São Simão, Goiás

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São Simão
State	Goiás
Area:	414.0 km²
Population:	15,091 (IBGE 2005)
Elevation:	490m above sea level
Postcode (CEP):	75890-000
IBGE statistical microregion:	018 Quirinópolis Microregion
Became a city:	1958
Distance to Goiânia:	351 km.
Website:	São Simão

This page is about São Simão, Goiás

For São Simão in São Paulo (state) see São Simão, São Paulo.

São Simão is a small town and a municipality in south-central Goiás state, Brazil.

1 Location
2 Transportation
3 Political information
4 Demographic information
5 Economic information
6 Education (2005)
7 Health (2003)
8 Tourism
9 History
10 Municipal Human Development Index
11 See also
12 Sources of data

[edit] Location

São Simão is strategically situated on the border of Goiás with Minas Gerais, which makes it a major river navegation link between central Brazil, the Prata river system and the South Atlantic. By way of the Paranaíba-Paraná-Tietê river system, from São Simão one can travel from Minas to São Paulo, Paraná, Paraguai and Argentina. The region has a mild tropical climate with an average annual temperature of 23ºC. The elevation of the municipal seat is 490 meters.

The municipality has boundaries with Paranaiguara on the north; Santa Vitória-MG on the south and east; and Caçu on the west.

[edit] Transportation

The region has good highway connections and is crossed by BR-365, which links São Simão to the Triângulo Mineiro and São Paulo; BR-364, which connects to the southeast of Goiás and Mato Grosso; and GO-060 and GO-164 with links to Goiânia and Brasília.

The distance to the state capital, Goiânia is 365 km. Highway connections are made by BR-060 / Abadia de Goiás / Guapó / Indiara / Acreúna / GO-164 / Santa Helena de Goiás / Quirinópolis / BR-483 / GO-164 / Paranaiguara / BR-364. [1]

There is a regional airport with a paved runway measuring 1,800 meters in length and 45 meters in width. It can receive planes up to 99 tons.

[edit] Political information

Mayor: Francisco de Assis Peixoto (January 2005)
City council: 09 members
Eligible voters: 9,791 (April/2006)

[edit] Demographic information

Population density: 36.45 inhab/km² (2005)
Urban population: 13,277 (2000)
Rural population: 275 (2000)
Population growth: a gain of about 3,800 people since 1980

[edit] Economic information

The economy is based on tourism, subsistence agriculture, cattle raising, services, public administration (802 workers in 2003), and small transformation industries. Much of the income is generated by the hydroelectric plant. In 2002 the GDP was 726.2 million Reais. This was ranked 9th out of 246 municipalities in the state. Divided by sectores agriculture provided 7.1 million Reais, industry provided 679.4 million Reais, and services provided 36.0 million Reais.

Industrial units: 22 (2005), employing 210 workers in 2003
Commercial units: 159 (2005), employing 605 workers in 2003
Dairies: none (22/05/2006)
Meat-packing plants: none (22/05/2006)
Financial institutions: -Banco do Brasil S.A.

-BRADESCO S.A. -Banco Itaú S.A. (01/06/2005)

Automobiles: 1,077 (2004)
Cattle herd: 42,000 head (3,000 milk cows) (2004)
Poultry: 6,400 head (2004)
Swine: 990 head (2004)
Main crops: rice (100 hectares), sesame seeds, beans, manioc, corn (300 hectares), and soybeans (1,000 hectares).

[edit] Education (2005)

Schools: 10
Classrooms: 94
Teachers: 213
Students: 4, 240
Higher education: none
Adult literacy rate: 85.1% (2000) (national average was 86.4%)

[edit] Health (2003)

Hospitals: 1
Hospital beds: 51
Ambulatory clinics: 11
Doctors, nurses, dentists: 11, 3, 8 (2002)
Infant mortality rate: 28.90 (2000) (national average was 33.0)

[edit] Tourism

Tourism is also very important with the huge São Simão lake nearby. There are 600,000 km² of water for fishing, swimming, and nautical sports. One of the greatest tourist points of the region is the artificial beach on the banks of this reservoir, twice the size of Guanabara Bay, and formed by the building of the São Simão dam.

[edit] History

The history of the city is connected to the construction of the São Simão dam and power station. Before 1930 the region was almost uninhabited. A small settlement appeared on the banks of the Paranaíba inhabited by diamond miners and fishermen. In 1935 a bridge was built connecting the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais and the town began to prosper. The population was already about 7,000. In 1957 this concrete bridge was washed away by torrential rains. The date is still remembered by the locals as Judgement Day. In 1961 a new bridge was finished and inaugurated by President Juscelino Kubitschek.

In 1975, with the building of the dam, a new city for 10,000 people was created with mercury lamps, paved streets, and modern schools.