Vacaria | |
|---|---|
Downtown Vacaria | |
Location inRio Grande do Sul | |
| Coordinates:28°30′44″S50°56′02″W / 28.51222°S 50.93389°W /-28.51222; -50.93389 | |
| Country | |
| Region | South |
| State | Rio Grande do Sul |
| Founded | October 22, 1850 |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,123.674 km2 (819.955 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 971 m (3,186 ft) |
| Population (2020[1]) | |
• Total | 66,575 |
| • Density | 29.3/km2 (76/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (BRT) |
| HDI (2000) | 0.805 –high |
| Website | Vacaria, Rio Grande do Sul |
Vacaria is amunicipality in the northeast of the southernBrazilian state ofRio Grande do Sul.
It is located at a latitude of 28° 30' 44" South and a longitude of 50° 56' 02" west, with an altitude of 971 meters. Its population in 2020 was estimated to be 66,575 inhabitants. The total area of the city is 2105.6 km2. The city is known in Brazil for its climate and its production of apples.
Its Catedral Nossa Senhora da Oliveira is the episcopal see of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Vacaria, which was founded in 1937 as aterritorial prelature.
It was theJesuit missionaries that, in the 16th century, started the colonization of the area by spreading the livestock brought from thereductions to the extensive wilderness known as "Baqueria de los Piñales". During more than a century, disputes with theGuarani Indians marked the history of the region, before it was consolidated as an official trail connecting thePlata region to Brazil. In the 19th century the fields of Vacaria were once more the stage of great battles, this time between the imperial soldiers and the republican revolutionists (Ragamuffin War).
Its economy is based on cattle raising, agriculture, transportation, flower growing and fruit growing. Vacaria is the largest producer of apples in Rio Grande do Sul and 2nd in the country and is considered the introductory location of wild fruits such asmulberry,bilberry,strawberry andraspberry. The per capita income was estimated by theIBGE in 2003 to be R$9.213,91
Venue of the InternationalCriouloRodeo (Rodeio Crioulo Internacional), one of the most important demonstrations of thegaucho culture, the city has also other attractions, such as the Fazenda do Socorro and the beautiful stone-built Cathedral of Our Lady of the Olive Tree.
On top of the natural attractions such as the beautiful sceneries like the valley of thePelotas River or the Parque das Cachoeiras, Vacaria has other interesting cultural attractions, like the city museum, the Atelier Livre, the public market, the center of craftwork and the Casa do Povo, the only work of the famous architectOscar Niemeyer in Rio Grande do Sul. Vacaria is also known for the production of a cheese based on the method of the Italian cheeseGrana Padano.
Vacaria has atemperate oceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb). With mild summers that have an average high of about 24 °C and an average low of about 14 °C. And winters with average high temperature of about 16 °C and an average low of about 7 °C. During winter the temperature commonly goes below freezing but rarely does it snow. In the winter of 1879, was recorded the strongest blizzard in Brazil, with accumulation of 2 meters in the urban area of Vacaria.[2]
| Climate data for Vacaria, elevation 970 m (3,180 ft), (1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.1 (93.4) | 32.4 (90.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 29.0 (84.2) | 26.6 (79.9) | 24.6 (76.3) | 26.4 (79.5) | 32.9 (91.2) | 30.1 (86.2) | 31.2 (88.2) | 35.5 (95.9) | 32.8 (91.0) | 35.5 (95.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.1 (79.0) | 24.3 (75.7) | 21.2 (70.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 17.1 (62.8) | 17.3 (63.1) | 18.1 (64.6) | 19.2 (66.6) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.5 (74.3) | 25.0 (77.0) | 21.5 (70.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.7 (67.5) | 18.0 (64.4) | 14.9 (58.8) | 12.5 (54.5) | 10.8 (51.4) | 10.9 (51.6) | 11.7 (53.1) | 13.2 (55.8) | 15.4 (59.7) | 17.1 (62.8) | 18.6 (65.5) | 15.2 (59.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) | 15.1 (59.2) | 13.7 (56.7) | 10.4 (50.7) | 7.7 (45.9) | 6.3 (43.3) | 6.4 (43.5) | 7.1 (44.8) | 8.8 (47.8) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 13.5 (56.3) | 10.5 (50.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.6 (40.3) | 6.1 (43.0) | 1.7 (35.1) | −1.0 (30.2) | −4.5 (23.9) | −8.9 (16.0) | −5.5 (22.1) | −5.6 (21.9) | −5.1 (22.8) | −0.5 (31.1) | 2.4 (36.3) | 2.8 (37.0) | −8.9 (16.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 158.0 (6.22) | 155.0 (6.10) | 143.0 (5.63) | 126.0 (4.96) | 135.0 (5.31) | 145.0 (5.71) | 148.0 (5.83) | 163.0 (6.42) | 183.0 (7.20) | 161.0 (6.34) | 130.0 (5.12) | 142.0 (5.59) | 1,789 (70.43) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 106 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 75.6 | 78.7 | 79.6 | 80.4 | 80.1 | 80.5 | 79.9 | 80.4 | 79.0 | 78.0 | 76.0 | 76.2 | 78.7 |
| Source: INMET (precipitation 2008–2020)[3][4][5][6] | |||||||||||||
The city is served byVacaria Airport.