Sobral, Ceará

Sobral
Waterfront in the city
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Princesa do Norte
Motto: Sobral
Location in the state of São Paulo and Brazil
Coordinates: 03°40′26″S 40°14′20″W
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	Ceará
Settled	November 14, 1772
Government
• Mayor	Clodoveu Arruda (PPS)
Area
• Total	2,129.989 km2 (822.393 sq mi)
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	188.271
• Density	83.32/km2 (215.8/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
HDI (2000)	0.699 – medium
Website	Prefeitura Municipal de Sobral

A general view of the city's downtown, as photographed from the seat of the city government

A historical building in downtown Sobral

Sobral is a city in the state of Ceará, Brazil.

Sobral is the fifth largest municipality of Ceará, after Fortaleza. Its economy is based on agriculture, services and some manufacturing industries. The city has two public universities (Universidade Federal do Ceará, with a medical school) and the Universidade Estadual do Vale do Acaraú, and also counts with two other private colleges, Faculdade Luciano Feijão, Unopar, Ieducare and Inta - a theological institute. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sobral.

The city became internationally known when it was the place where the first astronomical observation of a solar eclipse on May 29, 1919 by a team of British scientists led by Sir Arthur Eddington was offered as the first proof of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity^{[citation needed]}, which had been published in 1916. A "Museum of the Eclipse" celebrates this event in the town. There is a monument at the museum marking the location of this solar eclipse. Is being erected in honor of a planetarium as historical fact in the Patrocinio Square.

External links

• Photo of museum and monument Sobral where Einstein's theory of relativity was proven