Castelonovo
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Castelonovo | |
|---|---|
| Capital Federal de Castelonovo Federal Capital of Castelonovo | |
 From the top, clockwise: Castelonovo Cathedral; night overview of the city downtown; Monument to the Bandeiras at Ibibepa Park; Museum of Art of Castelonovo; Mascarenhas Palace; and the Magalhães Bridge over the Veracruz River. | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Etymology: New Castle | |
| Nickname(s): Terra de Oportunidades (Land of Opportunities); Selva de Pedra (Stone Jungle) | |
| Motto(s): Semper Invicta "Always undefeated" | |
| Country |  Belmonte |
| Province |  Federal Capital |
| Foundation | 19 May 1544 |
| Founded by | Magalhães Cunha |
| Boroughs | 30 boroughs
|
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| • Body | Municipal Chamber |
| • Mayor | Júlio Passos (UCN) |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 293,905 km2 (113,477 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 907,307 km2 (350,313 sq mi) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Urban | 4,388,284 |
| • Metro | 11,371,228 |
| Demonym | Castelan |
| Time zone | UTC+13 |
| Area code | +57 010 |
Castelonovo (/kɑːstɪlɒˈnɒˈvoʊ/; Luzelese pronunciation: [kɐstʃelɔnovo]), officially the Federal Capital of Castelonovo (Luzelese: Capital Federal de Castelonovo), is the capital and largest city of Belmonte. Castelonovo is the primate political, administrative, financial and cultural centre of Belmonte, with its name being often used as a synecdoche to refer to the government as a whole. Its metropolitan population is the second largest of Asteria Inferior and the tenth-largest of the world, being the most populous Luzelese-speaking city as well. Together with Riachuelo, the city is undergoing a major conurbation process and is part of the Central Metropolitan Axis, which is the most inhabited and urbanized area of the country.
Castelonovo was founded by bandeirante Magalhães Cunha as an outpost for future expeditions further inland, however, its central strategic location and rough terrain that served as a natural defence towards hostile attacks led to exponential growth. By the late 18th century, before Belmontese independence, the city was already the biggest in the colony. After independence, Castelonovo became the centre for liberal and federalist thought and was chosen as the country's capital after the establishment of the First Republic.
Throughout the 19th century, Castelonovo became the major industrial hub of Belmonte and was the city that most received immigrants from that time. Together with a massive rural exodus, the city was affected by a variety of problems combined with the political instability of the era, with the majority of protests, riots, battles and revolts happening there. Castelonovo was severely destroyed during the Great War and the consequent Entente occupation and liberation, suffering a major renovation process in the upcoming decades.
Today, Castelonovo is the wealthiest and most developed city of Belmonte, being a diverse and cosmopolitan city home to regional and international diasporas of different ethnicities around the globe. The city is also known for its religious diversity and its LGBTQ+ population, and has its official motto Semper Invicta, which means "Always Undefeated", whilst having the nicknames Terra de Oportunidades (Land of Opportunities) and Selva de Pedra (Stone Jungle). Castelonovo is the seat of several museums, shows and festivals, and have been the host city of numerous world events of significant importance.
History
Kingdom of Luzela 1544-1683
Poveglian Republic 1683-1721
Gaullican Empire 1721-1764 Belmonte 1764-presentPre-Ashtarite Castelonovo
Before the arrival of Euclean colonists in what is modern-day Belmonte, the area that today corresponds to Castelonovo was populated by a myriad of native chiefdoms, the majority being from Macro-Jê origin. There are few archaeological vestiges about the original native population that lived in the area, with the few descriptions about them mentioning their hostility towards bandeirantes or any white Euclean at all. Although the majority of them were either killed, fled or assimilated into colonial society, native names are still present on names and places throughout the city.
Foundation and colonial era
Castelonovo was founded on May 19th 1544 as Castelo Alto (High Castle) by an expedition led by bandeirante Magalhães Cunha, which departed from Pinheiros a few months before. Initially a small outpost that served as a resting point to other expeditions and bandeiras, the village suffered a massive fire which destroyed the majority of its buildings in 1553, being rebuilt as Castelonovo (New Castle) years later, in 1558. Its location, away from the coast in the middle of the jungle, was known for its rough terrain, making the place safe from indigenous attacks and further increasing the interest of Catholic and Jesuit groups, who wanted to expand their conversion work deep inland.
