Angra dos Reis
Municipality
Municipality of Angra dos Reis
Flag of Angra dos Reis
Flag
Official seal of Angra dos Reis
Seal
Nickname: 
Angra
Location in Rio de Janeiro
Location in Rio de Janeiro
Coordinates: 23°00′24″S 44°19′05″W / 23.00667°S 44.31806°W / -23.00667; -44.31806
Country Brazil
RegionSoutheast
State Rio de Janeiro
Founded6 January 1502
Government
 • MayorFernando Jordão (MDB)
Area
 • Total816.3 km2 (315.2 sq mi)
Elevation
5.78 m (18.96 ft)
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total207,044
 • Density250/km2 (660/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−3 (BRT)
HDI (2010)0.724 – high[2]
Websiteangra.rj.gov.br

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 the state of Rio de Janeiro. The city is located by the sea and includes in its territory many offshore islands, the largest being Ilha Grande.

The area was first documented by Europeans on January 6, 1502, and has been under continual settlement since 1556. Its population was estimated, on 2021 by IBGE, to be 210,171 inhabitants.[3]

History

The port municipality fell into decline after 1872, having been bypassed by 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 metre 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 Siderúrgica Nacional – CSN, Volta Redonda, and the endpoint for coking coal supplied from Santa Catarina. Today, the same company also uses the port for some of 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 crude oil, and thus positions the port of Angra dos Reis as one of the busiest in the country.

Today, because of its beaches and nearby points of interest, the place has become a focal point for tourism. Within the municipality are over three hundred islands, many of them owned by celebrities, with the largest island being Ilha Grande (Big Island). The Brazilian plastic surgeon and philanthropist Ivo Pitanguy was a noted resident.

Most of the region consists of hilly terrain, which 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 beaches, islands and clean waters 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 units
  • oranges: 4 hectares / 25 tons
  • hearts of palm (palmito): 50 hectares / 75 tons
  • sugarcane: 20 hectares / 390 tons

Data are from IBGE

Etymology

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.

Geography

Location

Angra dos Reis Bay view

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.[4] 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.[5] It contains the 1,312 hectares (3,240 acres) Aventureiro Sustainable Development Reserve, formerly the Aventureiro Marine State Park, also on Ilha Grande.[6] The municipality also contains part of the Tamoios Ecological Station.[7] The conservation units are contained within the 12,400 hectares (31,000 acres) Tamoios Environmental Protection Area, created in 1982.[8]

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
Mean daily maximum °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)
Mean daily minimum °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[9]

References

  1. ↑ IBGE 2020
  2. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ "Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics" (PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2019. 2018 Estimates of Population
  4. ↑ "Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande - Angra dos Reis - RJ", Ilhagrande.org (in Portuguese), retrieved 2016-09-23
  5. ↑ Reserva Biológica Estadual da Praia do Sul (in Portuguese), INEA, retrieved 2016-04-16
  6. ↑ PES Marinho do Aventureiro (in Portuguese), ISA: Instituto Socioambiental, retrieved 2016-09-23
  7. ↑ Unidade de Conservação: Estação Ecológica de Tamoios (in Portuguese), MMA: Ministério do Meio Ambiente, retrieved 2016-04-20
  8. ↑ APA de Tamoios (in Portuguese), INEA: Instituto Estadual do Ambiente, retrieved 2016-09-26
  9. ↑ "climate-charts.com". Retrieved January 5, 2013.
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