Presentation
The Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) is a public higher education institution engaged in teaching, research, extension and community outreach, innovation, technology transfer, and internationalization actions. UFPB's campuses are located in five cities: João Pessoa – the capital of the state of Paraíba, Areia, Bananeiras, Mamanguape, and Rio Tinto. Segmented into 16 Teaching Centers (equivalent to Faculties) and other academic subdivisions, UFPB offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs that cover nearly all areas of knowledge. Besides, it provides support to elementary school, high school, and technical education. The university also boasts a broad infrastructure consisting of well-equipped learning facilities, state-of-the-art research laboratories, libraries, hospitals, and services. Currently, the academic community consists of over 50,000 people, including professors, students, and administrative staff.
Campus I - João Pessoa
The city at a glance
Founded in 1585, João Pessoa – the capital of the state of Paraíba – is one of the oldest cities in Brazil and is today home to around 826,000 people. Due to "Ponta do Seixas", Americas’ easternmost spot, João Pessoa earned the epithet of “the city where the sun rises first”. Besides concentrating the biggest economy of the state, the city is also responsible for the biggest share of the commercial balance. With astounding beaches and excellent life quality indicators, tourism is one of its main industries. Residents and visitors can enjoy beautiful sightseeing, breathtaking natural pools, the traditional saxophone-played Ravel's Bolero performed at sunset at "Jacaré" Beach, open-sea catamaran trips, as well as warm weather all over the year.
Campus overview
Campus I is located in the district of Castelo Branco, in the heart of João Pessoa. It embraces most of UFPB’s Undergraduate Programs and Graduate Programs in 13 Teaching Centers and 2 Academic Units (Mangabeira, and Santa Rita). Together, they play the role of independent faculties by knowledge area. At Campus I are the administrative offices, such as the Rector’s office, Pro-Rectors’ offices, Legal Office, Ombudsman, Press, and the International Cooperation Office. This campus is fully equipped with facilities such as banks, restaurants, auditoriums, dormitories, the Radegundis Feitosa Concert Room, and the Lauro Wanderley University Hospital, a distinguished healthcare unit in the state of Paraíba.
Campus II - Areia
The city at a glance
At the beginning of the 18th century, a small settlement called "Sertão do Bruxaxá" was raised at the highlands of Serra da Borborema, intermediary region of the state of Paraíba, mainly as a roadhouse for troopers who departed in journeys from the Sertão region towards the coast. Due to the increased circulation of wayfarers in the vicinities, the village thrived and attracted new inhabitants, thus becoming the town of "Brejo d'Areia", by that time a district of the Monte-Mor village (currently the city of Mamanguape). In 1846, Areia became an independent city. Areia conserves its cultural and historical values up until today. Home to 23,000 citizens, Areia is one of the destinations in the "Caminhos do Frio" Route, a group of cool weather cities in Paraíba that attract hundreds of tourists in the winter.
Campus overview
Campus II has a single Teaching Center for teaching and research in Agricultural Sciences and the Veterinary University Hospital, the third largest in the state of Paraíba in animal healthcare. Home to the former Agronomy School of Parahyba (old spelling), later on, replaced by the Northeastern Agronomy School, Campus II's infrastructure is harmonically connected by experimental farms and animal husbandry facilities surrounded by an exuberant natural landscape. The campus is UFPB's branch mainly dedicated to soil science, rural engineering, phytotechnology, ecology, and related areas backed by fundamental knowledge in natural sciences, such as biology, chemistry, and physics.
Campus III - Bananeiras
The city at a glance
The unfolding of the second-to-third decade of the 17th century marks the colonization process in place at Paraíba, boosted by the regime of "sesmarias", land portions granted to local settlers by the Portuguese Crown. Until 1822 the municipality of Bananeiras was under the administrative control of the "Baía da Traição" Village. Ten years later, on May 9, 1833, a Provincial Law issued the current name to the city home to one of the most traditional "São João" (Saint John’s) Festivals in the region. Participating in the "Caminhos do Frio" Route alongside the city of Areia and home to around 21,000 inhabitants, Bananeiras features history, religious values, and local gastronomy. The "Roncador" Waterfall, for instance, is a 45-meter cliff amidst extraordinary flower species and native woods that make the view an appropriate scenario for wild camping and ecotourism.
Campus overview
The origin of Campus III precedes the history of UFPB itself and dates back to 1913. Campus III has a single Teaching Center that gathers Undergraduate Programs in social, human, and especially agricultural sciences, and focuses on regional sustainability and production chains, both goals supported by research laboratories shared by the slaughterhouse, dairy, bakery, fruit, and vegetable sectors. The research yielded in Campus III encompasses livestock, apiculture, aviculture, genetic reproduction, and more. In particular, the campus is also home to the "Vidal de Negreiros" Agricultural School, a traditional Teaching Unit that has been under the wings of UFPB since 1976, even though its secondary-level technical education had begun in 1924. The school is a fundamental piece for developing the agroindustry, aquaculture, and rural production of Bananeiras and other neighboring cities.
Campus IV - Mamanguape and Rio Tinto
The cities at a glance
Not unlike the commonplace history of other municipalities of Paraíba, Mamanguape's birth closely bonds to the dispersal of the Portuguese domain over the native Indigenous territory. After continued quarrels and bloody battles against the Indigenous population of the Potiguara tribe, the villagers took the front by conquering the land on the borders of the Mamanguape River in 1585. This way, the Monte-Mor Village came to light. Given the favorable conditions of the site regarding water abundance, river navigability, soil fertility, and the much-wanted redwood, economic growth was just a natural consequence for the region, and Mamanguape was considered a city in 1855, when it ranked first among Paraiba's municipalities in commercial exports, noticeably sugarcane. The name "Mamanguape" is a variant of the Indigenous Tupi dialect, standing for "where people go drink, at the drinking fountain". Currently, the population of Mamanguape exceeds 45,000, and its local economy orbits around parks and museums, like the Emperor's House.
Rio Tinto has a historical connection with Mamanguape, but its exact foundation date is unknown. When the sugarcane trade declined at the end of the 19th century, the installation of the Rio Tinto Textile Factory and Monte Alegre Factory (today "Açúcar Alegre" Company) revamped the local economy. The textile business was implemented by the Lundgrens, a family of German immigrants who invested heavily in real estate, and maritime shipping during 1918-1919. The name "Rio Tinto" ("red river") stems from the reddish stream of one of the local rivers. The city emancipated from Mamanguape in 1956. At present, Rio Tinto's population is slightly over 24,000, and the city is famous for its beaches that span over the municipality's shoreline, such as "Oiteiro", "Campina", and "Barra de Mamanguape", and for its traditional cuisine.
Campus overview
Campus IV is strategically placed at the North Coast of the state to support the cities circumscribed by the Mamanguape Valley and "Sapé" regions. Together, they add up around 400,000 inhabitants. With capacity shared by the Mamanguape and Rio Tinto Units, the campus provides 11 Undergraduate Programs and 3 Graduate Programs in applied sciences and education. Of modest conviviality, Campus IV is known for stimulating interpersonal relationships while allowing people of diverse backgrounds to meet at pleasant community spaces for informal talks, open-air study meetups, or even entertainment events.