Castelonovo

Castelonovo
Federal capital
Município e Capital Federal de Castelonovo Municipality and Federal Capital of Castelonovo
Following down left to right: downtown's skyline, Bachelet Building, the city's cathedral, Museum of Arts of Castelonovo, Mascarenhas Palace and Guararapes' Valley.
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Terra de Oportunidades (Land of Opportunities); Selva de Pedra (Stone's Jungle)
Motto(s):  Semper invicta "Always undefeated"
Country	Belmonte
Province	Federal Capital
Foundation	19 May 1544
Boroughs	16 boroughs Centro Vila Galisteu Jaraquara Ibará Bonfim Esperança Copa Piratininga Jardins Vila Aurora Leopoldense Regina Guararapes Ó Punhais Cerejeira
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Body	Municipal Chamber
• Mayor	Júlio Passos
• Vice Mayor	Catarina Beltrão
Population  (2019)
• Total	3,724,976
Demonym	Castelan
Time zone	BCT
Area code	CST (11)

Castelonovo ([kɐstʃelɔnovo]), officially the Municipality and Federal Capital of Castelonovo (Lusitan: Município e Capital Federal de Castelonovo), is the capital and largest city of Belmonte. According to the last demographic census made in 2018, the general population of the city and its metropolitan area corresponds to 3,724,976 inhabitants.

Founded by bandeirantes in the 16th century, Castelonovo was located between several trade routes that transported goods to markets and villages, which made the small city become in a few years an important commercial centre to the colony. Also, the rough terrain was frequently used as a natural defence against indigenous attacks, which was another decisive factor for the upcoming centralization and transference of various services and public institutions that were formerly situated in several coastal cities to there. Soon after the Belmontese independence, the city already was the most important of the entire country, but it only became the national capital and its own province after the establishment of the republic in 1819.

With the advent of the industrial revolution, the city was one of the cities that most grew in Belmonte, where several roads and railways were being built and connecting other major cities at the same time that thousands of farmers and former slaves came to work in the new factories. In the 20th century, Castelonovo was hit with another rural exodus and political and economical instabilities, being at the centre of protests, general strikes and battles. During the Great War, the city was invaded, bombed and occupied by Entente forces until being liberated by resistance troops in the Spring March. After the war, the city was undergone through revitalization and modernization programs and expanded considerably.

Today, Castelonovo is the most important city of Belmonte and one of the most important ones of the Asterias as well, since it is the political, administrative, financial and cultural centre of the nation where the majority of governmental institutions, banks, embassies, agencies and organizations are located, with its name being used as a metonymy for the Federal Government as a whole. The city also is a cosmopolitan one, with several inhabitants coming from different regions and countries around the globe. Despite having one of the highest GDP and HDI of Belmonte, the city suffers from several social and urban problems such as traffic, poverty, crime and pollution.