Aracati

Aracati (locally [aˌɾakaˈti]) is a city or municipality in the state of Ceará, in the northeast region of Brazil. The city was officially founded on April 11, 1747. It is part of the microregion of Litoral de Aracati, which is one of the four microregions that make up the macroregion of Jaguaribe. It is the birthplace of the revolutionary Eduardo Angelim, the romanticist Adolfo Caminha, the bishop Manuel do Rego Medeiros, the abolitionist Dragão do Mar, the actor Emiliano Queiroz, the classical pianist Jacques Klein and the writer Yury Teodósio. The city center of Aracati was named an important historical site in April 2000 by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage of Brazil. The city has several colonial-period residences, and churches from the 17th and 18th century. The facades of many residential buildings of Aracati have well-preserved examples of azulejo, the blue-white ceramic tiles common in Portuguese colonial architecture. Aracati receives a significant amount of international tourism for its small size, attracted primarily by the quiet and calm life of the coast. Foreign-born residents can be seen living and working more and more frequently in its famous beach of Canoa Quebrada. The beaches of Majorlândia and Quixaba are also important in the region and also offer services such as bars, restaurants, and hotels.