Açailândia () is a Brazilian
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 western part of
Maranhão
Maranhão () is a state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of . Clockwise from north, it borders on the Atlantic Ocean for 2,243 km and the states of Piauí, Tocantins and ...
State, at an elevation of . Its population in 2020 was estimated to be 113,121, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The name of the city means "land of the
açaí."
The city is an important center of
agribusiness, the area having the largest cattle stock in Maranhão. The production of
pig iron is the municipality's biggest single economic activity. Açailândia is part of the Carajas Development Corridor and the city houses many of the workers who produce
charcoal in the area. The city has one of the most important railway stations on the
Carajás Railway
The Carajás Railway (; EFC or EF-315) is a railway line linking the cities of Parauapebas, Pará and São Luís, Maranhão
Maranhão () is a state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 mill ...
line.
Açailândia's origins are recent, lying in the construction of the Belém-Brasília highway in 1958, when the fertile lands in the vicinity of the Açailândia Creek came to the attention of those engaged in building the highway. For some time, Açailândia was considered a district of the city of
Imperatriz, the second largest city in the state of Maranhão.
References
External links
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Municipalities in Maranhão
{{Maranhão-geo-stub