Sobral, Ceará
Encyclopedia
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...
, 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...
.
Sobral is the second largest municipality of Ceará, after 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...
. Its economy is based on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, services and some manufacturing industries
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
. The city has two public universities (Universidade Federal do Ceará
Universidade Federal do Ceará
Federal University of Ceará is a federal university with campuses in the cities of Fortaleza, Sobral and Barbalha, in the state of Ceará, Brazil...
, with a medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
) and the Universidade Estadual do Vale do Acaraú
Universidade Estadual do Vale do Acaraú
Universidade Estadual do Vale do Acaraú is a state-operated university located in Sobra, Ceará, Brazil.-External links:*...
, and also counts with two other private colleges, Faculdade Luciano Feijão and Inta - a theological institute. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sobral
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sobral
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sobral is a diocese located in the city of Sobral in the Ecclesiastical province of Fortaleza in Brazil.-Leadership:* Bishops of Sobral ** Bishop Fernando Antônio Saburido, O.S.B....
.
The city became internationally known when it was the place where the first astronomical observation of a solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
on May 29, 1919 by a team of British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
scientists led by Sir Arthur Eddington was offered as the first proof of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
's theory of general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
, which had been published in 1916. A "Museum of the Eclipse" celebrates this event in the town. There is a monument at the museum marking the location of this solar eclipse.