Boa Vista (ˈboɐ ˈvistɐ,
Good View) is the capital of the
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian state of
RoraimaRoraima is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of Venezuela and Guyana. The population is 400,000 and the capital is Boa Vista...
. Situated on the western bank of the
River BrancoThe Rio Branco is the principal affluent of the Rio Negro from the north; it is enriched by many streams from the sierras which separate Venezuela and Guyana from Brazil. Its two upper main tributaries are the Urariquira and the Takutu...
, the city lies 220 km (136 mi) away from Brazil's border with
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. It is the only Brazilian capital located entirely above the
EquatorAn equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
. Boa Vista has an
equatorial climateA tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually found along the equator...
, with high temperatures throughout the year and a very narrow range of
temperatureTemperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
s, with an average temperature of about 30 °C. It also lies within a very wet climate with annual
precipitationIn meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
often more than 2000 mm. These hot and wet conditions are ideal for the growth of
plantPlants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s, so the
vegetationVegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
found in the city is both dense and varied. The
Equatorial RainforestThe Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
s also have an extremely diverse
faunaFauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
.
Boa Vista is the most populous
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the state of Roraima; approximately half of the population of the state lives in the city. Commerce mostly occurs with
ManausManaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
, the capital of the State of Amazonas. Business also takes place between Boa Vista and with the cities of
LethemLethem is a town in Guyana, located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of the South American Country. It is named after Sir Gordon James Lethem, who was the Governor of British Guiana from 1946 to 12 April 1947.-Geography:...
, in
GuyanaGuyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
and
Santa Elena de UairénSanta Elena de Uairén is a small Venezuelan city in the state of Bolívar near the border with Brazil and Guyana. It was Founded by Lucas Fernandez Peña in 1923...
, in
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. These two foreign cities are the only major cities that can be accessed from Boa Vista by
roadA road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
, although roads connect other smaller state municipalities with the capital city. Travel by
airplaneAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
is the only means of transportation with other regions of the country.
The federal government has started a project to link Boa Vista by road to Manaus and then by extension to the major centers of Brazil, by asphalting the BR 319 and building several bridges in the Amazon forest, allowing a direct road link to Manaus and then on to the central and southern regions of Brazil.
As a modern city, Boa Vista stands out among the other capitals of the North Region of Brazil as it is a planned city with a radial plan. It was planned by the architect Darci Aleixo Derenusson who based his design for the city on one that is similar to that of
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
,
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The city was built under the direction of Captain Ene Garcez, the first governor of Roraima. The main avenues converge at Civic Center Plaza, where the headquarters of three governmental branches (legislative, judiciary, and executive) reside. Aside from such cultural attractions as (theaters and
palaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
s), there are hotels, banks, post offices, and
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s.
History
The municipality of Boa Vista formed the first urban area of the state of Roraima. The São Joaquim Fort, founded in 1775, is located about 32 km from the capital and is considered to be of great importance to the region.
The city was created on July 9, 1890 as Boa Vista do Rio Branco. It was founded by Augusto Villeroy (Amazonas's Governor). The first mayor was João Capistrano da Silva Mota, also known as Coronel Mota. After the mayor, two councilors (José Francisco Coelho and José Gonzaga de Souza Junior) were appointed.
Capital
In 1943, during the middle of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Boa Vista became the capital of the recently created Federal Territory of
Rio BrancoRio Branco is a Brazilian city, capital of Acre. Located in the Valley of Acre in northern Brazil, it is the most populous county in the state, with 305,954 inhabitants, according to a 2009 estimate - almost half the state population....
. The territory grew from mining operations in the area. The then Federal Territory of Rio Branco was elevated to statehood, to later become known as "
RoraimaRoraima is the northernmost and least populated state of Brazil, located in the Amazon region. It borders the states of Amazonas and Pará, as well as the nations of Venezuela and Guyana. The population is 400,000 and the capital is Boa Vista...
". Later, machine-based mining was prohibited (because of the resulting damage to the landscape), an action which ended up hindering the
economyAn economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
of the
state and the municipality.
Economy
The GDP for the city was R$ 2,265,603,000 (2005).
The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was R$ 9,366 (2005).
Education
The
PortuguesePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and
SpanishSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
are part of the official
high schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
curriculum.
Educational institutions
- Universidade Federal de Roraima (UFRR);
- Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Roraima (Cefet-RR);
- Faculdades Cathedral - Boa Vista (Cathedral-Boa Vista);
- Faculdade de Teologia de Boa Vista (Fatebov);
- and many others.
Tourism and recreation
- The biggest park of the north region of Brazil
The North Region of Brazil is the largest Region of Brazil, corresponding to 45.27% of the national territory. It is the least inhabited of the country, and contributes with a minor percentage in the national GDP and population...
is located here, the Anaua Park, a major recreational park with a Forrodromo (show place), a square, a lake and a cart-racing facility.
- Taumanam is a small artificial beach on Rio Branco. It has several stores and snack bars and was created in 2005.