Thanks to the effort of priests João Paes and Augusto Linhares, the village was further expanded with the construction of a new convent, intensifying conversion activities in the area whilst attracting more priests and new inhabitants. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the city drastically grew as the majority of trade routes crossed there, becoming a regional centre for neighbouring villages and towns. Together with its natural defences, many colonial institutions started to be built or transferred to there, consequently leading to the migration of most of the regional elites to areas close to its location. By the end of the 17th century, the city had become the largest of the colony and was the capital of the Anchieta captaincy since 1668.
At the end of the colonial era, Castelonovo already was an important social, economic and cultural centre of Belmonte, being the home for several academic and political thought. Unlike previous colonial administrations, the Gaullican Empire, against the high-level of autonomy that the captaincies had, abolished the former's autonomy and established harsh taxes over the colony itself, instilling rejection of the local population towards the new metropolis. During the 1740s and 1750s, the city became the stage of the first manifestations against colonial rule whilst new nationalist and liberal ideologies arose and, in 1761, the declaration of independence was signed and declared there.
During the Asterian War of Secession, Castelonovo was the seat of the revolutionary forces, headed by Sebastião Mascarenhas, throughout the entire conflict.
Confederation and Republic
After Belmontese independence, the Confederation of Belmonte was established, being an oligarchic confederation in which all rule was concentrated towards the rural slave-owning elite. Castelonovo, despite already being the biggest city in the newly-established country and being the seat of various public institutions, didn't receive the title of capital, alienating many against such rural elites. Furthermore, the city, known for being an academic centre, a centre which had liberal, federal and enlightenment ideas, became opposed towards the new regime. The city would be the seat of the federalist and republican Liberal Party and would endorse liberal thought consistently over the years. With those ideas starting to become more repressed, various high-ranking officials mutinied and rebelled against the confederation, thus starting the Federalist Revolt.
With the federalist victory years afterwards, the First Belmontese Republic was established, making Castelonovo the official capital of Belmonte. This entailed the centralization of more services and the transference of remaining public institutions to the city, helping in its expansion. The arrival of more servicemen and bureaucrats, combined with the government's reformist nature, led to a massive urban renovation, with new, wider roads connecting the city with coastal towns while the architecture shifted from its colonial baroque to more neoclassical trends inspired by the Euclean capitals of the time.
After the Belmontese Revolution, industrialization started to be slowly introduced in the city, with Castelonovo overseeing the construction of the first factories in the 1850s and 1860s. At first limited in size and production, industrialization would be intensified in the upcoming decades, leading to the massive immigration of primarily Euclean peoples. Out of almost two million people that went to Belmonte between the 1870s and 1910s, the overwhelming majority went to work and live on Castelonovo or its neighbouring regions, leading to the construction of various working-class neighbourhoods, the most famous of them being Vila Galisteu and Vila Aurora. Still, this wasn't enough to accommodate the demand for public housing, causing the creation of the first slums in the 1890s and 1900s.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the situation became worse as the city couldn’t sustain anymore the huge influx of new inhabitants, leading to a huge increase in poverty and criminality, earning the nickname of "most decadent city of the Asterias." Tensions among the working class and the police, fueled by poverty and other social problems, led to violent clashes in the following years, the most violent of them being the General Strike of 1906 which resulted in 17 deaths. More violence would appear after the Great Collapse in 1913, ceasing temporarily after the National Renovation Coup when the city was put under military control.
Castelonovo would found itself under more turmoil during the Berquó dictatorship, with the city itself being the location of various revolts and battles against his rule. Although the city underwent some remarkable renovations, its expansion was halted considerably during the remainder of the 10s and the entirety of the 20s.
During Operation Palmier, the Entente invasion of Belmonte, in 1932, the city was bombarded several times by both Nuvania and Satucin to curb any Belmontese military response, however, it still resulted in large destruction of civilian portions as well as a significant loss of life. When the situation became hopeless, Castelonovo was declared an open city weeks later, falling on joint Nuvanian-Satucin hands on March 3rd of the same year. Immediately, a puppet functionalist regime led by Inácio Cohen would set its capital on the city, arresting and executing resistance pockets still left. The occupation years were worst for the capital, with many describing it as a ghost town due to the mass escape of civilians combined with the destruction of large sections of the city.
