Palmas, Tocantins

Palmas
Motto: Essa terra é nossa
Location of Palmas
Country	Brazil
Region	North
State	Tocantins
Founded	20 May 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)
HDI (2000)	0.809 – high
Website: Palmas, Tocantins

Palmas is the capital of the Brazilian state of Tocantins. According to IBGE estimates from July 2005, the city had 208,165 inhabitants. It has an area of 2474,95 km². 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 - for instance- a beautiful 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 over the reservoir, connecting Palmas with the major highway BR-153. The Praça dos Girassóis is a urban square in the city's birthplace, where government facilities are based. A new airport was inaugurated in 2002, 20 km (12.42 mi) from the downtown. Palmas has long and wide avenues, landscaped areas for parking and rotatory, known as "queijinhos". 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 Palmas Airport connects Palmas with many Brazilian cities. The city is home to the Federal University of Tocantins.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Climate 1.2 Vegetation 2 Economy 3 Curiosity 4 Education 4.1 Colleges and Universities 5 Culture 5.1 Festa Junina (Saint John Festival) 5.2 Carnival 6 Infrastructure 6.1 National Airport 6.2 Highways 7 Sports 8 References

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 60mm. 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

Economy

The GDP for the city was R$ 1,733,266 (2005).^[3] The per capita income for the city was R$ 8,326 (2005).^[4]

Curiosity

Vehicles: 70,887 (jun./2006); Daily newspapers: 1 (jul./2006); Established: 05/20/1989.

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.

Colleges and Universities

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

Culture

Festa Junina (Saint John Festival)

Festa Junina was introduced to Northeastern Brazil by the Portuguese for whom St John's day (also celebrated as Midsummer Day in several European countries), on the 24th of June, is one of the oldest and most popular celebrations of the year. Differently, of course, from what happens on the European Midsummer Day, the festivities in Brazil do not take place during the summer solstice but during the tropical winter solstice. The festivities traditionally begin after the 12th of June, on the eve of St Anthony's day, and last until the 29th, which is Saint Peter's day. During these fifteen days, there are bonfires, fireworks, and folk dancing in the streets (step names are in French, which shows the mutual influences between court life and peasant culture in the 17th, 18th, and 19th-century Europe). Once exclusively a rural festivity, today, in Brazil, it is largely a city festival during which people joyfully and theatrically mimic peasant stereotypes and clichés in a spirit of joke and good time. Typical refreshments and dishes are served. It should be noted that, like during Carnival, these festivities involve costumes-wearing (in this case, peasant costumes), dancing, heavy drinking, and visual spectacles (fireworks display and folk dancing). Like what happens on Midsummer and St John's Day in Europe, bonfires are a central part of these festivities in Brazil.

Carnival

The four-day period before Lent leading up to Ash Wednesday is carnival time in Brazil. Rich and poor alike forget their cares as they party in the streets.

Infrastructure

National Airport

The facility occupies one of Brazil’s largest airport sites and has privileged location near the Lageado Hydroelectric Station. Designed with a modern concept of visual communication, the new Palmas Airport Complex contains an Aeroshopping area, a program developed by Infraero aiming to turn Brazil’s main airports into true commercial centers with their own brand and identity. The passenger terminal has 12.300 square meters of constructed area and capacity to serve up to 370 thousand people a year. It has a food court, cultural space, shops, panoramic deck, elevators and air conditioning. The runway can receive aircraft the size of a Boeing 767. There are three taxiways and aprons for general aviation, making operations more flexible. The airport has full infrastructure that includes a control tower and installations for the Air Navigation Group, fire brigade, a covered equipment parking area, canteen and training rooms, two aircraft fueling stations, a gate with electronic entry control, guard booths. parking and flight protection buildings, besides a 4 km (2.48 mi) access road linking the airport to the Tocantins capital city’s main thoroughfare.

Highways

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

Sports

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

References

•  • e Capitals of Brazilian states
Brasília Federal Capital (DF)
North	Belém (PA) · Boa Vista (RR) · Macapá (AP) · Manaus (AM) · Palmas (TO) · Porto Velho (RO) · Rio Branco (AC)
Northeast	Aracaju (SE) · Fortaleza (CE) · João Pessoa (PB) · Maceió (AL) · Natal (RN) · Recife (PE) · Salvador (BA) · São Luís (MA) · Teresina (PI)
Center-West	Campo Grande (MS) · Cuiabá (MT) · Goiânia (GO)
Southeast	Belo Horizonte (MG) · Rio de Janeiro (RJ) · São Paulo (SP) · Vitória (ES)
South	Curitiba (PR) · Florianópolis (SC) · Porto Alegre (RS)

Coordinates: 10°12′S, 48°20′W