Porto Velho
Porto Velho is the capital of the Brazilian state of Rondônia, in the upper Amazon River basin. The population is 460,434 people. Located on the border of Rondônia and the state of Amazonas, the town is an important trading center for cassiterite, the mining of tin, which represents the most important economic activity in the region, as well as a transportation and communication center. It is on the eastern shore of the Madeira River, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River. It is also Rondônia's largest city, and the largest state capital of Brazil by area.
The municipality occupies most of the border between Amazonas and Rondônia, and is both the westernmost and northernmost city in the state.
History
Officially founded on October 2, 1914, Porto Velho was founded by pioneers around 1907, during the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré railroad. After the railroad was completed, the local population was about one thousand inhabitants; its buildings were chiefly the railway's installations and the wooden houses of the Caribbean workers - hence the name of the town's largest district by then, "Bajan Hill" or "Barbados Town", nowadays called the "Alto do Bode".During the first sixty years, the city's development was directly connected to the railway's activities. The town prospered during the rubber boom; after the discovery of cheap Malaysian rubber made that of the Amazon obsolete, the region's rubber-centered economy ground to a sudden halt. Cities like Santo Antônio do Madeira, which had a tram line and a weekly newspaper by the time of Porto Velho's foundation, are still nothing but ruins to this day.
Porto Velho's survival is associated with the better conditions of the area where it was built, its easy access by the river and its harbor: these were all considerations in the choice of Porto Velho as the capital of the newly formed Federal Territory of Guaporé, in 1943. Only with the beginning of World War II was there another cycle of progress in the region. Once the Allied forces lost control of Malaysian rubber, the Amazon's was needed again due to the war effort. This produced what is known in Brazil as the "second rubber boom". Subsequently, when the war ended, the region's economy once again came to a halt.
Porto Velho's modern history begins with the discovery of cassiterite around the city, and of gold on the Madeira River, at the end of the 1950s. In addition, the government's decision to allow large cattle farms in the territory began a trend of migration into the city. Almost one million people moved to Rondônia, and Porto Velho's population increased to three hundred thousand. This intense migration caused much trouble for the city. Among many other problems, the suburban boroughs, for example, were nothing but shanty towns.
The Catedral Metropolitana Sagrado Coração de Jesus is the cathedral archiepiscopal see of a Latin Catholic jurisdiction that started on May 1, 1925. The vast Territorial Prelature of Porto Velho split off from the then-Diocese of Amazonas and Diocese of São Luíz de Cáceres, and also lost parts to three new Territorial prelatures, before being promoted as the first bishopric. On October 4, 1982, it was promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Porto Velho.
Geography
Climate
Porto Velho features a tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification. The temperatures tend to be relatively consistent throughout the course of the year, with average daily temperatures typically between 25 and 26 degrees Celsius. The dry season is short and covers the months of June, July and August. Porto Velho is particularly wet from November through April, averaging roughly of rain per month in each of these months. According to the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology, between 1961 and 1990 the lowest temperature recorded in Porto Velho was in July 1975, and the highest reached in August 1969.Vegetation
The Amazon has over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and is the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species-rich than wet forests in Africa and Asia. As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity.More than one third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.
Conservation
The municipality contains what is left of the Rio Madeira Sustainable Yield Forest and, created in 1990.It contains the Lago do Cuniã Extractive Reserve, created in 1999.
It contains part of the strictly-protected Cuniã Ecological Station, an area of savannah parkland.
It holds all of the strictly protected Serra dos Três Irmãos Ecological Station.
It contains part of the Mapinguari National Park, a conservation unit created in 2008.
It also contains part of the Jacundá National Forest, a sustainable use conservation unit.
The municipality contains 66% of the Jaci Paraná Extractive Reserve, created in 1996.
It contains the Mujica Nava Ecological Station, created in 1996.
It contains part of the Bom Futuro National Forest, established in 1988.
The majority of the forest surrounding Porto Velho has been cut down, however.
Economy
, GDP for the city was R$3,656,512,000.The per capita income for the city was R$9,779 for the same year.
A 2024 and 2025 report by Trata Brasil ranked Porto Velho last in a public sanitation ranking of Brazil's 100 largest cities, making it, at least, 10 years that this city has been in the last position.
The report found that just 41.8% of the city's population has access to municipal drinking water, and just 9.9% were connected to a municipal sewage. Another 2024 study ranking quality of life among Brazil's state capitals found that Porto Velho placed last among them.
Cityscape
Transportation
International Airport
, from the city, has its main access at the Av. Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira, with two lanes. Buses from downtown run to the airport every hour, and there is a fleet of taxis serving only the airport. The airport is served by 98 scheduled flights weekly, most going to other large Brazilian cities. The presence of Porto Velho Air Force Base ensures considerable movement of military aircraft. The local people refer to Porto Velho International as Belmont Airport because it is located in this district. It became an international airport in 2002. It was built as a replacement to Caiari Airport, which was closed on April 16, 1969.Porto Velho Air Force Base - ALA6, one of their most important bases of the Brazilian Air Force, is located in Porto Velho.
Highways
- BR-174
- BR-317
- BR-319
- BR-364
- BR-421
- BR-425
- BR-429
- RO-010
- RO-101
- RO-490
Education
Colleges
- Universidade Federal de Rondônia ;
- Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rondônia - Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Rondônia ;
- Instituto Luterano de Ensino Superior de Porto Velho ;
- Faculdade Interamericana de Porto Velho ;
- Faculdade de Ciências Administrativas e de Tecnologia ;
- Faculdade de Ciências Humanas, Exatas e Letras de Rondônia ;
- Faculdade da Amazônia ;
- Faculdade de Porto Velho/ Fundação Getúlio Vargas ;
- Faculdades Integradas Maria Coelho Aguiar ;
- Faculdade São Lucas;
Schools
- Maple Bear Canadian School;
- Colégio Sapiens;
- Classe A;
- Escola Estadual de Ensino Fundamental e Médio João Bento da Costa;
- Colégio Tiradentes da Polícia Militar;
- Centro de Ensino Mineiro;
- Proensino;
- Instituto Laura Vicuña;
- Instituto Estadual de Educação Carmela Dutra;
- Colégio Dom Bosco;
- Centro Educacional Dr Gilberto Mendes De Azevedo;
- Instituto Maria Auxiliadora.
Culture
Libraries
The collection of library articles in municipal Porto Velho was waiting for a permanent headquarters for several years until completion of the Municipal Library next to City Hall. The space has two air-conditioned floors in the city center.Carnival
The Carnival takes place every year, attracting a large number of people from other cities and neighboring states of Rondônia. During the carnival, there are the parades of carnival and samba schools; among the best known are The Diplomats, Asfaltão, among others.In July Carnival happens out of season, with characteristics of the Bahia Carnival, with electric trios and 'Axé' groups.