Natal, Rio Grande Do Norte

Natal ( ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in northeastern Brazil. According to IBGE's 2021 estimate, the city had a total population o
896,708
making it the 19th largest city in the country. Natal is a major tourist destination and an exporting hub of crustaceans, carnauba wax and fruits, mostly melon, sugar apple, cashew and papaya. It is the country's closest city to Africa and Europe, with its Greater Natal International Airport connecting Natal with many Brazilian cities and also operating some international flights. The city was one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

History

The Brazilian coast has long been home to indigenous peoples, generally members of the Tupi language family. While written records do not exist, archeological evidence suggests that pre-European inhabitants moved from the Amazon to the coasts approximately 2,900 years ago.

Near the Rio Grande de Norte, the Potiguara people were the most numerous ''indios'' encountered by the Portuguese. It is believed that in 1500, prior to contact with the Europeans, there were over 1 million people living in coastal Brazilian among all of the local groups. This nearly equaled the population of Portugal at the time.

The northeastern tip of South America, to the north of Natal and the closest point to Europe from Latin America, was first visited by European navigators in 1501, as part of the 1501–1502 Portuguese expedition led by Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci renamed the area after the saint of the day, Cape São Roque; the prior indigenous name is unknown. For decades thereafter, no permanent European settlement was established in the area.

In 1597, after some years during which French pirates, led by Jacques Riffault, established regular commercial activities with the native population, the ninth Portuguese Governor-General of Brazil, Francisco de Sousa, ordered the expulsion of the buccaneers. The successful expedition against 50 Frenchmen and their Amerindian allies was led by the Captain-Major of the Captaincy of Pernambuco, Manuel de Mascarenhas Homem, with the assistance of Jerônimo de Albuquerque Maranhão.

Albuquerque Maranhão began on January 6, 1598, the construction of the Fort of the Holy Kings or of the Magi-Kings ("''Forte dos Santos Reis''" or "''Forte dos Reis Magos''"), named after the Three Wise Men, honored in the Christian feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on that day.

Natal (which translates to "Nativity" or "Christmas" in Portuguese) was founded on December 25, 1599, giving the village outside the fort the modern name of the city. The fort, city, and surrounding areas were occupied by Dutch forces from 1633 to 1654. They rechristened the fort "Fort Ceulen" after one of their commanders.
The sandy soil of Natal prevented the city from becoming a producer of sugarcane during the colonial times. For centuries, the economy of the state was based on the raising of cattle in the dry interior lands. Cattle were sent alive to the larger centers, to be used as traction, or were turned into jerked beef, for food; the most typical food of Natal, " carne de sol" (sun meat), has origins in that jerked beef.

In the last century, Natal benefited from the growth of the salt industries (the north of Rio Grande do Norte is the largest producer in Brazil) and petroleum (the largest inland Brazilian reserves are in the State). Natal grew quickly, but in a somewhat planned way (compared to other major Brazilian cities). Tourists (first Brazilians, more recently foreigners) discovered the city, which became one of the major tourist destinations in Brazil.

Because of its strategic position (Natal is one of the cities in Brazil nearest to Western Europe and Africa, especially Dakar, Senegal), an American air base was built in a suburb of Natal named Parnamirim during World War II, as part of the so-called Operation Rainbow. This base provided support for allied troops fighting in north Africa. Thousands of American soldiers were sent to Natal. Their presence left traces in the culture of the city. The city also held the Potenji Conference, which took place right after the Casablanca Conference and defined the active participation of Brazil in the war, being the only Latin American country to send troops overseas to fight in Europe.

Geography

Natal is located at , in the far east of South America. The city has a total area of . Natal lies on the Atlantic Ocean, at the mouth of the Potengi River.

Climate

Natal has a typical tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification: ''As''), with warm to hot temperatures and high relative humidity all throughout the year. However, these conditions are relieved by a near absence of extreme temperatures and pleasant trade winds blowing from the ocean. February is the warmest month, with mean maximum of and minimum of , while July is the coolest with mean maximum of and minimum of . Rainfall is heavy at around per year, but there is a dry season between about September and January that is more distinct than further south on the Atlantic coast. The greatest amount of rain falls between March and July.

Known as the "City of the Sun" and also as "The City of the Dunes", Natal is located in the northeastern tip of Brazil. Lying about six degrees south of the equator the sun shines on for more than 3,000 hours every year. The average temperature in Natal is about . During the summer season it normally reaches above with the water at a soothing .

