Goiania, Goiás

Area: 748 km2.
Population: 1 093 007 inhab. (est. 2000).
See map of Goiás.

Goiânia, the capital of the state of Goiás, a state in central Brazil, is a modern, bustling city located on a fertile plain crisscrossed by numerous rivers, the most important being the Meia Ponte. It is 209 km from Brasília, 1338 km from Rio de Janeiro, 926 km from São Paulo, and 906 km from Belo Horizonte. A planned city like Brasília and Belo Horizonte, Goiânia was founded on 24 October 1933 by Pedro Ludovico, the governor of the state of Goiás at the time. There are highway connections to the federal capital, Brasília, by BR 060, recently converted into a four-lane highway, and to São Paulo by BR 153.

About 30% of the city area of Goiânia is green; and it has wooded areas, tree lined streets and parks as amenities for its inhabitants. Among the parks is the Bosque dos Buritis, covering an area of 140,000 m2, where the principal attractions are various species of buriti, a kind of palm tree which produces a yellow fruit. See some photos of parks in Goiania.
The modern design of Goiânia, known as the spring's capital, facilitated its functionality on the beginning. The accelerated growth rhythm prevented that the planning was strictly followed, but didn't prevent that it kept the original idea which was to preserve the green and florid area.

The Bosque dos Buritis contains the Monument to World Peace, by the Goiás artist Siron Franco. In it, earth from more than 50 countries is mixed in a seven metre high "ampule" of concrete and glass which has a capacity of 40 tons. More earth is deposited every year, in a ceremony on world environment day. Other works by Franco, as well as by other Brazilian artists, are on display in the Goiânia Museum of Art, which is situated within the park. Another attraction in Goiânia is the Chico Mendes Botanical Gardens, where there is a lake and a biological reserve containing fruit trees, orchids and bromeliads.

Read more:
Goiania official site. Maintained by the city government.
Photos of Goiania. Photos of several points of Goiania.
Universidade Federal de Goiás. The Federal University of Goiás, campus of Goiania.


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