Cruz, Ceará
Cruz on the map of Ceará
Cruz is a municipality in northeastern Brazil in the state of Ceará with 22,114 inhabitants ( S 2007).
Cruz, on the river Acaraú near the Atlantic Ocean, about 235 km north- west of Fortaleza, capital of Ceará state. Cruz was originally a part of the city Acaraú until 1985 following a referendum finally parted with this.
History
First cartographic records by the Portuguese go back to the 17th century. The municipality of Cruz was there originally inhabited by the Tremembé Indians. Cruz was born as a small hamlet and in 1958 the municipality Acaraú slammed. In 1963, Cruz told again of Acaraú and became an independent municipality with the name São Francisco da Cruz. Two years later, this decision was reversed again, Cruz fell again Acaraú. This remained the case until January 1985, when the municipality became independent again, this time with the current name Cruz.
Geography
Climate
Tropical hot and semi-dry, but because of the proximity to the sea pleasant and healthy, with average annual rainfall of 1,093 mm, with the rainy season is concentrated in the months of January to April.
Landscape and vegetation
The region of Cruz is characterized by a coastal plain with small sections and elevations, with the exception of the dunes on the Atlantic coast, some of which are fixed, but partly also form huge sand dunes. While the dunes are partially covered with grasses and herbs, you will find thereafter forests, inland, pass into the thorn steppe of the Caatinga, a landscape of the Sertão.
Economy
The community is predominantly agricultural. It produces primarily: cashew nuts, cassava, corn, green beans, Cotton, sweet potato, watermelon, coconut and carnauba wax. Part of the population lives on the livestock. However, tourism is playing an increasingly important role.
Attractions
The situated directly on the Atlantic part of Cruz, Praia do Prea ( beach of Prea ), is 8 km long. It is part of the coast of Ceará, which is 573 km across one of the longest beaches in Brazil, full of dunes, rugged cliffs, coconut palm groves and freshwater lagoons.
Cruz is involved with the community town of Praia do Prea to 33% at Parque Nacional de Jericoacoara, which has an area of 62.95 km ², and was established on 23 September 2002 to protect the unique dunes fields and their fauna and flora.
Prior to 1980, this part of the coast of sleepy Fischerdördern was marked between huge dunes. From 1984, translated first efforts one to protect this unique wild paradise, because it was already apparent at that time from that of the coastal strip around Jericoacoara would be one of the best and most famous windsurfers and kite - spots in the world, as the wind of the end of July until the end of December almost every day with more than 5 Beaufort blows ..
In 1994, the Washington Post has named this beach one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world!
Almost this beach section would already become very much earlier known worldwide. Because there is a report of Vicente Yáñez Pinzón ( captain of the caravel Niña, from the fleet of Christopher Columbus ), which was anchored in the bay of Jericoacoara in 1499. But this was then unofficially because of the Treaty of Tordesillas, because after that Spain had no claim to this territory.
From Praia do Prea from an elongated lake can also be reached Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Paraiso, in reality inland behind the dunes fields - with an area of 30 km ² - known in the public Jijoca Lake. The banks of the Lagoa Azul are little visited, while Paraíso is developed for tourism. It is ideal for windsurfing - motorboats are forbidden - and a ride on the raft is recommended from an environmental perspective.