Porto Velho
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Porto Velho (, ''Old Port'') is the
capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...
of the
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
ian
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of
Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). It is bordered by Acre (state), Acre in the west, Amazonas, Brazil, Amazonas in the north, Mato Grosso in the east, and Bo ...
, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people (as of the
IBGE The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil. IBGE performs a decennial national cen ...
2022 estimation). Located on the
border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
of Rondônia and the state of Amazonas, the town is an important trading center for
cassiterite Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem. Cassiterite was the chief tin ore throughout ancient history and remains ...
, the mining of which represents the most important economic activity in the
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
, as well as a transportation and communication center. It is on the eastern shore of the
Madeira River The Madeira River ( ) is a major waterway in South America. It is estimated to be in length, while the Madeira-Mamoré is estimated near or in length depending on the measuring party and their methods. The Madeira is the biggest tributary of ...
, one of the main
tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
of the Amazon River. It is also Rondônia's largest city, and the largest state capital of Brazil by area. The municipality occupies most of the border between Amazonas and Rondônia, and is both the westernmost and northernmost city in the state.


History

Officially founded on October 2, 1914, Porto Velho was founded by pioneers around 1907, during the construction of the
Madeira-Mamoré railroad The Madeira-Mamoré Railroad is an abandoned railroad built in the Brazilian state of Rondônia between 1907 and 1912, during the rubber boom. The railroad links the cities of Porto Velho and Guajará-Mirim. It became known as the "Devil's Railro ...
. After the
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
was completed, the local population was about one thousand inhabitants; its buildings were chiefly the railway's installations and the wooden houses of the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
(mainly Barbadian) workers - hence the name of the town's largest district by then, "Bajan Hill" or "Barbados Town", nowadays called the "Alto do Bode". During the first sixty years, the city's
development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...
was directly connected to the railway's activities. The town prospered during the
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...
boom; after the discovery of cheap
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
n rubber made that of the Amazon obsolete, the region's rubber-centered
economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
ground to a sudden halt. Cities like Santo Antônio do Madeira, which had a
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
line and a weekly
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
by the time of Porto Velho's foundation, are still nothing but ruins to this day. Porto Velho's survival is associated with the better conditions of the area where it was built, its easy access by the river and its harbor: these were all considerations in the choice of Porto Velho as the capital of the newly formed Federal
Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...
of Guaporé, in 1943. Only with the beginning of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
was there another cycle of progress in the region. Once the Allied forces lost control of Malaysian rubber, the Amazon's was needed again due to the
war effort War effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and civilian—towards the support of a military force, particular during a state of war. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative si ...
. This produced what is known in Brazil as the "second
rubber boom The Amazon rubber cycle or boom (, ; , ) was an important part of the socioeconomic history of Brazil and Amazonian regions of neighboring countries, being related to the commercialization of rubber and the genocide of indigenous peoples. Cente ...
". Subsequently, when the war ended, the region's economy once again came to a halt. Porto Velho's modern
history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
begins with the discovery of
cassiterite Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem. Cassiterite was the chief tin ore throughout ancient history and remains ...
around the city, and of
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
on the
Madeira River The Madeira River ( ) is a major waterway in South America. It is estimated to be in length, while the Madeira-Mamoré is estimated near or in length depending on the measuring party and their methods. The Madeira is the biggest tributary of ...
, at the end of the 1950s. In addition, the government's decision to allow large cattle farms in the territory began a trend of migration into the city. Almost one million people moved to Rondônia, and Porto Velho's population increased to three hundred thousand. This intense migration caused much trouble for the city. Among many other problems, the suburban boroughs, for example, were nothing but
shanty town A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...
s. The Catedral Metropolitana Sagrado Coração de Jesus is the
cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
archiepiscopal see of a Latin Catholic jurisdiction that started on May 1, 1925. The vast Territorial Prelature of Porto Velho split off from the then- Diocese of Amazonas and Diocese of São Luíz de Cáceres, and also lost parts to three new
Territorial prelature A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...
s, before being promoted as the first bishopric (Diocese of Porto Velho). On October 4, 1982, it was promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Porto Velho.


Geography


Climate

Porto Velho features a
tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...
(climate type ''Am'') under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
. The temperatures tend to be relatively consistent throughout the course of the year, with average daily temperatures typically between 25 and 26 degrees Celsius. The dry season is short and covers the months of June, July and August. Porto Velho is particularly wet from November through April, averaging roughly of rain per month in each of these months. According to the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), between 1961 and 1990 the lowest temperature recorded in Porto Velho was in July 1975, and the highest reached in August 1969.


