The state is divided into 78 municipalities. The capital, Vitória, is located on an island, which borders the municipalities ofVila Velha,Cariacica, andSerra. These municipalities, plus the outer cities ofFundão andGuarapari, constitute the state's mainmetro area. In the northern extremes of Espírito Santo is Itaúnas, in the municipality ofConceição da Barra, which is a tourist location known for its sanddunes andforró tradition.
Debate exists as to the origin of the termcapixaba, the unofficialdemonym for those born in Espírito Santo. "Capixaba" isTupi for "corn hair", reportedly because the blond hair of the European settlers reminded theAmerindian natives of the golden color of corn. A more mainstream explanation is that the name is a metaphor for a corn-grower; Vitória Island is known to have been full of cornplantations in the early centuries of Portuguese rule in Brazil. A third etymology is from the name of a local tribe, borrowed by thePortuguese during the colonial period.[citation needed]
Originally,capixaba referred only to people from Vitória, but in common parlance, it eventually came to refer to those born anywhere in the state. The official state demonym, however, is "espírito-santense".[citation needed]
Espírito Santo was first inhabited byAmerindians, whose different tribes were usually semi-nomadic, but precolonial Brazil has no recorded history. The area was colonized by the Portuguese starting in the 16th century, and received African slaves, and later, European immigrants of various origins.
German and Luxembourgish immigrants in Espírito Santo in 1875
The Captaincy of Espírito Santo, a hereditaryfief, was granted toVasco Coutinho byManuel I of Portugal around three decades after the Portuguesefirst landed in Brazil in 1500. He arrived at the captaincy to serve his term on 23 May 1535, bringing a retinue of 60 soldiers, colonists, slaves, and servants. They settled on Vitória Island and around the Bay of Vitória.
The capital was at first established inVila Velha, but due to frequent raids by Amerindians, it was moved to the current capital of Vitória, founded on 8 September 1551, on an island near Vila Velha, which was later named Vitória Island.
In 1556, after the arrival of European missionaries, the cities Serra,Nova Almeida, and Santa Cruz were founded.
After theIndependence of Brazil in 1822, Espírito Santo's provincial status was kept, and it was headed by an appointed provincial president. EmperorPedro II, who was on good terms with the provincial president, visited the Espírito Santo in 1860, during one of his tours of Brazil.
During theVargas Era, state governors wereindirectly elected byCongress. A short period of democracy existed during theSecond Brazilian Republic; Carlos Monteiro Lindenberg was elected governor. However, after the1964coup d'état, governors were once again chosen by the national assembly. After Cristiano Dias Lopes, Arthur Carlos Gerhard Santos,Élcio Álvares, and Eurico Rezende were chosen in this fashion, the military governmentslowly redemocratized, culminating in the adoption of Brazil's current1988 Constitution. Democratic elections were held for the filling of every term, up to the incumbent,Renato Casagrande.
During the first three centuries of Portuguesecolonialism, the maincash crop wassugarcane, until coffee, in high demand in Europe, overtook it in the mid-19th century. During the colonial era, periods ofgold rush occurred, when agriculture was neglected, leading tofood shortages, but not as much gold was found in Espírito Santo, as in the neighbouring states ofSão Paulo andMinas Gerais. Another reason for the subdued expansion was the colonial administration's prohibition of the laying roads leading into Minas Gerais, as gold could besmuggled through the state.
With 46,180 square kilometers (17,830 sq mi), it is about the size of Estonia, or half the size of Portugal, and has a variety of habitats including coastal plains, lakes, mountainous forests, mangroves and many others.
The main river serving the state is theDoce (English: Sweet River). Other important river basins include theSanta Maria River [pt] basin, the northern branch of the inlets flowing into the sea near Vitória, and the Jucu River Basin, which flows into the sea at roughly the same place, but corresponds to the southern branch.
Espírito Santo's climate is tropical along the coast, with dry winters and rainy summers. North ofDoce River is generally drier and also hot. In the mountainous regions in the south and southwest of the state, the tropical climate is strongly influenced by altitude, and the average temperatures are lower.
