Gravataí
Encyclopedia
Gravataí is a Brazil
ian city near Porto Alegre
at the Rio Grande do Sul
State. Its population is approximately 250,000 people, making it the sixth most populous city
in the state.
. Originally known as Aldeia de Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, Gravataí was founded on April 8, 1763 by settlers designated by the Portuguese to consolidate the crown presence in the region, led by Pedro Gonçalves Sandoval and João Lourenço Veloso.
In 1772, the São Pedro province governor José Marcelino de Figueiredo started to develop the town. He built schools, mills and pottery facilities.
Then known as Aldeia dos Anjos, in 1806 the town was declared a district of Porto Alegre. By 1880 Gravataí was chartered as a borough ("Vila" in Portuguese
). On March 2, 1938, the Executive order #311 declared Gravataí a city.
is provided by the Gravataí River
, formed at Banhado Grande and flowing west into the city towards the Guaíba
estuary
.
in Gravataí is humid subtropical
(Cfa
). Summers are warm and the hottest month is February, with an average temperature of 25 °C (77 °F). Winters are cool (by Brazilian standards) and the coldest month is July, with an average temperature of 14 °C (57 °F). The wettest months are August and September, with 140 mm (5.51 in) of precipitation, with rain regularly falling all year long.
the city started a process of industrialization. This process was accelerated in 2000 after the inauguration of a General Motors manufacturing plant. Since it's opening 600,000 cars have been built, more than one hundred thousand Chevrolet Celta
(also known as Suzuki Fun) and Chevrolet Prisma per year.
Today, manufacturing is the major economic driver and Gravataí has been classified as a blue collar
city.
The city council ("Câmara de Vereadores" in Portuguese) is composed of 14 aldermen
elected to office for four years. The council functions as a parliamentary or congressional style legislative body, proposing bills, holding votes (especially the municipal budget), and passing laws to help govern the city.
The per capita income
for the city was R$ 18,642 (US$ 10,965) in 2007.
Source: IBGE
2000.
, FACENSA, and Faculdade QI.
and Buenos Aires
, the two main economic centers of Mercosur
. The interstate highway BR-290 passes through the city and connects to BR-101
highway. Rio Grande do Sul capital, Porto Alegre, is 16 miles (25.7 km) to the west.
, located off BR-290 highway, 14 miles west of Gravataí.
is a navigable waterway for boating
.
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...
ian city near Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
at the Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
State. Its population is approximately 250,000 people, making it the sixth most populous city
Largest cities in Rio Grande do Sul by population
Largest cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil by population, in descending order:-References: , Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, Accessed on 2007-03-20....
in the state.
History
The land where Gravataí is located was subject of dispute between Portugal and Spain until 1750, when they signed the Treaty of MadridTreaty of Madrid (1750)
The Spanish–Portuguese treaty of 1750 or Treaty of Madrid was a document signed by Ferdinand VI of Spain and John V of Portugal on January 13, 1750, concerning their empires and status of their territories in what is now Brazil....
. Originally known as Aldeia de Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, Gravataí was founded on April 8, 1763 by settlers designated by the Portuguese to consolidate the crown presence in the region, led by Pedro Gonçalves Sandoval and João Lourenço Veloso.
In 1772, the São Pedro province governor José Marcelino de Figueiredo started to develop the town. He built schools, mills and pottery facilities.
Then known as Aldeia dos Anjos, in 1806 the town was declared a district of Porto Alegre. By 1880 Gravataí was chartered as a borough ("Vila" in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
). On March 2, 1938, the Executive order #311 declared Gravataí a city.
Geography
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the city has a total area of 463.5 km² (192.2 square miles) divided into five separate districts (boroughs): Gravataí, Barro Vermelho, Ipiranga, Itacolomi and Morungava. The main supply of drinking waterDrinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
is provided by the Gravataí River
Gravataí River
Gravataí River is a river that runs along Gravataí .The river was considered the 2nd most polluted of Brazil!...
