Goiás

Goias is a state in central Brazil, a powerhouse of agriculture set in the cerrado savanna. Its capital is Goiania, a planned city, while the colonial town of Goias Velho preserves its historic past. Surrounding the Federal District, it is central both geographically and economically.

Goias occupies the high central plateau of Brazil, dominated by the cerrado, a vast tropical savanna of grasslands and gallery forests, with rivers, waterfalls and the Chapada dos Veadeiros highlands. The climate is tropical with marked wet and dry seasons.

Goias has a strong interior Brazilian culture, with sertanejo country music, hearty cuisine including pequi fruit, and a blend of colonial heritage and modern agribusiness. The historic town of Goias hosts traditional festivals.

Founded on 18th-century gold mining, Goias later shifted to ranching and farming. The modern capital Goiania was planned in the 1930s, and the carving out of the Federal District and later Tocantins reshaped the state, which is now an agricultural leader.