Amid the Spring Offensive, Castelonovo would become the centre of various battles between the functionalist government, the resistance and the national redoubt government, all of them expanding ever more the city's destruction. The city would be finally liberated on November 1933, while the capitulation of Entente forces in Belmontese territory happened at the beginning of 1934.
Contemporary era
After the establishment of the New Republic, Castelonovo would undergo massive restructuration and reconstruction efforts, with many destructed spots being rebuilt under the auspices of the nascent modernist movement. During the tenure of its first post-war mayor Cédrico Alvim, a public welfare system and new highway connections were established together with a metropolitan transport as well - the first of the country. Reconstruction works would last until the 50s, when its pre-war population and overall infrastructure was restored, with some works being completed insofar the 60s and 70s.
During the Sword's Republic and the Mauá's War, Castelonovo would be hit with several terrorist attacks, the worst of them happening in 1963, in which the far-left Belmontese Free Army tried to kill most high-ranking political officers. The city would be the central place of the 1969 and 1979 protests and would suffer even more during the economic crisis of the following decade.
It was only in the 80s that Castelonovo would recover from the past two decade's economic and political foes, with remaining industries being closed in favour of tertiary services such as finances and retail. Today, Castelonovo is the biggest, wealthiest and most developed city of Belmonte, but still contains various social problems ranging from social inequality to criminality, pollution and traffic congestion.
Geography
Castelonovo is the located on central Belmonte, sharing borders with the province of Anchieta on all sides, being the largest and most populous city of the country according to the last demographic census, having an urban population of 4,388,284 inhabitants in 2020 together with an area of 293,905 km2 (113,477 sq mi).
One of the main reasons for the choice of the city's current location was due to its rough and irregular terrain, in the middle of the Central Highlands, which served as a natural defence against hostile native attacks at the time, with the entirety of the city being above 200m (656 ft) of altitude. However, certain points surpass 600m (1968 ft), most of them located on the northeastern region of the metropolis. As such, the average height is about 450m (1476 ft), with its highest point being the Linhares Pike, also located on the same spot, with 1,288 metres (4,225 ft), while the city itself being surrounded with other mountains of smaller altitude.
There are few seismological reports on the region, with the few earthquakes happening there being from low-intensity nature.
Metropolitan area
The Castelonovo Metropolitan Area was established in 1963 and is the second largest of Asteria Inferior - only behind Passau in Satucin - and the tenth-largest of the world, having 11,371,228 inhabitants in 2020. The metropolitan area is composed by eleven cities, with all of them under a major conurbation process as many people who work in Castelonovo are settling there due to their cheaper cost of living, followed by the expansion of various Castelan business to said neighbouring areas.
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Since the end of the Mauás' War in the late-70s, this conurbation process has become intensified, resulting in the integration with the Riachuelo Metropolitan Area thus forming the Central Metropolitan Axis, also known as the Castelonovo-Riachuelo Metropolitan Axis or Cachuelo, one of the largest megalopolis of the Asterian continent and the most populated and urbanized area of Belmonte, having 18,784,141 inhabitants, more than half of the Belmontese population, living there.
Hydrography
Belmonte's largest river, the Veracruz River, flows through Castelonovo, cutting the city in half. Initially an important source of freshwater, the river became heavily polluted on the 20th century due to massive industrial activity on its surroundings, being the place for industrial and chemical effluents, and also channelled, avoiding water transport on the region. Since the beginning of the 21st century, however, several legislations prohibited the continuation of this practice, and there have been numerous projects to revitalize it for public use.
There are no major lakes on the region, so two large reservoirs were constructed during the city's reconstruction in the 40s and 50s to supply the city's demands: the Guararapes Reservoir is responsible for power generation while the Alvim Reservoir is responsible for maintaining the metropolitan water supply. Both places are located on state-protected parks, being public attractions as well. There were various droughts during Castelonovo's history, leading to water rationing for years.
