- Far from the
sea, but with mysterious sources of sulphurous and salt water, Goiαs
retains in its major towns traces of the gold cycle during the colonial
period, an era when the region prospered thanks to the riches extracted
from its mines. Located in the geographical heart of Brazil, the state
was founded in the early eighteenth century by bandeirantes (pioneers),
who went there in search of precious metals and stones.
|
|
 |
- After the end
of the gold cycle, livestock farming became important and Goiαs finally
became an important producer, with cattle rearing as its main source
of income, followed by industrial production and general trade. The
capital, Goiβnia, with its well defined sectors, was especially planned
to function as the political and economic centre of the state. The
federal capital Brasνlia, inaugurated in 1960, was constructed on
the territory of Goiαs. This has made communications with the centre
of the country easier and has also improved access to all parts of
the state. In 1988, the state of Goiαs was divided, and 40% of its
northern territory became the new state of Tocantins.
|
- Discovering
Goiαs means getting to know some of its historic cities, which started
as settlements around gold mines, such as Goiαs Velho, Pirenσpolis,
Corumbα and Pilar de Goiαs, which in their architecture and local
culture are examples of colonial Brazil. Discovering Goiαs also means
getting to know the water resorts circuit; rivers such as the Araguaia
and Paranaνba; and areas of mystical atmosphere like the region of
Paraϊna, with its strange rock formations, and Alto Paraνso, considered
by spiritualists to the city of the third millennium.
|
 |
