Sergipe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Flag of Sergipe | ||
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| See other Brazilian States | ||
| Capital | Aracaju | |
| Largest City | Aracaju | |
| Area | 21,994 km² | |
| Population - Total - Density |
1,712,786 77.9 inh./km² |
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| Governor | Marcelo Déda(PT) | |
| Demonym | Sergipano | |
| HDI (2000) | 0.682 – medium | |
| Timezone | GMT-3 | |
| ISO 3166-2 | BR-SE | |
Sergipe (pron. IPA: [sɛx.'ʒi.pi] [1]) (originally Sergipe D'El-Rey), is the smallest state of Brazil, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia in the South and West and Alagoas in the North, and in the East on the Atlantic. Aracaju is the capital and the largest city of the state. Its populations include about three-quarter black and mixed race people.
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[edit] Geography
As with most of the states in the Brazil's Northeastern region, inland Sergipe is almost entirely savanna (caatinga), and its coastline is characterised by mangroves, swamps and sandy beaches. A small strip of tropical rainforest runs down the coast. The São Francisco River forms its northern boundary, and the drainage of the northern part of the state is northward and eastward to that river. The southern half of the state slopes eastward and is drained directly into the Atlantic through a number of small rivers, the largest of which are the Irapiranga (whose source in the state of Bahia is called Vasa Barris at its mouth), the Real and the Cotinguiba. These streams are navigable for short distances, but are obstructed by sand bars at their mouths, that of Cotinguiba being especially dangerous. The surface of the state resembles in part that of Bahia, with a zone of forested lands near the coast and back of this a higher zone of rough open country, called agreste. There is a sandy belt along the coast, and the western frontier is slightly mountainous. The intermediate lands are highly fertile, especially in the forested region where the rainfall is abundant. Further inland the year is divided into wet and dry seasons with occasional prolonged droughts. These districts are pastoral, and the lower fertile lands are cultivated. There are no good ports on the coast because of the bars at the mouths of the rivers.
The capital of the state is Aracaju (pop. 479 767 in 2003), on the lower course or estuary of the Cotinguiba River, near the coast. The bar at the entrance to this river is exceptionally dangerous, and the port is frequented only by coasting vessels of light draught. The town stands on a sandy plain, and there are sand dunes within the city limits. The public buildings are a large plain church with unfinished twin towers, the government palace, the legislative halls, a normal school and public hospital.
The other principal towns are Estância (pop. 62,218 in 2005) on the Rio Real in the southern part of the state, with manufactures of cotton textiles, cigars and cigarettes and soap and an active trade; Laranjeiras (pop. 26,452 in 2005), in a highly productive sugar district north of the capital; Capela (pop. 27,403 in 2005); Simão Dias (pop. 39,706 in 2005); Lagarto (pop. 90,345 in 2005); São Cristóvão, formerly Sergipe d'el-Rey (pop. 75,353 in 2005), the old colonial capital near the mouth of the Irapiranga; and Maruim (pop. 15,937 in 2005).
[edit] Economy
Sergipe's economy is focused around the production of sugarcane, and the enormous cane fields, taking advantage of the wet and fertile soil, produce over 1.4 million tons of sugar annually. Unlike in many Brazilian states, cattle is not a major industry, as the land area of the state prevents large scale grazing. Along with sugarcane, cassava (617,400 tons annually) and oranges (14.4 million oranges annually) are grown. A small-scale leather and textiles industry also exists.
The Brazilian federal government is also encouraging the development of a fledgling petroleum and natural gas industry.
[edit] History
São Cristóvão was the site of the first settlement by the Portuguese, in 1591 in Europeans in Sergipe D'El-Rey, what is today Sergipe. (The name Sergipe is actually a Tupi word, meaning river of "crab".) The city, which served as the provincial capital, has been designated a National monument to preserve its colonial architecture. Among the important sacred buildings are the Church and Convent of São Francisco, which date from 1693; the Santa Casa de Miseracordia from the 17th century; the Chapel of Our Lady of Conception, from 1751; the Mother Church of Our Lady of Victory, from 1766; and several other important churches from the 18th century, including the Church of Our Lady of the Black Men's Rosary; the Church of Our Lady of Amparo; and the Monastery of São Bento. The Museum of Sacred Art, in the Church and Convent of São Francisco, is considered the third most important in Brazil.
As with other states in the northeast, Sergipe was invaded numerous times by the Dutch, and frequently raided by French buccaneers. During the 1600s, the state was known throughout the Americas for its king-wood, a prized commodity that was the primary attraction in the buccaneer raids, and probably a factor in Dutch military expeditions. By 1700s, the Portuguese military had driven off the pirates permanently.
In the 1930s Sergipe became notorious for its outlaws, including Virgolino Ferreira da Silva, - better known as Lampião, the "King of Bandits", who terrorised the state for almost a decade until his beheading by the Brazilian police in 1938. His head was later displayed on a pole in a village square.
[edit] Flag
The stars on the flag of Sergipe represent the number of river estuaries in the state, and the green and yellow stripes represent Sergipe's union with the rest of Brazil. It was designed by José Rodrigues Bastos Coelho, a businessman who felt that Brazilian ships should carry flags to identify their state of origin. It was officially adopted on October 19, 1920.
In 1937, dictator Getúlio Vargas abolished all state flags and symbols, but allowed them again in 1946. In 1951, when the Sergipe legislature began to consider restoring the state flag, it decided to change the number of stars, so that there would be one for every municipality in the state. In 1952, this new design was scrapped and replaced by the original 5 star design.
[edit] See also
- List of cities in Brazil (all cities and municipalities)
[edit] Sources and external links
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Brazilian embassy in London's Sergipe page
- (Portuguese) Government of Sergipe's homepage
- (Portuguese) History of Colonial Sergipe
[edit] Notes
- ^ The presented pronunciation is in Brazilian Portuguese variant spoken in Sergipe. The European Portuguese pronunciation is: /sɛɾ.'ʒi.p(ɨ)/.
