Christmas is a Brazilian municipality located in the Northeast region of the country, state capital of large northern river. It is a coastal city that extends over 167 km² along the east of Rio Grande do Sul, with a good climate. Hot and humid tropical and plain relief marked by the presence of dunes and cliffs in the areas coastal areas.
The city has the main economy in the state, from which the service sector and its diversified industrial park stand out. And beyond that, the most populous urban center in Rio Grande do Norte, today with 890,480 inhabitants.
Read too: What are the capitals of Brazilian states?
Summary about Christmas
Natal is the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, which integrates the Northeast region of Brazil.
Its settlement began from the Forte dos Reis Magos, and the foundation took place on December 25, 1599.
It has a hot and humid tropical climate and relief that varies between flat and gently undulating.
Its coastal landscape is marked by the presence of dunes and cliffs.
It is part of the Atlantic Forest biome.
The Potengi River is the city's main watercourse.
It is a populous and also densely populated city, with 890,480 inhabitants and a demographic density of 4805.24 inhab./km² (IBGE, 2010).
With a GDP of R$23.80 billion, it is the largest economy in Rio Grande do Norte. The tertiary sector, especially trade and tourism, accounts for the largest share of GDP. It also has a very diversified industrial park.
The first rocket launching base built in South America is located in Natal, called Barreira do Inferno and opened in 1965.
General data for Christmas
Gentile: natalian
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Location
- Parents: Brazil
- Federative unit: large northern river
- Intermediate region[1]: Christmas
- Immediate region[1]: Christmas
- Metropolitan region: Metropolitan Region of Natal
Formed by the municipalities of: Natal, Arês, Ceará-Mirim, Extremoz, Goianinha, Ielmo Marinho, Macaíba, Maxaranguape, Monte Alegre, Nísia Floresta, Parnamirim, São Gonçalo do Amarante, São José de Mipibu, Vera Cross.
- Bordering municipalities: Extremoz, São Gonçalo do Amarante, Macaíba, Parnamirim.
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geography
- Total area: 167.401 km² (IBGE, 2020)
- Total population: 890,480 inhabitants (IBGE, 2020)
- Density: 4805.24 inhab./km² (IBGE, 2010)
- Climate: wet tropical
- Altitude: 30 meters
- Time zone: GMT -3
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Historic
- Foundation: December 25, 1599.
See too: Teresina – Brazilian capital named after Empress Teresa Cristina
christmas geography
Natal is a Brazilian city and capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in Northeast region from Brazil. It is located on the coast of the state, with an exit, to the east, to the Oatlantic ocean, and extends over a surface of approximately 167 km², equivalent to 0.31% of the entire state area. It also borders four other municipalities in the state:
Extremoz, to the north;
São Gonçalo do Amarante, to the west;
Macaíba, to the southwest;
Parnamirim to the south.
Along with 13 other municipalities, it integrates the Metropolitan Region of Natal (RMN).
Christmas mood
The predominant climate in Natal is the hot and humid tropical. It is characterized by the summers hot and dry and winters mild and rainy, with a rainy interval that goes from April to August. The accumulated precipitation in the year is approximately 1400 mm, while the average temperatures are around 26 ºC.
Christmas relief
Located in the domain of plains coastal, the relief observed in the city of Natal is marked by flat and gently undulating terrain, characteristic of plains (coastal and river) and terraces. Thus, its landscape is made up of dunes, valleys, cliffs and beaches. Natal is 30 meters above sea level.
Christmas Vegetation
The city of Natal is included in the biome Atlantic forest. Therefore, its primary vegetation cover is composed of forests. In addition, in wetlands and along the coastal strip, there are formations such as mangroves, sandbanks and dune vegetation.
Natal hydrography
The Potengi/Jundiaí river is the main watercourse that runs through the city, flowing into the Atlantic through an important estuary mouth that extends over 20 km.
The Doce and Pitimbu rivers stand out, as well as the Extremoz lakes, which are located on the border between the municipality of the same name and Natal, and the Juqui lake. This, although not within the limits of the Potiguar capital, has a share in the municipality's supply.
Christmas map
christmas demography
With 890,480 inhabitants, Natal is the most populous city in Rio Grande do Norte and the sixth with the largest population in the Northeast region of Brazil. On a national scale, the city ranks 16th among state capitals. The population of the state capital represents approximately 25% of the state's inhabitants, while it comprises more than half of the inhabitants of its metropolitan region.
Christmas is still a densely populated city. Data from the last census of the IBGE indicate that its demographic density was 4805.24 inhab./km², the highest concentration in Rio Grande do Norte. In addition, the same survey shows that all people from Natal have a home in the urban area of the city.
The largest portion of the Natal population declares itself brown or white, groups that represent, respectively, 49.04% and 44.96% of the municipality's residents. Those who declare themselves black add up to 4.91%, according to the IBGE. The yellow ones are 0.91%, and the indigenous are the numerical minority of the population, with 0.11% of people self-declared.
