The history of Goiás dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, with the arrival of pioneers from São Paulo. TheRio Vermelho region was the first to be occupied, whereVila Boa (later renamedGoiás) was founded. The development and settlement of the state took place, in a more intensified way, starting in the 1930s with the founding of the new capital, Goiânia, and especially with the construction ofBrasília in the 1950s.[5]
Goiás is characterized by a landscape ofchapadões (plateaus). In the height of the drought season, from June to September, the lack of rain makes the level of theAraguaia River go down and exposes almost 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of beaches. At theEmas National Park in the municipality ofMineiros, it is possible to observe the typical fauna and flora from the region. At theChapada dos Veadeiros the main attractions are the canyons, valleys, rapids and waterfalls. Other attractions include the historicalcity of Goiás and the hot springs ofCaldas Novas.
Chapada dos Veadeiros National ParkSerra dos Pirineus in Goiás
Goiás occupies a large plateau, the vast almost level surface of which stands between 750 and 900 m above sea level and forms the divide between three of Brazil's largest river systems: to the south, Goiás is drained by theParanaíba river, a tributary of theParaná River; to the east it is drained by tributaries of theSão Francisco River; and northward the state is drained by theAraguaia River and theTocantins River and their tributaries. Other major rivers in the state are theMeia Ponte, Aporé, São Marcos,Corumbá River, Claro,Maranhão,Paranã andPreto. None of these rivers is navigable except for short distances by small craft.
The state's highest point is Pouso Alto, at 1,676 metres (5,499 ft) above sea level, in the Chapada dos Veadeiros.
Goiás is covered with a woodland savanna known in Brazil as campocerrado, although there are still tropical forests along the rivers. The climate of the plateau is tropical. Average monthly temperatures vary from 26 °C (79 °F) in the warmest month to 22 °C (72 °F) in the coldest. The year is divided into a rainy season (October–March) and a dry season (April–September). Average annual rainfall is about 1,700 millimetres (67 in), but this varies due to elevation and microclimate.Some parts of the state, however, have small remnants of tropicalAtlantic forest, that mostly appears around rivers and valleys.
The Great Midwest Region, consisting of the states of Goiás,Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and theFederal District, is among the fastest-growing regions of Brazil. The population of Goiás state tripled in size in the period from 1950 to 1980 and is still growing very quickly. However, outside the Federal District and the Goiânia metropolitan region (with a population of over a million) most of Goiás is very thinly populated. The chief concentration of settlement is in the southeast, in the area ofGoiânia (Goiânia andAparecida de Goiânia), across the border fromMinas Gerais (Catalão,Rio Verde,Jataí, andCaldas Novas), and around the Federal District (Formosa,Planaltina de Goiás, andLuziânia).
The Church of Pirenópolis, the oldest Baroque Catholic church in Goiás, built in 1728
The first European exploration of this interior part of Brazil was carried out by expeditions fromSão Paulo in the 17th century. Gold was discovered in the gravel of a tributary of the Araguaia River by the bandeiranteBartolomeu Bueno da Silva (the Anhanguera) in 1682. The settlement he founded there, called Santa Anna, became the colonial town ofGoiás Velho, the former state capital. In 1744 the large inland area, much of it still unexplored by Europeans, was made aCaptaincy General, and in 1822 it became a province of theempire of Brazil. It became a state in 1889. The Brazilian constitution of 1891 specified that the nation's capital should be moved to the Brazilian Highlands (Planalto Central), and in 1956 Goiás was selected as the site for the federal district and capital national,Brasília. The seat of the federal government was officially moved to Brasília in 1960.
Goiânia, the largest city and capital was planned in 1933 to replace the old, inaccessible former state capital of Goiás, 110 kilometres (68 mi) northwest. In 1937 the state government moved there, and in 1942 the official inauguration was held. Goiânia is now one of the fastest-growing cities in Brazil and one of the most livable cities in the country.[citation needed] It stands out as both an industrial center (along with the neighboring towns ofAnápolis andAparecida de Goiânia) and as a cultural center for country culture and music, known asSertanejo.
