Barbalha is a municipality in the state of

Ceará Ceará (, pronounced locally as or ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is the eighth-largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the ...

in the Northeast region of Brazil. Barbalha covers , and has a population of 61,228 with a population density of 100 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is located at the south of the state, from the state capital of

Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the t ...

. The eastern part of the Araripe-Apodi National Forest, established in 1946, is located in Barbalha. The city sits at the foot of the Chapada do Araripe, a large plateau on the border of Ceará and Pernambuco. The municipality of Barbalha is located in the microregion of the

Vale do Cariri A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municipali ...

, in the south of the state of Ceará. It is bordered by the municipalities of Crato, Juazeiro do Norte,

Porteiras Porteiras is a municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Ceará This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Ceará (CE), located in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Cea ...

, Jardim, and

Missão Velha Missão Velha is a municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Ceará This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Ceará (CE), located in the Northeast Region of Brazil. ...

. In the

Portuguese colonial The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...

period the larger region of southern Ceará belonged to Francisco Magalhães Barreto (1816-1887), a

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

landowner. The small settlement of Barbalha was elevated to parish (''freguesia'') status by Provincial Law No. 91 of August 30, 1838. On August 7, 1846, by Provincial Law no. 374, it was raised to village status and a judiciary seat was created there. Barbalha was then detached from the municipality of Crato. Barbalha was elevated to municipality status by Provincial Law no. 9740 on August 30, 1876. Barbalha is associated with significant events of history in Ceará in the 19th century. Residents of the town participated in the Pernambucan Revolt of 1817 and in the Confederation of the Equator, a short-lived rebellion that occurred in the Northeastern region of Brazil in 1824. An important festival in Barbalha is the Festa do Pau-da-Bandeira de Santo Antonio (Feast of the Flagpole of Saint Anthony) in June. The municipality produces famous rapadura ( panela) (unrefined

whole cane sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

) and cassava flour. Other industries in the town produce marble, bricks, tiles, and Portland cement.

Former Town Hall

The former town hall of Barbalha (Casa de Câmara e Cadeia) was built during the great drought of 1877. Construction of the building was approved to create work for unemployed farmers. The square at the town hall is the location of Festa do Pau-da-Bandeira de Santo Antonio. The building, according to town residents, was renovated at the beginning of the 1930s. The town hall became a protected structure of the State of Ceará on March 3, 1995.

Notable people

Hermes Carleial Hermes Carleial (30 March 1904 – 6 July 1954), was a Brazilian poet, lawyer, accountant and writer. Biography Hermes Carleial was born in the city of Barbalha, in the State of Ceará, in 1904. He was the second child in a family of seven brot ...

(1904–1954), Brazilian poet, lawyer, accountant and writer

References

{{Municipalities of Ceará Municipalities in Ceará Populated places established in 1846