Campina Grande

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Campina Grande
Statues of early pioneers
Motto: Solum Inter Plurima
Country	Brazil
Region	Northeast
State	Paraíba
Mayor	Veneziano II (2005-2008)
Area
- City	620.3 km²
Elevation	551 m
Population
- City (2005)	376,132 [1]
Time zone	BRT (UTC-3)
Website: Câmara Municipal/Campina Grande English Translation

Campina Grande is the second most populous Brazilian city in the State of Paraíba after João Pessoa, the capital. Located at 07°13′50″S, 35°52′52″WCoordinates: 07°13′50″S, 35°52′52″W, it is considered one of the main industrial, technological and educational centers in the northeastern region of Brazil. The city was officially founded in 1788. Campina Grande also has a large cultural agenda, including the world's largest Saint John's Festival (called O Maior São João do Mundo), which takes place during the entire month of June and the Micarande, one of the most traditional out of season carnival festivals in the country.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origin 1.2 The town 1.3 The city 1.4 Chronology of Campina Grande 2 Technological centre 3 Tourism and culture 4 Public transportation 5 Post-secondary education 6 Sports 7 Neighborhoods 8 Economy 9 Local Government 9.1 List of Mayors 10 Statistics 10.1 Education 10.2 HDI 10.3 Urban sanitation 10.4 Health 11 Plant life

[edit] History

[edit] Origin

The founding of Campina Grande is credited to Captain Teodósio de Oliveira Ledo who led a group of Ariús indians to settle the land and begin farming on December 1, 1697. However, some historians do not agree with this version and suggest that the place was already a settlement and named Campina Grande when Teodósio arrived with the Ariús. This position is certainly supported by the fact that Campina Grande is in a critical geographic location for people travelling between the highlands and the coast.

The political actions of Teodósio in mentioning Campina Grande to the king of Portugal in May 1699 went a long way to establishing the location as place of importance.

The Ariús inhabited a small farm made up of shacks which became the first street in the new community. Later, this street was called Rua do Oriente (Street of the East) and today it is know as rua Vila Nova da Rainha (New Village of the Queen). The Cathedral of Campina Grande was constructed on one of the higher slopes in the area. It formed the Matriz plaza which later also became one of city's most important streets: Avenida Marechal Floriano Peixoto.

The village soon became a town because of the commerce it attracted and the fact that there were few settlements in paraíba.

Campina Grande began as a small village situated in front of an old lake called Açude Velho. These people were known as tropeiros because they were traveling merchants who traded and sold goods such as meat, cotton clothes and corn flour among the cities and villages they passed by. Campina Grande became the village (Vila Nova da Rainha) that they rested in as they were coming from the east to the coast.

The introduction of the railroad caused this tiny village to develop into a bustling city. At the beginning of the 20th century, Campina Grande was called "The Brazilian Liverpool" because of the numerous cotton plantations and factories. At the time, it was the second biggest producer in the world.

Today, the city has added to its old and rich traditions by becoming an oasis of high technologies in the middle of northeastern Brazil

[edit] The town

Campina Grande reached the category of town in 1790 with more than 100 houses. On April 6, 1790 it changed its name to de Vila Nova da Rainha (New Village of the Queen). At this point the town also began to have a formal government made up of a town council and Notary's office.

Although the name of the town changed, the local inhabitants continued to call the place Campina Grande. However, in official documents the name, de Vila Nova da Rainha, was the only one used.

The town's development was spurred on by the growth of the regional cotton industry which preferred to ship its product through Campina Grande.

At this point the town included a large area of almost 900 km²,including many smaller villages in the area.

The creation of the Village of Cabaceiras in 1835 and the Village of Alagoa Nova in 1850 reduced the area Campina Grande controlled.

In 1829, a dam across the Piabas stream was started and this became the lake referred to as Açude Velho. In 1852 the population of the town had reached 17,900 people, but in 1856, an epidemic killed almost 1,550 people. So many bodies arrived at the churches that they didn't have enough room to bury them.

[edit] The city

On October 11, 1864 Campina Grande was raised to the category of city. It was not the first to reach this designation though. In 1846, Areia had been designated a city and dominated the region economically, politically and culturally. Although Campina Grande was not as established as Areia, it was really not any smaller than that city. At this time, the city of Campina Grande had three plazas, four streets and about 300 houses. Of these, there still exists today the two churches: the Matriz (the Cathedral) and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. The latter had been destroyed at one time, but was rebuilt. Although there was plenty of commercial activity, there was very little actual construction of houses and government buildings. By the end of the nineteenth century, Campina Grande still only had about 500 houses.

