Vitória

Vitória (vētô`rēə), city (1996 pop. 263,708), capital of Espírito Santo state, E Brazil, on an island in Espírito Santo Bay of the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of Brazil's chief ore ports and is linked by rail with rich iron deposits at Itabira, in Minas Gerais state. Besides processing ore, the city produces cacao, grains, alcohol, molasses, coffee, furniture, and paper bags. By the early 1990s, oil in Espírito Santo Bay had been discovered but not yet exploited. Vitória was founded in 1535 as a defensive position against the indigenous peoples. The city repelled several French attacks and the English pirate Thomas Cavendish (late 16th cent.), as well as an attempted Dutch invasion in 1625.

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Vitória

City (pop., 2002 est.: 299,400), eastern Brazil. Located on the western side of Vitória island in Espírito Santo Bay, it was founded by the Portuguese in 1535 and was made a provincial capital in 1823. It was Brazil's leading port for exporting iron ore until the 1960s. Its economy is based now on textile factories, sugar refineries, and other small manufacturing plants as well as on the shipment of coffee.