PORTUGUÊS
Porto Velho and region
Porto Velho is located in the north of the state of Rondônia on the right bank of the River Madeira, one of the largest tributaries of the River Amazon. It is the third-largest state capital in the North region after Manaus (AM) and Belém (PA) with a population of over 370,000 inhabitants. Its history is associated with the exploitation of rubber and the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré railroad at the beginning of the 20th century.
Almost a century after officially becoming a municipality (at that time it still belonged to the state of Amazonas), Porto Velho can look ahead to a new future due to the installation of the Santo Antônio hydroelectric plant which is part of the River Madeira complex. The project brings new opportunities to a population whose main source of income at the moment is commerce, extractive activities, fishing and cattle-raising. It also revives the dream of the old Madeira-Mamoré railroad opening up the Madeira waterway and turning Porto Velho and the River Madeira into a logistics centre linking Brazil´s North and Midwest regions with the Andean countries and the Pacific Ocean.
The HEP is being built on the stretch of the river which was dominated by the Santo Antônio waterfalls, around 10 km from Porto Velho. The riverbank dwellers of Santo Antônio do Alto Madeira played a fundamental role in founding Porto Velho. Most of the inhabitants currently live from fishing, extractive activities, farming and commerce.
Information about the city
| Inhabitants | 379.186 habitantes (IBGE 2008) |
| Territory area |
34.082 Km² |
| Location | |
| Longitude west | 63 degrees 54 minutes 14 seconds; |
| Latitude south | 8 degrees 45 minutes and 43 seconds. |
| Climate | equatorial, hot and humid |
| Rainy season (Amazon winter) | November to April |
| Warm season (little rain: Amazon summer) | August to November |
| Altitude | 98m above sea level |
| Area of municipal | 54,016 km² |
| Distances | |
| Belo Horizonte | 3.050 km |
| Brasília | 2.589 km |
| São Paulo | 3.170 km |
| Manaus | 905 km |
| Brasília | 2.589 km |
| Boundaries | |
| North | State of Amazonas |
| East | Candeias do Jamari and Alto Paraíso |
| West | Nova Mamoré, Republic of Bolivia and State of Acre. |
| South | Nova Mamoré and Buritis |
| GDP | R$ 3,762,899,000 (IBGE 2006) |
| Agribusiness | 3% of GDP |
| Industry | 9% of GDP |
| Services | 70% of GDP |
| Taxes | 18% of GDP |
| GDP per capita | R$ 9,877.00 (IBGE 2006) |
| Main job activities | |
| Commerce | |
| Mining extraction industry (such as tin ore and gold) | |
| Agriculture (rice, manioc, corn and pineapples) | |
| Fishing | |
| Source: IBGE | |
