Teresina

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Teresina, Piauí, Brazil
Municipality
The Municipality of Teresina
From the top: Estaiada Mirante bridge, Teresina at night, Railway station complex, Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows, September 4th Theater and Turistical signboard
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  Capital do Sol e da Luz (Capital of Sun and Light), Cidade Verde (Green City), Mesopotâmia Brasileira (Brazilian Mesopotamia) and THE.
Motto(s):  Omnia in Charitate
Location of Teresina in the State of Piauí
Teresina, Piauí, Brazil Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 5°05′42″S 42°48′15″W / 5.0949°S 42.8042°W / -5.0949; -42.8042Coordinates: 5°05′42″S 42°48′15″W / 5.0949°S 42.8042°W / -5.0949; -42.8042
Country	Brazil
Region	Northeast
State	Piauí
Founded	August 16, 1852
Government
• Mayor	Firmino Filho (PSDB)
Area
• Municipality	1,167.25 km2 (450.68 sq mi)
• Urban	1,755 km2 (677 sq mi)
Elevation	87 m (285 ft)
Population  (2020 [1])
• Municipality	868,075
• Density	740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
• Urban	953,172
• Metro	1,135,920
Time zone	UTC-03:00 (BRT)
Postal code	64000-001 to 64099-999
Area code	+55 86
Demonym	teresinense
Website	www.teresina.pi.gov.br

Teresina is the capital and most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of Piauí. Being located in north-central Piauí 366 km from the coast, it is the only capital in the Brazilian Northeast that is not located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. With 868,075 inhabitants, Teresina is the 21st largest city in Brazil, and the 15th largest state capital in the country. Together with Timon in the nearby state of Maranhão, it forms a conurbation with a population of about 953,172 inhabitants; the entire metropolitan region of Teresina has over 1,135,920 inhabitants. The only natural barrier that separates Teresina from Timon is the Parnaíba river, one of the largest in the Northeast.

Teresina is the capital with the first best quality of life in the North-Northeast according to FIRJAN^[2] and the 4th in Brazil. It is among the 50 cities in the world with the highest murder rates, with 315 homicides in 2017.^[3]

Its motto is the Latin phrase Omnia in Charitatis, which means, in English, "All for charity". The city is the birthplace of, among others, Torquato Neto, who belonged to the Tropicalismo movement.

Its cathedral, Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora das Dores, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, is the archiepiscopal see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Teresina.

History and names[]

Play media

Teresina, 1975. National Archives of Brazil.

Teresina was founded on August 16, 1852 under the name of Vila Nova do Poty (because its origin is linked to the Poti river) as the capital of the state of Piauí. It was the first planned city in the Brazil and the only northeast capital located out of the coast. Until 1852, Oeiras was the capital of the Piauí Captaincy. However, due to difficulties in communication and trade, the capital was transferred to an area next to the Parnaíba River, to the other cities and to the sea coast. Colonization of the area where Teresina is now located dates back to the 18th century. The chosen place was a small community of fishermen, in 1760, nearby Poty and Panaíba rivers, which grew into a village called "Vila do Poty", but, due to the inundation of the Parnaíba River riverbanks, the city had to be built in a higher position.

In the 19th century, it was initially called Vila Nova do Poty, but later the city was renamed Teresina, in honor of Empress Teresa Cristina, the wife of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil.

Teresina is the hottest city in the country and the city with the third-highest incidence of lightning in the world. Nowadays, Teresina's economy is based on international manufacturing industries and trade.

Main sights[]

Teresina pictured from the International Space Station

Sights include:

• Casa da Cultura de Teresina, exhibiting elements of the culture of the city, and home to cultural events
• Centro Artesanal "Master Dezinho", home to handcrafts made of various materials, mainly clay, decorated with paintings;
• Teatro 4 de Setembro, a theatre holding cultural shows, plays and others;
• Mirante da Ponte Estaiada "João Isidoro França"
• Encontro dos Rios, a natural place by the riverside Parnaíba and Poti.
• Parque Zoobotânico, a zoo with typical animals of the Brazilian fauna and other countries.
• Igreja de São Benedito, the main Catholic church of the city
• Museu do Piaui, with numerous elements of the history of Teresina and of Piauí in general, including antiques, furniture and documents.

Geography[]

Teresina seen from João Isidoro França Bridge Observatory.

Teresina is located on the east side of the Parnaíba river at the border with Maranhão state, at an altitude of about 72 meters. The city faces the city of Timon across the river and is situated between the Parnaíba river and its tributary the Poti River. The two rivers join at the city's northern end, where there is an environmental park with gazebos. Teresina is the largest capital in the northeastern territorial extension, at 1,756 km².