Vegetation

The Amazon has over half of the planet's remaining
rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
s and is the largest and most species-rich tract of
tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...
in the
world The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...
. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich
biome A biome () is a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. It consists of a biological community that has formed in response to its physical environment and regional climate. In 1935, Tansley added the ...
, and tropical forests in the
Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
are consistently more species-rich than wet forests in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
and
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
.Turner, I.M. 2001. ''The ecology of trees in the tropical rain forest''.
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
, Cambridge.
As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled
biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
. More than one third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.


Conservation

The municipality contains what is left of the Rio Madeira Sustainable Yield Forest (B) and (C), created in 1990. It contains the Lago do Cuniã Extractive Reserve, created in 1999. It contains part of the strictly-protected Cuniã Ecological Station, an area of savannah parkland. It holds all of the strictly protected Serra dos Três Irmãos Ecological Station. It contains part of the
Mapinguari National Park Mapinguari National Park () is a National park (Brazil), national park in the states of Rondônia and Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas, Brazil. It covers a large area of Amazon rainforest. The boundaries have been adjusted several times. Loca ...
, a conservation unit created in 2008. It also contains part of the Jacundá National Forest, a sustainable use conservation unit. The municipality contains 66% of the Jaci Paraná Extractive Reserve, created in 1996. It contains the
Mujica Nava Ecological Station The Mujica Nava Ecological Station ( is (or was) an Ecological station (Brazil), ecological station in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. In 2010 it was incorporated into the Mapinguari National Park, but this decision was later challenged. Location ...
, created in 1996. It contains part of the Bom Futuro National Forest, established in 1988. The majority of the forest surrounding Porto Velho has been cut down, however.


Economy

,
GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...
for the city was R$3,656,512,000. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was R$9,779 for the same year. A 2024 report by Trata Brasil ranked Porto Velho last in a public sanitation ranking of Brazil's 100 largest cities. The report found that just 41.8% of the city's population has access to municipal drinking water, and just 9.9% were connected to municipal sewage. Another 2024 study ranking quality of life among Brazil's state capitals found that Porto Velho placed last among them.


Cityscape


Transportation


International Airport

Porto Velho International Airport, from the city, has its main access at the Av. Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira, with two lanes. Buses from downtown run to the airport every hour, and there is a fleet of taxis serving only the airport. The airport is served by 98 scheduled flights weekly, most going to other large Brazilian cities. The presence of
Porto Velho Air Force Base Porto Velho Air Force Base – ALA6 is a Military base, base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Porto Velho, Brazil. It shares some facilities with Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport, Gov. Jorge Teixeira de Olivei ...
ensures considerable movement of military aircraft. The local people refer to Porto Velho International as Belmont Airport because it is located in this district. It became an international airport in 2002. It was built as a replacement to Caiari Airport, which was closed on April 16, 1969. Porto Velho Air Force Base - ALA6, one of their most important bases of the
Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...
, is located in Porto Velho.


Highways

*
BR-174 BR-174 is a federal highway of Brazil. The road connects Cáceres to Pacaraima on the Venezuelan border. It is the only road connection of the state of Roraima with the rest of the country. 458 kilometres are under construction, and there is n ...
* BR-317 *
BR-319 BR-319 is an federal highway that links Manaus, Amazonas to Porto Velho, Rondônia. The highway runs through a pristine part of the Amazon rainforest. It was opened by the military government in 1973 but soon deteriorated, and by 1988 was imp ...
*
BR-364 BR-364 is an inter-state highway in Brazil connecting the southeast state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo to the western state of Acre (state), Acre. The highway was opened in the 1960s and paved in the 1980s. It has brought economic development ...
* BR-421 * BR-425 * BR-429 *RO-010 *RO-101 *RO-490


Education


Colleges

* Universidade Federal de Rondônia (Unir); * Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rondônia - Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Rondônia (IFRO); * Instituto Luterano de Ensino Superior de Porto Velho (Iles-Ulbra); * Faculdade Interamericana de Porto Velho (Uniron); * Faculdade de Ciências Administrativas e de Tecnologia (Fatec-RO); * Faculdade de Ciências Humanas, Exatas e Letras de Rondônia (Faro); * Faculdade da Amazônia (Iesa); * Faculdade de Porto Velho/ Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FIP/FGV); * Faculdades Integradas Maria Coelho Aguiar (FIMCA); * Faculdade São Lucas;


Schools

* Maple Bear Canadian School; * Colégio Sapiens; * Classe A; * Escola Estadual de Ensino Fundamental e Médio João Bento da Costa; * Colégio Tiradentes da Polícia Militar; * Centro de Ensino Mineiro; * Proensino; * Instituto Laura Vicuña; * Instituto Estadual de Educação Carmela Dutra; * Colégio Dom Bosco; * Centro Educacional Dr Gilberto Mendes De Azevedo; * Instituto Maria Auxiliadora.


