Itapaci

Itapaci is a small town and municipality in northern Goiás state, Brazil. The population was 16,003 in 2007 (IBGE). The total area of the municipality was 956.1 km² (10/10/2002).

Geography

Itapaci is located on the São Patrício Pequeno River in the Ceres Microregion. The distance to the state capital, Goiânia, is 230 kilometers. Highway connections are made by GO-080 / Nerópolis / São Francisco de Goiás / BR-153 / Jaraguá / Rialma / GO-336. See [http://www.seplan.go.gov.br/sepin/pub/anuario/2005/transporte/tab01_transporte.htm Seplan] for the complete list.

Neighboring municipalities are: Crixás, Guarinos, Hidrolina, Ipiranga de Goiás, Nova América, Nova Glória, Pilar de Goiás, Rubiataba and São Luíz do Norte.

Climate
*The climate is tropical humid with high maximum temperatures that can reach 37 °C. The natural resources of the town are its mineral wealth. There are deposits of mica, crystal, asbestos, and gold. In the forests there are stands of hardwood.

Districts, Villages, and Hamlets
*District: Aparecida de Goiás.
*Village: Ponte Nova.
*Hamlets: Santo Agostinho, São José do Caiamar, Vila Santana and Vila Trindade.

Demographics

*Population density: 16.74 inhab/km² (2007)
*Population growth rate: 1.62% from 1996/2007
*Urban population in 1980: 6,179
*Urban population in 2007: 14,546
*Rural population in 1980: 8,046
*Rural population in 2007: 1,457

The Economy

The economy is based on livestock raising, agriculture, and services. In 2006 there were 425 farms with a total area of 51,805 hectares, of which 3,500 hectares were cropland and 38,600 hectares were pasture. Cattle raising is the main economic activity with 75,000 head in 2006. There are plantations of rice, beans, corn, peanuts, and manioc. The main crop was sugarcane with 4,800 ha. planted in 2006 and a production of 384,000 tons.
*Industrial establishments: 24
*Retail commercial establishments: 176
*Distillery: Vale Verde Empreendimentos Agrícolas Ltda. (July/2007)
*Dairy: Goiásminas Indústria de Laticínios Ltda. (22/05/2006)
*Financial institutions: Banco do Brasil S.A., Banco Itaú S.A (22/05/2006)

Health and Education

In 2007 there were 12 schools in activity with 5,853 students. There was a campus of the Universidade Estadual de Goiás. The literacy rate was 85.4% in 2000. There were 02 hospitals with 99 beds and 15 doctors. The infant mortality rate was 31.12 in 2000 (in 1,000 live births)
*Municipal Human Development Index: 0.725
*State ranking: 160 (out of 242 municipalities in 2000)
*National ranking: 2,524 (out of 5,507 municipalities in 2000) For the complete list see [http://www.frigoletto.com.br/GeoEcon/idhgo.htm frigoletto.com.br]

History

The settlement began in the 1920's on the lands of the Água Fria and Barra cattle ranches. Land was donated by a rancher called Domiciano Rodrigues Peixoto and a cross was erected in 1935. The first name was Água Fria, later changed to Floresta. In 1938 it became a district with the name Itapaci, which means "Beautiful Rock". In 1945 it was raised to municipal status.

ee also

*List of municipalities in Goiás
*Microregions of Goiás

ources of data

* [http://www.ibge.gov.br/ IBGE]
* [http://www.seplan.go.gov.br/ Seplan]
* [http://www.frigoletto.com.br/GeoEcon/idhgo.htm Frigoletto]
* [http://www.citybrazil.com.br/ City Brazil]
* [http://www.seplan.go.gov.br/sepin/pub/anuario/2005/transporte/tab01_transporte.htm Highway distances from Goiânia]