The Central-West: Overview

Brazil’s Central-West is an area of striking contrasts that vary from the futuristic designs of the nation’s capital, Brasília, through to the untouched and unexplored backwaters of the Pantanal Matogrossense, the savannah of Mato Grosso.

Brasília is the “dream city” of the future, a city born to be a nation’s capital, a city designed to open up the untouched interior of Brazil to the 20th century.

The Pantanal Matogrossense, on the other hand, is an area only relatively recently discovered and explored by man. Once a vast inland sea, it is today one of the largest and richest reserves of wildlife known to man and the Araguaia River is considered to hold the planet’s most abundant source of fish as well as the Bananal Island, the largest river-island in the world.

The Central-West covers 24.93% of Brazil and contains 7% of the population who live in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and the Federal District - Brasília.

Federal District
Under the deep blue sky of Brazil's central plateau, Brasília was built in two thousand days to be the nation's focus of power.

Federal District: Introduction
Heritage of Humanity
The Town Planning
Modernist Movement: Oscar Niemeyer
Modernist Movement: Lucio Costa
Information Table
Links: Federal District

Goiás
Far from the sea, but with mysterious sources of sulphurous and salt water, Goiás retains in its major towns traces of the gold cycle during the colonial period.

Goiás: Introduction
Goiás Velho (Old Goiás)
Pirenópolis
Alto Paraíso
Natural Springs
Goiânia
Pilar de Goiás
Corumbá
Paraúna
Araguaia and Paranaíba Rivers
Information Table
Links: Goiás

Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso was the destination of some of the largest expeditions that set out from São Paulo during the 18th century to settle in the interior of the country, set up trading posts and search for deposits of gold and precious stones.

Mato Grosso: Introduction
Cuiabá
Chapada do Guimarães National Park
Festival of São Benedito
Information Table
Links: Mato Grosso

Mato Grosso do Sul
Mato Grosso do Sul includes two thirds of the Pantanal (marshlands) which is the largest flooded area in the world, inhabited by an infinite variety of creatures.

Mato Grosso do Sul: Introduction
Campo Grande
Bonito
Corumbá
Information Table
Links: Mato Grosso do Sul