Climate
Given its location, Castelonovo has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) known for its dry winters and rainy summers. The summer, which reaches its height in January, has an average precipitation of 270mm (10.62 inches) and an average temperature which varies from 25°C (77°F) to 35°C (95°F). During the season, it's common to have frequent storms whilst rainfall is very abundant, happening on almost all days during most of the afternoons. The winter, on the other hand, is drastically different: not only the temperature average is smaller, ranging from 15°C (59°F) to 25°C, but it's also the driest period of the year although frosts happen sporadically. Besides, there also other two seasons: autumn and spring, although they are seen as transition periods. Unlike Guanabara, there is no cyclone activity in the area.
Castelonovo has an alarming pollution problem, leading to an intensification of the greenhouse effect thus creating an urban climate which is considerably warner than its surroundings.
Generally, the hottest month of the year is January, while the coldest one is July. The highest temperature ever registered was 38,1°C (100,58°F) on January 23th 2017, while the coldest one was -2,7°C (27,14°F) on June 18th 1903.
| Climate data for Castelonovo, Belmonte | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.3 (86.5) |
29.9 (85.8) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.4 (84.9) |
28.7 (83.7) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.6 (81.7) |
28.9 (84.0) |
29.1 (84.4) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.7 (85.5) |
29.2 (84.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.7 (81.9) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
25.6 (78.1) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.7 (78.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.2 (81.0) |
26.4 (79.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 24.9 (76.8) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.3 (75.7) |
23.7 (74.7) |
22.9 (73.2) |
20.4 (68.7) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.6 (70.9) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
22.7 (72.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 293 (11.5) |
278 (10.9) |
211 (8.3) |
184 (7.2) |
131 (5.2) |
98 (3.9) |
76 (3.0) |
83 (3.3) |
107 (4.2) |
134 (5.3) |
196 (7.7) |
237 (9.3) |
2,028 (79.8) |
| Average precipitation days | 19 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 07 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 168 |
| Source: Belmontese Meteorological Service | |||||||||||||
Government
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Given its condition as federal capital, Castelonovo has a different political and administrative framework when compared to other entities of the federation. Although being categorized as a proper province, the city acts as a municipality of its own, having a municipal charter that acts as its Magna Carta and a mayor-council system instead of a provincial constitution and political system.
The executive is led by a mayor, not a governor, which is the leader of the party with the biggest number of seats in the city's municipal chamber. Elections take place every four years, with the mayor being able to stay in office indefinitely as long as it has parliamentary support, whilst having as main responsibilities the leading of the city government to provide and maintain healthcare, education, security, basic sanitation and public transport with the assistance of the Federal Government.
The legislative power is vested in the Municipal Chamber of Castelonovo, which is constituted of 50 councillors, also known as vereadores, for a renewable term of 4 years. As the city’s legislature, it’s the responsability of the chamber to suggest, debate and approve laws and budgets.
The judiciary power is made by the Justice Court of Castelonovo, which deals with both legal and criminal cases, together with the city's parquet.
Subdivisions
Castelonovo is divided into 30 boroughs which are part of five different regions: North, South, East, West and Centre. The Centre is composed by the historical district and financial zone, being home of the city's oldest neighbourhoods; the North and West regions are the most populated areas with the majority of low and middle-class suburbs being located there; while the East and North regions are known for their upper-class population.
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Public security
Castelonovo's main public security force is the Civil Guard, which is administered by the city government together with federal assistance as part of the National Public Security System. According to the last census realized by the government, there is 25,000 police officers on duty in the city. Statistically, Castelonovo has one of the lowest crime rates of Belmonte with 2019 registering 13,8 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, altough it's a number which is considered high when compared with other capitals.
The Civil Guards faces a tense relationship with the city's most poor communities, suffering harsh criticisms from various social groups due to its brutality, especially towards the black population and other social and ethnic minorities. According to a report released by the International Council for Democracy (ICD) in 2019, the Castelonovo Civil Guard is the "second most repressive" in Belmonte after Guanabara, and ranks as one of the police that most kill in the world.
Economy
Castelonovo is considered to be an alpha city by the International Trade Organization, being the major economic and financial centre of Belmonte and one of the biggest of Asteria Inferior, alongside Gâton and Pietersburg.
