Monday, May 2, 2011

Paraiba Valley



PARAIBA VALLEY






Partial view of the mountainous areas of Vale do Paraiba.


The Paraíba Valley is a region that includes socio-economic part of the eastern state of Sao Paulo and the western state of Rio de Janeiro, and it stands out by concentrating a considerable share of the GDP of Brazil. The name is due to the fact that the region is the initial part of the watershed of the Paraíba do Sul should be noted that the name, strictly speaking, is commonly used only to refer to a region with certain social characteristics -economic, corresponding roughly to the upper river Paraíba do Sul, since this river also extends along almost the entire length of the state of Rio de Janeiro and separates part of the state of Minas Gerais. Generally, the term usually also include the northern coast of São Paulo, which is adjacent and closely linked.

Location

It is located on the banks of the Presidente Dutra highway (BR-116), exactly between the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, within the megalopolis formed by the two capitals and their main urban axis following the route of the Via Dutra. Although highly urbanized and industrialized, the region also has important natural reserves such as Mantiqueira Mountains on the border with Minas Gerais, which contains some of the highest mountains of Brazil, and Ridge, stronghold of the Atlantic that also includes small towns ranches and historic and architectural interest.


GUARATINGUETÁ



Guaratinguetá is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, located in the Paraíba Valley region, home to one of the micro and sub-regional centers of Brazil. His micro is in the process of urbanization and can be elevated to the Metropolitan Region. The city is one of the most important of the Paraíba Valley and is a tourist town, industrial and commercial.
Born in the city several celebrities such as Frei Galvão, the first Brazilian saint, Pasquale Cipro Neto, Portuguese language teacher, Dilermando Reis, musician and guitarist, Rodrigues Alves, President of Brazil, Euclides de Jesus Zerbini, cardiologist and pioneer in heart transplantation in Brazil.
In the land of Guaratinguetá was found the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida, the site gave rise to today's city of Aparecida. It is known in the region by the traditional celebration of Carnival, the city initiated by the Portuguese tradition of Shrovetide. Currently the city has samba school parades and block canavalescos.

Overview


Street in downtown Guaratinguetá.

Guaratinguetá is an important center for commerce and services in the region from the bottom of the Paraíba Valley, attracting people from neighboring counties and in southern Minas Gerais. It is also the second best economy and one of the largest cities in the region with respect to the population. Furthermore, it has the best index of income distribution in your area and low crime rates. Stands out, too, for being one of the most industrialized in their region, and for having been a pioneer in this economic activity. It houses the largest chemical complex in Latin America, BASF. In addition to the chemical industries, the most important industries in the municipality of sectors: textiles, food, dairy products and metal-mechanic. Although the industry to highlight the city, it is not the industry that employs more in the city. The sector of trade and services is what generates the greatest amount of jobs for the population. The city gained prominence for being an important tourist spot of a religious character, along with the neighboring city of Aparecida. Together handle a large number of tourists during the year. Guaratinguetá, along with its neighboring municipalities and Aparecida Cachoeira Paulista, developed the Circle of Faith, in order to expand its tourism industry Tourism also has been diversifying over time, the city today, also offers tours Urban Historic and EcológicosÉ differentiated by its rich history, has been in the past, called the Athens of the Paraíba Valley because of its important social and cultural weight, mainly exercised in the period 1920 to 1960. The council after the installation of the Normal School in the 1920s, began to attract teachers and students from various regions and the state of Minas Gerais, which generated a large growth of art spaces, cultural and social in the city.] has several representatives in branches of painting, poetry and especially music. It was one of the major coffee producing districts, and has been a major dairy regions of the country. She also has many mansions of colonial times, which contrast with the buildings and homes today. Your city has virtually every urban area in the plains, being cut in some neighborhoods by hills and mountains. The main river that cuts the city, the river Paraíba do Sul, has been responsible for disposing of coffee production in earlier times, today only serves to draw the political boundaries and administrative.
The city is intersected by the President Dutra Highway, which is responsible for economic recovery around the Paraíba Valley, is also cut by highways as SP-171, which connects the city of Guaratinguetá Cunha, SP-62, which connects the town to Lorena , BR-459, from Lorena, linking the city to the south of Minas Gerais, among others.

Etymology



Monument of the Three Herons.

Of indigenous origin, in Tupi-Guarani Guaratinguetá means "Land of White Herons (maned = heron, white and tinga = eta = very).] Many confuse the meaning of the name to" Meeting of White Herons, "what's wrong . It was named for the great quantity of herons in all fields of the county. Guaratinguetá, better known as "Guara", is also easily confused with the city of Guara in northern Sao Paulo.

Nicknames
Guaratinguetá during its 378 years of existence, has received several nicknames, some as:

• Capital of the valley bottom
As it is called in your area for being an important commercial and industrial hub, supplying commercially neighboring counties and the southern mines. In addition the city is one of the region's largest both in population and in economic importance. The high social indicator also contributed to this title.

• Athens the Vale do Paraíba

Was the title given to the municipality being 1920 and 1960 mainly because of the installation of the Normal School, then a few of the interior of Brazil. With that other educational institutions have settled in the city, bringing teachers and students to the county. Another factor that influenced this nickname was a lot of cultural events that existed then as the Literary Club, the serenades, cabarets, the Social Centre, the Guild House, the Hippodrome, theaters and cinemas.

• Culture

It's like Guaratinguetá is known by many. Being the oldest city of the Paraíba Valley and home to many artistic personalities such as kings and Dilermando Bonfiglio de Oliveira, Guaratinguetá is considered the richest city in culture in the region, so it got its nickname:
.-Guara
As the name of the city is great: Guaratinguetá, to make it easier to talk, residents and visitors preferred to speak only maned, which often causes confusion with the city of Guara, northeast of Sao Paulo.

-Crane Valley
Heron Valley is the nickname given by the municipality of Guaratinguetá lot of white herons in the city. Today that name is also connected to the city football team which earned the nickname of the city: The Crane Valley.

History

Since the beginning of its settlement in 1600, had Guaratinguetá in its territory a large number of herons that marked the landscape. The Indians dominated the land in the municipality until the arrival of whites, they come to town in 1628 by donating to Jacques Felix and his sons, of land in the Vale do Paraíba. Around the old chapel of St. Anthony's Cathedral in the city today, is that developed the town of Guaratingueta. In the year 1651, the Village was raised by Captain Luiz Domingos Leme., Guaratinguetá became one of the main towns of the Province of São Paulo.


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Museum Frei Galvão.

In 1914, the city began its industrialization process, with the founding of the "Company Factory Blankets and Spinning and Textiles Guaratinguetá. Six years later, Monsignor Filippo, founding the "Union of Catholic Workers," and even the "Company Workers Guaratinguetá.
From 50 years, industrial activity grows in Guaratinguetá with the opening of the President Dutra Highway in 1951 and the arrival of mining families, coming from Mantiqueira, old farms turned into cattle ranches. In the city's industrial park, along with the dairy industry, spinning and weaving, develop industries chemicals, heavy machinery, paper, among others.
In the educational area, arriving in the city SENAC "Nelson Mathídios Antonio dos Santos," the FATEC (Technological University), is the creation of the Museum Frei Galvão "and
"Museum Rodrigues Alves. " Also in this decade is created School of Aviation Specialists, giving great impetus to the city's economy.

XXI Century

At the beginning of the century, with the canonization of Frei Galvão in 2007, tourism began to increase in the county.






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.