One of the most important lake districts in Brazil lies on the banks of the Doce River. The area contains some 26 large lakes, the biggest of which is calledJuparanã Lagoon.
The state can be divided into two areas: the low lying coastline and the highland area known asSerra (where one can find the 2,890 meter tallPico da Bandeira), which is part of the largerSerra do Caparaórange.
According to the2022 census, 3,833,712 people were residing in the state. The census revealed: 1,908,803 Brown (multiracial) (49.8%), 1,479,275 White (38.6%), 429,680 Black (11.2%), 11,617 Indigenous (0.3%) and 4,268 Asian (0.1%).[6]
The population density was 72.7 inhabitants per square kilometer (188/sq mi). Urbanization: 82.2% (2006);Population growth: 2% (1991–2000); Houses: 1,056,000 (2006).[7]
The precolonial Amerindians groups in Espírito Santo were theTupiniquim,Temininó,Aymoré,Puri, andBotocudo. They have largely been absorbed into the Portuguese-Brazilian civilization, and few live in reservations or tribes.
Especially in the 16th century, several towns in Espírito Santo were founded with primarily Amerindian populations converted to Catholicism, such as Serra andSanta Cruz. Amerindian food has left its legacy incapixaba culture; the fish-basedMoqueca capixabais the state dish, among other local typical seafood dishes.
One large ethnic group in the state is known as Turcos. Technically from the region that is now Syria and Lebanon, they came to the state fleeing World War I. As at the time, they were Ottoman Empire citizens, they were commonly called "Turcos" (Turks). Large communities were established in the southern part of the state. Now, their descendants control a good share of the local commerce. The Arab-Brazilians of Espírito Santo are generallyMaronite Christians.
About 60–75% of the population of Espírito Santo has Italian ancestry, making it the state with the highest percentage of Italian descendants in Brazil.[8][9][10][11] They founded many towns in the area and have significant influence oncapixaba society. A number of traditional Italian dance groups are still in the state, as are Italian culture festivals, such as the one held inVenda Nova do Imigrante. Italian food is also an important part ofcapixaba cuisine. Italian pasta and cheeses, such asmozzarella, are produced locally. Small-scale farming, which is turning increasingly towardsagrotourism, is appealing to its Italian roots to exploit that market.[citation needed]
Germans were among the first colonists to cultivate land away from the coastal zone, and were a strong influence. The first German settlement,Santa Isabel, was founded in 1844, and still stands. Like today'scapixaba Italian community, they still hold on to many aspects of their ancestors' homeland's culture, as represented in festivals such as the Sommerfest inDomingos Martins. Domingos Martins also hosts a Colonization Museum, where one can find old photos, artifacts, and documents pertaining to that settlement movement.
Espírito Santo is home to the biggest community ofEast Pomeranian speakers in the world. More than a century after arriving to Espírito Santo, East Pomeranian continues to be spoken and remains an important part of Espírito Santo's heritage for many people. To this day, they continue centuries-old customs within their communities.
Between 1858 and 1862, a group of Dutch settlers fromZeeuws-Vlaanderen migrated to the state. In the area of Santa Leopoldina, their dialect of Dutch, which they callOllans but is in fact a variety of Zeeuws-Vlaams influenced by Pomeranian, is still spoken by about 20 speakers. It is therefore severely endangered.[12]
The first African slaves in Espírito Santo arrived in Vitória in 1609, and years of slavery ensued. Espírito Santo, though, was still to play a significant part in the Brazilian abolitionist movement in the guise of its slave rebellion of 1848–1849, which required the intervention of imperial troops. Slavery began to lose its economic importance in Espírito Santo after that event.
