Tocantins

Tocantins is a state in Brazil.

It is a new place. It has many big rivers.

Some parts have a green forest. Other parts have open fields.

These fields are called the cerrado.

The land can be very hot. It has a dry season. This makes the air feel dry.

Many people live in the city of Palmas. It is the capital. Many people move there to work.

There is a very large island in a river. It is called Bananal Island. It is a special place to see.

Tocantins is a state in Brazil. It is the newest state in the country. It was formed in 1988. Most of the land used to be part of Goiás.

The land here is very varied. Some parts look like the Amazon rainforest. Other parts are called the cerrado. The cerrado is a large area of open fields.

In the cerrado, the weather is often hot. There is a dry season from May to October. Many plants here have thick bark. They also have deep roots. These help them survive forest fires.

Rivers are very important in Tocantins. The Tocantins River gives the state its name. The name comes from a word for toucan beak.

There is a huge river island called Bananal Island. It is the second largest river island in the world. Many people also visit the Jalapão region. They go there to see beautiful rivers in the dry land. Many people live in the capital city, Palmas. It is a fast-growing place for new residents.

Tocantins is a state in the country of Brazil. It is the newest state in the nation. It was officially formed in 1988. Before this, the land was part of the state of Goiás. The state was created from the northern two-fifths of that land.

Today, it is part of the North Region of Brazil. It is a place that is growing very quickly. Many new people move here every year to live and work.

The land in Tocantins has many different looks. Most of the state is covered by the cerrado. The cerrado is a wide area of savanna with open fields. Some parts have thick forests, while others are just tall grasses. In the north, the land changes into the Amazon rainforest.

You can also find many rivers flowing through the state. The Araguaia and Tocantins rivers create a huge watershed. One very special place is Bananal Island. It is the second largest river island in the whole world.

The weather in the cerrado is often hot and semi-humid. There is a clear change between the seasons. The winter is very dry from May through October. The average rainfall for the year is about 1500 mm.

Plants here have special ways to stay alive. Many trees have thick bark and twisted trunks. They also have very deep roots to find water. These features help them survive the fires that sometimes sweep the land.

People have lived in this area for a very long time. Indigenous tribes have called this land home for centuries. Researchers have found over 20 important sites from these cultures. In the 1600s, missionaries explored the area. The name Tocantins comes from the Tupi language. It means "toucan's beak" because of the river.

The capital city, Palmas, is quite new. Construction on Palmas began in 1989. Most other cities in the state are much older. They date back to the time of Portuguese settlers.

Today, many people work in farming and industry. The state is a major producer of many things. It grows a lot of soy, corn, and rice. In 2019, it harvested 3 million tons of soy.

There are also 8 million cattle in the state.

Huge rivers provide power for electricity through dams. This helps the state grow and develop. Travelers also visit the beautiful Jalapão region to see the rivers.

It is a place where nature and new growth meet.

Tocantins is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state in the country. It was officially formed in 1988 through the 1988 Constitution. Before this, the territory was part of the northern two-fifths of Goiás. This change moved the area from the Central-West Region to the North Region. Today, it is a rapidly growing part of the nation.

The geography of Tocantins is quite varied. It sits in a central zone of the country. The state straddles the Amazon rainforest and the coastal savanna. It is bordered by Maranhão and Piauí to the northeast. Bahia lies to the east. Goiás is to the south. Mato Grosso is to the west. Pará is to the northwest. Many rivers traverse the state. The Araguaia and Tocantins rivers drain the largest watershed entirely inside Brazilian territory.

A large part of the state is covered by the cerrado. The cerrado is a vast Brazilian savanna. It covers about 87% of Tocantins. This landscape has many different types of vegetation. Some areas are open fields with mostly grasses. Other areas are more closed and forest-like. The most closed type is called the cerradão, which is a closed canopy forest. There are also humid fields and buriti palm paths where the water table is near the surface. In the north, the cerrado becomes a transition zone for the Amazon biome.

Plants in the cerrado have developed special adaptations. Many trees have twisted trunks and thick bark. Their leaves are often broad and rigid. Many herbaceous plants have extensive roots to store water and nutrients. These features help them survive periodic fires. These fires have coexisted with the ecosystem since ancient times. Initially, plants adapted to natural fires from lightning or volcanic activity. The thick bark and deep roots allow plants to sprout again after a fire.

The history of the region involves many different groups. Portuguese Jesuit missionaries explored the area around 1625. They sought to convert Amerindian peoples to Christianity. The name Tocantins comes from the Tupi language. It combines the words tukã´, meaning toucan, and tï, meaning beak. This literally translates to "Toucan's beak." For a long time, the area was isolated by mountains and rivers. In the 1970s, people in northern Goiás lobbied for a separate state. Since its creation, Tocantins has become the fastest-growing Brazilian state.

The economy of Tocantins is driven by agriculture and industry. The service sector is the largest part of the GDP at 59.9%. The industrial sector follows at 27.2%. Agriculture makes up 12.9% of the GDP. The state is a major grain producer. In 2019, it harvested 3 million tons of soy. It also harvested nearly 1 million tonnes of maize. Tocantins is the leader in rice production in the North region. In 2019, it was the 3rd largest producer in Brazil. The state also has a massive cattle herd of 8 million animals.

Infrastructure is vital for the state's growth. The Belém-Brasília Highway, made of BR-153 and BR-226, is the main road. It cuts through the state from north to south. This highway helps move goods to other states and coastal ports. The capital, Palmas, was built starting in 1989. The government has also invested in hydropower dams and railroads. The North–South Railway is currently under construction. The state also uses three main airports. These are Palmas, Araguaína, and Gurupi.

Nature provides many unique landmarks in Tocantins. In the southwest, you can find Bananal Island. This is the second largest fluvial island in the world. It is formed by two branches of the Araguaia River. It consists of marshlands, seasonally flooded savannas, and gallery forests. The river branches meet again to form an inland delta called Cantão. This is a typical Amazonian igapó flooded forest. The state also features the Araguaia National Park and Jalapão State Park. In Jalapão, rivers create oases in the dry landscape. This attracts many ecotourists to the region.