Campos Belos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Campos Belos is a small city and municipality in northeastern Goiás state, Brazil. The population was 18,489 (2005 estimate) in a total area of 786 km². It is a commercial center for a vast area in the northeast of the state.

Elevation: 640 meters
Became a city: 1989
IBGE statistical microregion: Chapada dos Veadeiros Microregion
Postal code: 73840-000

Location

Campos Belos is in the extreme northeast of Goiás and borders the state of Tocantins on the north, Bahia on the east and the municipalities of Monte Alegre de Goiás, Divinópolis, and São Domingos on the south and southwest.

It is 601 km. to the state capital, Goiânia. Highway connections are made by BR-153 / Anápolis / Alexânia / BR-060 / Planaltina / GO-430 / GO-118 / BR-010 / São João da Aliança / Alto Paraíso de Goiás / Teresina de Goiás / Monte Alegre de Goiás. There are connections with Arraias in the state of Tocantins to the north, taking highway BR-242.

Campos Belos lies in a region with a mixture of cerrado vegetation and the semi-arid caatinga. The town is surrounded by low mountains.

Demographic and political data

Population density in 2003: 24.52 inhab/km²
Population growth rate 1991/2000: 1.62.%
Population in 1980: 10,126
Population in 1991: 14,746
Urban population in 2003: 14,814
Rural population in 2003: 2,942
Eligible voters in 2004: 13,541
City government: mayor (Aurolino José dos Santos Ninha), vice-mayor (Ademir Nogueira de Souza), and 09 councilmembers
Households in 2000: 4,264
Households earning less than 01 minimum salary in 2000: 2,564

Economy

The main economic activity is cattle raising (55,627 head), but it was minerals that brought the first settlers to this region. There are deposits of crystal, calciterite, iron, gold, and uranium. In recent years Campos Belos has become a commercial center for a vast area taking in the northeast of Goiás and the southeast of Tocantins.

Main agricultural products in planted area (2003):

rice: 4.80 km²
sugarcane: 1.50 km²
corn: 12.00 km²

Data are from IBGE

Industrial establishments in 2005: 19
Retail establishments: 193
Financial institutions: Bradesco, Banco do Brasil, Itaú
GDP in 2003: R$47.031 million
GDP in 2002: R$40.826 million (0.13% of the state GDP)
GDP per capita in 2003: R$2,617 (less than one half of the state average)
GDP per capita in 2002: R$2,306 (state average was R$5,921)
automobiles: 990 Seplan

History

Campos Belos began around the small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception in 1881. Lands were donated by local cattle ranchers for the foundation of the new town. In 1889 the settlement was elevated to district, belonging to Arraias, which is now part of the state of Tocantins. In 1953 Campos Belos became a city.

Education

The state university of Goiás (UEG)opened a campus in Campos Belos in 2000, initially to offer a course in Letters. In a short time it tripled the number of students and now has approximately 800. [1] It covers six cities of the northeast of Goiás: Monte Alegre de Goiás, Teresina de Goiás, Cavalcante, São Domingos and Divinópolis, besides receiving students from the cities of Taguatinga (TO), Aurora do Tocantins (TO), Novo Alegre (TO), Combinado (TO), Arraias (TO) and Conceição do Tocantins (TO), from the neighboring state of Tocantins. Today the campus offers courses in Letters, Pedagogy, Geography, and Mathematics.

literacy rate in 2003: 82.4
schools in 2005: 18
classrooms: 145
teachers: 343
students: 7,195 Seplan

Health