Angra dos Reis was discovered by the navigator Gonçalo Coelho on January 6, 1502. This is how the name in commemoration of the Three Kings originated, to this huge angra full of paradisiacal islands, mountains, rivers and forests.
The Tamoios Indians were the ones who lived in this region, living off natural resources in a beautiful landscape that surprised the first settlers.
The first colonization took place in 1530, by an expedition commanded by the Crown of Portugal.
In the year 1608 it became the Villa of the Magi of Ilha Grande.
Angra's first economic activity was the cultivation of sugar cane, and then exporting and importing products from Minas Gerais and São Paul. It became one of the largest ports in Brazil.
At the end of the century, the highway from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro was opened and Angra was no longer so important in the communications between these two cities.
Then, in 1888, with the abolition of slavery, the essential labor force for agriculture ended.
Angra grew again half a century later, with the revival of the port.
In the 1960s, Angra expanded its economy with the installation of the Nuclear Power Plant and the Petrobrás Terminal.
Tourism today is one of the most important sources of income for Angra.
See more about how to get to Angra dos Reis
See also information on São Paulo y Ilha Grande.
