Caçu

Caçu
State Goiás
Coordinates: 18°33′47″S 51°07′29″W / 18.56306°S 51.12472°W
Area: 2,257.8 km²
Population: 10,892 (IBGE 2007)
Elevation: 469m above sea level
Postcode (CEP): 75813-000
Became a city: 1953
Mayor: Gilmar José de Freitas Guimarães
IBGE statistical Microregion: Quirinópolis Microregion
Distance to Goiânia: 330 km.
Website: none
Location of Caçu

Caçu is a municipality in southwest Goiás state, Brazil.

Location

Caçu is part of the Quirinópolis Microregion. It is located 330 kilometers from the state capital, Goiânia and is crossed by highway GO-206, which links the city with Quirinópolis. It is almost directly south of Rio Verde, 99 km away.

Highway connections from Goiânia are by BR-060 / Guapó / Indiara / Acreúna / Rio Verde / GO-174/GO-422 / Aparecida do Rio Doce / BR-364/GO-206. See Sepin

Geography

The relief of the municipality is made up of a plateau and several hills. Belonging to the Paranaíba River system, it is crossed by the Claro, Verdinho, and the Paranaíba itself. The climate is tropical with two well-defined seasonsthe dry season, from May to the end of September, and the rainy season, from September to April.

The temperature varies between 18 °C and 35 °C, with an average of 25 °C; in the months of June and July the minimum temperature can fall to 0 °C, although this is rare.

Demographics

The economy

The economy is based on cattle raising and soybean growing. The region had 211,000 head of cattle including 15,900 milking cows (2006). The extensive cattle raising and mechanized agriculture provide few jobs for the local population and the population density is sparse.

Farm Data (2006)in ha.

Health and education

Ranking on the Municipal Human Development Index: 0.783

History

The region was first settled by Europeans in 1858 when two brothers, Pedro and Paulo de Sequeira, coming from Minas Gerais established themselves on the right bank of the Rio Claro. Twenty-six years later Manuel José de Castro, with other families, started the first cattle ranch called Caçu, because of the great quantity of liquorice (alcaçuz), a medicinal plant, growing in the region. The cattle ranch became a village in 1915 with the construction of a chapel. The first name was Água Fria, being built on the banks of the stream with that name. In 1924 it became a district of Jataí with the name of Caçu, achieving its municipal independence in 1953.

See also

References