Gravatá
Gravatá is a city in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, located about 75 km (47 mi) from the state's capital Recife (the distance by road is 85 km or 53 mi). The population of Gravatá in 2009 was 75.229 inhabitants, according with IBGE.
Gravatá is located at 08°12′04″S 35°33′53″W / 8.20111°S 35.56472°W. The average altitude is 447 metres (1,467 ft). The area of Gravatá is 491.53 km2 (189.78 sq mi). It is known for a pleasant climate (annual medium temperature 18 °C or 64.4 °F) and its charming houses with an Alpine architecture; it is placed in the rural countryside of Pernambuco (Agreste Pernambucano). Located in the rural district of the valley of Ipojuca (Vale do Ipojuca), a transition area between the Forest and the Rural Area, in the region formerly known the Borborema Plateau, nowadays called Serra das Russas (Russians' Mountain); have this name because of the some blond and red hair people who lives in the area (dutch descendents, comun in this region) who in this part of Brazil where know as russians; it is part of the basin Capibaribe. Being an important regional centre town, it is linked to Recife by a federal highway (BR-232), which passes also Vitória de Santo Antão and Jaboatão dos Guararapes.
The characteristic vegetation in Gravatá are savannahs, natural pastures, swamp, sandbanks and forests.
Administratively, the municipal district is composed of the district Gravatá itself and the municipals of Uruçu-Mirim, Russinhas, São Severino de Gravatá, Avencas and Ilha Energética.
The municipal district of Gravatá had its origins in a farm, which in 1808, belonging to José Justino Carreiro de Miranda, served as a lodging place for travellers and sold mainly sugar and beef. Travelling along the river Ipojuca from Recife towards the inside of the country was difficult in those times. The merchants were forced to make strategic stops to avoid the cattle losing weight. One of those resting-places was known as "Crauatá", derived from the Tupi name "Karawata" (mato que fura) for the place, due to the predominance of a plant belonging to the family of the bromélias, also called Caraguatá, Caroatá, Caróa and Gravatá.
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