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'Pirenópolis' is a town located in the Brazilian state of Goiás. It is well-known for its waterfalls and colonial architecture, and a popular festival involving mounted horses called Festa do Divino Espírito Santo which takes place 45 days after Easter.

★ Population (2005) 21,241

★ Area of the municipality (2002): 2,227.7 km².

★ Foundation: 10 July 1832

★ Elevation: 770 meters

★ Statistical microregion: Entorno de Brasília

★ Postal code: 72980-000

Contents

Location

Climate

Political information

Demographic information

Economic information

Education (2005)

Health (2003)

Income distribution (2000)

History

Tourism

External links

See also

Sources of data

Location

Pirenópolis is located 150 km from Brasília and 130 km from Goiânia and can be reached on paved roads. It is part of the microregion of the Entorno de Brasília made up of cities in Goiás located near Brasilia.
Municipal boundaries are with:

★ North: Vila Propício

★ South: Anápolis

★ East: Cocalzinho de Goiás, Corumbá, and Abadiânia

★ West: São Francisco de Goiás

Climate

The climate is humid sub-tropical with two well defined seasons: the rainy season, which goes from October to March, and the dry season, which goes grom April to September. Parts of the municipality are mountainous and maintain some climatic variations due to altitude.

Political information

★ Mayor: Rogério Abreu Figueiredo (January 2005)

★ Eligible voters: 18,255 (April 2006)

★ Votes of Mayor in last election: 6,427 (04/10/2004)

★ Political party: Coalitition called ORGULHO DO TEMPO NOVO (PP / PMDB / PL / PSDB)

★ City council: 9 members

Demographic information

★ Population density: 9.53 inhab/km² (2005)

★ Urban population: 14,489(2003)

★ Rural population: 6,754 (2003)

★ Population growth or loss: a loss of about 8,000 people since 1980

Economic information

The economy is based on agriculture, cattle raising, services, public administration, and small transformation industries. There are several small food, clothing, and furniture industries.

★ Industrial units: 33 (2005)

★ Commercial units: 141 (2005)

★ Bank agencies: Banco do Brasil S.A. - BRADESCO S.A. - Banco Itaú S.A.
(June 2005)

★ Dairy: (22/05/2006)

★ Motor vehicles: 1,987 automobiles (2004)

★ Cattle herd: 132,000 head (2004)

★ Poultry: 87,000 (2004)

★ Swine: 6,700 (2004)

★ Dairy cows: 25,700 (2004)

★ Main crops (2005): pineapple, rice (4 kmª), bananas (5 kmª), rubber, coffee, oranges, lemons, mangos, tangerines, beans, manioc, soybeans (3.5 kmª), tomatoes, and corn (30 kmª).

Education (2005)

★ Schools: 34

★ Classrooms: 139

★ Teachers: 228

★ Students: 5,999

★ Middle school enrollment: 768 students

★ Higher education: Campus of the State University of Goiás

★ Adult literacy rate: 84.4% (2000) (national average was 86.4%)

Health (2003)

★ Hospitals: 3

★ Hospital beds: 112

★ Ambulatory clinics: 12

★ Doctors, nurses, dentists: 55, 8, 5 (2002)

★ Infant mortality rate: 27.52 (2000) (national average was 33.0).

Income distribution (2000)

