Município de Porto Velho Municipality of Porto Velho
Top left:Rondônia State Government Office, Top right:Port of Porto Velho, Middle left:Porto Velho Cultural House, Middle right:Sunset in Madeira River, Bottom:Panorama view of downtown from Pedrinhas area
Porto Velho (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈpoʁtuˈvɛʎu],Old Port) is thecapital of theBrazilianstate ofRondônia, in the upperAmazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people (as of theIBGE 2022 estimation).[3] Located on theborder of Rondônia and the state ofAmazonas, the town is an important trading center forcassiterite, the mining of tin, which represents the most important economic activity in theregion, as well as a transportation and communication center. It is on the eastern shore of theMadeira River, one of the maintributaries of theAmazon River. It is also Rondônia's largest city, and the largest state capital of Brazil by area.
The municipality occupies most of the border between Amazonas and Rondônia, and is both the westernmost and northernmost city in the state.
This photograph shows an American laundry boss and his "Barbadian" workers, a term used generally to refer to Caribbean immigrants. The laundry in Porto Velho had a steam press, regarded as something of a luxury at the time.
Officially founded on October 2, 1914, Porto Velho was founded by pioneers around 1907, during the construction of theMadeira-Mamoré railroad. After therailroad was completed, the local population was about one thousand inhabitants; its buildings were chiefly the railway's installations and the wooden houses of theCaribbean (mainlyBarbadian) workers - hence the name of the town's largest district by then, "Bajan Hill" or "Barbados Town", nowadays called the "Alto do Bode".
During the first sixty years, the city'sdevelopment was directly connected to the railway's activities. The town prospered during therubber boom; after the discovery of cheapMalaysian rubber made that of the Amazon obsolete, the region's rubber-centeredeconomy ground to a sudden halt. Cities likeSanto Antônio do Madeira, which had atram line and a weeklynewspaper by the time of Porto Velho's foundation, are still nothing but ruins to this day.
Porto Velho's survival is associated with the better conditions of the area where it was built, its easy access by the river and its harbor: these were all considerations in the choice of Porto Velho as the capital of the newly formed FederalTerritory of Guaporé, in 1943. Only with the beginning ofWorld War II was there another cycle of progress in the region. Once theAllied forces lost control of Malaysian rubber, the Amazon's was needed again due to thewar effort. This produced what is known in Brazil as the "secondrubber boom". Subsequently, when the war ended, the region's economy once again came to a halt.
Porto Velho's modernhistory begins with the discovery ofcassiterite around the city, and ofgold on theMadeira River, at the end of the 1950s. In addition, the government's decision to allow large cattle farms in the territory began a trend of migration into the city. Almost one million people moved to Rondônia, and Porto Velho's population increased to three hundred thousand. This intense migration caused much trouble for the city. Among many other problems, the suburban boroughs, for example, were nothing butshanty towns.[vague]
Porto Velho features atropical monsoon climate (climate typeAm) under theKöppen climate classification. The temperatures tend to be relatively consistent throughout the course of the year, with average daily temperatures typically between 25 and 26 degrees Celsius.[4] The dry season is short and covers the months of June, July and August. Porto Velho is particularly wet from November through April, averaging roughly 200 mm (7.9 in) of rain per month in each of these months.[5] According to the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), between 1961 and 1990 the lowest temperature recorded in Porto Velho was 7.4 °C or 45.3 °F in July 1975,[6] and the highest reached 40.9 °C or 105.6 °F in August 1969.[7]
Climate data for Porto Velho (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–1990)
The Amazon has over half of the planet's remainingrainforests and is the largest and most species-rich tract oftropical rainforest in theworld. Wet tropical forests are the most species-richbiome, and tropical forests in theAmericas are consistently more species-rich than wet forests inAfrica andAsia.[14] As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleledbiodiversity.
More than one third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.[15]
Porto Velho International Airport, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the city, has its main access at the Av. Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira, with two lanes. Buses from downtown run to the airport every hour, and there is a fleet of taxis serving only the airport. The airport is served by 98 scheduled flights weekly, most going to other large Brazilian cities. The presence ofPorto Velho Air Force Base ensures considerable movement of military aircraft. The local people refer to Porto Velho International as Belmont Airport because it is located in this district. It became an international airport in 2002. It was built as a replacement toCaiari Airport, which was closed on April 16, 1969.