- The Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
complex is the most visited tourist attraction in Boa Vista, consisting of Ayrton Senna, Velia Coutinho (Alimentation square and a show place), Praça das Águas (a square where there is a water show), Millennium portal (it was created to commemorate the 21st century), and Praça das Artes (the newest and the largest plazas in the complex, built together with area from the park).
Festa Junina (Saint John Festival)
Festa JuninaFesta Junina , also known as festa de São João for their part in celebrating the nativity of St. John the Baptist, are the annual Brazilian celebrations historically related to European Midsummer that take place in the beginning of the Brazilian winter...
was introduced to Northeastern
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
by the
PortugueseThe Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
for whom St John's day (also celebrated as
MidsummerMidsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
Day in several
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries), on the 24th of June, is one of the oldest and most popular celebrations of the year. Differently from what happens on the European
MidsummerMidsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
Day, the festivities in Brazil do not take place during the
summer solsticeThe summer solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's semi-axis in a given hemisphere is most inclined towards the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. Though the summer solstice is an instant in time, the term is also...
but during the tropical
winter solsticeWinter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
. The festivities traditionally begin after the 12th of June, on the eve of St Anthony's day, and last until the 29th, which is Saint Peter's day. During these fifteen days, there are bonfires,
fireworksFireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, and folk dancing in the streets (step names are in French, which shows the mutual influences between court life and peasant culture in the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century Europe). Once exclusively a rural celebration, today, in Brazil, it is now largely a city festival. Typical foods and beverages are served. As during Carnival, the festivities include wearing costumes (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, heavy drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks and folk dancing). Like what happens on
MidsummerMidsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
and St John's Day in Europe, bonfires are a central part of these festivities in Brazil.
The Civic Center
The Civic Center, built in the form of an opened fan, starts from the banks of the Rio Branco. This design was created by the engineer Darci Aleixo Deregusson during Ene Garcez's government, the first of its kind in Roraima.
From the Civic Center runs a system of 16 avenues, with inspiration drawn from
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
,
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
,
Belo HorizonteBelo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, and
Goiânia-Climate:The city has a tropical wet and dry climate with an average temperature of . There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. Annual rainfall is around 1,520 mm....
, Brazil. In this square are the head offices of the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches of the state government. Other buildings of significance are the Palace of Culture, the Amazônia Bank, the Ministry of Education, and a cathedral.
The civic center also showcases a monument to the miners who were the first inhabitants of this land.
Demographic growth
Initially, indigenous people were the only inhabitants of Boa Vista. Boa Vista had the highest growth rate of any Brazilian capital in the 1970s, at 3% per year. What attracts immigrants most to this city are
employmentEmployment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
opportunities that generated by public service jobs for Brazilians. General commercial opportunities attract immigrants from neighboring countries.
In 1950 Boa Vista had about 5,200 inhabitants. This number has grown 47 fold in only 56 years to approximately 250,000 inhabitants.
Sports
There are several professional
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
clubs in Boa Vista:
- Atlético Roraima
Atlético Roraima Clube, also known as Atlético Roraima, or just Roraima, are a Brazilian football team from Boa Vista, Roraima. They competed in the Série C in 1995 and in the Série D in 2009.-History:...
Clube
- Baré Esporte Clube
Baré Esporte Clube, usually known simply as Baré, is a Brazilian football club from Boa Vista, Roraima.The club was founded in 1946. Home matches are played at Flamarion Vasconcelos Stadium, and the club colors are red and white...
- Grêmio Atlético Sampaio (GAS)
- São Raimundo Esporte Clube
- River Esporte Clube
- Atlético Rio Negro Clube
- Náutico Futebol Clube
The city's most important stadium is Estádio Flamarion Vasconcelos, better known as
Canarinho, located in the neighborhood of the same name, Canarinho. The stadium, which located in the southern part of Boa Vista, has a maximum capacity of 10,000 people. Also found in Boa Vista is the
Ribeirão stadium, located in a suburb of the city.
Infrastructure
International Airport
Boa Vista is served by
Boa Vista-Atlas Brasil Cantanhede International AirportBoa Vista-Atlas Brasil Cantanhede International Airport is the airport serving Boa Vista, Brazil. Since April 13, 2009 the airport is named after Atlas Brasil Cantanhede , a pilot and politician who in the 1950s pioneered aviation in Roraima state....
with flights to
BelémBelém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
,
BrasíliaBrasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
,
GeorgetownGeorgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
(
GuyanaGuyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
),
ManausManaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
,
ParamariboParamaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
(
SurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
), and
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Boa Vista International Airport was opened on February 19, 1973, and underwent major remodelings in 1998 and 2009. The passenger terminal, runway and apron were all enlarged, and a separate taxiway was built.
The airport currently can handle a total of 330,000 passengers a year, in terms of convenience and security.
Highways
- BR-174;
- BR-210;
- BR-431;
- BR-432;
- BR-410;
- RR-171;
- RR-175;
- RR-202;
- RR-203.
External links