Culture

The culture of Porto Velho is marked by a strong Northeastern influence with Bumba Meu Boi, the popular
Festa Junina ''Festas Juninas'' (; "June Festivals/Festivities"), also known as ''festas de São João'' ("Saint John's Day") for their part in celebrating the nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24), are the annual Brazilian celebrations adapted from E ...
and Pastorinha celebrations, and some influences of south central
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. The interpretation of Native American legends, such as the Iara, the
Boto Boto is a Portuguese name given to several types of dolphins and river dolphins native to the Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (c ...
and
Mapinguari Mapinguari or mapinguary are mythical monstrous jungle-dwelling spirits from Brazilian folklore. They are said to protect the Amazon rainforest and its animals. According to folklore, when humans grow too old they can transform into man-eating M ...
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
, influenced by migrants. As for
handicrafts A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...
, there are various exhibitions of indigenous works, utilities and adornment using raw materials like
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
, vines,
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
and
rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...
. The Artisan's House serves as a support to the initiatives of the genre.


Libraries

The collection of library articles in municipal Porto Velho was waiting for a permanent headquarters for several years until completion of the Municipal Library next to City Hall. The space has two air-conditioned floors in the city center.


Carnival

The Carnival takes place every year, attracting a large number of people from other cities and neighboring states of Rondônia. During the carnival, there are the parades of carnival and samba schools; among the best known are The Diplomats, Asfaltão, among others. In July Carnival happens out of season, with characteristics of the Bahia Carnival, with electric trios and 'Axé' groups.


Theatres

Two theaters enliven the cultural sector: The Municipal Theater, Avenida Nabuco (center) and Theatre Uirassu Rodrigues, Jose Bonifacio Street.


Museums

The railway complex is located the Museum of Railroad Madeira-Mamore, in the city center. Within it lies the State Museum, with abundant material on
archeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeolo ...
,
ethnology Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Sci ...
and
Mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...
.


Museum of Railroad Madeira-Mamore

The
Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
is housed in a warehouse that was used for loading and unloading for almost a century. One can see hundreds of materials in this preserved railway. The museum has several pieces from the time of its construction and operation. Besides the first locomotive brought to the Amazon, the ''Coronel Church'', there is also a 'stork and a tricycle', used to transport the line foremen who checked lathes, machines, furniture, as well as photographs of workers, books, documents and more. The museum is located at Avenida September 7 - Railroad Square Madeira-Mamore. Outside the museum, on the waterfront, you can take a ride in one of the "barges" to Teotônio waterfall.


Monuments


The Three Boxes Water

Also known as The Three Marias, the water tanks are in the center of town, in the square of the same name. The first was erected in 1910 and the other two in 1912. They were designed and built by Chicago Bridge & Iron Works of Chicago as per information contained in cast-iron plate, carved pilasters on each of them. There are three cylindrical tanks, covered with metal sheets in a conical shape, with a concave-shaped base. Each tank is elevated from the ground by four columns made of iron lattice on concrete foundations. They are at the height of the bulge surrounded by a walkway railing with metal lattice through which arrives via a ladder. Each reservoir has a capacity for 200,000 liters and supplied the city of Porto Velho by the year 1957, working as gravity-fed reservoirs.


The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The cathedral had its construction initiated in 1917, but was completed only ten years later because of difficulties in transporting material. Original paintings of a religious nature inside the cathedral, were executed by Father Angelo Cerri and Alfonso Liguori. The stained glass windows that surround it, with the themes of the Cross, were all donated by the community-velhense port.


Crime

A 2024 report by the Mexico-based organization Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice ranked Porto Velho as one of the cities with the highest violent crime rates in Brazil, and among the 50 highest in the entire world.


Sport

The city currently has seven
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
teams: CF Amazônia,
Cruzeiro EC Cruzeiro Esporte Clube () is a Brazilian professional football club, based in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Cruzeiro is the greatest team of Minas Gerais. Although competing in a number of different sports, Cruzeiro is mostly known for its as ...
, Porto Velho EC, SC Genus de Porto Velho, SC Shallon, Moto EC and Rondoniense SC. In the past the city was also home to Ferroviário AC,
CR Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...
, São Domingos EC, and Ypiranga EC before these clubs folded. All clubs share the one stadium in the city, the Aluizão, named after Aluízio Ferreira, with a smaller ground Saldanão also available.


References


External links


Prefeitura Municipal de Porto Velho (official page of Porto Velho)

Unofficial page of Porto Velho history

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{{Authority control Populated places established in 1914 Municipalities in Rondônia State capitals in Brazil 1914 establishments in Brazil