Casa da Cultura Ivan Marrocos, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brasil - The House of Culture at Porto Velho.
The culture of Porto Velho is marked by a strongNortheastern influence withBumba Meu Boi, the popularFesta Junina and Pastorinha celebrations, and some influences of south centralBrazil. The interpretation ofNative American legends, such as theIara, theBoto andMapinguarifolklore, influenced by migrants. As forhandicrafts, there are various exhibitions of indigenous works, utilities and adornment using raw materials likeclay, vines,bamboo andrubber. The Artisan's House serves as a support to the initiatives of the genre.
The collection of library articles in municipal Porto Velho was waiting for a permanent headquarters for several years until completion of the Municipal Library next to City Hall. The space has two air-conditioned floors in the city center.[citation needed]
The Carnival takes place every year, attracting a large number of people from other cities and neighboring states of Rondônia. During the carnival, there are the parades of carnival and samba schools; among the best known are The Diplomats, Asfaltão, among others.
In July Carnival happens out of season, with characteristics of the Bahia Carnival, with electric trios and 'Axé' groups.[citation needed]
Two theaters enliven the cultural sector: The Municipal Theater, Avenida Nabuco (center) and Theatre Uirassu Rodrigues, Jose Bonifacio Street.[citation needed]
Estrada de Ferro Madeira Mamoré em Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brasil.
The railway complex is located the Museum of Railroad Madeira-Mamore, in the city center. Within it lies the State Museum, with abundant material onarcheology,ethnology andMineralogy.
TheMuseum is housed in a warehouse that was used for loading and unloading for almost a century. One can see hundreds of materials in this preserved railway. The museum has several pieces from the time of its construction and operation. Besides the first locomotive brought to the Amazon, theCoronel Church, there is also a 'stork and a tricycle', used to transport the line foremen who checked lathes, machines, furniture, as well as photographs of workers, books, documents and more. The museum is located at Avenida September 7 - Railroad Square Madeira-Mamore. Outside the museum, on the waterfront, you can take a ride in one of the "barges" to Teotônio waterfall.[citation needed]
Praça das Três Marias, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brasil - Three "Marias" Square, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
Also known as The Three Marias, the water tanks are in the center of town, in the square of the same name. The first was erected in 1910 and the other two in 1912. They were designed and built by Chicago Bridge & Iron Works of Chicago as per information contained in cast-iron plate, carved pilasters on each of them. There are three cylindrical tanks, covered with metal sheets in a conical shape, with a concave-shaped base. Each tank is elevated from the ground by four columns made of iron lattice on concrete foundations. They are at the height of the bulge surrounded by a walkway railing with metal lattice through which arrives via a ladder. Each reservoir has a capacity for 200,000 liters and supplied the city of Porto Velho by the year 1957, working as gravity-fed reservoirs.
The cathedral had its construction initiated in 1917, but was completed only ten years later because of difficulties in transporting material. Original paintings of a religious nature inside the cathedral, were executed by Father Angelo Cerri and Alfonso Liguori. The stained glass windows that surround it, with the themes of the Cross, were all donated by the community-velhense port.
^"Temperatura Máxima (°C)" (in Portuguese). Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. 1961–1990. Archived fromthe original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved23 August 2014.
^"Temperatura Mínima (°C)" (in Portuguese). Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology. 1961–1990. Archived fromthe original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved23 August 2014.
^PARNA Mapinguari (in Portuguese), ISA: Instituto Socioambiental,archived from the original on 26 September 2018, retrieved2 June 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
^RESEX Jaci Paraná (in Portuguese), ISA: Instituto Socioambiental,archived from the original on 13 November 2018, retrieved30 October 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
^Raupp de Matos, Valdir; Almeida, José, junior (7 November 1996),Decreto n.º 7635 de 07 de Novembro de 1996 (in Portuguese),archived from the original on 31 October 2016, retrieved30 October 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^FLONA do Bom Futuro (in Portuguese), ISA: Instituto Socioambiental,archived from the original on 27 October 2015, retrieved30 October 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
