Catalão is the seat of theCatalão Microregion which includes 11 cities with a total population of 114,686 inhabitants in an area of 15,238.60 km2.
Located in a region of fertile soil rich inphosphates, with excellent highway and railway connections, and watered by several rivers, the municipality has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years and is the third largest payer of state taxes.
The city lies a short distance north of the border with the state ofMinas Gerais where a large dam over theParanaíba River, theBarragem de Emborcação, separates the two states. It is connected by paved highway withGoiânia (253 km.),Brasília (330 km.), andUberlândia (114), in the rich Mineiro Triangle.
Catalão is connected to the East West railroad system and to the future North-South system, which begins in Anápolis. It also has an airport with a runway for small and medium-sized planes, 1,400 meters long, paved, and lit at night.
The municipality is one of the most prosperous in the state. In a study carried out by Seplan of competitivity in municipalities in the state ofGoiás Catalão was ranked third afterAnápolis andRio Verde. SeeSeplan
Catalão got a score of 0.818 on the UNHuman Development Index, ranking it 3 out of 242 municipalities in the state. Nationally it was ranked 253 out of 5,507 municipalities. (All data are from 2000.)
Traditionally a land of cattle raising, Catalão is still a great producer of meat and dairy products (150,000 head of cattle in 2003) and poultry (424,000 head in 2003). There is large production of corn, soybeans, and wheat, with the latest technology of central pivot irrigation being used extensively. Recently the cultivation of garlic has played an important role in the economy.
The economic success story of Catalão has been partly attributable to the installation of an industrial park where major enterprises like John Deere (producing sugar cane harvesters) and Mitsubishi, with capacity to produce 27,000 cars a year. This first automobile assembly plant in the Centerwest of Brazil generates 900 direct jobs and approximately 2,700 indirect.
In addition there are three major fertilizer plants, Copebrás, controlled by the Anglo-American group, Fosfértil, and Mineração Catalão De Goiás, which extract phosphate rocks from thesubsoil and transform them into fertilizers.
In the social area the city is showing signs of continuous development. It is already a medical center for the southeast region of Goiás, with several hospitals and specialized clinics.
Pre-primary school enrollment and schools (2004) : 2,327 (967 private), 31 (18 private)
Primary school enrollment and schools: 12,402 (2,835 private), 49 (18 private)
Middle school enrollment and schools: 3,520 (747 private), 12 (6 private)
Higher education: 2,864 in one public school (UFCat). The[1] has a campus which offers several courses, such as: Engineering, Computer Science, Physical Education, Geography, History, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Superior Studies in Letters, Pedagogy (Education), Psychology and Business Administration.
The settlement began around 1728, with the construction of a few huts to support the troops who were penetrating this region. Near Catalão, one of the chaplains of the force, Frei Antônio, a native ofCatalonia and called "o Catalão" decided to start a rest point near a small stream.
By 1828, the settlement had five houses with tile roofs and twenty grass covered huts.
In 1859, Catalão became a legally constituted city. Today the municipality has an area of 3,789 km2,. corresponding to 1.1% of the state territory
The story of the , Catalão's popular festival began in 1820, when semi-free slaves arrived in the Vila of Catalão to work in the coffee plantations. The slaves brought with them their customs, one of which was the cult ofOur Lady of the Rosary. Her commemoration included a mixture of Afro and Catholic rites. Now these dances, with strong influences from theCongo andMoçambique, are celebrated in Catalão in the largest festival of Congadas in Brazil.
The festival takes place on the last Friday of September and lasts until the second Sunday of October, when the dancers go to the streets in their colorful costumes, filling the city streets with their songs, which give thanks to their patroness for the blessings given.
^"Insolação Total (horas)".Normais Climatológicas do Brasil 1991-2020 (in Portuguese). Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia. Archived fromthe original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved20 May 2024.
