Bethlehem is the capital of the state of For, on the north coast of Brazil. It is one of the most important cities in this region, being located in a strategic position in the territory. It is inserted in the Amazon biome, has a humid tropical climate and a predominantly flat relief. The city currently has 1.49 million inhabitants, being, in addition to being populous, densely populated. It has a rich cultural tradition and several tourist attractions that make this activity highly important for its economy, centered on the tertiary sector.
Read too: What are the capitals of Brazilian states?
Summary
Belém is the capital of the state of Pará, in the North region from Brazil.
It is located in the estuarine region of the coast of Pará, with an exit to the Bay of Guajará to the west and limited to the south by the River Guamá.
It integrates the Metropolitan Region of Belém, formed in all by seven municipalities.
It has a humid tropical climate and relief composed of flat and gently wavy features, being located in the domain of plains.
It is inserted in the Amazon biome and also in the Brazilian coastal-marine system.
It has 1.49 million inhabitants, making it one of the most populous cities in Brazil and the most populous in the state of Pará.
It is the main economy in the state, led by the tertiary sector. The importance of tourism for the city is highlighted, such as religious tourism through the Círio de Nazaré, for example. Plant extraction is also another relevant activity for the Belizean economy, in addition to the metallurgical, furniture, food and shipbuilding industries.
Belem general data
Gentile: Belenian.
Location: North region.
Parents: Brazil.
Federative unit: For.
Intermediate region[1]: Bethlehem.
Immediate region[1]: Bethlehem.
Metropolitan region: Metropolitan Region of Belém. Formed by the municipalities of: Belém, Ananindeua, Benevides, Castanhal, Marituba, Santa Bárbara do Pará and Santa Izabel do Pará.
Bordering municipalities: Santo Antônio do Tauá, Santa Bárbara do Pará, Benevides, Ananindeua, Barcarena.
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Geography:
- Total area: 1,059,466 km² (IBGE, 2020).
- Total population: 1,499,641 inhabitants (IBGE, 2020).
- Density: 1,315.26 inhab./km² (IBGE, 2010).
- Climate: tropical wet.
- Altitude: 4 meters.
- Time zone: GMT -3 hours.
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Historic:
- Foundation: January 12, 1616.
Bethlehem geography
Belém is a Brazilian municipality located in the North of the country, more precisely in the federative unit of Pará. It is the state capital, as it is where the seat of the government of Pará is located. It has an exit to the Atlantic Ocean through the Guajará Bay to the west, being also bathed by the Guamá River to the south. Marajó Island is located to the northwest, while Belém is limited to the following municipalities:
Santo Antônio do Tauá, to the northeast;
Santa Bárbara do Pará, to the east;
Ananindeua and Benevides to the southeast;
Acará, to the south;
Barcarena to the southwest.
The city of Belém is categorized as a metropolis, thus forming the Metropolitan Region of Belém, which is made up of seven municipalities.
![View of part of the port area of Belém, Pará. [1]](/f/4b03749401e30071e15049a8e275699b.jpg)
Belem climate
The climate of the city of Belém is predominantly tropical wet, which has as its main characteristic the high temperatures throughout the year. Averages vary between 26 ºC and 28 ºC, with maximums that can reach up to 38 ºC and minimums around 20 ºC. The rains are concentrated between January and March, while the dry period corresponds to the months of October and November. Annually, a volume of rainfall greater than 3,000 mm is registered.
Bethlehem relief
Bethlehem belongs to the domain of plains and Amazon lowlands, according to the relief classification of Aziz Ab’Sáber. The urban relief is formed by flat and gently undulating features, with low altimetric amplitude. The highest point is 25 meters above sea level, on Mosqueiro Island. Near the course of the rivers and at the exit to the Bay of Guajará, there are areas of lowlands, with an altitude of up to 4 meters.
Vegetation of Bethlehem
THE vegetation cover of Belém is characteristic of the Amazon biome and also of the coastal-marine system, to which it belongs. Thus, formations such as mangroves and floodplain forests are found in lowered flooded areas and close to river courses. Forest remnants occur in the municipality's insular areas, and secondary formations, such as forests and meadows, are predominant in other regions.
Bethlehem Hydrography
Belém is located in an estuarine region, bathed by the waters of the Guajará Bay and the Guamá River. Its urban area is densely drained by a network composed of rivers, streams and igarapés, which form a total of 14 watersheds, the largest being the Una Basin. Another highlight is the Rio Maguari, which runs to the north and runs through several neighboring cities.
In addition, Belém is made up of four islands:
Karateua;
Cotijuba;
Flywheel;
Combu.
Read too: Manaus — general data for the capital of the state of Amazonas
Belem Map
Belem Demographics
The population of Belém is currently 1,499,641 inhabitants, according to IBGE. It is the largest contingent in the state of Pará, comprising 17.25% of the state's population. Belém is also among the most populous cities in Brazil, ranking 11th among state capitals. In addition to being populous, the municipality is also densely populated. That means there is high concentration of inhabitants per area. Data from the 2010 IBGE census indicate a distribution of 1,315.26 inhab./km², the second largest in Pará.
A portion of 99.1% of Belenenses live in urbanized areas of the capital. According to the last census, about 12 thousand people inhabited the rural area of Belém. The age groups that are in the range of 20 to 29 years are those that concentrate the largest number of people, thus characterizing a young population. Furthermore, a large part of Belenenses declare themselves brown (64.19%). Whites make up 27.27% of the population, blacks are 7.57%, while indigenous and yellow people are the numerical minority, respectively 0.16% and 0.81%.
