Sobral, Ceará

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 Estadual do Vale do Acaraú. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sobral.

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. There is a monument at the museum marking the location of this solar eclipse.

Population: 155,276
Location: 3°42′S 40°21′W / -3.7, -40.35