Teresina, Piauí, Northeast Region, Brazil

🇧🇷 Teresina is the capital and most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of Piauí. Being located in north-central Piauí 366 km from the coast, it is the only capital in the Brazilian Northeast that is not located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Teresina is the 21st largest city in Brazil, and the 15th largest state capital in the country. Together with Timon in the nearby state of Maranhão, it forms a conurbation. The only natural barrier that separates Teresina from Timon is the Parnaíba river, one of the largest in the Northeast.

Teresina is the capital with the first best quality of life in the North-Northeast according to FIRJAN and the 4th in Brazil. It is among the 50 cities in the world with the highest murder rates, with 315 homicides in 2017.

Its motto is the Latin phrase Omnia in Charitatis, which means, in English, "All for charity". The city is the birthplace of, among others, Torquato Neto, who belonged to the Tropicalismo movement.

Its cathedral, Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora das Dores, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, is the archiepiscopal see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Teresina.

History Teresina was founded on August 16, 1852, under the name of Vila Nova do Poty (because its origin is linked to the Poti river) as the capital of the state of Piauí. It was the first planned city in the Brazil and the only north-east capital located out of the coast. Until 1852, Oeiras was the capital of the Piauí Captaincy. However, due to difficulties in communication and trade, the capital was transferred to an area next to the Parnaíba River, to the other cities and to the sea coast. Colonization of the area where Teresina is now located dates back to the 18th century. The chosen place was a small community of fishermen, in 1760, nearby Poty and Panaíba rivers, which grew into a village called "Vila do Poty", but, due to the inundation of the Parnaíba River riverbanks, the city had to be built in a higher position.

In the 19th century, it was initially called Vila Nova do Poty, but later the city was renamed Teresina, in honor of Empress Teresa Cristina, the wife of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil.

Teresina is the hottest city in the country and the city with the third-highest incidence of lightning in the world. Nowadays, Teresina's economy is based on international manufacturing industries and trade.

Main sights Sights include: • Casa da Cultura de Teresina, exhibiting elements of the culture of the city, and home to cultural events • Centro Artesanal "Master Dezinho", home to handcrafts made of various materials, mainly clay, decorated with paintings; • Teatro 4 de Setembro, a theatre holding cultural shows, plays and others; • Mirante da Ponte Estaiada "João Isidoro França" • Encontro dos Rios, a natural place by the riverside Parnaíba and Poti. • Parque Zoobotânico, a zoo with typical animals of the Brazilian fauna and other countries. • Igreja de São Benedito, the main Catholic church of the city • Museu do Piaui, with numerous elements of the history of Teresina and of Piauí in general, including antiques, furniture and documents.

Geography Teresina is located on the east side of the Parnaíba river at the border with Maranhão state, at an altitude of about 72 meters. The city faces the city of Timon across the river and is situated between the Parnaíba river and its tributary the Poti River. The two rivers join at the city's northern end, where there is an environmental park with gazebos. Teresina is the largest capital in the north-eastern territorial extension, at 1,756 km2.

Located in a transition zone between the north-east and the Amazon (Mid-North), Teresina is surrounded by mata dos cocais, savannas and cerradões where many carnaúba, babaçu, buriti palms, jatobás, ipês, and many other medium-sized trees can be seen. In the region there are also remnants of Teresina Atlantic Forest, which makes the landscape shrub coverage very rich and dense.

Health In Teresina there are 634 health institutions, eight hospitals, 181 clinics and 170 clinics, employing some 15,000 people.

Education: Universities • Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI); • Universidade Estadual do Piauí (Uespi); • Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Piauí (IFPI). • Faculdade de Saúde, Ciências Humanas e Tecnológicas do Piauí (Faculdade Novafapi) • Faculdade Integral Diferencial (Facid) • Instituto Camilo Filho (ICF) • Centro de Ensino Unificado de Teresina (CEUT) • Faculdade das Atividades Empresariais de Teresina (FAETE).

Economy The Gross Domestic Product of Teresina represents about 40% of GDP in the state of Piaui. In industry, there is the textile and garment industry, which exports to other regions and generates about ten thousand jobs. There are also manufacturers bicycles, drink industries, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, furniture and ceramics, among others. The building deserves to be a fast-growing sector due to the verticality of the city over the past 15 years.

Transport Teresina has a subway service comprising nine different stations. There is also bus service through the city. Teresina/Senador Petrônio Portella Airport, opened in 1967, lies north of the capital, between the rivers Parnaíba and Poty.

Sport The Albertão Stadium holds 60,000 spectators, houses soccer, athletics and other games. A smaller stadium (6,000 places) is the Lindolfo Monteiro Stadium, opened in 1944. It was restored in 2008.

Football teams Teresina include Flamengo-PI, River-PI, Tiradentes and Piauí-PI. Teresina has one rugby union club that is in Brazil's women's rugby top flight, Delta Rugby Clube.