Mato Grosso Information
Mato Grosso (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmatu ˈɡɾosu] - lit. "Thick Woods") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.[1]
Neighboring states are (from west clockwise) Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest. A state with a flat landscape, alternating great chapadas and plain areas, Mato Grosso presents three different ecosystems: Cerrado, Pantanal and the Amazon Rainforest. The vegetation of the open pasture covers 40% of the state and the National Park Chapada dos Guimarães, with its caves, grottos, tracks and waterfalls, is one of its great tourist attractions. In the north is the Amazonian forest, with a biodiversity covering half of the state. The Xingu National Park and the river Araguaia are in Mato Grosso. Further south, the Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, is the habitat for almost a thousand species of animals, with many aquatic birds.
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Geography
Véu de Noiva waterfall in Chapada dos Guimarães.There we can find the Chapada dos Guimarães, a scenery of unique beauty formed by sandy mountains that seem to have been cut, reminding one of a city made of rocks. There are many cliffs, canyons and beautiful waterfalls.
Guaporé River in Mato Grosso.And it is in Mato Grosso State where great part of one of the most intriguing places in the Country is located: the Pantanal, the biggest floodable region in the world, where the succession between floods and ebb tides gives origin to a unique feeding chain, populating the region with a varied fauna. Cutting across the Pantanal, the Transpantaneira - a mud road, full of small wooden bridges – allowing a parade among birds and mammals of the region along the path.
History
Museum of Cuiabá.In 1977 the state was split into two halves, with Mato Grosso do Sul becoming a new state. The Bororo Indians live in the Mato Grosso area. As late as 1880, soldiers patrolled lands on the outskirts of Cuiaba, Mato Grosso's capital and largest city, to protect settlers from Bororo raids.
By the end of the nineteenth century, although severely reduced by disease and by warfare with explorers, slave traders, prospectors, settlers, and other indigenous groups, as many as five to ten thousand Bororo continued to occupy central and eastern Mato Grosso, as well as western Goias. [1]. The southwestern part of it ceded to Bolivia in exchange for Acre according to Treaty of Petrópolis in 1903.
The historic remoteness of this area led it to be the subject of exploration, most notably by Captain Percy Fawcett, in the quest for lost cities. It was also the rumored location of access to the interior of the earth in various Hollow Earth theories.
Demographics
Rondonópolis at night.According to the IBGE of 2008, there were 3,010,000 people residing in the state. The population density was 3.2 inh./km².
Urbanization: 76.6% (2006); Population growth: 2.4% (1991–2000); Houses: 836,000 (2006).[2]
The last PNAD (National Research for Sample of Domiciles) census revealed the following numbers: 1,532,000 Brown (Multiracial) people (50.92%), 1,179,000 White people (39.16%), 239,000 Black people (7.93%), 41,000 Amerindian people (1.37%), 14,000 Asian people (0.45%).[3]
Economy
The agriculture is the largest component of GDP at 40.8%, followed by the service sector at 40.2%. Industrial sector represents 19%, of GDP (2004). Mato Grosso exports: soybean 83%, wood 5.6%, meats 4.8%, cotton 3.3% (2002).
Share of the Brazilian economy: 1.7% (2005).
Interesting facts
Vehicles: 745,810 (March/2007); Mobile phones: 323,000 (April/2007); Telephones: 527,000 (April/2007); Cities: 141 (2007).[4]
Education
Federal University of Mato Grosso in Cuiabá.Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum.
Educational institutions
Cuiabá is home to the following universities:
- Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT);
- State University of mato Grosso (Unemat);
- Universidade de Cuiabá (Unic)
Culture
Theatre of Federal University of Mato Grosso.The Local culture is very rich, due to the influences and encounter of various cultures, like that of Native Americans, the original settlers, the African enslaved originally by the Portuguese, and Europeans, beginning with the Portuguese settlers and other European immigrants who arrived later. Two long periods of isolation also contributed to its differentiation, which has been a little diluted by recent immigration. Cuiabá has an interesting cuisine influenced by natives, with their typical dances, craftwork, and music.
