Boa Vista, Roraima

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Boa Vista

State	Roraima
Area:	5712 km²
Population:	249,665 (estimative 2006 - IBGE)
Height:	85 m above sea level
Postcode (CEP):	69300-000
Geographic location:	02°49′N 60°40′W
Address of the local government:	Prefeitura Municipal de Boa Vista Palácio 9 de Julho Rua General Penha Brasil, nº 1011 Bairro São Francisco
Website:	www.pmbv.rr.gov.br
Contact:	e-mail
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Boa Vista is the capital of the Brazilian state of Roraima. It is also the most populous municipality in the state. Approximately one third of the people in the state live here. It is the only Brazilian capital located entirely above the Equator.

This modern city is distinguished among the capitals in the North Region of Brazil as a planned city with a radial plan. It was planned by the architect, Darci Aleixo Deregusson who designed the city in a similar fashion to that of Paris, France. It was built under the direction of Captain Ene Garcez, the first governor of Roraima. The main avenues converge at the Civic Center Plaza, where the headquarters of three governmental branches reside (legislative, judiciary, and executive). Aside from the cultural attractions (theaters and palaces), there are hotels, banks, post offices, and cathedrals.

1 History
2 Capital
3 Demographic growth
4 External links

[edit] History

The municipality of Boa Vista formed the first urban area of the state of Roraima.

The São Joaquim Fort, founded in 1775, is located about 32 km from the capital and is considered to be of great importance to the region.

[edit] Capital

In the middle of World War II, in 1943, Boa Vista became the capital of the recently created Federal Territory of Rio Branco. The territory grew due to the mining in the area. The then Federal Territory of Rio Branco was elevated to statehood, and after some time it was known as "Roraima". Later, mining with machines became prohibited (because of damage to the landscape) which hindered the economy of the state and the municipality.

[edit] Demographic growth

In the beginning, indigenous people were the only inhabitants of Boa Vista. Boa Vista had the highest growth rate of any Brazilian capital in the 1970s which was 3% per year. What attracts immigrants most about this city is employment generated by public service for Brazilians and general commerce attracts immigrants from neighboring countries. In 1950 Boa Vista had about 5,200 inhabitants. This number has grown 47 fold in only 56 years to approximately 250,000 inhabitants.