In the year 1864 a building was constructed for the marketing of goods. This area had many names over time: "Largo do Comércio Novo", "Praça da Uruguaiana", "Praça das Gameleiras", "Praça da Independência" and finally, "Praça Epitácio Pessoa". In 1870 a law banning the washing of clothes and animals in Açude Velho was proclaimed. On September 18, 1865 the metric system was made the official form of measurement in Campina Grande.

In 1874, a rebellion led by João Vieira occurred. João Vieira and a number of revolutionaries came down from the Bodopitá mountain range and invaded the city's market. They broke into some money boxes and destroyed a few things. The revolt spread out across the region. Over time the rebels grew in numbers and became well armed. They were led by Manoel de Barros Souza and Alexandre de Viveiros. One of the objectives of Alexandre de Viveiros was to break into the city jail and liberate all the prisoners, inlcuding the father of Manoel de Barros Souza. They also planned to set the municipal offices on fire in order to destroy all the records kept there. However, over the next number of months the police force disrupted their plans. Alexandre de Viveiros was eventually imprisoned, but João Vieirad disappeared. After the revolt, the police abused the population without cause, arresting or punishing innocent citizens. Thus, the average person suffered both from the rebels and the police.

On March 25, 1877 a new Municipal building was constructed next to the Cathedral. It became one of the most elegant buildings in the state and initiated an area of fine homes.

In May 1891, a theatre was constructed for the purpose of both teaching and performance. This became the Colégio Alfredo Dantas.

The city continued to gradually develop, but it was only at the beginning of the 1900's that economic and social changes really occurred. It was at this time that the railroad arrived and with it came cheaper and more varied products that had never been seen before. Their availability impacted the local economy.

[edit] Chronology of Campina Grande

A chronology of the growth and development of Campina Grande from its small beginnings as a farm to its status as a city.

Chronological Summary

Year	Event
1697	Captain Teodósio de Oliveira Lêdo led the Ariús indians to settle in the region now called Campina Grande.
1790	The settlement was named Vila Nova da Rainha (New Village of the Queen) and the small farming area was raised to the status of town.
1814	The town's Municipal Building and jail (today the Historical and Geographic Museum of Campina Grande), was built in the Matriz plaza (today Avenue Floriano Peixoto).
1822	The first school of Vila Nova da Rainha was established.
1828	Construction of Açude Velho was begun.
1830	Construction of the new dam, Açude Novo, as a secondary source of water was started.
1864	Campina Grande was raised to the status of city on October 11, 1864. It had 4,000 inhabitants.
1896	The first telegraph system was begun in Campina Grande.
1907	Opening of the first railroad station in Campina Grande on October 2.
1909	The city of Campina Grande gains its first cinema.
1914	The Campinense Club was established.
1917	Construction of the Bodocongó dam.
1923	The Bank of Brazil becomes the first bank in the city.
1925	The first public market or Central Fair was begun.
	The Treze Futebol Club was established.
1933	The Post Office and Telegraph building were opened.
1940	Start of the first Airplane Club in Campina Grande.
1950	The second and current Post office and telegraph building was opened.
1966	Established the first TV station: Borborema Ltd.
1967	Created the museum of art: Assis Chateaubriand.
1974	Construction of the stadium: “the Amigão”.
	Created the Center of Sciences and Tecnology.
1976	Inaugurated the Park "Evaldo Cruz" - “Park of Açude Novo”.
1983	The first St. John's (O Maior São João do Mundo festival occurs.
1985	Constructed the Park of the People.
1988	Held the first Technology Fair.
1989	Held the first Micarande festival.
1992	Opened the Esportivo Complex “O Meninão”.
	Opened the Museum of Life Science and Technology
1993	Opened the Park of the Child.
2002	Creation of the export software company - PBTECH.

[edit] Technological centre

For a long time Campina Grande has had a strong technological focus. For 40 years, it was the second largest exporter of cotton in the world. In 1967, the city was the first location in northeastern Brazil to receive a computer(Federal University of Campina Grande). Today, many years later, Campina Grande is often referred to when talking about the development of software and computer science industries.

In April 2001, Newsweek magazine chose nine cities around the world that represented a new vision for technology. Brazil is represented on this list by Campina Grande and it was the only city chosen from Latin America. In 2003, it was mentioned again as the “Brazilian Silicone Valley,"

The reason for this success has been the technological work done by the Federal University of Paraíba (in 2002 it became the Federal University of Campina Grande). Since 1967, when the university obtained support to buy its first computer for US$ 500,000, there has developed a tradition of technological excellence that is recognized around the world today.