According to economic data, Castelonovo is home to 43% of the national GDP due to its overwhelming population and expressive economic concentration as Belmonte's primate city and, as a result, is the headquarters of the majority of financial institutions operating in the country, being either domestic or foreign companies of public or private origin, many of them being situated at the Honório-Graça and Augusta avenues. Castelonovo is also the city with the largest number of millionaires and billionaires in Belmonte per capita, and has the highest living rates in the country as well.
Castelonovo's economic history started when the country still was a colony, when the city became a major trade hub due to its central location which connected coastal cities from each other. With the onset of the industrial revolution, Castelonovo was the home of the first factories in the 1840s and 1850s, with its expansion being triggered during the remainder of the 19th century.
The beginning of the 20th century was marked by overpopulation and decadence, decadence which became worse after the Great Collapse despite still holding the title of Belmonte's most industrialized region. With the aftermath of the Great War, Castelonovo was left in ruins, and started to transition into a post-industrial economy largely focused on the tertiary sector, with retail and finances becoming more predominant. The majority of central boroughs are entirely made by retail services, more specifically fashion and electronics, as well as banks and financial enterprises in general.
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Despite being the centre of most of the national wealth, Castelonovo suffers from high poverty rates ever since the beginning of its industrial inception. Although there has been a considerable decrease ever since the 80s, it remains a serious problem for the city as a whole. According to the Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs, around 24% of the city citizens live below the poverty line, with 6% of inhabitants living with less than $10,00 per day. Castelonovo's current socio-economic situation is a large contributor to the city's other social problems, such as economic inequality, lack of public services and violence.
Luxury goods
Given Castelonovo's economical status, the city is home to several luxury brands and business, the majority of them located in shopping centres and malls. Most of these luxury goods are located on the western side of the metropolis, more specifically on the Jardins and Werneck boroughs, mostly due to their upper-class populations, however, international brands can also be seen in Jaraquara, Ibibepa and Iguatemi, the latter being the location of the city's biggest and oldest mall: the Excelsior Bachelet Mall, which was founded in 1959.
Tourism
Castelonovo is the most visited city of Belmonte and one of the most in the world, receiving as far as 25 million people in 2017. The majority of tourists comes from neighbouring countries such as Nuvania, Satucin and Aucuria, followed by Tacunia and the Euclean Community, more specifically Etruria, Paretia, Gaullica and Estmere.
As a multicultural city, Castelonovo is home to diverse religions and congregations, with the city itself being the point of meeting of various religious diasporas as well as the main location of religious marches and celebrations in general that attracts millions of people annually. Regarding cultural tourism, as the cultural capital of Belmonte, Castelonovo has a series of festivals, shows and events, such as the Castelonovo Art Exhibition, through the year, contributing to the local economy. Furthermore, the city also has an eccentric nightlife, being considered one of the best of the Asterias, having a diversified set of restaurants, cinemas, clubs and theatres.
Another tourist attractions are the city's parks, the biggest and most known of them being the Ipipeba Park located at the central borough with the same name, as well as the Castelonovo Gay Parade and the Castelonovo Fashion Week, which serves as the main events for their domestic and inter regional counterparts.
Urban infrastructure
Transport
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Castelonovo has the largest and most interconnected public transport system in Belmonte, having inter-municipal, metropolitan, road and rail lines on its entire metropolitan area, lines which are used by millions of passengers every day. The city's public transport system is led by the Metropolitan Company of Urban Transports (CMTU), a public-private conglomerate responsible for the maintenance and expansion of the city's public system, being composed by the Road Transports of Castelonovo (TRC), the Metropolitan of Castelonovo (METRÔ) and many other outsourced companies. Initially a state-owned consortium, the CMTU underwent privatizations during the 2000s and 2010s, with some of its assets being sold to the private initiative.
The capital has the biggest bus fleet in the country with 9,000 vehicles, most of them diesel-engined, although there is extensive efforts to introduce and expand the city's electric and biomass lines. Castelonovo is served with bus terminals through every borough, having as its biggest terminal the Integrated Transport Terminal, which serves as the main transport hub to inter-municipal transport and receives thousands of passengers on a daily basis. Besides, the city also has a large taxi fleet of 19,000 vehicles and recently has been seeing a surge in transport apps.
