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Statistics
Capital:	Campo Grande
Area:	358,158.7 km²
Inhabitants:	2,026,600 (2000)
Pop. density:	3.1 inh./km²
Timezone:	GMT-4
ISO 3166-2:	BR-MS
Governor:	José Miranda dos Santos mostly known as Zeca do PT
Map

Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the states of Brazil. Neighbouring states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay and Bolivia to the west.

Mato Grosso do Sul literally means "Southern Thick Forest", a name inherited from its northern neighbour state of Mato Grosso, of which it was part until the latter was split in the 70s. It is not uncommon for people to mistakenly refer to it as simply "Mato Grosso", which has led the government to sometimes consider changing its name to "Pantanal", a reference to its best known geographical feature (see below).

Contents 1 Economy 2 Geography 3 History 4 Flag 5 External links

Economy

Mato Grosso do Sul's economy is based primarily on farm products, of which cattle-raising is probably the most important. Other agrarian products include sugarcane, wheat, soybeans, manioc, rice and cotton.

Geography

The state is located in western Brazil, in a region mostly occupied by the inland marshes of the Pantanal.

Mato Grosso do Sul is subdivided into 11 regions with 77 municipalities. Larger cities include:

• Campo Grande, the capital of the state.
• Corumbá
• Dourados
• Bonito, a bustling tourist destination best known for crystal clear rivers and beautiful cave formations. The name "Bonito" means, unsurprisingly, "Pretty".

See also:

• List of cities in Brazil (all cities and municipalities)

The highest elevation is the 1,065m high Morro Grande.

History

In 1977 the state was split off from the state Mato Grosso. Its status as a state went into full effect January 1, 1979.

Flag

Larger version

The flag was adopted by the first law of the new state—article 1 of decree no. 1 implementing decree-law no. 1—on January 1, 1979. It was designed by Mauro Michael Munhoz. The white stripe symbolizes hope; the green corner, its rich flora. The star in the blue sky in the bottom right corner stands for balance, force and serenity.

External links

• Brazilian Embassy in London
• Official website (Portuguese)

States of Brazil
Acre | Alagoas | Amapá | Amazonas | Bahia | Ceará | Espírito Santo | Goiás | Maranhão | Mato Grosso | Mato Grosso do Sul | Minas Gerais | Pará | Paraíba | Paraná | Pernambuco | Piauí | Rio de Janeiro | Rio Grande do Norte | Rio Grande do Sul | Rondônia | Roraima | Santa Catarina | São Paulo | Sergipe | Tocantins
Federal District: Brazilian Federal District

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