Located in a transition zone between the northeast and the Amazon (Mid-North), Teresina is surrounded by mata dos cocais, savannas and cerradões where many carnaúba, babaçu, buriti palms, jatobás, ipês, and many other medium-sized trees can be seen. In the region there are also remnants of Teresina Atlantic Forest, which makes the landscape shrub coverage very rich and dense.

Climate[]

Teresina has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen climate classification: Aw) with semi-humid characteristics and two seasons: the rainy season (which occurs in summer and autumn) and the dry season (which occurs in winter and spring).

From January to May, due to the rains, the weather is hot and wet (likely to occur when there is fog in the morning), while from June to August the climate gets dry with relatively milder nights; in September to December the weather becomes hotter and humid, with the gradual return of rainy conditions from October. This period is referred to as "Bro" by locals as the hottest months end with -bro in Portuguese: setembro, outubro, novembro, and dezembro. A peculiar feature of the rains in the city are their speed and intensity, with strong winds, large force of water and very common lightning. The annual rainfall stands at around 1,400 millimetres or 55 inches.

Hot most of the year, Teresina has an average temperature around 27 °C or 80.6 °F, with a minimum of 20 °C or 68 °F in July and a maximum of 36 °C or 96.8 °F in October. The lowest ever recorded in Teresina was 11.9 °C or 53.4 °F in June, while the record hot temperature exceeds 40 °C or 104 °F (October). These fluctuations are mitigated by the contribution of the winds. Air quality is considered good in Teresina, except in the driest period, when the relative humidity drops, and there are occurrences of fires.

Demographics[]

Religion[]

In 2010, 78.94% of the municipality's population was Roman Catholic, 13.34% were evangelicals, 4.49% had no religion, 0.89% Jehovah's Witnesses, 0.85% were spiritists, 0.74% others Christian religiosities (which include the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Mormons and others) and 0.75% of other religions.^[14][13]

Among the Protestant denominations in Teresina, the majority is Pentecostal, about 7.79%. Baptists constitute 2.62% of the population of the municipality, 0.86% Adventists, 0.12% are Presbyterians, 0.08% the other Protestant groups (Lutherans, Congregationals and Methodists) and 1.84% have no denomination.^[14][13] The Assemblies of God is the largest Pentecostal group, with 4.16% of the population, followed by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God with 1.31% and the Christian Congregation in Brazil with 0.41%.^[14][13]

Health[]

In Teresina there are 634 health institutions, eight hospitals, 181 clinics and 170 clinics,^{[clarification needed]} employing some 15,000 people.

Moreover, there is a significant number of small "pensions" that host people from the hinterland of Piauí and neighboring states in search of health services in Teresina.

Education[]

English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum, in addition to the official national language, Portuguese.

Universities in Teresina[]

• Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI);
• (Uespi);
• (IFPI).
• Faculdade de Saúde, Ciências Humanas e Tecnológicas do Piauí (Faculdade Novafapi)
• (Facid)
• (ICF)
• (CEUT)
• ^[15] (FAETE)

Schools[]

• School Sacred Heart of Jesus (1906)

Economy[]

The Gross Domestic Product of Teresina represents about 40% of GDP in the state of Piaui. In industry, there is the textile and garment industry, which exports to other regions and generates about ten thousand jobs. There are also manufacturers bicycles, drink industries, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, furniture and ceramics, among others. The building deserves to be a fast-growing sector due to the verticality of the city over the past 15 years.

Transportation[]

Teresina has a subway service comprising nine different stations. There is also bus service through the city. Teresina/Senador Petrônio Portella Airport, opened in 1967, lies north of the capital, between the rivers Parnaíba and Poty.

• 

  Teresina Airport.

• 

  Teresina Metro.

Sports[]

Stadium Governador Alberto Tavares Silva.

The Albertão Stadium holds 60,000 spectators, houses soccer, athletics and other games. A smaller stadium (6,000 places) is the Lindolfo Monteiro Stadium, opened in 1944. It was restored in 2008.

Football teams Teresina include Flamengo-PI, River-PI, Tiradentes and Piauí-PI. Rugby teams include Teresina Rugby Club, Lions Rugby Club, Rugby Titans Clash.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Teresina.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Teresina.

• Official website (in Portuguese)
• Teresina Info—Bilingual tourist information (in English)
• Panoramic Teresina—Tourist information (in Portuguese and English)
• Visit Piauí—Tourist information (in English)