Furthermore, Castelonovo has, alongside Riachuelo, Pinheiros and Guanabara, an extensive metropolitan and railway transport system. Its metropolitan is the oldest and largest of Belmonte, being founded in 1963 and having 78,3 km (486,5 mi) of extension under 6 lines and 58 different stations. It is mostly state-owned, with some lines being either privatized or under joint public-private partnerships. Castelonovo also has 219,4 km (1363,2 mi) of railways under federal property as part of the Belmontese Railways.
Historically, Castelonovo served as a hydric hub due to its proximity to the Veracruz River, but it ceased to exist after its channelization in the early 20th century.
There are two major airports in Castelonovo: the Júlio Lobato-Castelonovo International Airport (CAS), which was founded in 1943 and is the biggest airport per passengers and flights of the country, and the Jequitibá Airport (JQT), which began operating on the city outskirts in 2007 to relieve Castelonovo from excessive traffic.
Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1700 | 70,000 | — |
| 1800 | 240,000 | +242.9% |
| 1820 | 590,000 | +145.8% |
| 1840 | 780,000 | +32.2% |
| 1860 | 1,428,273 | +83.1% |
| 1880 | 2,364,588 | +65.6% |
| 1900 | 2,770,142 | +17.2% |
| 1920 | 2,197,203 | −20.7% |
| 1940 | 1,044,672 | −52.5% |
| 1960 | 2,167,315 | +107.5% |
| 1980 | 2,575,303 | +18.8% |
| 2000 | 3,418,791 | +32.8% |
| 2020 | 4,388,284 | +28.4% |
| Source: Institute of Demographics and Statistics of Belmonte | ||
With 4,388,284 inhabitants, Castelonovo is the largest city of Belmonte and, together with its metropolitan area, is one of the most populated and urbanized regions of Asteria Inferior and the world. According to the last demographic census, 44,3% of the population described themselves as white, followed by 44,1% who described themselves as pardo (multiracial), 9,9% as black, 1,3% as Coian and 0,5% as indigenous.
The city also has a very developed HDI of 0.847, the largest of the country, but also has a high Gini coefficient of 43.4, exposing the city's alarming social inequality. Given its population, Castelonovo is also extremely cosmopolitan, having a wide array of ethnicities, cultures, religions, languages and genders.
Immigration
Immigration to Castelonovo began during colonial times, in which the city was primarily settled by Luzelese explorers, followed by a small community of Poveglians, Vespasians and Gaullicans during their respective metropolitan rule over Belmonte. It was only with the abolition of slavery in the late-1700s and the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 1850s and 1860s, combined with Euclea's socio-political situation, that the city would receive almost two million immigrants over the next 40 years. Most of these immigrants would come from countries that already had a significant ethnic presence here, such as Paretia, Gaullica and Etruria, which is regarded by many as a second immigratory wave, followed by Caldish, Emessans, Weranians and, for a lesser extent, Miersans, Estmerish and Hennish people.
The city’s growth and immigration rates drastically decreased with the Great Collapse, the Berquó dictatorship and the Great War. Although its population would return to its pre-war years, immigration itself was significantly damaged, promptly ending in the 50s. During the 90s, however, the city would see a Coian immigratory wave, mostly led by Senria, which would end in the upcoming decade.
Most of the black population is descended from the Bahians brought in as slaves during the country's colonial and confederate era, although there is a considerable Gowsa population who settled on the city during its industrialization's height in the 1880s and 1890s.
Castelonovo's extremely diversified ethnic background is praised by its population, as different cultures can be seen on the entire city under restaurants, clubs, bars, festivals, celebrations and on the streets in general.
Domestic migration
Over its history, Castelonovo also was the centre for several rural exoduses and internal migrations, especially during the city's industrialization and in the aftermath of the Great War, which saw a large migration by many who fled more destroyed areas on the countryside. Today, together with foreign nationalities, internal diasporas contributed to Castelonovo's diversified cultural scene, having considerable representation as well.
