Formosa (Goiás)
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Formosa is a city and municipality (population 78, 651 in the 2000 census) located in the state of Goiás, Brazil approximately 80 kilometers east of Brasília. The municipality of Formosa, which includes urban and rural areas, has an area of 5, 807 square kilometers.
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[edit] Geography
The average elevation of this large area is around 1000 meters, about the same as Brasilia, eighty kilometers away. The terrain is for the most part characterized by gently undulating flat plateau lands, especially to the north and south. There is a deep valley formed by the Paranã river which begins just on the northeastern limits of the urban area. This valley has a more tropical vegetation and once had dense forests, now cleared for the most part for cattle raising. The flatlands surrounding Formosa are characterized by cerrado vegetation, consisting of grasslands, interspersed by low, thorn-covered trees, many of which are protected against the annual fires by thick bark.
[edit] Rivers, Lakes and Waterfalls
Formosa has a privileged geographical location at the source of three Brazilian river basins: the Amazona represented by the Ribeirão Bandeirinha, the Plata represented by the Ribeirão Pipiripau and the São Francisco represented by the Ribeirão Santa Rita, being called by the poet from Goiás, Leo Lince – “Cradle of the Waters of Brazil”.
There are many rivers and waterfalls in the surrounding area. An attractive lake with a rather paradoxical name--Lagoa Feia--is located on the edge of the city. Locals say: such an ugly town with a beautiful name and such a beautiful lake with an ugly name.
One of Brazil's highest waterfalls--Itiquira Falls is located about 30 km to the north. The main rivers of the Municipality are:
- The Paranã – is the most important with a length of 500 Km. It begins in a series of streams and in the eastern valley of the Serra Geral do Paranã, 4 Km from the city. It flows through the interior of the municipality in a northern direction and receives more than 30 tributaries. It separates the municipalities of Formosa and São João D’Aliança. In the extreme north it receives the Paraim on the border with Flores de Goiás.
- The Preto – it begins in Lagoa Feia, on the border with the Federal District and serves as a boundary between the DF and the state of Goiás. It receives several tributaries, the most important being the Ribeirão Bezerra. - The Urucuia – its source is located to the east, 26 km from Formosa.
[edit] Climate
The climate is characterized as tropical altitude. The average temperature is about 25º C. Temperatures vary little from month to month with perhaps a slight increase in the rainy season. The south of the municipality is higher and therefore temperatures are lower while the Paranã valley has hot and humid weather.
What characterizes the climate of Formosa is less temperature than rainfall. We can divide the year into two seasons, the summer or rainy season lasting from October to April and the winter or dry season lasting from May to September.
[edit] The Economy
Economic activity in Formosa is based on agriculture with soybeans, cattle raising, rice, manioc and corn being the main sources of income. There are also many small industries producing furniture and bricks. Since housing is cheaper in Formosa than in nearby Brasilia many people live there and commute, usually by bus, to the capital. This influx of new dwellers has caused the population of Formosa to grow rapidly in recent years, overburdening services such as health and education. At the time of this writing the city had no sewage system or sewage treatment plant, although extensive construction began in 2005 to remedy this problem. Almost all of the houses use septic tanks, endangering the groundwater which is vital to this region where so many important rivers have their source.
