The States Of Goias and Tocantins
Beyond the city and Federal District of Brasilia, the hill-studded, surprisingly green plains of Goias state extend towards another planned city, Goiania , and the historic old towns of Pirenopolis and Goias Velho . Although gold mining started here in a small way during the seventeenth century, the first genuine settlement was not until 1725. These days agriculture is the main activity: cattle in their millions, pigs, rice, maize, soya, sugar cane and fruits. In the north of Goias rises the mystical mountain range and national park of the Chapada dos Veadeiros with its deep, impressive cave system of Terra Ronca . In the south, the thermal springs of Caldas Novas and Rio Quente bubble up into giant hotel complexes, while, over on the western border with Mato Grosso, the Emas National Park is packed with wildlife, in particular the large American rhea. The mighty Rio Araguaia (which means Macaw River in Tupi Indian language), with its many beautiful, sandy beaches, forms the 1200-kilometre-long western frontier of both Goias and Tocantins states. The state of Tocantins , created for political rather than geographic or economic reasons in 1989, contains the huge river island, Ilha do Bananal , and its National Park of Araguaia . The main and central section (BR-153) of the 2000-kilometre-long highway from Goiania and Brasilia to Belem also runs through Tocantins. The only town of any significance is Araguaina , a flyblown settlement in the middle of a largely deforested savanna. Both Goias and Tocantins are fairly well served by bus but, in many ways, this is new territory for travellers to explore, most foreign visitors travelling straight through the region en route to better-known destinations such as the Amazon and Mato Grosso. If you have the time, however, Goias in particular offers a variety of interesting stops. The area is popular with Brazilian holiday-makers, and the tourist industry is beginning to get organized. There is already a wide range of good hotels throughout the region and some excellent eating places if you know where to look.
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