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PETROPOLIS

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Originally appearing in Volume V21, Page 335 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PETROPOLIS , a See also:

city of the See also:state of Rio de Janeiro, See also:Brazil, in an elevated valley of the Serra de Estrella, 2634 ft. above See also:sea-level and 27 m. N. of the city of Rio de Janeiro, with which it is connected by a combined railway and steamship See also:line, andalso by a longer railway line. Pop. of the See also:municipality (1900). 29,331, a large percentage being summer residents, as the See also:census was taken See also:late in See also:December; (1902, municipal census), 18,373. Petropolis is served by the Principe do Grao Pala railway, now a See also:part of the Leopoldina See also:system, which connects with Rio de Janeiro and See also:Nictheroy on the See also:coast, and with ti e station of Entre Rios on the Central of Brazil railway. Its See also:altitude gives the city a cool invigorating See also:climate, making it a favourite summer See also:residence for the well-to-do classes of Rio. The rainfall is abundant, and especially so in summer (December to See also:March) when the humidity is extreme. Vegetation is luxuriant and comprises a See also:great variety of tropical and sub-tropical See also:species. The city is built in a large, irregularly shaped See also:basin formed by streams which converge to See also:form the Piabanha See also:river, a tributary of the See also:Parahyba do Sul. Among the public buildings are the old imperial See also:palace, a See also:modern summer residence of the See also:national executive and a municipal See also:hall. Although Petropolis is not a commercial centre, its See also:water-See also:power and cool climate are making it an important manufacturing See also:town. Among the products are See also:cotton fabrics and garments, See also:beer, and Camembert and See also:Brie cheeses.

Petropolis was founded in 1845 by See also:

Julius See also:Frederick Koler under the auspices of the See also:emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro II., on lands See also:purchased by his See also:father, Dom Pedro I., in 1822. The See also:place was previously known as Corrego Secco, which Dr See also:George See also:Gardner described in 1837 as " a small, miserable See also:village." The first emperor planned to establish there a See also:German See also:colony, but the See also:plan was not realized until 1845, when about 2700 colonists from See also:Germany were located there. Its growth was slow, but the choice of the place by the emperor as a summer residence See also:drew thither many of the wealthy residents of the See also:capital. The Maud. railway was opened to the See also:foot of the serra (Raiz da Serra) in 1854, and the macadamized road up the serra to the town in 1856. The See also:mountain See also:section of the railway, on the Riggenbach system, was completed in 1883. Petropolis has since become the summer residence of the See also:diplomatic See also:corps and of the higher officials of the Federal See also:government, and was the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro from 1893 to 1903.

End of Article: PETROPOLIS

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