Balsas () is a city in the state of

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

, northeast Brazil. It is located in southern Maranhão, 800 km from the capital of the state, São Luís.

Geography

Balsas covers an area of 13,141.64 km², being the largest municipality in Maranhão. The median elevation of the city is 283 meters (810 ft).

Climate

Balsas has a Savanna tropical climate. Temperature is hot from April through October. It rains from November through March.

Vegetation

Cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

is the typical vegetation of the area. However, due to the advance of agricultural activities, the ecosystems is threatened.

Hydrography

There are many streams and rivers in the municipality, but the most important is Rio Balsas, which crosses the city.

Demographics

According to 2001 census, Balsas has 60,613 inhabitants. 82.73% live in Urban areas. The infant mortality rate is 35.1 deaths /1,000 live births and life expectancy is 64.1 years. The annual median growth of the population is 4.21%. In 2007 the population was over 78,000 inhabitants. The city is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Balsas The Roman Catholic Diocese of Balsas () is a diocese located in the city of Balsas in the ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Chri ...

Notable people

Manoel Gomes Manoel Jardim Gomes (born 2 December 1969), better known as Manoel Gomes, is a Brazilian singer and composer. He's known for creating the song "Caneta Azul" ("Blue Pen"), which became a meme. Biography Manoel Gomes was born in Balsas, Maranhã ...

, singer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balsas, Maranhao Municipalities in Maranhão