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Campina Grande - April, 30, 2001
Campina Grande, in the badlands of Paraíba, is cited in American
magazine "Newsweek" as one of the emergent technological hubs of the planet
The original article from Newsweek:
"In the dry badlands of north eastern Brazil lies on an oasis of rain and
oportunity. Half a century ago, merchants of Campina Grande imported early
cotton presses to build a leading textile conter. Now this path of nowhere
hosts 50 firms making everything from software to display panels. Campina
Grande sets the tech-industry standard for Brazil.
The key is the Federal University of Paraíba. In 1967, Paraiba scholars
persuaded locals to buy a $500,000 IBM mainframe, creating a computing
tradition that now draws students from across Latin America. Paraíba set up a
Technologic Park in 1984 that has spawned 60 tech enterprises, from shrimp
farms to Internet portals. Spinofs born in the dorm rooms include Light
Infocon Tecnologia S/A, which makes software police use to track drug traffickers. Local
talent also draws giants like Coteminas, Latin America´s most sophisticated fabric maker. Technology accounts for nearly 20
percent of the city´s $650 million economy, and explains why local incomes
average $2,500 per year, twice the northeast norm. Technology pays, even in
the middle of nowhere."
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