Mato Grosso do Sul

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Mato Grosso do Sul

Flag of Mato Grosso do Sul
See other Brazilian States
Capital	Campo Grande
Largest City	Campo Grande
Area	358,158.7 km²
Population   - Total   - Density	2,298,000 6.42 inh./km²
Governor	Zeca do PT(PT)
Demonym	Sul-mato-grossense
HDI (2000)	0.778 – medium
Timezone	GMT-4
ISO 3166-2	BR-MS

Mato Grosso do Sul (pron. IPA: ['ma.tu 'gɾo.su du suw] ^[1]) is one of the states of Brazil. Neighbouring states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west.

Mato Grosso do Sul literally means "Southern Thick Forest", a name inherited from its northern neighbour state of Mato Grosso, of which it was part until split in the 70s. It is not uncommon for people to mistakenly refer to Mato Grosso do Sul as simply "Mato Grosso", which has prompted the government to consider changing its name to "Pantanal", a reference to its best known geographical feature (see below).

Contents 1 Economy 2 Geography 3 History 4 Flag 5 Notes 6 External links

[edit] Economy

Mato Grosso do Sul's economy is based primarily on farm products, of which cattle-raising is probably the most important. Other agrarian products include sugarcane, wheat, soybeans, manioc, rice and cotton.

[edit] Geography

The state is located in western Brazil, in a region mostly occupied by the inland marshes of the Pantanal.

Mato Grosso do Sul is subdivided into 11 regions with 78 municipalities. Larger cities include:

• Campo Grande, the capital of the state.
• Corumbá
• Dourados
• Ponta Porã
• Três Lagoas
• Bonito, a bustling tourist destination best known for crystal clear rivers and beautiful cave formations. The name "Bonito" means, unsurprisingly, "Pretty".

See also:

• List of cities in Brazil (all cities and municipalities)

The highest elevation is the 1,065m high Morro Grande.

[edit] History

In 1977 the state was created by dividing the state of Mato Grosso. Its status as a state went into full effect two years later on January 1, 1979.

[edit] Flag

Mato Grosso do Sul's flag was designed by Mauro Michael Munhoz. A white stripe divides an upper left green corner from a bottom right blue space with a yellow star. White symbolizes hope, green is an allusion to the state's rich flora, blue represents its vast sky, while the yellow star adds balance, force and serenity.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ The presented pronunciation is in Brazilian Portuguese. The European Portuguese pronunciation is: /'ma.tu 'gɾo.su du suɫ/.

[edit] External links

• location of Mato Grosso do Sul on a 3D globe (Java)
• Brazilian Embassy in London
• Official website (Portuguese)