Paraíba (pron. IPA: [pa.ɾa.'i.ba] <ref>The presented pronunciation is in Brazilian Portuguese. The European Portuguese pronunciation is: /pɐ.ɾɐ.'i.βɐ/.</ref>) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It contains the easternmost land of the Americas.

1 History
2 Economy
3 Flag
4 Major Cities
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] History

In the mid-1500s, Portuguese settlers from Pernambuco founded Filipéia de Nossa Senhora das Neves (today João Pessoa) at the mouth of the Paraíba River.

The area soon proved perfect for sugar production, with the French, the Dutch and the Portuguese all constantly fighting to control the Paraíba region to grow the lucrative sugarcane in. The fortress of Santa Catarina, near João Pessoa, was built to protect the city from the Dutch, who soon became a threat to Portuguese supremacy in Brazil.

In late 1989 a team led by gemstone prospector Heitor Dimas Barbosa uncovered in a small mountain range what some consider to be the finest Tourmaline crystals ever found. A trace of copper gives the tourmalines a vivid turquoise color that had never been seen before in the gems. Though the mountains have been continually searched after the discovery no additional crystals have been found.

[edit] Economy

The Paraíba economy is largely based upon three items: the making of shoes and other leather products, the raising of cattle for beef, and sugarcane. Though historically sugarcane has dominated the Paraíba agricultural sector, pineapple cultivation is also widespread.

[edit] Flag

The word nego is Portuguese for "I deny", referring to the protests that erupted in the 1920s in Paraíba, supported by state president João Pessoa, to the appointment of Júlio Prestes as the President of Brazil. João Pessoa joined the alliance for the overthrow of the federal government, which successfully conducted Getúlio Vargas to Presidency. The rebellion eventually lead to the murder of João Pessoa.

According to the official government site of the state of Paraíba, the red stands for the blood due to the assassination of João Pessoa; the black represents the mourning following the assassination. Some associate the colors with communism and anarchism, but this interpretation does not find echoes in Paraíba's history.

[edit] Major Cities

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Photos of the state from an official governmental website: http://www.paraiba.pb.gov.br/turismo/pt/download.shtml

Image:Flag of Brazil.svg	Topics in Brazil edit
History	First Inhabitants • Colonization • Empire • Old Republic • Estado Novo • Second Republic • Military Rule • Present
Politics	President of Brazil • Constitution of Brazil • National Flag • Coat of Arms
Capital	Brazilian Federal District
States	Acre • Alagoas • Amapá • Amazonas • Bahia • Ceará • Espírito Santo • Goiás • Maranhão • Mato Grosso • Mato Grosso do Sul • Minas Gerais • Pará • Paraíba • Paraná • Pernambuco • Piauí • Rio de Janeiro • Rio Grande do Norte • Rio Grande do Sul • Rondônia • Roraima • Santa Catarina • São Paulo • Sergipe • Tocantins
Islands	Saint Peter and Paul Rocks • Rocas Atoll • Fernando de Noronha • Trindade and Martim Vaz
Geography	Amazon Forest • Caatinga • Cerrado • Mata Atlântica • Pampas • Pantanal • Islands
Economy	Banco do Brasil • Caixa Econômica Federal • Embraer • Petrobras • Vale do Rio Doce • List of Companies
Demographics	Indian • Portuguese • Afro • Italian • German • Spanish • Asian
Arts & Culture	Carnival • Cuisine • Cinema • Literature • Music • Sports • Religion
Science & Tech	Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) • Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) • Instituto Butantan • Instituto Oswaldo Cruz