Check out our podcast: What You Need to Know About Demographic Theories?
Geographical Division of Natal
The city of Natal has 36 districts. These territorial units are located in different administrative regions or sub-districts, which are:
North
South
East
West
The environmental conservation unit is also considered as part of the subdivision of the Natal territory. of Parque das Dunas, which covers an extensive strip in the eastern portion of the municipality, with an area of 1172 acre.
Christmas economy
christmas is one of the main economic centers of Rio Grande do Norte, ranking first when considering the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Potiguares municipalities. The value for the capital is BRL 23.80 billion, according to IBGE data for 2018. On a national scale, the Natal economy is in 40th place.
As in many other capitals and large urban centers, it's the tertiary sector that leads the Christmas economy. This segment accounts for 64.86% of the city's GDP, a value that does not take into account the activities of the public sector and administration. The highlight for this sector is the activities linked to tourism and trade.
The industry of Rio Grande do Norte is mainly concentrated in the Metropolitan Region of Natal. In the capital itself, the sector accounts for 14.06% of GDP. Companies from very diverse fields are installed in the municipality, such as extractive and production industries. food and beverage, textile, chemical and petrochemical, clothing, industrial equipment and many others. O primary sector, in turn, is responsible for a share of 0.11% of the city's economy, with emphasis on animal husbandry and shrimp fishing.
Christmas government
The government of the city of Natal is of the representative democratic type. O Mayor, who is the biggest boss of the FOROder ANDmunicipal executive, and the 29 councilors, that make up the City Council, an organ of the Legislative Power, are all elected by the Natal population. Elections are held at intervals of four years.
Natal is also the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. This means that the city is its political center and concentrates the main administrative activities of this unit of the federation. The seat of the Potiguar government is located at the Palácio de Despachos in Lagoa Nova.
Christmas Infrastructure
The homes in Natal are all in the urban area of the city, as shown in the last IBGE census, carried out in 2010. This research shows that:
approximately 62% of these units had access to adequate sanitation;
while the municipal water network (or general network) served 98.3% of households;
access to electricity is even more comprehensive, with coverage of 99.8%.
An important aspect of the quality of life in a city is linked to the afforestation of public roads. IBGE shows that, in 2010, 44.7% of households were located in wooded areas.
Internally, displacements are carried out by means of private vehicles, bus lines and also urban trains. Natal connects with other cities and regions in Brazil via state and federal highways, some which cross the national territory from north to south, such as the BR-101, which passes through the capital potiguar.
It's by the port of christmas that the outflow of goods occurs, mainly towards the outside, in addition to the transport of passengers. The city is also home to the Natal Airport, which stands out in the Northeast region for its cargo transport capacity, being, in addition, one of the most important in the state.
Christmas culture
Natal is a city rich in symbols, traditions and cultural events. Some of the typical dances of culture Natalense — Congos de Calçola and the Boi de Reis — were listed as intangible heritage. The Associação de Danças Antigas and Semidesaparecidas Araruna, founded in 1956 is essential for the maintenance of memory and an important part of the capital's culture potiguar.
The streets and urban landscape of Natal recount the city's history, and many of the structures have become tourist attractions in the capital. THE Fortaleza dos Reis Magos and the entire historic center of Natal are some of them. The city was the chosen site for the construction of the first rocket launching base of the South America, known as the Barreira do Inferno.
The first launch took place in the 1960s, and today the site functions as a base for the Brazilian Air Force and as a tourist visitation point. Among the natural landscapes, the Dunes Park, the natural pools of Maracajaú and the countless beaches the coast of Natal.
Christmas story
The Christmas story begins with the Fortaleza dos Reis Magos, whose construction began in the year 1598. It emerged as a defense structure for the territory that, although it was from Portugal, had been under French rule in earlier times.
![Fortaleza dos Reis Magos in Natal, RN.[1]](/f/663401111369c89d8eecd326f73aca3c.jpg)
A few decades earlier, in 1535, the Portuguese had tried to settle in the region, but they had not success since the French, who had allied with the natives, were already there. potiguares. With the construction of the fort, the settlers reclaimed their lands and began to populate them..
The French, however, were not the only ones to carry out an invasion of the area. A few years after the foundation of the city, which took place on the banks of its main river, the Potengi, on December 25, 1599, the Dutch entered the region in 1633 and renamed the city to New Amsterdam.
The state capital arrived at the beginning of the 20th century with more than 16 thousand inhabitants, and it was from the 1920s that its growth and process of urbanization intensified. THE First World War marked the city's history, as it was used as a base for the Americans. Over time, the transformations in its urban core accelerated. Today Natal is the biggest city in Rio Grande do Norte and one of the main ones in the Northeast region.
Image credit
[1] Bernardo Emanuelle / Shutterstock
By Paloma Guitarrara
geography teacher