Also according to IBGE, the Human development Index (HDI) in Belém is 0.746, the highest in Pará.
Geographical division of Bethlehem
the city of Bethlehem it is divided into 71 districts, which make up eight Administrative Districts (DA). Are they:
Mosquito net (DAMOS);
Hill (DAOUT);
Icoaraci (DAICO);
Benguí (DABEN);
Trunking (DAENT);
Sacrament (DASAC);
Bethlehem (DABEL);
Guama (DAGUA).
Belem economy
O Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the capital of Pará is R$31.48 billion, equivalent to 16.5% of Pará's GDP, making it its largest municipal economy. Taking into account all Brazilian cities, Belém is in 27th place.
O tertiary sector, which brings together the activities of commerce, services and finance, is the one that accounts for the largest share of the GDP in Belize. Its share is approximately 67%. Among the activities in this sector, those linked to tourism stand out, which includes religious tourism, in function of the Círio de Nazaré, historical and also ecotourism, since Belém is located in the Amazon Brazilian.
THE industry represents 14.24% of municipal GDP, according to IBGE data. The food, metallurgical, furniture, chemical, fishing and naval sectors have greater weight for the Belizean economy. As the municipality of Belém points out, the city, together with Barcarena, forms the second largest industrial park in the Amazon.
Thus, part of the industrial activity depends on plant and animal extraction.. From the first, wood and açaí stand out. Also, getting back to the primary sector, this is responsible for a large part of the exports carried out by the city. The product basket is made up of wood, fish and shellfish, coconut, Brazil nuts, fruits, hides and skins. In terms of GDP, agriculture is responsible for 0.26%.
Read too:Industrial concentration and deconcentration in Brazil
Belem government
The government of Belize constitutes a representative democracy. O Mayor he is the head of the Executive Power, and the 35 councilors make up the city's Legislative Chamber. Those who occupy such positions are elected periodically by the population, every four years, through municipal elections. In addition, Belém, as the capital of the state of Pará, houses the seat of the state government. Administrative functions are performed at the Government Palace.
Belém Infrastructure
Most homes in Belize are located in its urban area, thus depending on the service provided by the infrastructure network. According to IBGE data (2010), 67.9% of homes in Belém had access to adequate sanitary sewage. Official data released in the Statistical Yearbook of Belém indicate that, in 2018, 201,485 people were served by municipal sewage networks, while the water supply through the public network served 1,044,423 population. In addition, most households in urban areas had access to electricity.
In addition to private vehicles, internal and intercity displacements are carried out by bus fleets and by ferries, which promote transport by water. The presence of the Port of Belem, managed by the Companhia de Docas do Pará and where, in addition to passenger transport, cargo is transported.
O Rail transport is currently expected to be expanded with the Pará Railroad, an investment made together with the China. Connections are also made through federal and state highways, which interconnect the city to the other regions of the country, and by airports, including the International Airport of Bethlehem.
Bethlehem culture
The culture of Belém is very rich and has its roots in indigenous, African, Portuguese and immigrant traditions. who moved to that region. Some of the cultural manifestations found and carried out in the city express Amazonian folklore and highlight the natural wealth of that biome, especially handicrafts, dances and celebrations and gastronomy.
One of the most traditional celebrations in the city has a religious nature and attracts tourists from all over Brazil, which is the Nazare's Cirio. The festive calendar also includes the June festivities and bumba meu boi, Carnival and kermesses. The fact that Belém represents an access route to the Brazilian Amazon attracts a great diversity of tourists, who also take advantage of historical and local monuments, such as the Estação das Docas, the Ver-o-Peso Market, the Forte do Presépio (or Forte do Castelo), the Theatro da Paz and the Mangal das Graças, among several other traditional spots in visitation.
history of Bethlehem
The history of Belém started from the Forte do Presépio, known today as Forte do Castelo, having been founded on January 12, 1616 by Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco. Thus, from Guajará Bay, the settlement of Feliz Lusitânia began, the name it received at the time. A little later, it was renamed Santa Maria de Belém do Pará. As a strategic area for entry and potential domination over the Amazon region, it was the target of other foreign expeditions, with emphasis on the Dutch and the French, who did not obtain success.
From the mid-17th century onwards, the process of street layout and expansion of the urban space of what is now Belém intensified. In addition to the then city, which is now known as the Cidade Velha neighborhood, the arrival of families in the year 1676 gave rise to the opening of new streets and a new area, called Meadow.
The city experienced a great growth from the 18th century, with the appointment of the brother of Marquis of Pombal for the position of governor of the then state of Maranhão and Grão-Pará. In addition to the population increase that occurred at the time, Belém became one of the administrative and economic centers of the province, being elevated to the category of city. With the creation of the state of Grão-Pará, the city became its capital in 1774.
O rubber cycle 19th century it was a very prosperous moment for Belém, which saw its urban space being increased, in addition to a great population growth due to the arrival of currents of Brazilian and foreign immigrants. In the transition to the 20th century, the capital underwent an intense process of urban modernization and instrumentalization, which cooled with the decline of Brazilian rubber. New expansion and verticalization cycles emerged, and today Belém represents one of the most important cities not only in Pará, but also in the North of the country.
Image credits
[1] evgenii Bakhvalov / Shutterstock.com
[2] Arnika Ganten / Shutterstock.com
By Paloma Guitarrara
geography teacher
