Francais | English | Espanõl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

João Pessoa, sometimes called the city where the sun comes first, is located at the easternmost point of the Americas at 34º 47' 38" west longitude and 7º 9' 28" south latitude. Local residents call this easternmost point Ponta do Seixas. It's also considered "the second greenest city in the world", only behind Paris.

João Pessoa is the capital of Paraíba, a state in the northeast region of Brazil and home of some of the most noted Brazilian poets and writers: Augusto dos Anjos (1884-1908), José Américo de Almeida (1887-1980) and José Lins do Rego (1901-1957). It is the state's largest and most important city, with a population of about 660,000 (about one sixth of the state's population - 2005 estimate). Its metropolitan area comprises eight other satellite cities (Bayeux, Cabedelo, Conde, Cruz do Espírito Santo, Lucena, Mamanguape, Rio Tinto and Santa Rita) and about 384,000 people, reaching more than 1 million inhabitants in the metropolitan aerea.

Founded in 1585 as Filipéia, João Pessoa is the third oldest city in Brazil. It fell under Dutch occupation from 1634 to 1654, and was called Friederstadt. Portugal then reclaimed it and called it Paraíba. An important fortress was built in the north where there is a city called Cabedelo now. This city is inside the `Greater João Pessoa` area and it is a port city. In 1930 the capital assumed its current name, after a famous politician death from the region.

Tourism is one of João Pessoa's chief economic activities, together with construction, food, metalworking, and other industries. Sugar cane agriculture and related industries are also important.

Contents 1 Tourism 2 Restaurants 3 Language 4 Health 5 Transportation 6 Education 7 Major Events 8 Photography

[edit] Tourism

Worldpress.org notes that "João Pessoa is full of preserved natural forests, squares and gardens, which is why it is considered one of the cities with the highest index of green area per inhabitant in the world. Another beauty of the city is the Ponta do Seixas, the easternmost point of South America, which can be seen from the majestic Farol do Cabo Branco (Cabo Branco Lighthouse)" and "natural pools of Picãozinho on the island Areia Vermelha."

João Pessoa has approximately 40 km of beaches (both residential and savage), and small natural islands. The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism (BMT) notes that "on the outskirts of the capital are the most popular beaches in the State, such as Tambaú and Manaíra. Nearby it is possible to find one of the few Brazilian nudist beaches (naturism) that is officially recognized, Tambaba." In addition, BMT enphasizes that "full of parks and avenues packed with fruit and ornamental trees, João Pessoa has many forest reserves, including the coconut trees and various species of trees which constitute the maritime margin landscape – attracting thousands of tourists every year."

João Pessoa has many green areas scattered among its avenues, parks, and residential neighborhoods, which all make it very pleasant and "the 2nd greenest city in the world" with more than 7 square kilometres of forested land, losing only to Paris. It gained this distinction in 1992, after a survey of urban centres in various countries carried out by the United Nations (source: Embassy of Brazil in the UK[1]).

João Pessoa mixes modern buildings with historic ones from colonial times, and hosts important museums and cultural institutions. The Church of San Francisco and the Convent Santo Antônio are located in an historic center and are landmarks of Brazilian baroque architecture, dating back to the XVIII century. The Church of San Francisco has a museum that exhibits a vast collection of sacred (pt.: sacra) and popular art.

A project entitled ESTAÇÃO CIÊNCIA, CULTURA e ARTES [2] (in Portuguese) by world renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer is being developed at Ponta do Seixas.

[edit] Restaurants

Restaurants are plentiful in the city. Many are the Brazilian Churrascarias style barbeque steak house, including a major salad bar with not only salads, but salmon, shrimp, cheeses, and pastries filled with meats and cheeses. When eating at typical restaurants of this variety, you pay one price for all the food you can eat, similar to a buffet. Patrons are seated, and the food is brought to you. Waiters serve the meat sliced directly from the large skewers on which it was cooked over open flames. Various types of meat are served, often including beef, pork, chicken, goat, lamb, sausage, and fish. Other types of restaurants are more conventional buffets where you choose the foods you want, and are charged by the kilo. There are also ice cream shops (Sorveterias) that work the same way. You build what you want (e.g., cones, dish, as many flavors and toppings as you wish) then pay by weight.

