Central-West Region, Brazil

Central-West Region Região Centro-Oeste
Region
Country	Brazil
States	Distrito Federal, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul
Area
• Region	1,612,077.2 km2 (622,426.5 sq mi)
• Rank	2nd
Population
• Region	16,504,303
• Rank	5th
• Density	10/km2 (27/sq mi)
• Rank	4th
• Urban	86.3%
GDP [1]
• Total	R$ 932.166 billion (US$ 172.917 billion)
HDI
• Year	2007
• Category	0.789 – high (3rd)
• Life expectancy	73.2 years (3rd)
• Infant mortality	19.5 per 1,000 (3rd)
• Literacy	91.7% (3rd)
Time zones	UTC-03 (BRT)
	UTC-04 (AMT)

The Central-West or Center-West Region of Brazil (Portuguese: Região Centro-Oeste do Brasil [ʁeʒiˈɐ̃w ˌsẽtɾoˈɛstʃi du bɾaˈziw]) is composed of the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul; along with Distrito Federal (Federal District), where Brazil's national capital, Brasília, is situated. The region comprises 18.86% of the national territory, and is the least populated in Brazil.

With the move of the country's federal capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília in the 1960s, the construction of roads and railways to the interior of the country made access to the region easier, speeding up population growth and contributing significantly to the region's development.

Mato Grosso do Sul was created in 1979, materializing the decision of the government to divide the then called state of Mato Grosso in two states to facilitate to the administration and the development of the region.

Brasília International Airport, Marechal Rondon International Airport, Campo Grande International Airport and Santa Genoveva Airport connects the Center-West region with many Brazilian cities and also operates some international flights.

The Center-West is home to the University of Brasília, University Center of Brasília, Federal University of Goiás, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Federal University of Mato Grosso and Federal University of Rondonópolis.