Pinning down the exact numbers of immigrants of several ethnic groups from Europe is difficult. Many of these groups came to Espírito Santo under a commonAustrian–Hungarian passport, or in the case of the Tyroleans, under an Italian passport. Tyrolean settlers were both of German and Italian language and concentrated in the region of Santa Leopoldina and Santa Teresa.Romanians (especially fromTransylvania andBukovina) andRoma usually arrived under Austrian passports. Large groups ofRomani people settled in Espírito Santo's countryside in the late 19th century.
Theservice sector is the largest component of GDP at 50%, followed by the industrial sector at 44%. Agriculture represents 5% of GDP (2004). Espírito Santo's exports consisted mainly of manufacturing of iron and steel 35.8%, iron ore 25.2%, paper 17.6%, coffee 7.7%, andgranite 6.5% (as of 2002).
Espírito Santo is Brazil's highest steel-producing state. The main crops grown are coffee, sugarcane, and fruits (mostly coconuts, bananas andpapayas). The livestock industry is represented primarily by cattle raised for milk and beef. Industry consists mainly of canning, forestry, textiles, and iron and steel works. The latter two are concentrated aroundCariacica and theVale do Rio Doce ironworks.
Vitória is an important port for the exporting of iron and steel; the state is among the biggest steel-producing regions the world.[citation needed] InSão Mateus, petroleum reserves have been found on the continental shelf, and are being commercially exploited.
In agricultural production, coffee, sugarcane, papaya, banana, and coconut stand out. It also producescassava, oranges, and beans.
In 2020, Espírito Santo was the largest producer ofCoffea canephora in Brazil, with a 66.3% share of the total (564.5 thousand tons, or 9.4 million 60 kg bags). In 2017, Minas accounted for 54.3% of the total national coffee production (first place), Espírito Santo accounted for 19.7% (second place) and São Paulo, 9.8% (third place).[13][14]
Brazil is the world's biggest productor of sugarcane, with 672 million tons/year. In 2020, Espírito Santo harvested almost 3 million tons.[13][15][16][17]
Espírito Santo was the seventh-largest national producer of bananas in 2018, with 408 thousand tons. Brazil was already the second-largest producer of the fruit in the world, currently in third place, losing only to India andEcuador, and produced 6.7 million tons in the same year.[18][19] Espírito Santo was the largest Brazilian producer of papaya in 2018, with 354 thousand tons. Brazil produced 1.06 million tons in the same year.[20] The state was the fifth-largest producer of coconuts in Brazil in 2009, with 157 million fruits.[21] In 2018, the state also produced cassava, in a small amount compared to Brazilian production: 115,000 tons, with the country producing 17 million tons.[22] Espírito Santo had an orange production of around 18,000 tons in 2018, the country's 14th-largest producer state.[23]
In the north of the state, beef cattle are raised and fattened, and the meat industry was developed; the meat is mainly shipped to Rio de Janeiro, in addition to supplying the region of Vitória. In the south, dairy farming is practiced, and milk is sold, through cooperatives, in the markets of Rio de Janeiro and Vitória. More recently developed are silviculture and fruit-growing, with use for canned fruit and cellulose production.
The total number of chickens in the state is about 9.2 million birds, and that of cattle exceeds 1.8 million head. Important reserves of granite are known and used, and extraction of natural gas and oil is increasing. Sands and marbles are also important products of Espírito Santoextractivism.
The state's subsoil is rich in minerals, including oil, with considerable reserves of limestone, marble, manganese, ilmenite, bauxite, zirconium, monazites, and rare earths, although not all are being explored. In mineral extraction, exploration of reserves of marbles, limestone, and dolomite is happening in the Cachoeiro de Itapemirim area.
Although relatively small, the industrial park in Espírito Santo is home to chemical, metallurgical, food, and paper and cellulose industries.
