Olinda

Olinda
—  Municipality  —
The Municipality of Olinda
Country	Brazil
Region	Northeast
State	Pernambuco
Founded	1535
Incorporated (as village)	1537
Incorporated (as city)	1676
Government
- Mayor	Renildo V. Calheiros
Area
- Municipality	43.55 km2 (27.1 sq mi)
- Metro	2,768 km2 (1,068.7 sq mi)
Elevation	16 m (52 ft)
Population (2008)
- Municipality	394.850
- Density	9.066/km2 (3.537/sq mi)
- Metro	3,731,719
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
HDI (2000)	0.792 – medium
Website	Olinda, Pernambuco

São Francisco Sacristy

Prudente de Morais street - Olinda

Olinda is a historic city in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife and south of Paulista. It has a population of 394,850 people ^[1] and is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil. The city's name can be interpreted as an exclamation regarding the beauty of its setting ("Ó, linda!" is Portuguese for "Oh, beautiful!"), but a much more likely source is a literary character in the chivalry romance Amadis de Gaula.^{[citation needed]}

Olinda features a number of major touristic attractions, such as a historic downtown area (World Heritage Site), churches, and the Carnival of Olinda, a popular street party, very similar to traditional Portuguese carnivals, with the addition of African influenced dances. Unlike in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, in Olinda, admission to Carnival is free. All the festivities are celebrated on the streets, and there are no bleachers or roping. There are hundreds of small musical groups (sometimes featuring a single performer) in many genres.

History

Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Brazil
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Reference	189
Region**	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription	1982  (6th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Several indigenous tribes occupied the coast of Northeastern Brazil for several thousand years, and the hills of the present day municipality of Olinda had settlements of Caetés and Tupinambá tribes, which were frequently at war. French mercenaries are thought to be the first Europeans to get to the region, but the Portuguese exploited intertribal rivalries and managed to build a stronghold on the former Caeté village in the higher hill. Recent studies by the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco have uncovered new evidence of the pre-colonial population of the area. The settlement of Olinda was founded in 1535 by Duarte Coelho Pereira; it was elevated to a town in March 12, 1537. It was made the seat of the Territorial Prelature of Pernambuco in 1614, becoming the Diocese of Olinda in 1676.

Map made for the Dutch invasion of Olinda in 1630

Olinda was the capital of the hereditary captaincy of Pernambuco, but was burned by Dutch invaders. The Portuguese built their town on the hill, for practical purposes (sewers) and to make it easier to defend. In the 17th century the Kingdom of Portugal was united with Spain (the 1580-1640 Iberian Union period). Taking advantage of this period of Portuguese weakness, the area around Olinda and Recife was occupied by the Dutch who gained access to the Portuguese sugarcane plantations. John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen was appointed as the governor of the Dutch possessions in Brazil in 1637 by the Dutch West India Company on recommendation of Frederick Henry. He landed at Recife, the port of Pernambuco and the chief stronghold of the Dutch, in January 1637. By a series of successful expeditions, he gradually extended the Dutch possessions from Sergipe on the south to São Luís de Maranhão in the north. He likewise conquered the Portuguese possessions of Saint George del Mina, Saint Thomas, and Luanda, Angola, on the west coast of Africa. After the dissolution of the Iberian Union in 1640, Portugal would reestablish its authority over the lost territories of the Portuguese Empire.

Besides its natural beauty, Olinda is also one of the most important of Brazil's cultural centers. Declared in 1982 a Historical and Cultural Patrimony of Humanity by the UNESCO, Olinda relives the magnificence of the past every year during the Carnival, in the rhythm of frevo, maracatu and others rhythms.

Geography

• Coordinates - 8 00'S , 34 53' W
• State - Pernambuco
• Region - RMR (Recife)
• Boundaries - Paulista (N), Recife (S , W), Atlantic ocean (E)
• Area - 43.55 sqkm (27.1 sqmi)
• Elevation - 16 m (52 ft)
• Hidrography - Beberibe and small coastal rivers
• Urban beaches - Casa caiada and Rio doce
• Vegetation - Atlantic forest, Restinga and Manguezais
• Clima - Hot tropical and humid
• Annual average temperature - 24 c
• Main road - PE 001

Economy

The main economic activities in Olinda are based in tourism, commerce, transportation industry and artesanato. The tourist sector has a boom every Carnival when thousands of people are in the old historic town center.

Economic Indicators

Economy by Sector

Health Indicators

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Tourism

• Historic town center
• Carnival
• Cultural sites
• Beaches

References

External links

• Olinda's official website
• http://www.olinda.com.br Commercial site
• Video Olinda, Pernambuco (PT) [1]
• Video Olinda street Carnival [2]

Coordinates: 8°00′S 34°53′W / 8°S 34.883°W / -8; -34.883