climate of the region is equatorial, with an average minimum daily temperature greater than 18 °C. Itaituba has a relative humidity of the air above 80% during almost all the months of the year. The rainy season includes the months of December to April, while the driest months are from July to October.


Culture

The biggest festival in Itaituba is Our lady de Santana's Party, for padroeira of the municipal district. The festivities are during the first fortnight of July and finish with Círio's Procession, on the 26th of July, dedicated to that holy.


Transportation

The city is served by
Itaituba Airport Itaituba Airport is the airport serving Itaituba, Brazil. History Itaituba is one of the most important airports in the southwest region of the state of Pará, being classified as a regional airport. It is served by regular flights. In addition ...
.


See also

*
List of municipalities in Pará This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Pará (PA), located in the North Region of Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and ...


References


External links


Official Website

Portal Paraense
{{Authority control Municipalities in Pará 1856 establishments in Brazil