Vila Velha

Sister cities

• Qingdao

History

In the 16th century, when Portuguese colonizers first arrived in the region now known as Vila Velha, the area was contested by three distinct indigenous groups: the Goitacá (from the south), the Aimoré (from the interior), and the Tupiniquim (from the north). The Portuguese grantee of the Captaincy of Espírito Santo, Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, landed at the present-day Prainha (then called Piratininga by the indigenous people) aboard the caravel Glória with 60 men on 23 May 1535. He founded the "Vila do Espírito Santo" (now Vila Velha), named so because it was the Sunday of Pentecost. The settlement became the captaincy’s capital. Due to frequent attacks by indigenous groups, French, and Dutch forces, the Portuguese relocated the captaincy’s capital in 1551 to the present-day city of Vitória, on Santo Antônio Island in Vitória Bay. Little is known about Vila Velha’s history from the 16th to the 19th centuries. During this period, notable events include the completion of the Penha Convent and Dutch attacks on sugar plantations in the 17th century. sustained by slave labor of indigenous and Black individuals. In the area now known as the Aribiri neighborhood, a quilombo of escaped slaves existed, which, in the early 20th century, gave rise to a settlement and later the neighborhood. In 1890, the municipality was formally established under the Espírito Santo Constitution, changing its name from "Vila do Espírito Santo" to "Vila Velha." In the following decade, a city plan was drafted, followed by street expansions and other infrastructure projects, which began attracting commercial investors. However, significant economic growth occurred only after the construction of the Florentino Ávidos Bridge in the late 1920s, connecting Vila Velha to Vitória. The city also boasts…

Geography

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the municipality spans , with in the urban area and the remaining in the rural area. Under the regional division effective since 2017, established by the IBGE, the municipality belongs to the Intermediate and Immediate Geographic Regions of Vitória. Previously, under the division into microregions and mesoregions, it was part of the Vitória microregion, within the Central Espírito-Santense mesoregion. The ongoing conurbation process in the region is forming a metropolis centered in Vitória, extending to the municipalities of Cariacica, Fundão, Guarapari, Serra, Viana, and Vila Velha. The Greater Vitória Metropolitan Area (RMV) was established by State Complementary Law No. 58 on 21 February 1995, and is currently the 14th largest urban agglomeration in Brazil, with over 1.68 million inhabitants. It is the most dynamic economic region in Espírito Santo, accounting for 58% of the state’s wealth and housing 46% of its population and 57% of its urban population. Vila Velha encompasses two hydrographic basins: the Guarapari River and Jucu River basins, with areas of and , respectively. The Jucu River is the main river flowing through the municipality, originating in the mountainous region of Domingos Martins and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean within Vila Velha’s territory. It supplies water to 60% of the Greater Vitória Metropolitan Area’s population. The river’s confluence with the sea occasionally forms small tidal bores during certain periods of the year. The climate of Vila Velha is classified by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics as tropical hot super-humid (type Aw per the Köppen classification), characterized by dry, mild winters and rainy summers. Winds are consistent…

Most-observed species

• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,253
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  1,142
• Saffron Finch

  Sicalis flaveola (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  933
• Tropical Kingbird

  Tyrannus melancholicus Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  801
• Picazuro Pigeon

  Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck, 1813) · Aves
  798
• Ruddy Ground-Dove

  Columbina talpacoti (Temminck, 1810) · Aves
  795
• Pale-breasted Thrush

  Turdus leucomelas Vieillot, 1818 · Aves
  678
• Palm Tanager

  Thraupis palmarum (Wied-Neuwied, 1821) · Aves
  592