Castanhal, Pará
Castanhal has about 175,000 inhabitants and is the fifth largest city of the Brazilian state of Pará. It is 65 km east of Belém metropolitan center and can be reached via the federal highway BR -316 by car or bus. The climate is tropical equatorial.
History
Castanhal was officially established ( certification date) on 28 January 1932, received its name because of the walnut trees ( portug.: Castanha ) near the railway station on the railway line Bragança - Pará Belém. Workers and railway workers from the Northeast could be around down to the station. Local farmers then sold in the markets of their products and so the trading venue Castanhal arose. The operation of Bragança train was set in 1957 and removed the rails. The government of the state of Pará gave Castanhal the nickname " cidade modelo " (ie: model city). In 2004, the diocese Castanhal was established by Pope John Paul II. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Belém do Pará.
Education
Castanhal has become a national educational center of Pará. There are eight secondary schools and three universities:
- Federal University of Pará UFPA: Faculties veterinary medicine, mathematics, sports, literature, pedagogy, computer science.
- University of Pará UEPA ': Academic engineering, agriculture, agricultural technology, physics, biology, pedagogy.
- FCAT Castanhal College: Academic Agricultural Science, business administration and marketing, computer science, education, history, biology.
Economy
Due geographically convenient location to Castanhal has for the entire northeastern Pará and beyond as an important and major trading center for food and agricultural goods developed (cereals, maize, cassava, pepper, palm oil). Similarly, Castanhal developed into a technology center. There are energy companies that specialize in high voltage and high technology in well. There is also the headquarters of a company that produces work shoes for the food industry and an industrial estate, are produced in the metallurgical equipment for mining companies.