Pau dos Ferros

Pau dos Ferros is a Brazilian municipality in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Covering an area of 260 km², it is located 389 km from Natal, the state capital. Emancipated from Portalegre in the 19th century, the name refers to a tree, likely an oiticica, which, due to its large size, provided shade and served as a resting place for cowboys who passed through the area, marking their brands with iron on the trunks of these trees, thus initiating the region's settlement.

As the main city of the Alto Oeste region, its population in the 2022 census was 30,479 inhabitants, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), making it the 18th most populous municipality in Rio Grande do Norte. However, due to the city's regional hub influence, which extends to over thirty neighboring municipalities, approximately 50,000 people pass through the municipal seat daily.

The municipality boasts several historical and cultural attractions, including the Dr. Pedro Diógenes Fernandes Public Reservoir, which supplies the city's water, and the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Church, built in 1738 and established as a parish church in 1756. Additionally, the Obelisk at Praça Monsenhor Caminha was erected to commemorate the centenary of political emancipation and the bicentenary of the parish. Cultural highlights include the Intermunicipal Fair of Education, Culture, Tourism, and Business of Alto Oeste Potiguar (FINECAP), a significant cultural and economic exposition, and the festivities honoring the patron saint Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, held from late November to early December.

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