Palmas, Tocantins

Palmas
Municipality
Município de Palmas
Municipality of Palmas
From the top; clockwise: Tocantins River Bridge; Araguaia Palace; Tocantins River; Aerial view of Palmas; Súplica dos Pioneiros monument and Coluna Prestes Memorial.
From the top; clockwise: Tocantins River Bridge; Araguaia Palace; Tocantins River; Aerial view of Palmas; Súplica dos Pioneiros monument and Coluna Prestes Memorial.
Flag of Palmas
Flag
Official seal of Palmas
Seal
Nickname: 
Capital Ecológica (Ecological Capital)
Motto(s): 
Co Yvy Ore Retama (Tupi for 'This Land is Ours'; in Portuguese: Esta Terra é Nossa)
Localization of Palmas in Tocantins
Localization of Palmas in Tocantins
Palmas is located in Brazil
Palmas
Palmas
Localization of Palmas in Brazil
Coordinates: 10°11′04″S 48°20′01″W / 10.18444°S 48.33361°W / -10.18444; -48.33361
Country Brazil
RegionNorth
State Tocantins
FoundedMay 20, 1989
Government
 • MayorCinthia Ribeiro (PSDB)
Area
 • Total
2,218.93 km2 (856.73 sq mi)
Elevation
230 m (755 ft)
Population
 (2024)[1]
 • Total
323,625
 • Density150/km2 (380/sq mi)
DemonymPalmense
Time zoneUTC−3 (BRT)
Postal Code
From 77000-001 to 77249-999
Area code+55 63
HDI (2010)0.788 – high[2]
Websitewww.palmas.to.gov.br

Palmas (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawmɐs], Palm trees; Akwẽ-Xerénte: Akwẽ krikahâzawre wam hã [akwẽ kɾikahəʐawɾɛ wam hə̃][3]) is the capital and largest city of the state of Tocantins, Brazil. According to IBGE estimates from 2024, the city has 323,625 inhabitants and an area that covers 2,218.93 square kilometers (856.73 sq mi).

Palmas was founded in 1990 and developed from the ground up in a former agricultural area as the capital of the new state of Tocantins, formed under the 1988 constitution.[4] It was intended to develop a relatively undeveloped area of the nation to provide better jobs for people. The city has a well-designed road system, and its urban zoning is modeled on that of Brasília, the national capital. A symmetrical park lies at the city centre, and a large central avenue similar to Brasília's extends north to south.[4] The city is home to the Federal University of Tocantins.

In 2002, the Lajeado Hydroelectric Power Plant [pt] was completed on the Tocantins River, creating a large reservoir and giving the city new beaches. The project also included construction of a huge bridge: the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Bridge [pt], 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) long, connects Palmas with the major highway BR-153 and the district of Luzimangues in Porto Nacional.

The Palmas Airport connects Palmas with many Brazilian cities.

  1. ^ "IBGE 2024". Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Cotrim, Rodrigo Guimarães Prudente Marquez (2014). "Documentação da língua–cultura indígena brasileira xerente (Jê): um caso de media documentation, educação tecno–linguística e empoderamento linguístico". In Malvestitti, Marisa; Dreidemie, Patricia (eds.). III Encuentro de Lenguas Indígenas Americanas. Libro de Actas. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. pp. 171–84. ISBN 978-987-3667-00-8.
  4. ^ a b Rego, Renato Leão (2020). "Palmas, the last capital city planned in twentieth-century Brazil". Urbe. Revista Brasileira de Gestão Urbana. 12. doi:10.1590/2175-3369.012.e20190168. ISSN 2175-3369.