Gravatá - Pernambuco

Population: 67.273 inhabitants
Area: 513 km2
Distance from the capital: 79 km
Accesses: BR-232 (the road is double laned as far as Caruaru). Visit maps of Recife and Pernambuco.

History
In 1808, the place where today lies the city of Gravatá was a cattle farm named Caraotá. The property belonged to José Justino Carreiro de Miranda, who started the building of a chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora de Santana, which was concluded only by his sons in 1822.
The foundation of the village dates from this time. On June 31st 1884, the village was promoted to the status of city.
Gravatá comprehends the head district and the villages of Urucum Mirim, Russinhas, São Severino de Gravatá, Avencas and Ilha Energética.

Economy
The main economic activity of Gravatá is the manual production of rustic furniture, which are exported to several States; the sector generates a significant number of jobs. There are nearly 400 furniture manufacturers in the city; some streets (photo) are lined with shops selling nothing but this furniture.
Gravatá is also known as being a producer of organic (agrotoxic free) vegetables and flowers. The city responds for about 70% of the flower production of the State of Pernambuco.
Strawberry is a relevant product of Gravatá. Every year, the city celebrates the Festival do Morango (Feast of Strawberry), after the harvest period. The strawberry is one of the symbols of the city (take a look at the logo at the top of the Gravatá's official site.
The city it is also the largest horse breeding farms in the Northeast, with about 120 establishments; click here to visit one of the biggest horse breeding farms of Gravatá.
Tourism is a growing sector of the Economy of the city (read below).
The municipal district of Gravatá is part of the Development Region of Central Agreste. With an area of 10.117 km², the region covers 10,22% of the State territory and is constituted by another 25 cities: Agrestina, Alagoinha, Altinho, Barra de Guabiraba, Belo Jardim, Bezerros, Bonito, Brejo da Madre de Deus, Cachoeirinha, Camocim de São Félix, Caruaru, Cupira, Ibirajuba, Jataúba, Lagoa dos Gatos, Panelas, Pesqueira, Poção, Riacho das Almas, Sairé, Sanharó, São Bento do Una, São Caetano, São Joaquim do Monte and Tacaimbó.

Tourism
Gravatá is a good place for those looking for tranquility. The infrastructure of hotels, chalets (picture) and restaurants - many built in European style, with chimneys and sloped roof - is prepared to please visitors of all tastes. The pleasant weather, with average temperatures of 24ºC, invites to the tasting of wines and fondue.
Close to Recife, at only 85 Km of distance, Gravatá offers waterfalls, caves and ecological treks to those interested in ecological tourism. The landmarks are the Mirante do Cruzeiro, the Capela do Cristo Rei, the Mirante da Serra das Russas and the Cristo Redentor.
Like other cities in Pernambuco, there are a few street markets in Gravatá, where artists sell handicraft; in line with its fame of largest producer of rustic furniture, artisans from Gravatá specialize in producing pieces of wooden artcraft.
Gravatá is visited heavily in the Holy Week, São João and vacation. Other events of cultural and artistic interest are the Festival do Morango, the Karawatá Motocross, Rota do Forró (Rorró Route), Circuito do Frio (Cold Circuit) and the Circuito Pernambucano de Vaquejada (read more about vaquejada).

Other sites:
Hotel Portal de Gravatá This website of a farm hotel provides pics and news about what´s going on in the city.
GtaNet. Online journal about the city of Gravatá; offers webcam.

Source of informations: IBGE and Government of the State of Pernambuco
Pictures' credits: Government of the State of Pernambuco.