Angra dos Reis

Angra dos Reis (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɐ̃ɡɾɐ duʒ ˈʁejʃ]; Portuguese for cove or bay of the Kings) is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro state. Angra is located at an altitude of 6 meters and includes in its territory many offshore islands, the largest being the Ilha Grande.

This article is about the municipality in Brazil. For the Angra dos Reis meteorite of 1869, see Angra dos Reis meteorite. For the song by Legião Urbana, see Angra dos Reis (song).
Angra dos Reis
Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Angra
Location in the state of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil
Coordinates: 23°00′24″S 44°19′05″W
CountryBrazil
RegionSoutheast
StateRio de Janeiro
FoundedJanuary 6, 1502
Government
 • MayorFernando Jordão (MDB)
Area
 • Total816.3 km2 (315.2 sq mi)
Elevation
1,378 m (4,521 ft)
Population
 (2020 [1])
 • Total207,044
 • Density250/km2 (660/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-3 (UTC-3)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-2 (UTC-2)
Websitewww.angra.rj.gov.br
Municipal Government address:
Prefeitura Municipal de Angra dos Reis
Praça Nilo Peçanha, 186
Centro, Angra dos Reis, CEP: 23900-000

The area was first documented by Europeans on January 6, 1502, and has been under continual settlement since 1556. Its population was estimated, on July 1, 2018, to be 200,407 inhabitants.[2]

Location

Angra dos Reis has an area of 816.3 km². The neighboring municipalities are Paraty, Rio Claro and Mangaratiba in Rio de Janeiro state, and Bananal and São José do Barreiro, which are adjacent in São Paulo state.

The municipality contains the 12,072 hectares (29,830 acres) Ilha Grande State Park, created in 1971 on the Ilha Grande off the southern coast.[3] It contains the 3,502 hectares (8,650 acres) Praia do Sul Biological Reserve, a strictly protected conservation unit created in 1981 on the Ilha Grande.[4] It contains the 1,312 hectares (3,240 acres) Aventureiro Sustainable Development Reserve, formerly the Aventureiro Marine State Park, also on Ilha Grande.[5] The municipality also contains part of the Tamoios Ecological Station.[6] The conservation units are contained within the 12,400 hectares (31,000 acres) Tamoios Environmental Protection Area, created in 1982.[7]

History

The municipality fell into decline after 1872 with the advent of railways. It came back into prominence in the 1920s when a railway extension connected it to the states of Minas Gerais and Goias, as a terminus for the transportation of agriculture production from these same two states. The railway extension, in meter gauge, still exists and is currently operated by the Ferrovia Centro-Atlântica company.

In the mid-twentieth century, the municipality was an essential part of the implementation of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional – CSN, Volta Redonda, and the endpoint for coking coal supplied from Santa Catarina. Today, the same company also uses the port, in part, for its steel exports.

Its current importance is due, in part, to having a ferry terminal facility in the Bay of Ilha Grande and its harbour, used by TEBIG Petrobras, which transports large quantities of oil and thus positions the port of Angra dos Reis as one of the busiest in the country.

Today, because of its beautiful beaches and nearby regions, the place has become a focal point for tourism – not only statewide but on a national scale also. Within the municipality are over three hundred islands, many of them owned by national and international celebrities, with the largest one called Ilha Grande (Big Island). The pioneering Brazilian plastic surgeon and philanthropist Ivo Pitanguy was a noted resident.

Most of the place is covered by hills, and its hilly terrain helped generate the landslides that occurred at the beginning of 2010, when numerous homes and hotels were severely damaged or destroyed, mainly on Ilha Grande.

Economy

The most important economic activities are commerce, fishing, industry, services, and tourism. The port has an oil terminal as well as shipbuilding (Keppel Fels, former Verolme) facilities. Brazil's nuclear power stations, Angra I and Angra II are located nearby. They employ 3,000 people, and generate another 10,000 indirect jobs in Rio de Janeiro State. Tourism is highly developed with countless beaches, islands and pristine waters perfect for swimming or scuba diving. The nuclear power stations also warm the area's waters with their thermal discharges, a form of thermal pollution.

There is a small amount of cattle raising, with approximately 4,200 head. The main agricultural products cultivated are:

  • bananas: 1,460 hectares / 3,600 tons
  • coconut: 10 hectares / 130,000 fruits
  • oranges: 4 hectares / 25 tons
  • hearts of palm (palmito): 50 hectares / 75 tons
  • sugarcane: 20 hectares / 390 tons

Data are from IBGE

Meaning of the name

Gaspar de Lemos, a navigator and commander of the Portuguese naval fleet landed at Ilha Grande on 6 January 1502, a “Kings’ day” – that is, “Dia de Reis”. Accordingly, the place was named “Angra dos Reis”, which means “Creek of the Kings” or loosely – “Anchorage of the Kings”.

Transportation

The city is served by Angra dos Reis Airport.

Climate

According to Köppen climate classification, Angra dos Reis has a tropical rainforest climate (Af).

Climate data for Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29.8
(85.6)		 30.4
(86.7)		 29.5
(85.1)		 27.6
(81.7)		 26.2
(79.2)		 25
(77)		 24.6
(76.3)		 25
(77)		 24.9
(76.8)		 25.6
(78.1)		 27
(81)		 28.6
(83.5)		 27.0
(80.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.2
(79.2)		 26.75
(80.15)		 26
(79)		 24.2
(75.6)		 22.55
(72.59)		 21.05
(69.89)		 20.55
(68.99)		 21.1
(70.0)		 21.55
(70.79)		 22.45
(72.41)		 23.7
(74.7)		 25.15
(77.27)		 23.44
(74.22)
Average low °C (°F) 22.6
(72.7)		 23.1
(73.6)		 22.5
(72.5)		 20.8
(69.4)		 18.9
(66.0)		 17.1
(62.8)		 16.5
(61.7)		 17.2
(63.0)		 18.2
(64.8)		 19.3
(66.7)		 20.4
(68.7)		 21.7
(71.1)		 19.9
(67.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 276.4
(10.88)		 240.2
(9.46)		 237.1
(9.33)		 189.5
(7.46)		 109
(4.3)		 78.3
(3.08)		 76.2
(3.00)		 78.2
(3.08)		 116
(4.6)		 144.1
(5.67)		 166.6
(6.56)		 265
(10.4)		 1,976.6
(77.82)
Average relative humidity (%) 81 80 81 82 82 82 81 81 82 83 82 82 82
Source: climate-charts.com[8]

References
  1. IBGE 2020
  2. "Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics" (PDF) (in Portuguese). 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2019. 2018 Estimates of Population
  3. "Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande - Angra dos Reis - RJ", Ilhagrande.org (in Portuguese), retrieved 2016-09-23
  4. Reserva Biológica Estadual da Praia do Sul (in Portuguese), INEA, retrieved 2016-04-16
  5. PES Marinho do Aventureiro (in Portuguese), ISA: Instituto Socioambiental, retrieved 2016-09-23
  6. Unidade de Conservação: Estação Ecológica de Tamoios (in Portuguese), MMA: Ministério do Meio Ambiente, retrieved 2016-04-20
  7. APA de Tamoios (in Portuguese), INEA: Instituto Estadual do Ambiente, retrieved 2016-09-26
  8. "climate-charts.com". Retrieved January 5, 2013.
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