Maceió

Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas, Brazil. The name "Maceió" is of Indigenous origin, and designates the naturally spontaneous courses of water which flow out of the soil. Most maceiós flow to the sea, but some get trapped and form lakes ("lagoas", in Portuguese).There are plenty of maceiós and lakes in this part of Brazil; because of this, the city was named Maceió, and the State, Alagoas. The new Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport connects Maceió with many Brazilian cities and also operates some international flights. The city is home to the Federal University of Alagoas.HistoryThe city began in an old sugar mill and plantation complex around the 19th century. Its development started with the arrival of ships taking wood from Jaraguá bay.With the installation of the sugar mills, Maceió started to export sugar, then tobacco, coconut, leather, and some spices. Prosperity made it possible for the settlement to become a village on December 5, 1815. Thanks to its continued growth, Maceió became the capital of the Alagoas state on December 9, 1839.Maceió is also a port city and due to its port development about 200 years ago it changed from a village into a city.GeographyThe city is located between Mundaú Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. The city proper has a total population of 922,458 inhabitants (year 2006) living under a tropical climate with average temperature of 25°C., Maceio metropolitan area had a total population of 1,156,287 inhabitants.