Religion
Castelonovo is a diverse hub for several religions and denominations from different parts of the globe. According to the last demographic census, almost 90% (89%) of the populations describes themselves as Sotirian, being divided into Catholics (62,7%), Amendists (19,9%), Spiritists (4,6%) and 1,3% from other small sects. Catholicism always was a driving influential force among Castelans ever since the city's foundation, combined with most immigrants coming from Catholic-majority countries. Amendism and Spiritism, together with small denominations and churches such as Episemialism and Ezekielanism, are considered to be more recent trends that were introduced with the arrival of their respective communities in the 20th century, being concentrated on ethnic neighbourhoods.
Circa 10% (9,3%) of the population is irreligious, which is growing considerably since the last years, especially among the younger population, while the remaining 2,2% is adherent to other faiths.
Social challenges
As a result of its massive population, Castelonovo faces several critical socio-economic problems, the most critical of them being poverty, high pollution and traffic congestion. Although being one of the wealthiest cities of Belmonte, Castelonovo suffers from high poverty rates and, consequently, economic inequality, which generates more problems such as violence and contributes to the city's troubled history of racism. The majority of the low-income population are virtually segregated into poor neighbourhoods and favelas, receiving little to no public attention at all.
Pollution, in all its forms, always was a serious problem ever since the beginning of industrialization, with almost six thousand people dying every year from pollution-caused diseases. The issue is linked with traffic jams, which is the biggest contributor to the daily fogs and air contamination in general, however, numerous public efforts, such as car restrictions and rationing, especially during rush hours, showed positive results in curbing it, and have been implemented in the late-2000s and early-2010s.
Languages
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Luzelese is widely spoken by the entirety of the Castelan population, serving as the city's official and primary language. Before colonization, the region was inhabited by Macrô-Jê groups who spoke their language, but as the native population became either assimilated, enslaved or dead by the upcoming Euclean forces, it quickly faded away. Luzelese would be relented as a second language during the height days of immigration when the city effectively became multilingual - among Luzelese, Vespasian, Poveglian and even Weranian and Gaullican were used by the immigrant population.
During the Entente occupation of the city under the functionalist government of Inácio Cohen, foreign languages were harshly repressed in favour of Luzelese and Gaullican, with people being severely punished in what included large fines to penalties if spoke other languages. Although the ban was lifted after the war, the use of foreign languages was reduced and today is contained into some ethnic areas.
Sexual diversity
Castelonovo has a large and vibrant LGBTQ+ community, the largest in the country, with 7% of the male population and 11% of the female population declaring to be non-heterosexual. There is diverse events dedicated to the LGBT community such as the Castelonovo Gay Parade, which is realized every year since 2006, while many institutions dedicated to the protection of LGBTQ+ people are situated there. However, the city's community, like many in the country, still suffers from massive prejudice from both society and public forces at all, such as the Civil Guard. According to the ICD, one transsexual person is killed every hour in the city and, despite public efforts to stop and contain such violence, homophobia remains a serious social issue.
Health
Castelonovo is the largest healthcare centre of Belmonte, having 129 hospitals and more than 30,000 clinics and basic health units operated by both public and private initiative. Besides, the city has plenty of teaching hospitals as well, operated by their respective educational institutions, creating a wide network of both public and private health services in the city, being well served by both the IPSS and private insurances in general.
The Santa Bárbara Clinical Centre and the Von Meyer Hospital are the most known health institutions in the city.
Education
Castelonovo's educational system is also the biggest in the country, having the largest number of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions of Belmonte. In the public sphere, the municipal government is the main owner and responsible for the maintenance and expansion of nurseries and primary and secondary schools as well as responsible for the promotion and care of social projects present in them, while the federal government maintains most of the superior institutions such as the University of Castelonovo (UCA), the largest academy in the country, and the Federal Educational Centre of Castelonovo (CEFC), which is reserved for secondary teaching.
In the private sector, the most known and prestigious schools are the Maynard and Vilela colleges, while the biggest private universities are the Pontifical Catholic University of Castelonovo (which is owned by the city's archdiocese), the University of Alto de Santana and the Amendist University Reinford.
Science
There is various scientific institutions settled in the city, the majority of them being government-sponsored, responsible for the research, study and development of various scientific matters. The Itarim and Maurício Schindler institutes are the biggest research agencies of Castelonovo, largely responsible for many discoveries in biological, chemical and technological fields.
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