Due to the relatively large territory of the state, which was over 600,000 square kilometres (230,000 sq mi), communications were obviously very difficult. The northern part of the state began to feel abandoned by the southern government and began a movement for separation. Local political leaders also encouraged the movement. In 1988 the northern half of Goiás became a separate state calledTocantins.
The 2022 census revealed the following numbers: 3,822,864 Pardo (Multiracial) people (54.2%), 2,557,454 White people (36.2%), 648,560Black people (9.2%), 16,985Asian people (0.2%), 10,432Amerindian people (0.1%).[7]
The capital city ofGoiânia is the largest city and education center of the state.
Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. English and Spanish, however, are also part of the official high school curriculum.
Theservice sector is the largest component of GDP at 43.9%, followed by theindustrial sector at 35.4%. Agriculture represents 20.7%, of GDP (2004). Goiás exports: soybean 49.2%, meat of cattle 10.5%, gold 9.1%, other meat 7.5%, iron 7.4%, leather 4% (2002).
Goiás is a leader in the country in crop raising. In 2016, Goiás had the 3rd largestcattle herd in Brazil: 22.6 million head of cattle.[13] The number ofpigs in Goiás was approximately 2.0 million head in 2015. The State had the 6th largest Brazilian herd, 5% of the national herd. Among the municipalities in Goiás that stood out,Rio Verde had the 3rd largest national population. In 2016, Goiás was the 4th largestmilk producer, accounting for 10.1% of the country's milk production. The number ofchickens in the State was 64.2 million head in 2015. The production of chickeneggs this year was 188 million dozens. Goiás was the 9th largest producer of eggs, 5% of national production.[14]
Wheat harvest in Goiás
Agriculture as a total represented 21% of the GDP of the state. The state of Goiás stands out in the production ofsugarcane,corn,soy,sorghum,beans,sunflower,tomato,garlic, in addition to also producingcotton,rice,coffee andwheat. In 2019, Goiás was the Brazilian state with the 4th highest grain production, 10% of the national production.[15] Goiás is the 2nd largest producer ofsugarcane in the country, 11.3% of national production, with 75.7 million tons harvested in the 2019–20 harvest. In the same year, it was the 4th largest producer ofsoy, with 12.46 million tons. It has the national leadership in the production ofsorghum: it produced 44% of the Brazilian crop production in the 2019–2020 cycle, with a harvest of 1.09 million tons.[16] In 2017, it was the 4th largest producer ofmaize in the country. The state is also the Brazilian leader intomato production: in 2019 it produced over 1.2 million tons, a third of the country's total production.[17] In 2019, Goiás became the leader of the Brazilian production ofgarlic.[18][19] Goiás was the 4th largest producer ofbeans in Brazil in the 2017–18 harvest, with 374 thousand tons, and has about 10% of the country's production.[20] The state is also in 3rd place in the national production ofcotton, however, most of the national production is from Mato Grosso and Bahia - Goiás has only 2.3% of participation.[21][22] Insunflower, in 2020 Goiás was the 2nd largest national producer, with 41.8%, losing only from Mato Grosso. Inrice, Goiás is the 8th largest producer in Brazil, with 1% of national production.[23]
Chemical-mineral complex of the Fosfértil company in Catalão.
