Angra dos Reis

For the Angra dos Reis meteorite of 1869, see Meteorite falls.

Angra dos Reis
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Angra
Location in the state of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil
Coordinates: 23°00′24″S 44°19′05″W / 23.00667°S 44.31806°W / -23.00667; -44.31806
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	Rio de Janeiro
Founded	January 6, 1502
Government
– Mayor	Fernando Antonio Ceciliano Jordão (PMDB)
Area
– Total	816.3 km2 (315.2 sq mi)
Elevation	1,378 m (4,521 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
– Total	144,137
– Density	180.1/km2 (466.5/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
– Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
Website	www.angra.rj.gov.br
Municipal Government address: Prefeitura Municipal de Angra dos Reis Praça Nilo Peçanha, 186 Centro, Angra dos Reis, CEP: 23900-000

Angra dos Reis (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈə̃gɾɐ ˈduʒ heɪʃ]) is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro state. It is located at an altitude of 6 meters and includes in its territory 365 offshore islands. It was discovered on January 6, 1502, but has been under continual settlement since 1556. Its population was estimated on 1 July 2009 to be 168,664 inhabitants.

It has an area of 816.3 km ². The neighboring municipalities are Paraty, Rio Claro and Mangaratiba in Rio de Janeiro state, and Bananal and São José do Barreiro, which are adjacent in São Paulo state.

The municipality fell into decline after 1872 with the advent of railways. It came back into prominence in the 1920s when a railway extension connected it to the states of Minas Gerais and Goias, as a terminus for the transportation of agriculture production from these same two states. The railway extension, in meter gauge, still exists and is currently operated by the Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica company.

In the mid-twentieth century, the municipality was an essential part of the implementation of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional - CSN, Volta Redonda, and the endpoint for coking coal supplied from Santa Catarina. Today the same company also uses the port, in part, for its steel exports.

Its current importance is due, in part, to having a ferry terminal facility in the Bay of Ilha Grande and in part to its harbour, used by TEBIG Petrobras, which transports large quantities of oil and thus positions the port of Angra dos Reis as one of the busiest in the country.

Today, because of its beautiful beaches and nearby regions, the municipality has become a focal point for tourism - not only statewide but on a national scale also. Within the municipality are over three hundred islands, many of them owned by national and international celebrities, with the largest one called Ilha Grande (Portuguese: Big Island).

Most of the municipality is covered by hills, and its hilly terrain helped generate the landslides that occurred at the beginning of 2010, when numerous homes and hotels were severely damaged or destroyed, mainly on Ilha Grande.

Economy

The most important economic activities are commerce, fishing, industry, services, and tourism. The port has an oil terminal as well as shipbuilding (Keppel Fels, former Verolme) facilities. Brazil's only nuclear power stations, Angra I and Angra II are located nearby. They employ 3,000 people, and generate another 10,000 indirect jobs in Rio de Janeiro State. Tourism is highly developed with countless beaches, islands and pristine waters perfect for swimming or scuba diving.

There is a small amount of cattle raising, with approximately 4,200 head. The main agricultural products cultivated are:

• bananas: 1,460 hectares / 3,600 tons
• coconut: 10 hectares / 130,000 fruits
• oranges: 4 hectares / 25 tons
• hearts of palm (palmito): 50 hectares / 75 tons
• sugarcane: 20 hectares / 390 tons

Data are from IBGE

Meaning of the name

Gaspar de Lemos, a navigator and commander of the Portuguese naval fleet landed at (Ilha Grande) on 6 January 1502, the “Kings’ day”, that is, “Dia de Reis.” Accordingly, the place was named “Angra dos Reis”, which means “Kings’ Cove” or loosely - anchorage of the kings.

Trivia

Júlia da Silva Bruhns, the mother of German writers Heinrich Mann and Thomas Mann, was born here.^[2] However, there is disagreement about her exact place of birth, as some sources, including the German version of Wikipedia, assert she was born in the nearby town of Parati.

Former three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna once made his residence in Angra Dos Reis.

References

1. ^ http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/populacao/estimativa2006/POP_2006_DOU.pdf
2. ^ Download family report, stating birthplace

External links

• Angra dos Reis
• Angra dos Reis (Portuguese)
• Angra dos Reis (Portuguese)
• Angra dos Reis (Portuguese)