Paraíba is one of
the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on
the Atlantic coast. It contains the easternmost land of the Americas.
History
In the mid-1500s, Portuguese settlers from Pernambuco founded Filipéia de
Nossa Senhora das Neves (today João Pessoa) at the mouth of the Paraíba
River. The area soon proved
perfect for sugar production, with the French, the Dutch and the Portuguese
all constantly fighting to control the Paraíba region to grow the lucrative
sugarcane in. The fortress of Santa Catarina, near João Pessoa, was built to
protect the city from the Dutch, who soon became the greater threat to
Portuguese supremacy in Brazil. |
