Alto Paraíso de Goiás

: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.

Location

Alto Paraíso is part of the IBGE statistical micro-region of Chapada dos Veadeiros . It lies 230 km. northeast of the federal capital Brasília and 423 from the state capital Goiânia. Highway connections are made by BR-153 / Anápolis / BR-060 / Alexânia / Planaltina / GO-118 / BR-010 / São João d'Aliança.

Neighboring municipalities are:
*North: Cavalcante and Teresina de Goiás
*South: São João d'Aliança
*East: Nova Roma
*West: Colinas do Sul

Demographics

*Population density: 2.56 inhab/km²
*Urban population: 4,585 (2007)
*Rural population: 2,043 (2007)
*Population growth rate 1996/2007: 1.87%

The Economy

The economy is based on farming (soybeans (3,800 ha), corn (2000 ha), rice), cattle raising, tourism, and services. The cattle herd was 30,500 in 2006. There were two banking institutions in 2007--Banco Itaú SA and Banco do Brasil SA.(Agosto/2007)

Agricultural data 2006
*Farms: 387
*Total area: 189,550 ha.
*Area of permanent crops: 67,499 ha.
*Area of perennial crops: 27,433 ha.
*Area of natural pasture: 36,059 ha.
*Area of woodland and forests: 14,466 ha.
*Persons dependent on farming: 940
*Number of tractors: 89
*Cattle herd: 30,500 [http://www.ibge.gov.br/ IBGE]

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 arrival of tourists has caused the town to have a growing infrastructure for tourism, with hotels, inns, and camping.

Health and Education

Alto Paraíso de Goiás is in the middle position on the United Nations HDI-M with a rating of 0.738.
*HDI-M: 0.738
*State ranking: 112 (out of 242)
*National ranking: 2,208 (out of 5,507) [http://www.frigoletto.com.br/GeoEcon/idhgo.htm Frigoletto]

*Hospitals: 1 with 40 beds (2007)
*Schools: 9 with 2,636 students (2006) [http://www.seplan.go.gov.br/sepin/ Seplan/Sepin]

History

The history of Alto Paraíso goes back to the middle of the 18th century when a cattle ranch was set up by Francisco de Almeida. He called the region Veadeiros (deer). The first settlers raised cattle and wheat, due to the high altitude and colder climate. In 1938 Veadeiros appeared as a district of Cavalcante, separating in 1953 to form its own municipality. In 1963 the name was changed to Alto Paraíso de Goiás (High Paradise of Goiás).

External links

* [http://www.portaldesaojorge.com.br/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=14 Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros]
* [http://www.chapada.com/english/chapadaeng.htm Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros]
* [http://yatra.yage.net/vale.htm Vale da Esperança and Lua (a mystical retreat)]
* [http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/3416/altoparaiso.htm A Chapada dos Veadeiros e Alto Paraíso]

References

* [http://www.ibge.gov.br/ IBGE]
* [http://www.seplan.go.gov.br/ Seplan]
* [http://www.frigoletto.com.br/GeoEcon/idhgo.htm Frigoletto]

ee also

*List of municipalities in Goiás
*Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park
*Microregions of Goiás