Alto Garças is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
) in the south-east of the Brazilian State of
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.
Neighboring ...
with a population of about 12,000 on an area of 3672 km. The distance to the state capital
Cuiabá
Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city' ...
is approximately 350 km
2. In 1933 Alto Garças became a district of the municipality of
Santa Rita do Araguaia and on 10 December 1953 it was separated as an independent entity. Alto Garças is part of the micro-region
Alto Araguaia
Alto Araguaia is a city in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 millio ...
.
Settlement began in the early 20th century by adventurers looking for precious stones and other natural resources. These days mining for gemstones, notably diamonds, remains a major factor besides agriculture, where soy, cotton and grass for stock feed are prevailing.
The climate is tropical wet with June to August as the dry months. Precipitation reaches its peak in December and the annual average is 1950 mm. The average temperature is 22 °C. The temperature extremes hitherto have been 38 °C and 0 °C.
For tourists Alto Garças offers charming rivers and waterfalls. Some larger farms offer holiday accommodation. The calendar is dominated by the carnival, here called ''Garçafolia'' and the celebrations in honour to ''Nossa Senhora de Aparecida'' on 12 October.
Vanessa da Mata
Vanessa Sigiane da Mata Ferreira (born February 10, 1976), professionally known as Vanessa da Mata, is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian MPB singer, songwriter, and novelist. She has released four studio albums and the songs "Ai, Ai, Ai" ...
, a pop singer that was born here in 1976, has found international acclaim.
See also
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List of municipalities in Mato Grosso
This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Mato Grosso (MT), located in the Central-West Region of Brazil. Mato Grosso is divided into 141 municipalities, which are grouped into 22 microregions, which are grouped into 5 mesoregions.
...
References
Municipalities in Mato Grosso
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