Dance and music were traditionally connected to the worship of Catholic saints and their festivals, Saint Benedict (the city's patron), being one of the favorite.
Carnival
The four-day period before Lent leading up to Ash Wednesday, known as carnaval is well celebrated. As with every state in Brazil, Mato Grosso celebrates this holiday in a typical fashion - including parade, music, and dance - with wide participation.
Tourism and recreation
Alta Floresta
Fishing in the São Benedito region is productive practically all year long.
Bird Watching: with the more than 570 species of catalogued birds and new species being discovered every year, the region of Alta Floresta and the Cristalino River Basin receives constant visits from famous ornithologists and bird watchers.
Chapada dos Guimarães
The largest sandstone cavern in Brazil, Aroe Jari extends nearly 1550 meters and several pre-historic inscriptions can be found on the inside.
North Pantanal
The Pantanal's backbone is the Paraguay River, which cuts through the region from North to South. The Miranda, Aquidauna, Taquari and Cuiaba rivers flow into the Paraguay River. From October to April, the high waters reveal outsized lakes, bays, river branches and outlets.
The Transpantaneira Highway connects the town of Pocone to Jofre Port, along the Cuiaba River bank. It is a dirt road with 126 wooden bridges, and extends for 149 km. On the way, it is possible to observe wild animals, especially alligators, capybaras and birds, among other wild animals.
SESC's Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) increases by one third the total area of this preserved ecosystem in the State of Mato Grosso.
One hundred and sixty one different species of birds have been observed in the Pantanal. There are still many species in the area which have not yet been identified during the bird watching season.
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Paraguay River in Mato Grosso. |
Paraguay River in Mato Grosso. |
Salgadeira Waterfall. |
Andorinha Waterfall. |
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Pantanal in Mato Grosso. |
Cuiabá River. |
Infrastructure
International Airport
Marechal Rondon International Airport in Cuiabá. BR-163-364-070 in Mato Grosso.The runway at Marechal Rondon International Airport was opened to traffic in 1956. In February 1975, Infraero took over the airport's administration and began various upgrades to meet the needs of the airport complex.
As of 1996, Marechal Rondon International Airport, located 10 km (6.21 mi) from the city center, started receiving international flights. Currently it serves more than 500.000 passengers a year.
Highways
- BR-070;
- BR-173;
- BR-174;
- BR-158;
- BR-163;
- BR-197;
- BR-242;
- BR-252;
- BR-364;
- MT-100;
- MT-358;
- MILF-69
Sports
Cuiabá is one of 12 cities chosen to host games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which will happen in Brazil.
Flag
The flag has the same colors as the national flag, with blue symbolizing the sky, green the vegetation, and white standing for peace. The star is yellow to symbolize the gold which attracted the first settlers. The flag was adopted by Decree No. 2 of January 31, 1890, just few days after the adoption of the national flag. The Mato Grosso state flag was abolished by Law No. 1.046 of October 8, 1929, but reinstated by article 140 of the Constitution of the State of Mato Grosso on July 11, 1947.
References
- ^ Note: also once spelled "Matto Grosso". The town of Matto Grosso was formerly called Villa Bella." Source: Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon, vol.2, by Lieut. USN. Lardner Gibbon 1853; chapter 11. p. 275)
- ^ Source: PNAD.
- ^ (in Portuguese) (PDF). Mato Grosso, Brazil: IBGE. 2008. ISBN 85-240-3919-1. http://www.sidra.ibge.gov.br/bda/tabela/listabl.asp?z=pnad&o=3&i=P&c=262. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- ^ Source: IBGE.
External links
| Find more about Mato Grosso on Wikipedia's sister projects: | |
| Definitions from Wiktionary | |
| Images and media from Commons | |
| Learning resources from Wikiversity | |
| News stories from Wikinews | |
| Quotations from Wikiquote | |
| Source texts from Wikisource | |
| Textbooks from Wikibooks | |
- (Portuguese) Official Website
- (Portuguese) Federal University of Mato Grosso
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Categories: States of Brazil | Mato Grosso
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