Alto Paraíso de Goiás

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Alto Paraíso de Goiás (usually referred to as Alto Paraíso) is a small town and a municipality in northeastern Goiás state, Brazil. It has become known for its ecological and New Age tourism.

Population: 7,428 (2005 estimate)
Total area; 2,603.4 kmª
Elevation of the city: 1,186 meters
Postal code: 73770-000

Alto Paraíso is part of the Chapada dos Veadeiros Microregion. Located northeast of Brasília, it lies 230 km. from that capital city. It is 423 from Goiânia. Highway connections are made by BR-153 / Anápolis / BR-060 / Alexânia / Planaltina / GO-118 / BR-010 / São João d'Aliança. For all the distances in Goiás see Seplan

Neighboring municipalities are:

Demographic and political data

Population density: 2.62 inhab/km² (2003)
Population growth rate 1991/2000: 4.41%
Population in 1980: 2,721
Population in 1991: 4,193
Urban population: 4,775 (2003)
Rural population: 2,020 (2003)
Urban and rural population in 1980: Urban: 537; Rural: 2,184
Number of households: 1,517
Eligible voters in 2004: 4,284
City government in 2004: mayor (Uiter Gomes de Araújo), vice-mayor (Leci Paulino Barbosa) , and 09 councilpersons

Economy

The economy is based on farming, cattle raising, tourism, and services. The cattle herd was 23,900 in 2002.

Business structure (2003)

agriculture, cattle raising: 17 units employing 83 workers
commerce, automobile repair: 106 units employing 164 workers
hotels and restaurants: 83 units employing 227 workers
public administration, defense, social security: 03 units employing 253 workers (IBGE)

There were 420 automobiles, 36 trucks, and 34 pickups registered in 2004. There were two financial institutions in 2004.

The Gross Domestic Product was 24.5 million Reais in 2003, which was 11.76 million dollars at the exchange rate of May 1, 2006.

GDP per capita: 3,521 Reais in 2003, which was 1,690 dollars at the exchange rate of May 1, 2006.

Most important agricultural products:

bananas: 0.4 kmª
coffee: 0.45 kmª
oranges: 0.15 kmª
rice: 4 kmª
corn: 10 kmª
manioc: 1 kmª
soybeans: 15 kmª

Health and education

Infant mortality rate in 2000: 26.56 (47.77 in 1990)
Health establishments: 06 (2002)
Hospital beds: 0
Doctors / Dentists: 08 / 01
Literacy rate in 2000: 86.4 (71.7 in 1991)
Primary schools / enrollment / teachers: 08 / 1,722 / 97 (2004)
Middle and Secondary schools / enrollment / teachers: 01 / 320 / 17

All the data above are from IBGE

Households and income 2000

Number of households: 1,517
Households with no income: 218
Households earning less than one minimum salary: 387
Households earning between 01 and 02 minimum salaries: 405
Households earning between 02 and 03 minimum salaries: 132
Households earning between 03 and 05 minimum salaries: 162
Households earning between 05 and 10 minimum salaries: 124
Households earning more than 10 minimum salaries: 89

The minimum salary in April 2000 was R$151.00. The minimum salary of April 2006 was R$350.00, which was $167.40 US dollars on April 30, 2006

Tourism

Located adjacent to the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, Alto Paraíso attracts many followers of mysticism, natural therapies, and spiritualism. The exuberant nature has mountains, canyons, waterfalls, crystal mines, and wildflowers. In the town there are more than 40 mystical, philosophical, and religious groups, transforming the town into what locals like to call The Brazilan Capital of the Third Millennium. According to believers, the fact that latitude 14, which crosses the legendary city of Machu Picchu, in Peru, also crosses Alto Paraíso, has caused appearances of flying saucers and extraterrestrials.

The town has a growing infrastructure for tourism, with hotels, inns, and camping.

Ranking on the Municipal Human Development Index

Alto Paraíso de Goiás is in the middle position on the United Nations HDI-M with a rating of 0.738.