★ Households: 5,789

★ Households declaring no income: 466

★ Households declaring income of less than 1 minimum salary: 2,028

★ Between 1 and 2 minimum salaries: 1,547

★ Between 2 and 3 minimum salaries: 580

★ Between 3 and 5 minimum salaries: 557

★ Between 5 and 10 minimum salaries: 412

★ Between 10 and 15 minimum salaries: 87

★ Between 15 and 20 minimum salaries: 48

★ Between 20 and 30 minimum salaries: 29

★ More than 30 minimum salaries: 35

History

The history of Pirenópolis begins in 1727 when it was founded with the name of Minas de Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Meia Ponte, Meia Ponte (half a bridge) because half of the bridge over the Almas River was swept away in a flood. The first colonizers were Portuguese who came for the gold easily found in the Rio das Almas. From 1750 to 1800 there was a golden age when four churches were built and Pirenópolis competed with Vila Boa (present day Cidade de Goiás) as the richest town in the province. After 1800 a downturn over goldmining was set and the part of the population emigrated. With the change of commercial routes to Anápolis, the city became economically isolated. The first newspaper in the province, the Matutina Meiapontense, was published here in Meia Ponte in 1830 by Joaquim Alves de Oliveira. In 1890 the city changed its name from Meia Ponte to Pirenópolis, the city of the Pireneus, the mountains located nearby. In 1960 with the construction of Brasília there was an intensive exploitaton of the famous Pedra de Pirenópolis (quartzite-micáceo). In the 1980s the hippies arrived with their alternative communities and production of handicrafts. Pirenópolis was born again with a huge influx of tourists, especially from Brasília. Churches were restored and all the electrical wiring was put underground.

Tourism

Major attractions include Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Meia Ponte, the oldest church in Goiás and the church Igreja Nosso Senhor do Bonfim. It also has a hippie-like colony which markets clothing and silverwork.
Today Pirenópolis is known all over Brazil for its popular festivities, especially the "Cavalhadas", introduced in 1826, in which horsemen representing Moors and Christians recreate a battle fought by Charlemagne. This tradition, part of the Festival for the Holy Spirit (Festa do Espírito Santo), was brought to the town by Portuguese settlers.
The Festas de Cavalhadas feature a parade beginning with a bugle fanfare announcing the knight's pages, then the mounted knights displaying their colors. Wearing fantastic paper-maché helmets, the Christian knights wear blue, the Moors wear red.
The battle lasts for three days and attracts thousands of visitors to the town. The Cavalhadas take place in medieval costume, with the highlight being the mock battle, performed in the city's bullring. The Moors, of course, are defeated and convert to Christianity. For information on the cavalhadas (in Portuguese) see Cavalhadas
The town has been restored artistically with its stone paved streets and colonial houses (casarões). The Almas River, a tributary of the Tocantins River which flows north to form the Serra da Mesa artificial lake, passes near the town and is crossed by a restored wooden bridge. There is an old theater, cinema, and a museum of the cavalhadas.
Waterfalls are the primary tourist attraction for Pirenopolis and Corumba. Around the town, in a distance of 15 km., there are more than twenty spectacular waterfalls with pristine water. Some of them are enormous such as the Salto de Corumba (which disappeared for decades when prospectors diverted the waters for dredging). Other waterfalls are formed by a series of cascades. Many are on private property and are operated as a business. Other falls can be found on hiking trails. One of the longest rivers in the state of Goiás, the Corumbá River has its source near Pirenópolis.
A new attraction to Pirenopolis is the small ecovillage and permaculture design institute located a few kilometers out of town called the IPEC or The Institute of Permaculture and Ecovillage of the Cerrado. Bringing in foreign students through study abroad programs such as Living Routes, visitors get a first-hand account of the possibilities of sustainable living.
==Human Development Index==

★ Life expectancy: 67.6

★ Adult literacy rate: 0.826

★ School attendance rate: 0.714

★ MHDI: 0.713

★ State ranking: 191 (out of 242 municipalities)

★ National ranking: 2,748 (out of 5,507 municipalities)
(All data are from 2000.)
For the complete list see Frigoletto.com

External links

★ Turism in Pirenópolis great site. Lots of information. culture, history, attractions, hotels and more

★ Pirenópolis, Goiás site with information about the town and the festival of the Cavalhadas.

★ Visit Pirénopolis a good site with photos

★ Museu das Cavalhadas

★ Ecocentro at the Institute of Permaculture and Ecovillage of the Cerrado in English!

See also

★ List of municipalities in Goiás

Sources of data

★ Diario da Manhã

★ IBGE

★ Seplan

★ Frigoletto

★ City Brazil

★ Sepin