, formed at Banhado Grande and flowing west into the city towards the Guaíba
Guaíba River
The Guaíba River is a waterway in Rio Grande do Sul, a state of southern Brazil. It is famous for its beautiful reflection at sunset. The Guaíba is an extension of the Lagoa dos Patos, a huge coastal lagoon to the south, and although commonly referred to as a river, the Guaíba is a brackish water...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
in Gravataí is humid subtropical
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
(Cfa
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
). Summers are warm and the hottest month is February, with an average temperature of 25 °C (77 °F). Winters are cool (by Brazilian standards) and the coldest month is July, with an average temperature of 14 °C (57 °F). The wettest months are August and September, with 140 mm (5.51 in) of precipitation, with rain regularly falling all year long.
Neighbor cities
- North: Novo HamburgoNovo HamburgoNovo Hamburgo is a city in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.Its population is 237,044 . The city covers an area of 217 square kilometers, and the average temperature is 19°C, a mild one for the region...
and TaquaraTaquaraTaquara is a municipality in Brazil, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, 72 km from Porto Alegre. Its population is currently estimated at 60,000.The community started with immigrants from Germany.... - South: AlvoradaAlvoradaAlvorada is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, adjacent to the city of Porto Alegre. The city is also known as "The Capital of Solidarity." Alvorada is primarily a bedroom community with most workers commuting to adjacent cities such as Porto Alegre to work. Alvorada is built around its main...
and ViamãoViamãoViamão is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In size it is the largest municipality in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the seventh most populous in the state.The origin of the name Viamão is controversial... - East: GlorinhaGlorinha-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
- West: CachoeirinhaCachoeirinhaCachoeirinha is a city situated in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Cachoeirinha is an alternative for the people who want to be near Porto Alegre . The city is situated at a strategic point in Rio Grande do Sul state. The city shares borders with Porto Alegre, Canoas, Esteio, Sapucaia do...
and Sapucaia do SulSapucaia do SulSapucaia do Sul is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.Sapucaida do Sul is a commercial city, and some industries have been there since the 1960s. The city is crossed by BR-116, one of the most important roads in Brazil....
Economy
Agriculture was essential to Gravataí's economy during its first two centuries. After the 1950s1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
the city started a process of industrialization. This process was accelerated in 2000 after the inauguration of a General Motors manufacturing plant. Since it's opening 600,000 cars have been built, more than one hundred thousand Chevrolet Celta
Chevrolet Celta
The Chevrolet Celta is a low cost supermini produced by General Motors do Brasil for the Latin American market since 2000. 600,000 Celtas have been built in Gravataí, more than one hundred thousand per year. It is the second cheapest car sold in Brazil, losing only to the Fiat Mille...
(also known as Suzuki Fun) and Chevrolet Prisma per year.
Today, manufacturing is the major economic driver and Gravataí has been classified as a blue collar
Blue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
city.
Government
The city elects a mayor, who serves a maximum of two four-year terms. Acimar Silva is the current mayor, chosen by the city council after the former mayor Rita Sanco was impeached.The city council ("Câmara de Vereadores" in Portuguese) is composed of 14 aldermen
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
elected to office for four years. The council functions as a parliamentary or congressional style legislative body, proposing bills, holding votes (especially the municipal budget), and passing laws to help govern the city.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 255,762 people, and 82,275 households in the city. The population density was 551.8 people per km² (1,429.16/sq mi). There were 92,421 housing units at an average density of 199.4/km² (480.86/sq mi).The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was R$ 18,642 (US$ 10,965) in 2007.
