Gravataí

Gravataí (Tupi–Guarani: gravatá, a kind of flower common in the region; y, river.) is a Brazilian municipality near Porto Alegre at the Rio Grande do Sul State. Its population is approximately 250,000 people, making it the sixth most populous city in the state.

History

The land where Gravataí is located was subject of dispute between Portugal and Spain until 1750, when they signed the Treaty of Madrid. Originally known as Aldeia de Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, Gravataí was founded on April 8, 1763 by settlers designated by the Portuguese to consolidate the crown presence in the region, led by Pedro Gonçalves Sandoval and João Lourenço Veloso. In 1772, the São Pedro province governor José Marcelino de Figueiredo started to develop the town. He built schools, mills and pottery facilities.

Then known as Aldeia dos Anjos, in 1806 the town was declared a district of Porto Alegre. By 1880 Gravataí was chartered as a borough ("Vila" in Portuguese). On March 2, 1938, the Executive order #311 declared Gravataí a city.

Gravatá

Gravatá is a city in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, located about 75 km (47 mi) from the state's capital Recife (the distance by road is 85 km or 53 mi). The population of Gravatá in 2009 was 75.229 inhabitants, according with IBGE.

Geography

Gravatá is located at 08°12′04″S 35°33′53″W / 8.20111°S 35.56472°W / -8.20111; -35.56472. The average altitude is 447 metres (1,467 ft). The area of Gravatá is 491.53 km² (189.78 sq mi). It is known for a pleasant climate (annual medium temperature 18 °C or 64.4 °F) and its charming houses with an Alpine architecture; it is placed in the rural countryside of Pernambuco (Agreste Pernambucano). Located in the rural district of the valley of Ipojuca (Vale do Ipojuca), a transition area between the Forest and the Rural Area, in the region formerly known the Borborema Plateau, nowadays called Serra das Russas (Russians' Mountain), it is part of the basin Capibaribe. Being an important regional centre town, it is linked to Recife by a federal highway (BR-232), which passes also Vitória de Santo Antão and Jaboatão dos Guararapes.