List of cities chosen for Newsweek:

• Akron, Ohio, U.S.A.
• Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A.
• Oakland, California, U.S.A.
• Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A.
• Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
• Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil
• Barcelona, Spain
• Suzhou, China
• Côte d' Azur, France

Campina Grande has about 50 software companies that contribute about 20% of the city's total revenue.

[edit] Tourism and culture

• Libraries
  • Felix Araújo Municipal Library
  • Açude Velho Public Library
  • Campina Grande Public Library

• Cultural Centre
  • Academia Campinense de Letras

• Cinemas
  • Campina Movie Theatre (Iguatemi Mall)

• Museums
  • Historical and Geographic museum of Campina Grande
  • Assis Chateaubriand Museum of Art
  • Museum of Cotton
  • Museum of Luiz Gonzaga
  • Museum of St. John

• Squares and Parks
  • Flag Square
  • Clementino Procópio Square
  • Açude Novo (New Dam)
  • Açude Velho (Old Dam)
  • Bodocongó Dam
  • Park of the People - Where the St. John's festival (O Maior São João do Mundo) is held
  • Park of the Child

• Shoppings
  • Iguatemi Mall - 114 stores
  • Cirne Shopping Center
  • Edson Diniz Shopping Centre
  • Luiza Motta Shopping Centre

• Theatres
  • Severino Cabral Municipal Theatre
  • Elba Ramalho Theatre

• Events

Name of the event	When it happens
Meeting of the New Conscience	February, during Carnival
Meeting for the Christian Conscience	February, during Carnival
Vaquejada Park Ivandro Cunha Lima	March
Micarande	April
St. John's Festival (O Maior São João do Mundo)	June
Campina Grande Winter Festival	August
Vaquejada Park Maria da Luz	October
Animal Exposition	October
Living Christmas Cradle	December
New Year's Eve on Açude Velho	December

[edit] Public transportation

• Presidente João Suassuna Airport
• Argemiro de Figueiredo Bus Station - New
• Cristiano Lauritzen Bus Station - Old

[edit] Post-secondary education

• Federal University of Campina Grande - UFCG
• State University of the Paraíba - UEPB
• Campina Grande Union of Secondary Education - UNESC (private)
• College of Applied Social Sciences - FACISA (private)
• Reinaldo Ramos Center of Secondary Education - CESREI (private)
• Acaraú Valley University - U.V.A. (private)
• English-American College (private)

[edit] Sports

• Gymnasiums
  • Plínio Lemos Sports Complex
  • The Meninão Gymnasium

• Stadiums
  • The Amigão Stadium
  • President Vargas Stadium - Home stadium of the Treze Football Club

• Local Teams
  • Campinense Club
  • Treze Football Club
  • Grêmio Serrano
  • Perilima

[edit] Neighborhoods

Acácio Figueiredo Alto Branco Araxá Bairro das Cidades Bairros das Nações Bela Vista Bodocongó Cachoeira Araxá Castelo Branco Catolé Centenário Centro Conceição Cruzeiro Cuités Dinamérica Distrito Industrial Estação Velha Glória Itararé Jardim Borborema Jardim Continental Jardim Paulistano Jardim Tavares Jeremias José Pinheiro

Lauritzen Liberdade Louzeiro Malvinas Mirante Monte Castelo Monte Santo Nova Brasília Novo Bodocongó Palmeira Pedregal Prata Presidente Médice Quarenta Ramadinha Sandra Cavalcante Santa Cruz Santa Rosa Santo Antônio São José Serrotão Tambor Três Irmãs Universitário Velame Vila Cabral

[edit] Economy

According to 1996 statistics from the Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada, the Gross Internal Product was estimated at R$591.93 million. 3.3% came through agricultural and livestock based activities. 19.8% came through industry and 76.9% was the result of the commerce and service sectors . The yield per capita was of R$1.717.09.

By 2002 the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics estimated that the Gross Internal Product to have grown to R$1,600 billion and the yield per capita to R$4,387.00.

[edit] Local Government

Campina Grande has 255,282 eligible voters distributed among 598 sections and four electoral districts.

The first election in 1878 had 34 eligible voters.

The office of Municipal Mayor was created on March 2, 1895 by State Law.

The first mayor of Campina Grande was Major Francisco Camilo of Araújo. Only in 1947 did people begin to have the opportunity to vote for the mayor directly.

As of 2006, the city has had 35 mayors.

