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Palmas, Tocantins

 
Local Time: Palmas, Brazil
 
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Wikipedia: Palmas, Tocantins
 
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Palmas
—  Municipality  —
The Municipality of Palmas
Praça dos Girassóis (Sunflowers Square).
Praça dos Girassóis (Sunflowers Square).
Flag of Palmas
Flag		 Official seal of Palmas
Seal
Nickname(s): "Capital Ecológica" ("Ecological Capital")
Motto: "Essa terra é nossa" ("This Land is Ours")
Location of Palmas in the State of Tocantins
Location of Palmas in the State of Tocantins
Location of Palmas
Coordinates: 10°12′S 48°21′W / 10.2°S 48.35°W / -10.2; -48.35
Country  Brazil
Region North
State Tocantins
Founded May 20, 1989
Government
 - Mayor Raul Filho (PT)
Area
 - Total 2,218.9 km2 (856.7 sq mi)
Elevation 230 m (755 ft)
Population (2005)
 - Total 208,165
 - Density 93.8/km2 (242.9/sq mi)
Postal Code 77000-000
HDI (2000) 0.800 – high
Website Palmas, Tocantins
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Palmas (lit. Palm trees) is the capital of the Brazilian state of Tocantins. According to IBGE estimates from 2008, the city had 184,010 inhabitants. It has an area of 2474.95 km².

Palmas is located at the state geographic centre. The average altitude is 230 m (755 ft). The city is located between these hills and the Tocantins River. In the east Palmas is bordered by the Serra do Lajeado. The city is clearly investing in gardens, squares, flower beds and parks. Palmas at night is like an illumination mirage in contrast with the calm shades of the Serra do Carmo slopes. The yearly average temperature variation is between 24°C (75°F) and 28°C (82°F) during the rain season (October-March) and 28°C (82°F) and 35°C (95°F) during the dry season (May-September). There is only little to moderate wind. Humidity: 76%. Palmas has several parks that offer some refreshment and calmness in the city that can be hot and restless.

Palmas was founded in 1990, with the purpose of being the capital of the newest Brazilian state Tocantins, which was established after the promulgation of the new 1988 Brazilian Constitution. The city has a well-designed road system, and its urban zoning is modelled on that of Brasília. It has a symmetrical park in the city centre. In 2002, the Lajeado Hydroelectric Power Plant reservoir was completed, at which point the city gained many river beaches, and also the huge Ponte da Amizade Presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso, which crosses over 8 kilometers (5 miles) over the reservoir, connecting Palmas with the major highway BR-153.

The TO-050 is the north-south highway at the east of Palmas parallel to the hills and the river. On the west side of the river is the BR-153 from Brasília to Belém, the largest road that crosses the state.

The Praça dos Girassóis (Square of Sunflowers) is an urban town square in the city's birthplace, where government facilities are based. A new airport was inaugurated in 2002, 20 km (12.42 mi) from downtown. Palmas has long and wide avenues, landscaped areas for parking and rotatory[clarification needed], known as "queijinhos". Streets and quarters in Palmas have no names but numbers, similar to Brasília. It has the second lowest population density of the state capitals in Brazil, preceded only by Boa Vista, Roraima (which does however have more inhabitants: 242,179). The population growth rate of Palmas is the highest of the country. Palmas is planned for 2 million inhabitants.[1]

Palmas Airport connects Palmas with many Brazilian cities.

The city is home to the Federal University of Tocantins.

Contents

Geography

Tocantins forms the boundary between the Amazon Rainforest and the coastal savanna. As a result, the state's geography is varied. Many rivers cross through the state (including one of the same name), and there are over 20 archaeologically significant sites found in Tocantins.

Climate

An equatorial climate is a type of tropical climate in which there is no dry season – all months have mean precipitation values of at least 60 mm. It is usually found at latitudes within five degrees of the equator – which are dominated by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The equatorial climate is denoted Af in the Köppen climate classification. Tropical rainforest is the natural vegetation in equatorial regions.

Vegetation

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia.[2] As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. More than 1/3 of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.[3]

History

 This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (July 2008)

The area where Palmas was built was originally used by several farms. Before 1990 the only village at that location was Vila Canela, near the river Tocantins, and near the Graciosa beach. The village and the beach were flooded by the new lake. The flat area of Palmas is right between the river and the Serra do Lajeado hills in the east, and the vegetation is the typical 'cerrado'. In 1989, Miracema was the temporary capital of the state. The new capital was initially designed by the architects Luiz Fernando Cruvinel Teixeira and Walfredo de Oliveira Filho. From 20 May 1989 some roads and baracas were built. It was decided to take the east side of the river, so the forgotten east side of the state would develop as well. The location may have been was chosen because it is the geodesic center of Brazil.

At the time before the lake, the Tocantins River made some curves, forming the letter S, looking from above. It is said that mister Siquera Campos liked the S, and that added to the choice of the location for Palmas. When the area was chosen in January 1989, Campos decided he wanted the Palacio, the state headquarter, to be build on the highest place in Palmas. Although the architects said the hill is too soft to build on, it was built. The temporary Palacinho, said to be the first building in Palmas, still exists not far from the new one. It is kept as a monument, and since 2002 used as a museum of Tocantins history.

Economy

 This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (May 2009)
Fernando Henrique Cardoso bridge.

The most dynamic areas of commercial activities civil engineering, furniture, food and drinks. The JK is the main street for shopping, banks and restaurants.

The largest is Palmas Shopping. An ideal place to cool off, have a coffee or havelunch. Palmas has several river beaches with sand and infrastructure. When the Orla project is finished, Palmas will have 15 km (9 mi) of beach, attracting many tourists.

The GDP for the city was R$ 1,733,266,000 (2005).[4]

The per capita income for the city was R$ 8,326 (2005).[5]

Education

Portuguese is the official national language, and thus the primary language taught in schools. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum.

Educational institutions

  • Universidade Federal do Tocantins (UFT);
  • Centro Universitário Luterano de Palmas (Ceulp-Ulbra);
  • Faculdade Católica do Tocantins (Católica do Tocantins);
  • Fundação Universidade do Tocantins (Unitins);
  • Faculdade Objetivo;
  • and a few others.

Transport

Airport

Palmas Airport.

The city is served by the Palmas Airport.

Highways

Rodovia Coluna Prestes (TO-050), that connects with Brasília. BR-153 and BR-010.

Sports

In sports, the most notable football club in the city is Palmas FR, which plays at Nilton Santos Stadium.

References

  1. ^ Palmas Tocantins The center of Brasil and a center for entrepreneurs and ecotourists
  2. ^ Turner, I.M. 2001. The ecology of trees in the tropical rain forest. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-80183-4
  3. ^ Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Plants, Amazon River Animals
  4. ^ (in Portuguese) (PDF) GDP. Palmas, Brazil: IBGE. 2005. ISBN 85-240-3919-1. http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/economia/pibmunicipios/2005/tab01.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. 
  5. ^ (in Portuguese) (PDF) per capita income. Palmas, Brazil: IBGE. 2005. ISBN 85-240-3919-1. http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/economia/pibmunicipios/2005/tab01.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. 

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Coordinates: 10°12′S 48°21′W / 10.2°S 48.35°W / -10.2; -48.35


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