Jijoca de Jericoacoara

Jijoca de Jericoacoara (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒiˈʒɔkɐ dʒi ʒɛɾikuˌakuˈaɾɐ]) is the northernmost municipality in the Brazilian state of Ceará, near the city of Cruz. It is known for its eponymous beach and national park. It is served by Jericoacoara airport, which opened in 2017.^[2]

Jijoca de Jericoacoara Jericoacoara
Flag Seal
Nickname:  "Jeri"
Location of Jijoca de Jericoacoara in Ceará
Country	Brazil
Region	Northeast
State	Ceará
Founded	May 6, 1991
Government
• Mayor	Sergio Herrero Gimenez (PSDB)
Area
• Total	201.858 km2 (77.938 sq mi)
Elevation	22 m (72 ft)
Population  (2020 [1])
• Total	20,087
• Density	82.5/km2 (214/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−3 (BRT)
Website	http://www.jijocadejericoacoara.ce.gov.br

Name

The word Jericoacoara comes from the indigenous Tupi language and means "lair of turtles", from îurukûá "sea turtle" and kûara "lair, hole".

History

A fact of some historical significance is the report of Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (Captain of Nau Niña, the fleet of Christopher Columbus), which anchored in the bay of Jericoacoara in 1499.^[3] But this was not official at the time as a result of the Treaty of Tordesillas, which was signed in the same year.