- Ceará:
Official website: http://www.ce.gov.br
Capital: Fortaleza
Area: 146,348 km2
Important cities: Juazeiro
Economy: agriculture, cattle, industry (petroleum, textile, shoes), tourism
Climate in Fortaleza, Ceará
Important newspapers: Diário do Nordeste; O Povo

The indians of this area were particularly hostile to the Portuguese settlement. The Dutch built a fortress, which they called Schoonenborch, by the river Pajeú; in 1654, the Portuguese took over the fortress, whose name was changed to Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora de Asunção (Fortaleza is the Portuguese word for fortress).

The state was part of the capitany of Pernambuco, from which it was dismembered in 1799; the province/state participated actively in the Independence, abolitionist and Republican movements.

Fortaleza is today one of the most modern cities in Brazil; the city and the state have been benefiting from years of continuous administration (the same party has won successive elections for over one decade now). Fortaleza assumed its touristic potencial, and today much of the business evolves around tourism; the city gets full during high season.

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