Top left:Dedo de Deus in Serra dos Órgãos National Park, Top right:A view of Feirinha do Alto area, Second left:Matriz de Santa Teresa church in Baltasar Square, Second right:Agrioes downtown area,Third left:Lago Comary (Comary Lake),Third right:Cachoeira dos Friars Natural Park, Bottom:A view of Carlos Guinle area
Flag
Seal
Nickname:
Terê
Motto(s):
"Sub Digitum Dei" (Latin for, "Under God's Finger")
Location of Teresópolis in the state of Rio de Janeiro
Founding of Teresopolis by then Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Francisco Portela on July 6, 1890.
Before the arrival of the Portuguese to the area where Teresópolis lies today, in the 16th century, it was inhabited by indigenous Brazilians. In the following centuries, Portuguese started buying land there. The region was also occupied by a quilombo, formed by runaway slaves coming from sugar cane plantations near Rio de Janeiro.
In 1821, English citizen George March (born and raised in Portugal) established a farm there, which later became the most important settlement along the way between the court, in Rio de Janeiro, and the territory of Gerais (nowadays, the state of Minas Gerais), which led to the great improvement of agriculture and cattle raising.
The Brazilian imperial family was much impressed by the natural beauty and the climate of the region, which developed slowly so that in 1855 the settlement became a village that was named Freguesia de Santo Antonio de Paquequer.
The further development of the village was due to the traders that came from Minas Gerais in the way to Rio de Janeiro, and used the region as a resting stop. Finally, on July 6, 1891, the village became a municipality that was named Teresópolis ("city of Teresa"), after Empress Teresa Cristina, wife of Emperor Pedro II.
The uncontrolled growth of Teresópolis and other cities of the mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro led to the construction of a great number of houses in mountainous terrain or on the banks of rivers. This fact, together with a 24-hour rainfall that exceeded what was expected for the entire month, caused a series of floods and mudslides in January 2011. More than 400 people died and thousands lost their houses in the event, which is considered the worst weather-related tragedy in Brazilian history. .[4][5]
Geography
According to the 2010 Brazilian Census, the city has a population of 163,746 within a land area of 770,6 km2. The Serra dos Órgãos National Park is in the vicinity. Its predominant vegetation belongs to the Atlantic Forest type. The city is surrounded by forests and by well-known summits or peaks, because of which the city is known as the national capital of mountaineering. The most famous peaks are:
Peak of Pedra do Sino – 2,263 metres (7,425 ft)
Peak of Pedra do Açu – 2,230 metres (7,320 ft)
Peak of Agulha do Diabo – 2,020 metres (6,630 ft)
Peak of Nariz do Frade – 1,919 metres (6,296 ft)
Peak of Dedo de Deus – 1,651 metres (5,417 ft)
Peak of Pedra da Ermitage – 1,485 metres (4,872 ft)
Peak of Dedo de Nossa Senhora – 1,320 metres (4,330 ft)
Of these, Dedo de Deus ("God's finger") is the most famous.
^"Insolação Total (horas)". Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 (in Portuguese). Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
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