tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Jun 03 13:04:49 1999
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Re: Sao Palo
SuSvaj asked:
: jabbI'ID ghomvamDaq "Brazil"nganpu' tu'lu'chugh, vaj jIHvaD ngoDvam peQIj.
: 'Iv ghaH *Sao Palo*?
:
: On the recent DS9 episode "The Dogs of War" Captain Sisco was given
: command of the new defiant class starship U.S.S. Sao Palo. The recognition
: plack on the bridge was inscribed with the words "Named for the People of
: Brazil." If there are any Brazilians on this list, would you please
: explaing who Sao Palo is?
According to The Encyclopædia Britannica Online, São Paulo - "Saint Paul" in
Portuguese - is an:
"estado ("state") of southeastern Brazil, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean to
the southeast and bounded by the states of Minas Gerais (northeast), Rio de
Janeiro (east), Paraná (southwest), and Mato Grosso do Sul (west). São Paulo
constitutes the richest and most populous region of the country. With a total
area of 95,714 square miles (247,898 square km), it produces more than half of
the country's manufactures and more than one-third of its leading
crop--coffee.
The overwhelming majority of its population is urban and suburban. The state
capital, São Paulo, is the largest city in Brazil (having overtaken Rio de
Janeiro in the 1950s).
"The area that was to become São Paulo was settled in 1532 by the Portuguese
under the explorer Martim Afonso de Souza, who established a flourishing
settlement at São Vicente, now a resort town near Santos. When Brazil was
divided into captaincies, or hereditary fiefs, the captaincy of São Vicente,
comprising the whole of Brazil south of Rio de Janeiro, was granted to Souza
(1534). The Vicentinos (inhabitants of São Vicente) had begun to explore the
hinterlands, and new villages began to appear on the coastline and on the
plateau, which became the main region of inland settlement. In 1681 the
captaincy was renamed São Paulo, and the town of São Paulo (founded 1554) was
designated the capital. (See Sousa, Martim Afonso de.)
"In the 18th century the Portuguese inhabitants of the captaincy (called
Paulistas, or Paulistanos) continued to penetrate the west, north, and south.
São Paulo existed on its commerce, sugar growing, and diversified agriculture
until the introduction of coffee planting in the 19th century opened a new
economic era.
"The national independence of Brazil was proclaimed in São Paulo in 1822, at
which time the captaincy became a province of the new Brazilian empire. The
region of São Paulo became a state when the republic was formed in 1889.
Political importance grew with the economy. The nation's first three civilian
presidents after the downfall of the empire in 1889 were Paulistas. In the
20th
century, Paulistas, who first served as mayors of the capital city, as
governors, or as local political or industrial leaders, have occupied the
presidency, cabinet, and other federal positions with significant regularity.
"São Paulo has a coastline 370 miles (600 km) long. The narrow coastal zone is
broken by lagoons, tidal channels, and mountain spurs. It is bordered by the
well-wooded slopes of the Serra do Mar, a part of the Great Escarpment, which
rims an extensive plateau with wide, grassy plains, about 1,500 to 3,000 feet
(460 to 920 m) above sea level. Isolated ranges of low elevation break the
surface in places, but, in general, the undulating tableland slopes toward the
Paraná River, the state's western boundary.
"The Paraná--and its tributaries, the Paranapanema, Tieté (which traverses the
whole state), Pardo, Canoas, Inferno, Anhanguera, Turvo, and Dourados--flows
westward into the estuary of the Río de la Plata. The extreme eastern part of
the tableland, however, slopes to the east, and, from a little east of the
city
of São Paulo, the Paraíba do Sul River turns northeastward and flows parallel
to the coast, meandering across a wide floodplain used for the production of
rice.
"On the coast the average temperature is about 68 F (20 C), and the annual
rainfall is about 79 inches (2,007 mm); on the plateau the average temperature
varies between about 64 and 68 F (18 and 20 C), and in the mountainous areas
annual rainfall reaches 59 inches (1,500 mm). The lower third of the state is
crossed by the Tropic of Capricorn, and the weather in general is mild and
healthful. The coastal zone has a hot climate and heavy rainfall. On the
plateau rainfall is ample with high daytime temperatures and cool nights.
"The evergreen forests are reminiscent of the wealth of vegetation in
Brazil in
days gone by. The vegetation is greatly diversified and includes several kinds
of hardwoods (such as rosewood), wild fruits, and plants that are used for
medicinal and ornamental purposes or for making textiles.
"The Paulist animal life is rich and diverse, including the jaguar, cougar,
tapir, capybara (an edible rodent related to the guinea pig), howling monkey,
parrot, macaw, and alligator.
"Before the arrival of the Portuguese, the two principal Indian groups were
the
Tupí-Guaraní, who lived on the coast and on the plateau, and the Tapuia, who
lived farther inland. Black African slaves were introduced to the region by
the
Portuguese during the 17th century. With the absorption of the Indian element
and with further European immigration (mostly Italian, Portuguese, and
Spanish), from the end of the 19th century onward, the population of the state
was reduced to three elements--white, black, and mulatto. Subsequently a small
number of Japanese immigrants also arrived.
Brazilian-style Portuguese is the language in general use, and English is
relatively widely spoken. São Paulo is predominantly Roman Catholic, though
other Christian denominations are found.
"Under federal law all citizens are entitled to primary education, which is
free and compulsory; the cities have the best educational facilities.
Institutions of higher learning include the University of São Paulo (with its
constituent colleges and affiliated institutes), Mackenzie University,
Pontifical Catholic University, and the Polytechnic School of Engineering--all
of which are in the city of São Paulo--and Luis de Queiroz Higher School of
Agriculture in Piracicaba.
"Agriculture is largely mechanized; it owes its modernization largely to the
Luis de Queiroz school and to the Institute of Agronomy of Campinas.
"Coffee was formerly the main source of wealth of the state and still accounts
for a considerable portion of the total value of its products, although
industry, mostly centred in the city of São Paulo and its environs, is
surpassing coffee in importance. Besides coffee, crops include sugarcane,
cotton, corn (maize), rice, beans, Indian or Paraguay tea (maté), potatoes,
and
such fruits as bananas and oranges.
"Ranching has begun to transform the old coffee lands into stock-raising areas
and pastures for vast herds of cattle. Hogs, sheep, horses, and goats are also
raised.
"The state has an extensive network of highways. Santos is the nation's
busiest
port and the largest coffee-shipping port in the world. The ports of São
Sebastião, Iguape, Ubatuba, and Cananéia, which are considerably smaller,
serve
the coastal trade. São Paulo city has an international airport and is the
centre of the state's most important cultural institutions. Pop. (1988 est.)
32,091,000."
To cite this page:
<<http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=67374&sctn=1&pm=1>http://search.eb.com/
bol/topic?eu=67374&sctn=1&pm=1>
[I'll leave the translation of the above into tlhIngan Hol as an exercise for
the reader!]
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
_____________________________________________________________________
Steven Boozer University of Chicago Library [email protected]