Formosa, Goiás
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Formosa, Goiás Municipality of Formosa |
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 Location in the state of Goiás and Brazil |
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 Formosa, Goiás
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| Coordinates: 15°32′13″S 47°20′02″W / 15.53694°S 47.33389°WCoordinates: 15°32′13″S 47°20′02″W / 15.53694°S 47.33389°W | |||
| Country | Brazil | ||
| Region | Central-West | ||
| State | Goiás | ||
| Demonym | formosense | ||
| Founded | August 1, 1843 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Itamar Sebastiao Barreto (PSD) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 5,806.89 km2 (2,242.05 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 916 m (3,005 ft) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 100,084 | ||
| • Density | 17.23/km2 (44.6/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-3 (UTC-3) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-2 (UTC-2) | ||
| Website | www |
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Formosa is a municipality located in the state of Goiás, Brazil, approximately 80 kilometers east of Brasília. The population was 90,247 (2007) in a total area of 5,806.89 km2 (10-10-2002). Formosa is known for its waterfalls and natural beauty. It is a large producer of cattle and grains and is one of the fastest growing cities in the state.
Arraial dos Couros was the first name of Formosa, which was founded in the second half of the eighteenth century on an uncertain date. For lack of documentation the early history is fragmented and historians can only speculate about the real facts.
What is known is that problems connected to the area of health were the motive for the transfer of the old settlement which was founded and built by black slaves, located on the banks of the Itiquira River and the Paranã in the tropical Paranã valley. At the time a devastating fever swept the place, probably caused by the unhealthy climate of the river location, and the population was afflicted by a degenerative malaria. For fear of getting the disease the move was made very quickly.
Even today it is not known who was responsible for the move or the date in which it occurred. The historians register the existence of a new settlement called Couros. It is believed that the name Arraial dos Couros comes from the improvised houses which were covered with the leather of the loads of the tradesmen. The first huts were set up in the old Street of the Crioulos which has been transformed into the present-day Alves de Castro Street. Another theory is that the name could have come from the existence in the site of an artisan who made saddlebags and rawhides for transporting small loads such as hard molasses, salt, rice and other food items.
On 1 August 1843 the settlement was elevated to the category of Vila (town), and received the name of Vila Formosa da Imperatriz, chosen for the beauty of the area and to pay homage to the Empress Teresa Cristina.
The municipality of Formosa was only created on 22 February 1844.
Other important dates are:
Formosa belongs to the micro-region called Entorno do Distrito Federal, which is composed of 20 municipalities with 960,000 inhabitants in a total area of 38,212.00 km². It has municipal boundaries with:
The average elevation of this large area is around 1000 meters, about the same as Brasília, eighty kilometers away. The terrain is for the most part characterized by gently undulating flat plateau lands, especially to the north and south. There is a deep valley formed by the Paranã river which begins just on the northeastern limits of the urban area. This valley has a more tropical vegetation and once had dense forests, now cleared for the most part for cattle raising. The flatlands surrounding Formosa are characterized by cerrado vegetation, consisting of grasslands, interspersed by low, thorn-covered trees, many of which are protected against the annual fires by thick bark.
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Wikipedia