Oil production in Espírito SantoFactory ofGaroto Chocolates in Vila VelhaEucalyptus from Aracruz Celulose in the city ofAracruzPort of Vitória
Aboutindustry, Espírito Santo in 2017 had an industrial GDP of R$21.3 billion, equivalent to 1.8% of the national industry. It employed 168,357 workers in the industry. The main industrial sectors are: extraction of oil and natural gas (23.0%), construction (20.5%), industrial services of public utility, such as electricity and water (12.3%), metallurgy (7.5 %), and pulp and paper (6.6%). These sectors concentrate 69.9% of the state's industry.[24]
In 2012, the export basket of Espírito Santo was based on iron ore (52.49%), crude oil (10.87%), chemical pulp made of soda or sulphate wood (10.01%), stone or construction (5.58%), and coffee (4.42%). Espírito Santo exports iron produced in Minas Gerais.
In the mineral extractive industry, in 2019, Rio de Janeiro was the largest producer of oil and natural gas in Brazil, with 71% of the total volume produced. São Paulo comes in second place, with an 11.5% share of total production. Espírito Santo was the third-largest producer state, with 9.4%.[25][26] In recent years, Espírito Santo has stood out in the production of oil and natural gas. With several discoveries made, mainly by Petrobras, the state left the fifth position in the Brazilian ranking of reserves, in 2002, to become one of the largest oil province in the country, with total reserves of 2.5 billion barrels. About 140 thousand barrels a day are produced. Oil fields are located both on land and at sea, in shallow, deep, and ultra-deep waters, containing light and heavy oil and unassociated gas.
In the urban centers of the capital and Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, practically all the main units of the Espírito Santo transformation industry are concentrated. The steel industries are located in the capital Vitória: Companhia Ferro e Aço de Vitória, iron ore pelletizing plant of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce; lumber, textiles, crockery, instant coffee, chocolates and refrigerators. In the Itapemirim river valley, cement, sugar and alcohol, and canned fruit industries are developed.
The 10 largest industrial companies in Espírito Santo are:Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (mining),ArcelorMittal Tubarão (steel mill), Samarco Mineração (mining),Aracruz Celulose, Fertilizers Heringer,ArcelorMittal Sul Fluminense (steel mill), Escelsa (electricity distribution company),Garoto (the largest chocolate factory in Latin America and the most important industrial food company of the state) and Sol Coqueria. Espírito Santo is a major steel producer, due to two steel mills present in its territory: ArcelorMittal Tubarão (formerlyCompanhia Siderúrgica de Tubarão) in the capital Vitória, which in 2018 produced 7 million tons of crude steel of the 35.4 million produced in the country; and ArcelorMittal Sul Fluminense (formerlyVotorantim Siderurgia), also in the capital, which produced 1 million tons of crude steel in the same year.[27]
In the paper and cellulose sector, Brazilian pulp production was 19.691 million tons in 2019. The country exported US$7.48 billion in pulp this year, $3.25 billion only to China. Brazilian forest-based industry exports totaled $9.7 billion ($7.48 billion in cellulose, $2 billion in paper, and $265 million in wood panels). Paper production was 10.535 million tons in 2019. The country exported 2.163 million tons. In 2016, the paper and cellulose industry in the south of the country represented 33% of the national total. Espírito Santo stands out in this sector. In 2018, $920 million were traded in the sale of cellulose to the foreign market, the third-strongest Espírito Santo product in the export balance. In 2016, the top five states producing logs for paper and cellulose (mainlyeucalyptus) were: Paraná (15.9 million m3),São Paulo (14.7 million m3), Bahia (13.6 million m3), Mato Grosso do Sul (9.9 million m3), andMinas Gerais (7.8 million m3). Together, they correspond to 72.7% of the national production of 85.1 million m3. Espírito Santo, 9th place, had a production of 4.1 million m3. São Mateus, north of Espírito Santo, was the best-city in the Southeast, as the sixth-largest producer of roundwood for paper and cellulose in the country. The 10 largest producing municipalities had 22.9% of the country's production. They were the cities of Telêmaco Borba (PR), Três Lagoas (MS), Caravelas (BA), Mucuri (BA), Ortigueira (PR), São Mateus (ES), Dom Eliseu (PR), Nova Viçosa (BA), Water Clara (MS), and Ribas do Rio Pardo (MS).[28][29]
The tertiary sector is underdeveloped throughout the state, but commercial activity acquires a certain importance with iron ore exports from Minas Gerais, through the Vitória a Minas Railway, and is shipped at the ports of Atalaia and Ponta do Tubarão. The connection of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim to the city of Rio de Janeiro, though, by paved highway, allowed the incorporation of the region into the Rio de Janeiro milk basin and facilitated the export of agricultural products, such as coffee, corn, manioc, rice, and vegetables.
