Sobral, Ceará

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A general view of the city's downtown, as photographed from the seat of the city government

A historical building in downtown Sobral

Sobral is a city and municipality in the state of Ceará, Brazil.

Sobral is the second largest municipality of Ceará, after Fortaleza. Its economy is based on agriculture, services and some manufacturing industries. The city has two universities (Universidade Federal do Ceará, with a medical school) and the Universidade do Vale do Acaraú.

The city became internationally known when it was the place where the first astronomical observation of a solar eclipse on May 29, 1919 by a team of British scientists led by Sir Arthur Eddington was offered as the first proof of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, which had been published in 1916. A "Museum of the Eclipse" celebrates this event in the town.