Crato is a city of 110,000 inhabitants on the banks of the river Granjeiro

Granjeiro

Granjeiro is a town and municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil.-References:...

 in the south of the state of Ceará

Ceará

Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...

, in the northeast of Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. It was founded 21 June 1764 by the Capuchin friar Carlos Maria de Ferrara. Originally a small village whose population were principally native Kariris, it gained official status as a city 17 October 1817.

The Brazilian city of Crato was named in honor of Crato

Crato, Portugal

Crato is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 398.0 km² and a total population of 3,995 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 6 parishes, and is located in Portalegre District....

, a Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 town founded in the a 13th century.

Crato is about 550 km from Fortaleza

Fortaleza

Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...

, capital of Ceará. The municipality has a surface area of approximately 1,117 km². It is at an altitude of 426m, 07°14′03"S 39°24′34"W. Its population of 110,000 makes it the sixth largest municipality in Ceará. The economy is a mix of commerce and agriculture; , a small industrial park is expanding. The region is rich in minerals, especially gypsum

Gypsum

Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...

 and marble

Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...

.

Crato is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crato

Roman Catholic Diocese of Crato

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Crato is a diocese located in the city of Crato in the Ecclesiastical province of Fortaleza in Brazil.-Leadership:* Bishops of Crato ** Bishop Fernando Panico, M.S.C...

. It has a full range of schools, up to and including a university.

The outskirts of the city are rich in tropical vegetation; the climate is generally good, with somewhat more rain than is typical of the region.