Religion
| Religion | Percentage | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic Catholic The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"... |
77.67% | 180,692 |
| Protestant Protestantism Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the... |
12.55% | 29,186 |
| No religion Atheism Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities... |
4.72% | 10,985 |
| Umbanda Umbanda Umbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion that blends African religions with Catholicism, Spiritism and Kardecism, and considerable indigenous lore.... and Candomblé Candomblé Candomblé is an African-originated or Afro-Brazilian religion, practised chiefly in Brazil by the "povo de santo" . It originated in the cities of Salvador, the capital of Bahia and Cachoeira, at the time one of the main commercial crossroads for the distribution of products and slave trade to... |
1.82% | 4,243 |
| Kardecist Spiritism Spiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others... |
1.64% | 3,805 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual... |
1.08% | 2,516 |
| Buddhist Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th... |
0.06% | 137 |
| Jewish Judaism Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people... |
0.02% | 44 |
| Other | 0.44% | 1,022 |
Source: IBGE
IBGE
The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil...
2000.
Education
Gravataí has three colleges and universities offering bachelor's and professional or master's degree programs: Universidade Luterana do BrasilUniversidade Luterana do Brasil
The Universidade Luterana do Brasil is a university located in the city of Canoas, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil...
, FACENSA, and Faculdade QI.
- Preschool: 69
- ElementaryElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
and MiddleMiddle schoolMiddle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
school: 100 - High schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
: 23
Transportation
By land, Gravataí is practically midway between São PauloSão Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
and Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, the two main economic centers of Mercosur
Mercosur
Mercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people,...
. The interstate highway BR-290 passes through the city and connects to BR-101
BR-101
The BR-101 is a longitudinal highway of Brazil. It is the longest in the country with a length of nearly , and it is also considered the most important....
highway. Rio Grande do Sul capital, Porto Alegre, is 16 miles (25.7 km) to the west.
Interstates and major highways
- BR-290Brazilian Highway SystemThe Brazilian Highway System is the highway system of Brazil, the fourth largest in the World. As of 2010, the system consists of almost 2 million kilometers of roads, of which approximately 200,000 km are paved.As it is in the United States, Canada or most countries in Europe, larger/wider...
– Runs east-west just south of the city and is accessible from Gravataí via exit 74 (RS-118) and exit 68 (General Motors plant); provides access to Porto Alegre (westbound) and to the coastline (eastbound). - RS-020 – Connects the town to TaquaraTaquaraTaquara is a municipality in Brazil, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, 72 km from Porto Alegre. Its population is currently estimated at 60,000.The community started with immigrants from Germany....
and the Serra GaúchaSerra GaúchaThe Serra Gaúcha, The Gaucho Highlands, is the mountainous region in the northeastern portion of Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil. This mountainous region is home to many Brazilians of German and Italian descent...
(the Gaucho Highlands). - RS-030 – Runs through the city parallel to BR-290 and connecting Gravataí to Santo Antônio da PatrulhaSanto Antônio da PatrulhaSanto Antônio da Patrulha is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
and OsórioOsórioOsório is a city in Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil. Its population is about 40,000 inhabitants.Osório is situated 90 km east of Porto Alegre....
. - RS-118 – An metropolitan perimeter highway connecting Gravataí to EsteioEsteioEsteio is a town situated in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, the state capital. About 9.3 miles from Porto Alegre, and neighboring Canoas and Sapucaia do Sul, it has about 87,000 inhabitants...
.
Airport
The closest airport to the city is the Salgado Filho International AirportSalgado Filho International Airport
Salgado Filho International Airport is the airport serving Porto Alegre, Brazil. It is named after the Senator and first Minister of the Brazilian Air Force Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho , killed on June 20, 1950 in an accident with an aircraft which departed from Porto Alegre.In 2010 the airport...
, located off BR-290 highway, 14 miles west of Gravataí.
Public transportation
Public transit throughout the region is provided by SOGIL, Unesul, VICASA, and TransCal.Waterways
Though it is not used for transporting goods and materials, the Gravataí RiverGravataí River
Gravataí River is a river that runs along Gravataí .The river was considered the 2nd most polluted of Brazil!...
is a navigable waterway for boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
.
External links
- Gravataí Mayor's Office (in Portuguese)
- Sogil: Gravataí's Intercity bus system and schedule (in Portuguese)