Paulista (Recifense portuguese pronunciation: [pɐwˈliʃtɐ]) is a municipality in Pernambuco, Brazil, with a population of 365,144 as of 2025. It has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) of the Recife metropolitan area. It is the birthplace of footballer Rivaldo and is also famous for its beaches, including Maria Farinha with the giant Veneza water park. It was incorporated as a city in 1935.
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History
In 1535 Paulista was a village, with two parishes, Paratibe and Maranguape, and formed part of the then village of Olinda. In the mid-16th century, the lands of Paratibe were donated by Coelho to Jerônimo de Albuquerque, services rendered to the Dubuquerque colony. Jerônimo de Albuquerque, after a while, ceded the lands of Paratibe to Gonçalo Mendes Leitão, at the time of marrying his daughter. Later, with the death of Mendes Leitão, his heirs sold them as properties, dividing from then on into Paratibe de Cima and Paratibe de Baixo (Upper Paratibe and Lower Paratibe). In 1856, the parish of Maranguape was acquired by João Fernandes Vieira and at the end of this century, in the year 1689, the two parishes, Paratibe and Maranguape, were sold to the pioneer of São Paulo, Manoel Álvares de Morais Navarro, known as "Paulista", giving rise to the current name of the city.
The later centuries were characterized by both political and economic growth for the city. Paulista was the second district of Olinda until 1935, which became an independent municipality and is currently formed by the districts of Paratibe, Arthur Lundgren I, Arthur Lundgren II, Jardim Paulista Baixo, Jardim Paulista Alto, Conceição, Janga, Pau Amarelo, Nobre, Maranguape I, Maranguape II, Jardim Maranguape, Alameda Paulista, Maria Farinha, Engenho Maranguape and Mirueira.
Anthem
It was made by Joel Andrade.
Beaches
Conceição Beach - At 2 km (1.2 mi) long with many coconut trees, this beach has calm and very deep water. Also has many bars and tents.
Janga Beach - an urban beach with artificial reefs
Maria Farinha Beach - features quiet and shallow waters. At low tide, it is possible to see the reefs, and at this time, the beach has almost no waves.
Pau Amarelo Beach - features quiet water and a formation of sand banks, which give rise to small sandbar islets and natural pools.
The beaches of Paulista are a nesting ground for endangered hawksbill sea turtles.
Economy
In the municipality of Paulista, activities related to services, commerce and industry predominate. Tourism is also responsible for attracting enterprises to the municipality with the implementation of hotels, restaurants, commercial points, and marinas. In Paulista, the industrial park of Paratibe is also located, which houses companies from different sectors, stimulating the region's economy and generating employment for the population.
The municipality is part of the Metropolitan Region of Recife, which polarizes economic flows, with a predominance of the service sector and functions as a distribution center for goods. In addition to concentrating a greater number of processing industries in the State, another pillar of the metropolitan economy is the agro-industry, focused on the alcohol and sugar sectors. Also noteworthy is the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, coconuts, yams, manioc, among others.
Economic Indicators
Economy by Sector
Notable people
Jamesson Andrade de Brito, footballer