Bento Gonçalves | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Bento Gonçalves | |
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Capital of the wine | |
 Location in Rio Grande do Sul | |
  Bento Gonçalves Location in Brazil | |
| Coordinates:29°10′15″S51°31′08″W / 29.17083°S 51.51889°W /-29.17083; -51.51889 | |
| Country |  Brazil |
| Region | South |
| State |  Rio Grande do Sul |
| Founded | 11 October 1890 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Diogo Siqueira (PSDB)(2021-2024) |
| Area | |
• Total | 382.513 km2 (147.689 sq mi) |
| IBGE/2002[1] | |
| Elevation | 690 m (2,260 ft) |
| Population (2020[2]) | |
• Total | 121,803 |
| • Density | 280.62/km2 (726.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (BRT) |
| Postal Code | 95700-000 |
| Area code | +55 54 |
| Website | bentogoncalves.rs.gov.br |
Bento Gonçalves (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈbẽtuɡõˈsawvis]) is a municipality located in the state ofRio Grande do Sul,Brazil. Created in 1875, it is one of the centers of theItalian immigration in Brazil. It is also known as the 'wine capital of Brazil' due to its vineyards and wine production. In 2020, its estimated population was 121,803 inhabitants.
Ernesto Geisel, President of Brazil from 1974 to 1979 (under themilitary government), was born in Bento Gonçalves in 1907.
The city has changed names three times in history. Before theItalian immigration began, the place where the city downtown is located today was crossed by horsemen, and since there was well known north–south trail with a small wooden cross at the place, the nameCruzinha ("little cross") was used to name this region.[3] After a decree of the effective governor of the province in the 1870s, the area was renamed Colônia Dona Isabel ("Dona Isabel Colony"), after the Brazilian princessIsabel de Bragança.[4]
In 1890, Colônia Dona Isabel separated from the municipality ofMontenegro, and was renamed in honour ofBento Gonçalves da Silva, leader of the rebel forces of theFarroupilha Revolution 45 years earlier, and first president of the short-livedRiograndense Republic.
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Before 1870, the area where the city is located (then known as Cruzinha) was inhabited, as the rest of the region, by Indigenous people of the "jê" tribe.
In 1875, the Brazilian government created, in the state ofRio Grande do Sul, four settlements to receive Italian immigrants. In the Cruzinha area, a settlement was created called Dona Isabel. "Dona Isabel" received the first 25 families of Italian settlers in that same year. They mostly came from the region ofTrento.
During the next few decades, the region was settled by immigrants coming mostly from the Italian regions ofVeneto,Trentino, andLombardia.
In 1890, Dona Isabel was elevated to the category of city, changing its name to Bento Gonçalves (named after the military leader of theRagamuffin War).
The Italian immigrants mostly worked in grape and wine production.
During the first few decades of the 20th century, the city continued to receive immigrants. Besides the Italians, there were large groups of Polish, German, Swedish, French, and Spanish immigrants.
At that time, there were already some functioning wine factories and the furniture and metallurgic industry was just starting to take off.
The railways arrived at the city in 1919, helping to connect it with the capital of the state,Porto Alegre, and facilitating the transport of the city's economic production. There were regular passenger trains running until 1976; however, today the railways are used mostly to transport goods.
The electric light distribution system was installed between 1919 and 1927. The Bartolomeu Tacchini Hospital was built during the same period.
In 1950, the population was 22,600. Industrial activity expanded, especially in the wine, furniture, leather, chemical, metal, and mechanical sectors.
In 1967, the city organized the first National Wine Festival (Fenavinho), receiving, for the first time, a visit from aBrazilian President.
The city started to organize and receive many important national and international events. It is now home to the second largest exposition park in Latin America. Among these events are the Movelsul (Furniture Fair), FIMMA Brasil (Furniture Machinery Fair), Vino Brasil (Wine Machinery Fair), Avaliação Nacional de Vinhos (National Wine Assessment), Fenavinho e Expobento (Commercial Fair).
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Bento Gonçalves is among the ten largest economies in Rio Grande do Sul. It is the largest producer of wine in Brazil and has the second largest furniture production industry in the country. It also has important metal, mechanical, plastic, and chemical industries. It has the highest Human Development Index of Rio Grande do Sul and the sixth among all Brazilian cities - 0,870 (PNUD/2000).
The average elevation of Bento Gonçalves is 690 meters above the sea level.
Summers are warm and winters are mild. During the climatic winter frosts are common and snow is rare. The highest temperature officially recorded in the city was 36 °C and the lowest was -4,5 °C.
| Climate data for Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.0 (78.8) | 22.9 (73.2) | 19.3 (66.7) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 19.6 (67.3) | 20.3 (68.5) | 22.7 (72.9) | 24.7 (76.5) | 26.7 (80.1) | 22.6 (72.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.6 (70.9) | 20.5 (68.9) | 17.9 (64.2) | 14.6 (58.3) | 13.0 (55.4) | 12.5 (54.5) | 14.0 (57.2) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.5 (63.5) | 19.2 (66.6) | 20.9 (69.6) | 17.4 (63.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.7 (63.9) | 16.6 (61.9) | 13.8 (56.8) | 10.9 (51.6) | 9.3 (48.7) | 8.5 (47.3) | 9.5 (49.1) | 10.5 (50.9) | 13.0 (55.4) | 14.5 (58.1) | 16.4 (61.5) | 13.2 (55.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 162.1 (6.38) | 151.7 (5.97) | 117.8 (4.64) | 124.3 (4.89) | 130.3 (5.13) | 144.4 (5.69) | 188.5 (7.42) | 148.9 (5.86) | 161.3 (6.35) | 185.6 (7.31) | 138.4 (5.45) | 128.6 (5.06) | 1,781.9 (70.15) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 116 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 75.7 | 77.9 | 77.1 | 77.5 | 80.1 | 80.5 | 77.3 | 72.5 | 75.0 | 75.9 | 73.2 | 72.7 | 76.3 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 223.0 | 197.4 | 212.5 | 181.9 | 152.4 | 131.2 | 153.2 | 168.8 | 169.1 | 183.4 | 220.4 | 241.1 | 2,234.4 |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia[5] | |||||||||||||
The Maria Fumaça steam locomotive offers tourist trips in the rolling countryside of Bento Gonçalves,Garibaldi andCarlos Barbosa.
Museums about the Italian heritage of the city include theEpopéia Italiana.
The city is also part ofVale dos Vinhedos, a region with 82 km square located at the limits of Garibaldi,Monte Belo do Sul and Bento Gonçalves. Many restaurants and wineries can be found at Vale dos Vinhedos, making the region a well knownenotourism route in Brazil.
Bento Gonçalves istwinned with:[6]
Brentonico, Italy
Cartaxo, PortugalIsera, Italy
Luján de Cuyo, ArgentinaMori, ItalyNogaredo, ItalyRovereto, ItalyTerragnolo, ItalyTrambileno, ItalyVilla Lagarina, ItalyMain reasons for twinning with Italian municipalities are Italian immigration history and enotourism.
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| National | |