[edit] Language

The official language is Portuguese, and the dialectal differences are mainly phonological. While there are many people that speak some English, it is not common outside the major hotels and tourist areas. Non-Portuguese speakers are advised to arrange for an interpreter to be able to enjoy items like some tours, restaurants, etc. Major hotels can arrange this for guests that wish to take “the path less traveled.” But for their tours, usually have English-speakers doing them. To be sure, learn the right question, “Fala Ingles?” (Fahl-ah In-glês? Do you speak English?).

[edit] Health

Image:Unbalanced scales.svg

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.

"Medical care can vary be excellent. The best hospital in town is the Unimed hospital. There, you are quickly admitted and receive excellent care and all the latest diagnostic equipment is on site." Also, "A typical Unimed medical plan costs about $150 USD a month and includes hospitalization, doctor office visits, and even house calls by a doctor! There is no co-pay for doctor visits but prescription drugs are not included." James Smith.

[edit] Transportation

"Public transportation is plentiful and inexpensive. As in the rest of Brasil, city and inter-city buses are clean, cheap, and frequent. Taxis are also clean and inexpensive. Extended time or trips in taxis can often be negotiated directly with the driver. For example, a taxi to the American Consulate in Recife, about two hours away, can be had for about R$125, or $65 USD, depending on the exchange rate. This is round trip and includes waiting time at the consulate, The bus would be as much or more and takes longer." - James Smith. There is also a railway system available that provides people from cities in the metropolitan area the possibility to commute from one city to another. The system only serves some parts in the west and north of the capital though.

[edit] Education

João Pessoa is home to the Federal University of Paraíba - UFPB, which offers degrees in areas such as medicine, engineering, law, arts, and technology. In addition to the UFPB, other smaller private universities attract many students from within Paraíba and from other states. The "Centro Universitário de João Pessoa - UNIPÊ" offers courses ranging from psychology to law and the "Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Paraíba" offers degrees in medice-related disciplines.

[edit] Major Events

Vem Viver a Paraíba (Jan - Feb) [“Come and Experience Paraiba” is a tourism fair and folklore performance event]

Centro em Cena (Jan) [art and culture event]

Micaroa - Carnaval Fora de Época (Jan - Feb) [street carnival prior to official carnival days]

Folia de rua - Prévia Carnavalesca (Feb) [street carnival a few days prior to official carnival days]

Carnaval da Melhor Idade (Feb) [carnival for older people)

Auto de Deus (Apr) [play of the crucifixion of Christ]

São João Pessoa - São João fora de época (to be announced) [one of Joao Pessoa’s major regional music events]

Feira Brasil mostra Brasil (Jul) [Exposition featuring commercial Brazilian goods]

Festa das Neves (Aug) [community festivities and fair; theme: St. Neves]

FENART João Pessoa (Nov) [major fine arts exhibition in the area]

Vaquejada do Cowboy (Nov) [rodeo like events with cowboys]

Festa do Atum (Dec) [community fair; theme: Atum, a type of fish]

Reveillon (Dec 31) [new-year’s eve festivities and fireworks at the beach]

note: see also PB-TUR site[3]

[edit] Photography

• Aerial view of João Pessoa by Dirceu Tortorelo
• Pictures From the Archives of the Federal University of Paraiba
• Virtual Tourist Members’ Pictures of Joao Pessoa
• Tambau Hotel: An Architectural Landmark

id:João Pessoa

de:João Pessoa es:João Pessoa eo:João Pessoa (urbo) fr:João Pessoa (PB) gl:João Pessoa io:João Pessoa (Brazil) he:ז'ואאו פסואה no:João Pessoa oc:João Pessoa pt:João Pessoa ru:Жуан-Песоа simple:João Pessoa sv:João Pessoa tg:Жуан-Песоа tr:Joao Pessoa