Mossoró 6.87

Mossoró is the second most populous city in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, and also the largest municipality of that state. It is equidistant (four hours' drive) from Natal (approximately 277 km or 172 miles), the state capital of Rio Grande do Norte, and from Fortaleza (approximately 260 km or 161.5 miles), the capital of the state of Ceará. It is also in the heart of Brazil's salt production area. Situated in the Agreste-Potiguar mesoregion, Mossoró is the country's largest land-based petroleum producer.HistoryTo Brazilians, the main historical distinctions of the city are the driving out of the Lampião, a gang of "social bandits" that plundered entire towns in the sertão during the 1920s and 1930s, and also the fact that the city freed its slaves five years before the Lei Áurea abolished slavery in the rest of the country in 1888. Mossoró was also the first city to give women the right to vote in Brazil (Professor Celina Guimarães Viana cast the first vote in 1928), sparking a movement among other cities and states in Brazil that culminated in the official recognition of women's suffrage by the national government in 1934.Culture and RecreationAlthough it does not have beaches within its city limits, there are several magnificent beaches in the surrounding area of the Costa Branca Pole such as the desert beaches of the city of Areia Branca. World-famous Canoa Quebrada beach is a short drive away in the neighboring state of Ceará.