João Pessoa

Cloister of the Franciscan church, João Pessoa, Braz.

João Pessoa, port city, capital of Paraíba estado (state), northeastern Brazil. It is situated at an elevation of 148 feet (45 metres) above sea level on the right bank of the Paraíba do Norte River, 11 miles (18 km) above its mouth, 75 miles (121 km) north of Recife, and about 100 miles [160 km] south of Natal.

Founded in 1585, the city for many years was known successively as Filipea de Nossa Senhora das Neves, Frederikstad, and Paraíba. In 1930 the name was officially changed to honour João Pessoa, the state president who was killed in the revolution led by Getulio Vargas. Colonial buildings include the Church of Nossa Senhora das Neves (“Our Lady of the Snows”) and the 18th-century São Francisco Church. João Pessoa is the seat of the Federal University of Paraíba (1955).

The city manufactures electrical products, chemicals, fabrics, plastics, and seaweed products. João Pessoa is home to a sizable football (soccer) stadium. The city’s accessibility is enhanced by an airport and by highways that run along the coast and into the interior. The Cape Branco lighthouse at Point Seixas is the most easterly point in Brazil. Pop. (2010) 723,515.