Demographics

According to the IBGE of July 2013, there were 862,044 people residing in the city, and 1,485,405 people residing in the Greater Natal (metropolitan area). This is the second smallest capital the country in territorial extension, therefore, the population density is high, . It is the 21st-largest city in the country and the sixth largest in the northeastern region. The racial makeup of the city was 48% Pardo (Multiracial), 48% White, 3.20% Black, 0.80% Asian or Amerindian.

Economy

With its dozens of sandy, white beaches, such as Ponta Negra and its famous Morro do Careca, Tabatinga - the cliff of dolphins, Pirangi do Norte, Redinha, Pipa and Genipabu with its famous fixed sand dunes and imported dromedaries, tourism is the most important industry of Natal, attracting Brazilians, Europeans (many from Spain, England, Scandinavia, Germany, Portugal, Italy and France), and U.S. citizens alike. There has been an increase of 211% in foreign tourism in Natal between 2002 and 2007 (for the same time period the increase of foreign tourism in Brazil was 62,8%); This is a due to the accessibility of Natal and the appeal Brazil has for an increasing number of tourists, clearly showing that Natal is the area leading the Brazilian tourism boom. Natal is the number one area receiving international investments in Brazil. Natal will benefit enormously from the massive future investments on the coastline.

It is also a relevant administrative center for the oil industry (Rio Grande do Norte being the second largest oil-producing state in Brazil). Thus, its Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) is a national scientific research pole on Oil Sciences (ranging from Geophysical to Law studies), supported mostly by Petrobras financing.

The fishing industry is strong (shark cartilage being a major export to Japan) as is the cultivation of tropical fruit, especially mangos, guavas, and cashews (the fruit and the nuts).

In fact, the largest cashew tree in the world is located near the coast in the neighborhood of Pirangi, south of the city center. This tree has a circumference of 500 metres and occupies an area of 7,300 m², making it 70 times the size of average cashew trees.

The GDP for the city was R$206,832,516,000 (2019).

The per capita income for the city was $44,149 (2016) and $55,900.68 in 2019.

Education

Portuguese language is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum.

Educational institutions

* Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN);
* International Institute of Physics (IIP-UFRN);
* International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal (IINN-ELS);
* Estadual do Rio Grande do Norte (UERN);
* Universidade Potiguar (UnP);
* Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Norte(IFRN);
* Instituto de Educação Superior Presidente Kennedy (Kennedy);
* Faculdade Natalense para o Desenvolvimento do Rio Grande do Norte (Farn);
* Faculdade de Natal (FAl);
* Faculdade de Excelência Educacional do Rio Grande do Norte (FATERN); (IINN-ELS)
* Faculdade Câmara Cascudo (FCC);
* Faculdade de Ciências Cultura e Extensão (FACEX);
* Faculdade Católica Nossa Senhora das Neves (FCNSN);
* Faculdade Maurício de Nassau (UNINASSAU);
* Federal Rural University of the Semi-arid Region (UFERSA).

There are more than 15 universities in whole state of Rio Grande do Norte.

Main sights

;Natal Dunes State Park

The Natal Dunes State Park is considered the second largest urban park in Brazil. It includes 1,172 hectares of land, and allows observation of several vegetal and animal species, which are typical of the Atlantic Forest. The tour is along a trail, accompanied by trained guides. The park also has a jogging track, and stays open for visitors from Tuesday to Sunday.

;Museums
Museums in Natal include: Museu de Arte Sacra, Museu de Cultura Popular, Espaço Cultural Palácio Potengi, Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Norte, Pinacoteca do Rio Grande do Norte, Museum Camara Cascudo, Memorial Camara Cascudo.

;Natal Aquarium

The Natal Aquarium was founded and is run by a family of biologists and retired environmentalists. Besides the exhibit, the aquarium also serves as a surgery center for sea animals. The Aquarium is located between the Oceânica Avenue and the beach. The Aquarium exhibits about 60 marine species. There are about 30 small aquariums, where the species are put individually or in small groups of two or three species. Most species were collected at the Brazilian and Rio Grande do Norte coast. Species include several kinds of fish (including piranhas), sea horses, shrimps, lobsters, stingrays, octopus, etc. In a refrigerated aquarium, there is a couple of penguins.


;The Largest Cashew Tree in the World
The Cashew of Pirangi