Minerals are also important with the state being a major producer ofnickel,copper,gold,niobium andaluminum (bauxite). Goiás had 4.58% of the national mineral participation (3rd place in the country) in 2017. Atnickel, Goiás and Pará are the only two producers in the country, Goiás being the 1st in production, having obtained 154 thousand tons at a value of R$1.4 billion. Incopper, it was the 2nd largest producer in the country, with 242 thousand tons, at a value of R$1.4 billion. Ingold, it was the 4th largest producer in the country, with 10.2 tons, at a value of R$823 million. Inniobium (in the form of pyrochlorine), it was the 2nd largest producer in the country, with 27 thousand tons, at a value of R$312 million. Inaluminum (bauxite), it was the 3rd largest producer in the country, with 766 thousand tons, at a value of R$51 million.[24][25]
In gemstones, Goiás is one of theemerald producing states in Brazil.Campos Verdes is considered the "Capital of the Emeralds". The state also has known production oftourmaline (Brazil is one of the biggest productors of this gem), andsapphire (in a scarce mode).[26][27][28][29]
The strongest growing area in the state has been in industry and commerce. Goiás had in 2017 an industrial GDP of R$37.1 billion, equivalent to 3.1% of the national industry. It employs 302,952 workers in the industry. The main industrial sectors are: Construction (25.6%), Food (25.2%), Industrial Public Utility Services, such as Electricity and Water (17.2%), Petroleum Products and Biofuels (7.4%) and Chemicals (3.7%). These 5 sectors concentrate 79.1% of the state's industry.[30]
Goiânia andAparecida de Goiânia have become centers of food-processing industries,Anápolis of pharmaceutical factories.Rio Verde, in the southwest, is one of the fastest growing small cities with many new industries locating in the area andCatalão is a metal-mechanical and chemical center.
BR-060 Highway.Anápolis Air Force Base.The President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, poses for a photo during the signing ceremony of the concession contract for the north–south section, in 2019, inAnápolis.
In 2017, the state had a total road network of 96,642.1 km, including municipal, state and federal roads. As of December 2021, Goiás owned, in addition to municipal roads, 21,212.67 km of Goiás state roads and 2,094.3 km of federal roads. There are more than 13,000 km of paved roads and about 1,200 km areduplicated highways. TheBR-060 has more than 520 km duplicated betweenBrasília,Goiânia andJataí. TheBR-050 is almost entirely duplicated in the state, with more than 200 km of highways betweenCristalina and the border with Minas Gerais. TheBR-153 between Goiânia and the border with Minas Gerais is also duplicated, in addition to the highways that connect Goiânia with theBR-070. Duplication of highways in the state began in the 2000s and has been constantly evolving ever since.[34][35][36] There is currently a project to duplicate theBR-153 betweenAnápolis and the border withTocantins.[37]
Modernization work will soon get under way[when?] atSanta Genoveva Airport in the northeast side of Goiânia. With nominal yearly capacity of 600,000 passengers, in 2004 it received 950,000. With its new terminal, it will be able to handle up to 2 million users a year. Air traffic in Goiás has several airports.[38] An airbase has been built inAnápolis for thesupersonic aircraft of theBrazilian Air Force.[39]
One of the most important railways in the state is theFerrovia Norte-Sul (North-South Railway). On March 4, 2021, the section betweenSão Simão (GO) andEstrela d'Oeste (SP) entered into operation. In São Simão, a terminal with a static capacity of 42,000 tons and the capacity to process 5.5 million tons of soybeans, corn and soybean meal per year was built. On May 29, 2021, the first railway composition loaded with soybeans departed from the multimodal terminal ofRio Verde (GO), bound for thePort of Santos. This trip marked the inauguration of the section between Rio Verde and São Simão (GO) with just over 200 km.[41][42]
Wave pool, where thermal water is used, located in Rio Quente Resorts,Caldas Novas.Santa Barbara Waterfall in Cavalcante
Caldas Novas
It is a city located in the southeast of the state, where hot springs are located, being the largest hydrothermal resort in the world, with several resorts that use the waters of these thermal springs for therapeutic and leisure purposes. Some resorts in the city are inspired by the ancient Roman Baths. The Region attracts tourists from all over Brazil and the world.[43][44]
Volleyball is also widely practiced by the population of Goiás, occupying the 3rd place in preference, with futsal in second place. Rugby occupies the fourth place in the preference of Goiás. A place where volleyball and futsal are widely practiced is in the city of Anápolis, which has an international gymnasium capable of hosting official matches, the Newton de Faria International Gymnasium.[47]
The green bars in the flag symbolize the spring and the yellow bars gold. The blue rectangle in the topleft corner symbolizes the sky, with the five stars forming theconstellation of theSouthern Cross. The flag was adopted on 30 July 1919. It is a toned down version of the original Republicanflag of Brazil, in itself not original.
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