The state's tourist activity is concentrated on the coast, where beaches, such as Itaúnas and Guarapari, are popular. The peak of Bandeira, the third-highest in the country, is another tourist destination. Lately, a new type of tourism has gained prominence: gastronomic, in which typicalcapixaba cuisine, heir to different cultures, is appreciated.[citation needed]
The road system is organized from the BR-101, which crosses Espírito Santo from north to south, bordering the coast. The state has 30,100 km of highways, but only 10% are paved.
Tourism plays an ever-increasing role in the state's economy and is a leading destination in Braziliandomestic tourism, although international tourism is present, though rarer. Tourist destinations include coastal areas such as Guarapari,Jacaraípe, andManguinhos, and mountain retreats such as Domingos Martins. Guarapari is also a local tourist destination, known for its black sand beaches. Coastal cuisine is an attraction, withmoqueca capixaba and other local seafood dishes among traditional offerings. Inland, there are many natural attractions, such as the national parks ofPedra Azul andCaparaó.
Vitória's port entrance under theThird Bridge (the second-tallest bridge in Brazil), with Ilha do Boi and Camburi Beach in the background
The port of Vitória is the most difficult to access among Brazilian ports. The bay on which it is located is extremely narrow with rocks, reefs and mountains, making it challenging for freighters and maritime cruisers to reach thedocks. This narrow approach also results in ships passing closely to population centers. In Vitória, ships sail in close proximity to cars and pedestrians. The location of the port in the city center also results in scheduling complications with limitations resulting from traffic constraints. Currently, the main use of the port is for ship and oil-platform repairs as well as international shipping.
Eurico de Aguiar Salles Airport, which serves Vitória, is located on just over 5,200 ha (13,000 acres). Since construction of its first section, finished in 1946, the airport has undergone several expansions and modernizations, but current demand has surpassed its capacity of 560,000 passengers a year. The passenger terminal has a constructed area of nearly 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft), a check-in concourse, 25 check-in counters and boarding and arrival lounges. The recent construction of new aircraft parking boxes on theaprons has increased the airport's operational efficiency.[citation needed]
In 2003, more than 1.2 million passengers used the airport, and in 2004 this rose to some 1.25 million. Vitória is one of the 32 airports in theInfraero network that has a cargo terminal. In May 1999, the first direct international freight connection to the United States began operating in Vitória, facilitating American imports to the state of Espírito Santo. As of 2018, there are five such flights per week. A new runway and terminal were due at the end of 2007, but several budget inconsistencies were found and construction was halted.[citation needed]
Theflag of Espírito Santo is a horizontaltriband of blue, white, and pink, with thestate motto,Trabalha e Confia (English: "Work and trust [God]"), written across the middle band. This motto is a truncated version of theJesuit motto "work as if everything depended on you, and trust as if everything depended on God", well spread by Spanish CatholicmissionaryJosé de Anchieta, and was chosen byJerônimo Monteiro, who wasgovernor of Espírito Santo from 1908 to 1912. The flag was designed in 1908, with colours inspired by those ofOur Lady of Victory (Portuguese:Nossa Senhora da Vitória), the state'spatron saint, wearing traditional Portuguese clothing. It is one of the few flags in the world to use pink.[34]
^ab"2018 Estimates of Population"(PDF).ibge.gov.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). 2018. Retrieved6 March 2019.
^Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (National Household Sample Survey), Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).
^ab"IBGE prevê safra recorde de grãos em 2020".ibge.gov.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). 8 January 2020.
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