Information AboutOlinda |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT OLINDA | |
| settlements established in 1535 | |
| cities in brazil | |
| world heritage sites in brazil | |
Olinda is a historic city in the Brazil ian State of Pernambuco , located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife and south of Paulista . It has a population of 376,800 people ( 2005 ) and is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil. The city's name can be interpreted as an exclamation regarding the beauty of its setting ("Ó, linda!" is Portuguese for "Oh, beautiful!"), but a much more likely source is a literary character in the chivalry romance '' Amadis De Gaula ''. Olinda features a number of major tourist attractions, such as a historic downtown area ( World Heritage Site ), churches, and the Carnival of Olinda, a popular street party, very similar to traditional Portuguese carnivals, with the addition of African influenced dances. Unlike Rio De Janeiro and Salvador , in Olinda admission to carnival is free. All the festivities are celebrated on the streets, and there are no bleachers or roping. There are hundreds of small musical groups (sometimes featuring a single performer) in many genres. HISTORY Several indigenous tribes occupied the coast of Northeastern Brazil for several thousand years, and the hills of the present day municipality of Olinda had settlements of Caetés and Tupinambá tribes, which were frequently at war. French mercenaries are thought to be the first Europeans to get to the region, but the Portuguese exploited intertribal rivalries and managed to build a stronghold on the former Caeté village in the higher hill. Recent studies by the Universidade Federal De Pernambuco have uncovered new evidence of the pre-colonial population of the area. The settlement of Olinda was founded in 1535 by Duarte Coelho Pereira ; it was elevated to a town in March 12 , 1537 . Olinda was the capital of the Hereditary Captaincy of Pernambuco , but was burned by Dutch invaders, who founded a new settlement, Recife , seven kilometres to the south. Besides its natural beauty, Olinda is also one of the most important of Brazil's cultural centers. Declared in 1982 a Historical and Cultural Patrimony of Humanity by the UNESCO , Olinda relives the magnificence of the past every year during the Carnival, in the rhythm of '' Frevo '', '' Maracatu '' and others rhythms. EXTERNAL LINKS
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