[edit] List of Mayors

Name of Mayor	Beginning of mandate	End of mandate
Francisco Camilo de Araújo	02/03/1895	07/01/1901
João Lourenço Porto	07/01/1901	14/11/1904
Cristiano Lauritzen	14/11/1904	18/11/1923
Juvino de Souza do Ó	23/11/1923	23/05/1924
Ernani Lauritzen	23/05/1924	13/12/1928
Lafayete Cavalcanti Correia de Melo	07/02/1929	20/12/1932
Antônio Pereira de Almeida	20/12/1932	08/06/1934
Antônio Pereira Diniz	27/06/1934	12/09/1935
Bento Figueiredo	12/09/1935	18/12/1935
Vergniaud Borborema Wanderley	18/12/1935	01/03/1938
Bento Figueiredo	04/01/1938	20/08/1940
Vergniaud Borborema Wanderley	20/08/1940	01/03/1945
Severino Gomes Procópio	01/04/1945	06/11/1945
Raimundo Viana de Macêdo	06/11/1945	22/08/1946
Anfrísio Ribeiro de Brito	22/08/1946	11/10/1946
Sabiniano Alves do Rêgo Maia	14/03/1947	30/10/1947
Elpídio Josué de Almeida	30/10/1947	30/11/1951
Plínio Lemos	30/11/1951	30/11/1955
Elpídio Josué de Almeida	30/11/1955	30/11/1959
Severino Bezerra Cabral	30/11/1959	30/11/1963
Newton Vieira Rique	30/11/1963	15/06/1964
João Jerônimo da Costa	15/06/1964	30/11/1964
Williams de Souza Arruda	30/11/1964	31/01/1969
Ronaldo José da Cunha Lima	31/01/1969	14/03/1969
Orlando Augusto César de Almeida	14/03/1969	14/05/1969
Manoel Paz de Lima	14/05/1969	15/07/1970
Luiz Motta Filho	15/07/1970	31/01/1973
Evaldo Cavalcanti da Cruz	31/01/1973	31/01/1977
Enivaldo Ribeiro	31/01/1977	31/01/1983
Ronaldo José da Cunha Lima	31/01/1983	01/01/1989
Cássio Rodrigues da Cunha Lima	01/01/1989	30/11/1992
Félix Araújo Filho	01/01/1993	01/01/1997
Cássio Rodrigues da Cunha Lima	05/04/2002	31/12/2004
Cozete Barbosa Loureiro Garcia de Medeiros	05/04/2002	31/12/2004
Veneziano Vital do Rêgo Segundo Neto	01/01/2005	31/12/2008

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Education

IBGE (2003)

Schools	Students registered	Professors
Primary	80.427	3.688
Middle	19.764	1.108

• Illiteracy rate: 17.12%.

[edit] HDI

UNHD (2000)

HDI	1991	2000
Value	0.615	0.678
Life expectancy	0.585	0.641
Education	0.741	0.844
Total	0.647	0.721

[edit] Urban sanitation

IBGE (2000)

Service	Residences(%)
Water	96,6%
Sanitary Sewers	81,0%
Garbage Collection	94,6%

[edit] Health

• 2,634 hospital beds of which 2,148 are for free public health (2003, IBGE).
• Infant mortality: 76.6 persons/million (Ministry of Health/1998).
• Life expectancy: 63.5 years (IBGE, Census 2000).

Distances
City	km
Aracaju	541
Fortaleza	709
Maceió	374
Natal	270
Recife	191
Rio de Janeiro	2,378
Salvador	879
São Luís	1,530
São Paulo	2,700

[edit] Plant life

A list of 15 plants commonly found in the Campina Grande area. Of the 132 species of trees found, 51.2% originate from other countries and 32.8% are native species.

Scientific Name	Popular Name
Senna siamea	Yellow Cássia
Prosopis Juliflora DC	Algaroba
Cliptoria fairchildiana Howard	Sombreiro
Terminalia catappa Linn	Castanet
Pithecolobium dulcis	Hunger Killer
Pachira aquatica Aubl	Cocoa-bravo
Tabebuia sp	Yellow Ipê
Delonix Regia Raff	Flamboyant
Licania tomentosa (Benth) Fritsch.	Oitizeiro
Ficus benjamina L	Benjamina Fig
Syzigium jambolana DC.	Olive Tree
Roystonea oleracea Cook	Imperial Palm Tree
Schinus Terebinthifolius Raddi	Aroeira-da-praia
Spathodea campanulata	Espatódia
Adenanthera pavonina Linn.	Brazil Cássia