RONDONIA - BRAZIL |
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Rondônia is a state of Brazil, located in the northern-western part of the country. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, and in the south is Bolivia.
Other cities include:
Ji-Paraná
Ariquemes
Vilhena
Cacoal |
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Geography
The state has a territory covered mostly by jungle of the Amazon Rainforest,
but about one-fifth of the state has been deforested since intensive
settlement began in the 1970s. A majority of its citizens now live in urban
areas. It is a main exporter of wood, as well as a significant producer of
both coffee and an important cattle breeder.
History
Rondônia is named after Candido Rondon, who made several exploration
expeditions through Brazilian borderlines in the early 20th century,
including one mission to rescue former American president Teddy Roosevelt,
after the latter failed to return from a canoeing expedition. The territory
was set apart from Mato Grosso in 1943, under the name Guaporé, as a part of
Getulio Vargas' policies to secure frontiers. The initial beginnings of the
development of cattle-breeding and coffee production was possible thanks to
the Pólo-Noroeste project implemented by the federal government in the 1970s
which was designed to encourage emigration to the undeveloped area.
The Pólo-Noroeste programme increased Rondônia's population by nearly one-hundredfold
from 1970 to 2004, from an original 10,000 to today's 1.5 million. Every
city in the state except for Porto Velho and Guajará-Mirim were built by
Pólo-Noroeste settlers. After implementing the Pólo-Noroeste project, the
federal government put into place the Planaforo programme, to deal with
environment and Amerindian issues, notably the defining of Amerindian
reserve borders.
In 1980, the Samuel Hydroelectric Plant was built, allowing a massive
upswing in the production of timber, minerals, civil construction and
foodstuffs to occur.
Rondônia was upgraded to a state in 1988, making it Brazil's youngest state.
In 1993, another upswing occurred when the Guajará-Mirim free trade area was
established. Bordering on Bolivia, this free trade area increased trade
between Rondônia and Bolivia by a substantial degree.
Since the late 1990s, Rondônia has begun to exploit its natural beauty in
order to attract tourists. Porto Velho is situated on the Madeira River, a
tributary of the Amazon, and the Lago do Cuniã is located in the state. |
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